46
ULSTER
RUGBY
“I am settling in really well, I have been here
three months now and it was a brilliant pre-
season until the injury,” says Dave. “The boys
have been really good and the coaches are
great so I am really enjoying my time here in
Ulster. The facilities are even more impressive
than I imagined, the gym is top class, the
stadium is great, everything is brand new but
having played for Munster in the past, the style
in terms of training and schedules is much the
same, I think that is pretty consistent throughout
the Irish teams.”
Just six weeks in Dave suffered a tear to his
ankle during Ulster Rugby’s annual open
training camp in Monaghan: “I was in the ruck
and one of the lads just fell on my ankle and I
got trapped which damaged a few ligaments.
Slowly but surely it is recovering, I was in a
walking boot for three weeks and then I was
back walking but I am back running again
this week. I have been so impressed with the
medical staff here, they are top class and have
not let me rush back into playing, they want
everything to be perfect before I get back on the
field whereas I would try to push myself back
probably too quickly. They have been great at
managing my expectations and making sure I
am fully fit before I am back to avoid reinjuring it
or putting myself at a disadvantage.
“Of course it has been frustrating, you train
hard during pre-season and prepare for playing
games and then right when the games are
about to start I got injured and then recovering
feels like pre-season all over again, so it has
been frustrating but I am starting to see light
and the end of the tunnel.”
Last weekend Ulster fought back from a 24-15
score line at half time to draw the game 32 all
in Cardiff, Dave admits that all the hard work
during pre-season is definitely starting to pay
off…
“I was very impressed with Ulster’s performance
last weekend the team showed a lot of heart,
determination and skill level and I think just a
few mistakes from us gave Cardiff some soft
scores. The boys came back well and I think
if there had of been an extra few minutes the
boys would have won it. I think the training over
the summer definitely put us at an advantage
in terms of fitness and that showed in the later
stages.”
Dave spent two seasons playing prop for Zebre,
making 23 appearances in the PRO12. This
season he switched allegiance to Ulster and
has provided an inside track to the Italian side…
“One thing that Zebre bring is physicality and
Italians always bring passion and heart and the
mentality of never giving up. They are definitely
improving as a squad but I think our boys will
be well able for it. It will be important for us to
wear them down and just keep the tempo high
for the entire game. I have experience playing
with a lot of the props over there so I have been
able to highlight some danger men and give the
guys a few inside tips. The coaches have asked
my opinion on a few things, so it’s good to be
involved in the preparation, I am doing whatever
I can to help the team while I’m not playing.
“After last weekend I think Zebre will be
frustrated, they were a bit unlucky, Cardiff
gave away a lot of penalties, they had a man
in the bin and Zebre could have capitalised a
bit more. I think they will have learnt from that
game, I think the one thing they need to improve
on is to be more clinical but last year the score
against Ulster was quite close so they won’t
be scared or nervous to come here. They have
a lot of respect for Ulster, I know they always
thought Ulster was the most physical game of
the season so they will come here cautiously
but also optimistic.”
Dave has a few more weeks on the side-line
before his ankle has fully recovered, it hasn’t
been the perfect start to the Munster man’s
season with Ulster but here’s hoping it’s all in
salita from here.
“It’s a bit annoying that I won’t get to play
against Zebre, it’s always great to play against
your mates. It can be strange to be on the
opposite side of the field but its fun as well. I
am really just frustrated in general that I am not
playing but it would have been good to get a
run out against my old team. The focus now
is just to get back on the field and get training
again in the next few weeks and to overcome
my new challenge of earning a place on the
team.”
RYAN RETURNS TO
IRISH RUGBY
DAVE
RYAN
Dave Ryan hails from Bishopstown, Cork but spent last
season playing with tonight’s opposition, Zebre. Having
joined Ulster on July 1st, Dave got stuck in well to pre-season
training but an ankle injury in Monaghan put his ambition to
start for Ulster on hold for another few weeks…
