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8
MARCELL COETZEE
The build-up to the game was emotional for me -
I just wanted to get back playing the game I love
after 10 months out injured. To be able to do it
here in front of a crowd that was so supportive,
and to get the win as well, was just the cherry on
top for me.
I’m very blessed and I would like to thank every
supporter that messaged me in the lead up to the
Edinburgh game, and afterwards as well. It was
a big week for me and the Ulster people made it
extra special so thank you very much.
Ten months can stack some frustration and
aggression in you but it’s all a mental battle at the
end of the day. You have to take it day-by-day and
feed off any positivity you can get.
A big positive for me was getting through my
debut game injury free. With playing on a Friday
night, it gave me a couple of days to recover over
the weekend, which was really beneficial. I could
go away and reflect and come Monday morning
I was 100% focused ahead of a tough week of
training.
There were a couple of other guys coming back
to rugby after injury lay-offs - I’ve been rehabbing
with guys like Pete (Nelson), Wiehahn (Herbst)
and Stu (Olding), so it was great to see them
back involved against Edinburgh too.
You can play club rugby and do your fitness off
the field, but there’s nothing like the real game. As
soon as you grow confidence in your body and
feel that tempo of the game in your body, that’s
when you grow as a player. The more game time
we get now with all these guys coming back, the
more we will improve.
The win last week has given everyone a huge
boost. The boys have worked so hard all season
and they deserved that result after a difficult run.
We’ll build on what we’re doing and hopefully
continue winning and growing as a team.
A MESSAGE FROM MARCELL COETZEE
It was a privilege to make my debut last week at Kingspan Stadium in front
of the Ulster supporters...