Ulster Rugby vs Leinster

FAREWELL ROGER Wilson to make 221st and final Ulster appearance this evening versus Leinster

You are Ulster’s most capped player, how do you feel about saying goodbye? I don’t really do emotional to be honest, my wife will tell you that. But after a 15-year career, 11 of those years spent at Ulster, it’s fair to say I will miss it. About a third of my life has been spent in and around Ravenhill, so it will take a lot of getting used to, not turning up here every week. I am looking forward to the countdown over the next few weeks, it will be great to be involved in this game and looking back it has been an enjoyable time all round. With professional sport you get highs and lows and this season hasn’t gone as we had expected it to. But I am very grateful for all the good years I have had here. What are some of your highlights?

What was your favourite game to play in? Away against Leicester in the European Cup in 2014. When we topped the group and secured the quarter final against Saracens. We were fighting for the home quarter-final away at Leicester Tigers and as I’d been away at Northampton Saints for four years previously, they were big rivals with Leicester and there was a massive hype. So to go to Welford Road and get the win was brilliant. That season we finished top seeds so as a one-off game - that's a favourite. What will you miss the most? The big games! When the crowd are behind you and there’s a buzz around the game and the

ROGER WILSON

crowd are loud and passionate, that’s what I will miss the most. Also, the day-to-day, hanging out with my teammates and bantering each other. Bearing in mind I will be stuck at home with two young kids for the foreseeable future! With an expanding family, what does the future hold? Baby number two is due in September, so I have that to

On the field, definitely winning my first cap was a big thing. It is something you want to achieve from when you are a kid coming to watch Ulster play. Winning my first cap was amazing, then winning the league in 2005/06 was a massive highlight and getting those big European victories here at home are always good games to be involved in.

look forward to. There will be a fair bit of 'Daddy Day Care'. We have always talked about moving to America, my wife lived there for ten years and has citizenship so that makes it a little bit easier for us, so some time in the new year we will head to the States and figure out where we will live and work and in about 12 months we hope to make a long-term move over there. Good Luck Rog!

Off the field, the camaraderie and the bond that comes with playing professional sport, when you’ve got the win and your sitting in the changing rooms having a beer with the boys and you’ve just put everything on the line together as a team. It’s a great feeling and a special moment.

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