Stand Up Magazine - Issue 38 - Ulster Rugby Supporters' Club

after playing provincially here, and if he’s lucky enough to become an international player, the whole system will enable him to do that for a long time. That’s one of the real positives of the system here.” Here in Ulster, we have some very proud supporters, indeed some very traditional ones. Traditional in Ulster? Surely not! Some would be happy to support a team of 15 born, bread and buttered Ulster men. Stephen Ferris hasn’t gone that far, but has been quoted as being concerned over the lack of Ulstermen (actually born in Ulster) among the forwards. Does Jono have any sympathy with Mr Ferris’s point of view, or does he even care where a player hails from in this professional sport? “I certainly do care” stresses Jono. “What we are trying to do in Ulster Rugby is to provide a pathway for young kids, support along the way, good quality coaching, so there’s every opportunity for a young kid out there that plays in Ulster to become a professional Ulster player. That’s the point of us being here. I’m on one end of that, obviously, there’s a lot of other people involved in the steps along the way”. He goes on, “We have a responsibility to support our indigenous talent, to help them fulfil their international ambitions as well, but if that requires support by foreign and qualifying players, to give them the best opportunity to be internationals as well, that’s the nature of the professional game. Rugby is now a global game, it’s not as isolated as it was.” through? “To be honest I haven’t seen with my own eyes all of the players that are coming through the academy,” he confesses before continuing, “I’ve been here such a short time, but what’s impressed me is the academy staff up in our office as I can see how diligent they are. I know from the discussions we’ve had with them that they can see what we’re trying to do. What is important in an academy is that you have good staff, and I think we’re ticking those boxes with the guys we have involved. Willie’s been pretty good with my education of all things ‘Ulster’ [Willie Anderson], he’s been good, he’s helped me out and he’s a good man to have coffee with.” As mentioned in our opening, some see Jono’s appointment almost as messianic in rugby terms (no pressure then), and are expecting him to transform our pack and give them a hard edge that many think has been lacking in recent times. Is that fair comment or fair expectation though, and have we the players in place (in quality and numbers) for him to work with? “I can certainly assure you I’m not a messiah. We can knock that on the head pretty quickly,” he laughs. “Numbers-wise, that’s in the lap of the rugby gods. Injuries are part and parcel of rugby and that’s a bit out of our hands. There’s pressure on indigenous players and Irish qualified players, and if you’re one of those, you just hope you’re on the right side of that but if you’re not, somebody else gets a chance. I don’t know why there’s a perception [that Ulster’s pack isn’t hard enough] – We [Clermont] played here and got torn up as good as we got all year. Consistency is another question, but I certainly think the talent is there, the players are there, the resolve is there and the hunger is there, so maybe the question is about the consistency of getting that out.” So, has he seen anything of our academy set-up to encourage him yet about bringing these young kids

So, will the new coaching ticket bring new impetus to players and bring that consistency out? Jono hesitates before answering, “I think there’s lots of variables that can affect things. Sometimes it’s a different set of eyes looking at things, seeing the same problem or the same challenge, in a different light that provides a bit of stimulation. Sometimes a different set of eyes can reinforce what you’re doing, or an outside set of eyes reassures that what we are doing is good and so we keep going. That can provide impetus. It’s not as clear cut as, ‘new staff, that’s the solution’ or ‘whole heap of new players needed’. There’s nothing as simple as that.” And do the new players potentially shake up the established ones? Do coaches expect players, particularly experienced players, to contribute to coaching, or do the players do as instructed and play the way they are told? Jono is much quicker to answer this one, “All players contribute – Rory is massively experienced, of course but you work your way down the other end of the spectrum to someone like John Andrew, or Adam McBurney. You need to know their experience, what they are going through, and seeing and understanding that is a massive part of coaching. The old days of coaching down, in one direction, are gone, and luckily here there is a good wealth of experience throughout the team. It’s just as important though that young guys like John and Adam are able to express their understanding, and you have to draw on their experiences as much as Rory’s.”

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