Ulster Rugby vs Leinster

SAM ARNOLD: TAKING SENIOR TRAINING IN HIS STRIDE Arnold, who hails from Surrey, joined the Hughes Insurance Ulster Rugby Academy last year and quickly made his mark. He became a key member of the Ulster U20 team who won the Interprovincial Championship before being selected for Ireland U20s and receiving a call up to the senior Ulster squad for games against Dragons and Glasgow.

SAM ARNOLD

“I have never ran out at Kingspan Stadium so to get the chance would be unbelievable. I have been to plenty of the games, the first Ulster game I watched was against Edinburgh three years ago when Stuart Olding was playing 12 and Pete Nelson was at 15. It just shows you that players are continuously coming through a quality Academy set up. I have played twice now for the seniors, against Dragons and Glasgow, last season. I remember during the Glasgow game we were camped on our 22 and I could just hear the Ulster fans roaring over the top of the

At the end of the 2014/15 season Arnold signed a development contract which thrust him into his first pre-season with the senior squad… “I came into a totally new environment this summer with the senior players and I have just been trying to learn as much as possible from them. There are no matches so it is the perfect time to ask questions and use this time to learn. You can ask senior players questions and they can tell you what they would normally do in a match situation. Usually I would go to Ian Humphreys or Louis Ludik, they are always willing to give me a hand and offer advice to improve the way I play. “That is probably the major physicality and the speed of your decision making. In U20s you feel like you have a good amount of time to make a decision about a play but here you have Nick Williams or Robbie Diack hunting you down so you have to be a lot more immediate.” Having only been at Ulster for a year, Sam has earned the attention of the coaching staff, who have faith that he can step up to the mark… “It’s really exciting for me. It’s my first season of professional rugby and it wasn’t easy when I first came in. But I am treated just like everyone else, the coaches aren’t afraid to tell you what you are doing wrong but at the same time they congratulate you when you are doing well. I think you need someone to tell you what you need to work on to keep pushing you to do better, that’s something that I have been really thankful to the coaches for. Joe, Clarkey and Doaky have all been pushing me in pre-season training, which can only benefit me.” Friday night will be the first time he pulls on a senior jersey at home and he is expecting a memorable experience… difference between this pre-season and last year, having support from those senior players and also the speed and intensity of training. From the U20s there is a big step up in

Glasgow fans and after that game I was thinking to myself, I wonder what Kingspan is like if that was an away game. I have heard the fans really blow the roof off this place so I am looking forward to getting some game time.”

With players away at the World Cup, it is a great opportunity for Arnold to gain a position in the starting XV… “There are a lot of players away, but Ulster are blessed with some pretty good centres at the minute. I am obviously going to take every chance I get but I think it is a matter of being patient as well. Jared (Payne) and Cavey may be away but then there is Luke Marshall and Stuart McCloskey so I am going to have to play well in this game against Leinster, get more game time, get my foot in the door and wait to see what plays out. I am not naïve to the depth that is in this squad, if I have to be patient, I will be, but I am going to try to take my opportunities when they come. “Pre-season has been a great experience, I’m loving it. The only time I haven’t enjoyed it is when I am close to throwing up in conditioning games. Other than that, I’m loving every minute of being part of the senior set up.”

7