Ulster Rugby vs Zebre

ROBBIE’S GAMBLE PAID OFF!

It’s hard to believe that it’s almost eight years since a tall, lean South African arrived in Belfast, embarking on a new rugby challenge.

greater, we always wanted silverware but in the early days perhaps we were satisfied with mid-table finishes. I know that now we have facilities that are the best in Europe, a stadium which everyone who sees it is ‘blown away’ by, and a coaching set-up and ambition that is transformed from way back then. “For me personally there have been highs, a Heineken Cup Final, a RaboDirect Final, and of course getting my two Irish international ‘caps’ against Argentina and Georgia was a huge highlight, and I’ll never take that for granted. “But one of the big differences has been the way we are such a consistent force, home and away, to win in places like Toulouse, Leicester and Bath is in such contrast to my early time with Ulster,” says the likeable, talkative Diack. “Of course I want to be involved in winning trophies, and I honestly think we’re on the right road to do that consistently, and that’s why I am so looking forward to the next couple of months. “We have six PRO12 games left and we’re in a congested race for one of the top four semi-final spots, and that is undoubtedly the target which we have set for ourselves as staff and players, and it’s the least the fans deserve. “People judge seasons and careers on silverware, but I think as much as we want to win these tournaments we are striving all the time to get better and better, and we’re doing that. We have a set-up which is made for success, I want to be part of that. That’s my priority, and though I still hope I have an international future with Ireland it really is only by being part of a successful Ulster team that I can think of that.” Diack accepts too that in all departments of the Ulster side there is fierce competition, and he wants to put his hand up for a regular starting spot. “We have a group of back-row players who are top- drawer, and it’s a challenge to keep and raise my standards. It’s healthy competition, but obviously I want to be a starter and that’s a personal aim. “Once Iain Henderson and Dan Tuohy are back, and we’re looking forward to them being with us, that competition becomes even greater, but the challenge to each of us is to aim to be in the

Robbie Diack was just 22-years-old when he joined Ulster, then based at Newforge, determined to forge a new chapter in a career which had already been marked with considerable success. Born in Johannesburg, Diack had a natural enthusiasm for the game, and his mobility and physicality earned him an early call-up to the demands of the Super 14 and Currie Cup, South Africa’s primary competitions. As a member of the successful Stormers side he quickly carved out a reputation as a back-rower with quite a few sporting strings to his bow. He was quick around the park, he tackled hard, he carried the ball with assurance and purpose, and in addition he was an authoritative ball-winner in the lineout. So what took the young man with an apparently blossoming rugby career away from the land of his birth to the faraway reaches of Europe, and in particular to Ireland and to Ulster? “It was a huge gamble to be honest, and one I am really glad I took as I look back at eight seasons which have flown by. “I was unfortunate in the way South Africa rugby was in 2008. There was a real depth of talent, the players ahead of me and then the introduction of the quota system meant that I could see my opportunities at the very highest levels were going to be limited. I was enjoying rugby in South Africa, I played in three Currie Cups, in two Super 14 campaigns, and I had to look beyond home if I was to achieve the goals I’d set for myself,” he explains. “I was so fortunate to get a three-year contract at Ulster and I thought I’d see that through and then move on, but now that I’ve stayed for eight years shows, I think, just how much I love this club and this city and Province,” he says with overt affection for his adopted home. And Diack has planted real roots in Ulster, he and his wife Kirsty have fallen for life in Ulster, and the couple was delighted in June last year by the arrival of their son Fletcher, upon whom the giant breakaway clearly dotes! “It’s been an incredible journey, the steps we have taken since I arrived in 2008 have been astonishing. “On the playing side our expectations are so much

ROBBIE DIACK

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