Ulster Rugby vs Zebre

ROB LYTTLE IN FLYING FORM Rob Lyttle burst onto the scene when he scored two tries in his full debut against Dragons back in September, and the winger has been in flying form since. Get to know the 19-year-old from Donaghcloney a bit better…

schools rugby and it is the be-all-and-end-all and once we lost that match, I thought my rugby career was over. We were all devastated. After that, I got picked for the Irish U18 Schools team and then I thought I might have a chance of making something of this opportunity. So I put my head down and decided to work hard at succeeding in rugby. Kieran Campbell at the Ulster Rugby Academy was a great influence, and also Jacob Stockdale and Jack Owens, who were the year above me in the Academy. I witnessed how well they were doing with Ireland U20s and the opportunities they were getting with the Ulster seniors, so that made me more hungry to get to that level. On his future goals: For the rest of the season I will be aiming to get a few more caps under my belt, whether it be as a result of more senior players being on international duty or out injured, or whether I just get selected for playing well enough!

On his recent run of form: Personally, I am delighted with the start to the season; I have got more chances than I expected so I am feeling really positive. With being a young guy surrounded by the talent here at Ulster, especially in the back line, you have to make the most of every opportunity or you’re just not going to be selected again. That drives me on and I’m delighted with how things have gone for me since the start of the season. We aren’t too far into the season but I've already had a few highlights that will live long in the memory such as my debut appearance and also the try against Munster. Scoring under the posts in front of a packed Kingspan Stadium is always something I have wanted to do, so it was a proud moment. On stepping up from Academy to seniors: The Academy programme is built around university and your academic career as well as rugby, so being brought up to the

ROB LYTTLE

senior panel - everything has ramped up for me. Rugby is more like a full time job

now so my studies have taken a back seat for the

meantime as playing rugby is much more intense, but it’s a really enjoyable time.

There is quality all around me in this panel and I have learned an awful lot from them at training and during matches. I remember watching Charles Piutau a few years ago against Samoa and I never imagined I’d be playing with him, so it’s a dream come true and an honour to be a part of this squad. On a whirlwind couple of years: I tweeted a picture recently of the Schools’ Cup semi-final in 2015, and it’s crazy how things have progressed from then. At the time you are playing

Then towards the end of the season, my ambition is to get picked for the Ireland U20s World Championship side. I'm a

young boy who grew up on a dairy farm so it was either milk cows or play rugby, so thankfully rugby is working out for me at the minute!

42

www. ULSTERRUGBY .com