Celtic League: Ulster's investment in mostly indigenous young talent is paying off, writes Gerry Thornley
Actions speak louder than words. Alan Solomons sang from the rooftops about the crop of exciting young players coming through Ulster's ranks and how they were being groomed to leave a lasting legacy - but Mark McCall, while rarely vocal about it, has simply played them.
In stark contrast to the well-organised Ulster team under Solomons - which was well-nigh unbeatable at home in the Heineken European Cup and Celtic League and won the Celtic Cup with 13 non-indigenous players out of 22 - the youthful team that takes the league's only unbeaten record to Donnybrook this evening is largely home-spun.
Seven of the tonight's starting team, along with Paul Shields and Bryan Young on the bench and many others who played for the province's A team against Leinster last night, are high-achieving former Ireland under-21 internationals who were products of the Ulster Academy.
Of course, as McCall is the first to concede, it would be too "black and white" to say Solomons paid lip service to the notion of developing homegrown players and McCall himself has actually delivered on the promise. Indeed, the credit must first go to those who developed them, none more so than the Ulster schools and McCall's assistant, Allen Clarke.
The former Ulster and Ireland hooker took over the Ulster end of the Irish Academy and clearly continued the good work of the outgoing director, Stephen Aboud, when it was still a national entity. Indeed, since the academy's regionalisation, the Ulster conveyor belt has appeared to chug along better than any of its provincial peers - until recently at any rate.
The Ulster schools have always, in point of fact, been turning out talented young players, and with no less frequency than their Leinster and Munster equivalents. The difference was that Ulster's likely lads tended to go to University in Scotland, England or Dublin, whereupon they were often lost to the cause. The drain became a haemorrhage.
"A lot of players were leaving to study abroad but Allen changed that," says McCall. "A prime example was Tommy Bowe. He was on his way to university in Scotland and Tommy could have been lost to Irish rugby for ever when Clarkey stepped in. He'd spotted him, and made him go to Queen's and got him into the academy.
"It was the same with the likes of Neil McMillan, Roger Wilson and Matt McCullough. Matt and Roger went to Trinity for a year before being brought back and McMillan would have gone to Edinburgh.
"Year on year that's the way it was in Ulster, with sometimes all 15 on an Ulster Schools team heading to universities outside the province when they finished school."
McCall is genuine when maintaining Solomons deserves some of the credit for giving the first clutch of these players some game time, but also admits that the times when around seven of their starting line-up were overseas players wasn't healthy.
"What we're trying to do now is to get in two or three quality players from abroad who will help the young players develop," explains McCall
A prime example of this would be Justin Harrison, now packing down alongside the hugely skilful McCullough.
"Rather than bring in average players we take the view that it's better to give our own younger players a chance."
It's a welcome shift in philosophy, made possible, admittedly, by the talent coming through and the backing of the Ulster management.
Munster have had a fair production line of forwards in the professional era, and the quality of backs to emerge from Leinster is indisputably the best.
However, while Ulster's conveyor belt is mostly producing forwards, there is more of a balance, with the glut of talented young forwards supplemented by the likes of, most obviously, Paddy Wallace, Bowe and now the 20-year-old Andrew Trimble, fast-tracked into an otherwise evergreen collection of backs.
The salient example of Wallace's career graph should, however, act as a warning about the hopes for Bowe, Trimble and co. A gifted playmaker with pace, Wallace should by rights be next in line to Ronan O'Gara and David Humphreys by now. But like Jeremy Staunton, he has marked time at fullback (where he's susceptible under the high ball) rather than develop his kicking game at 10. And like Staunton, he is an example of how Irish rugby mistrusts instinctive flair.
In the vanguard of Ulster's new generation and long touted for greater things (especially by Solomons), even Wilson, you suspect, will need to further develop distribution skills to maximise undoubted potential. The real boon of the season thus far has been the return of Neil McMillan, whom McCall likens to "having a new signing" after his injury troubles.
And there's more. A half dozen of the Ulster A pack who were playing their Leinster counterparts in Navan last night have played for Ireland in the last two Under-21 World Cups.
Great things are expected of Simon Caldwell, a 21-year-old lock, and Stephen Ferris, a 20-year-old number eight, among others, and the age profile of their 36-man European Cup squad is both exciting for the province and, ultimately, a better investment for Irish rugby than was the case a couple of years ago.
Caldwell, who captained RBAI to the Ulster Schools' Senior Cup in 2003 and has played in the last two Under-21 World Cups, has been likened to a young Paul O'Connell, while Ferris, also in this year's Under-21 World Cup in Argentina, is a seriously athletic and exciting prospect.
Indeed, looking at the profile of the senior and A backrows especially, McCall is moved to remark, "The under-21s are now being held back by the under-24s." It's a problem others would like to have.
Ulster's Young Guns
Paddy Wallace
(26) Fullback/Outhalf
In his sixth season with Ulster and part of Ireland's Under-19 World Cup-winning side in 1999, Wallace has made six Ireland A appearances and played on the Ireland Under-21s. Was in the 2003 World Cup squad, but shunting around and a pre-Japanese tour injury have delayed his Test debut.
Tommy Bowe
(21) Wing/Fullback (3 caps)
Monaghan's first Irish international in 80 years, the Royal School Armagh product was rerouted to the Queen's University and province's academy by Allen Clarke. Easygoing and blessed with attacking brio, Bowe was blooded by Solomons at the tail-end of the 2003-04 season in a try-scoring debut against Connacht. Also scored on Irish debut after becoming an Ulster regular.
Andrew Trimble
(20) Centre/Wing
A product of Coleraine Institute and the Ulster Academy who was the stand-out performer in a relatively unexceptional Ireland Under-21 team, Trimble has breezed into Ulster's three-quarter line this season, first as winger and now as centre, with a full-blooded running game and two tries in three outings.
Kieran Campbell
(26) Scrumhalf (2 caps)
English-born scrumhalf who literally had to bide his time in the wings for two years after joining from London Irish before cementing a place last season. Tidy and quick player who scored great solo try against Stade Français last season at Ravenhill and made Ireland breakthrough in Japan. Under pressure from the newly-arrived Isaac Boss.
Rory Best
(23) Hooker
Younger brother of Ulster tighthead and captain Simon, the Portadown College product has leapfrogged the unlucky Paul Shields (who had to play second fiddle to Matt Sexton for years) in the pecking order of Ulster's relatively young battery of hookers and makes his seventh Ulster start today.
Matt McCullough
(24) Lock/Backrow (2 caps)
The ex-Ballymena Academy, Ulster Schools and Irish Schools lock captained the Irish Under-21s four seasons ago. Blooded by Solomons, he's not the modern-day, secondrow behemoth, more an intelligent, ball- playing lock (a la Jeremy Davidson) who made his test breakthrough in Japan.
Neil Best
(26) Flanker
Abrasive hard-edged flanker, the Wellington College product was a relative late developer who came through Malone and latterly Belfast Harlequins. Has 54 Ulster caps and a respectable haul of 10 tries.
Neil McMillan
(24) Flanker
Must have been edging closer to Eddie O'Sullivan's plans during last season before injury struck again, but has returned from knee surgery seemingly as good as ever. Cut from the Denis McBride cloth with his Neil Back-like sniffing of the breakdown and low body positioning. Carries well and tackles big, as evidenced in last week's game.
Roger Wilson
(24) Number 8 (1 cap)
In the vanguard of Ulster's new generation and long touted for greater things (especially by Solomons), Wilson is a hugely committed, confrontational, ball-carrying number eight who was given extended game-time by Solomons the season before last and already has 44 Ulster caps. Another of Ulster's likely lads who made his Irish breakthrough in Japan.
