It can't have been easy to be a foreign player compelled to watch his first season from the stands. As Jared Payne recuperated from a ruptured Achilles tendon sustained in a game against Treviso in October 2011, within two months of his first season with Ulster, their special project can't have envisaged him assuming Brian O'Driscoll's jersey and being part of a winning Six Nations campaign less than four years down the line.
Yet through those difficult times Ulster's former director of rugby David Humphreys always maintained that Payne had all the ability to one day to play for Ireland. So it was that the 29-year-old former Chiefs and Crusaders utility back allowed himself a few moments of reflection.
“After the Six Nations, when we’d got a week off, you sit back and look at it all and think you get a massive high. You do realise there have been massive lows as well. I send a text to Humphs’ to thank him for everything. I wouldn’t change a thing. It has been a roller-coaster. But, I’ve loved every minute of it. It is pretty hard to put into the words the feeling you have after the Six Nations.”
Having had such a tough start when sidelined for seven months has, he admitted, made him all the more appreciative for the ensuing three seasons, and especially this season.”
“It is more satisfying. You do doubt yourself when you have a serious injury as much as you like to stay positive. It was pretty satisfying to get back and be part of what happened.”
First season
Reflecting further on that first season, Payne joked that there were a few positives.
“It was tough. It was definitely challenging coming to the other side of the world a completely new country, not being able to do what I came here for was very tough. But it gave me plenty of time to get out and see the other side of Belfast,” he said with a smile.
“It probably gave me resolve as an individual and made me realise you can get through those things.”
While he is not in a position to compare the Irish squad with being in the All Blacks set-up, he was able to contrast the support. “I will probably get shot somewhere for saying this but the way the Irish get behind their team, they’re a lot more passionate. It’s unbelievable to see match days where you’re over in Rome, or somewhere, and there are Irish people filling the streets, full of beans and getting behind their team.
“It’s unparalleled, the support you get from the public.”
Prior to Ulster hosting Munster in another sell-out on Saturday, and risking further barbs from back home in New Zealand, Payne admitted the same is true when comparing support at provincial level.
“Every game you get at Kingspan, you get the fans out rain, hail or shine and they make a lot of noise. It is a lot better than you would get in the Super Rugby games.”
Increased expectation
“Some of the stadiums might be a bit bigger, but you get less people, so the atmosphere isn’t as good. The New Zealand public do expect success. If you’re in a Super team that’s not doing so well, they tend to not to turn up as much. It’s unparalleled the support up in Ravenhill.”
But with all of that, Payne admitted, comes increased expectation, and the need to win some new silverware over the next few weeks. “It’s massive. We’ve talked about it at Ulster for the last few years. ‘We’ve learned from this final, we’ve learned from that result.’ You can’t learn forever can you? You’ve got to put it out there on the pitch.”
"It's massive for us to win some silverware. It's definitely what we've set our stall out to do after getting knocked out of the Champions Cup. It will be huge for the team and the province to know that we can perform in a semi and a final and win something and not be the nearly men . ."
