Robert Baloucoune: Fit-again Ulster wing out to make up for lost time

Baloucoune will make his first start in a year against Leinster on Saturday

Ulster wing Robert Baloucoune says he is determined to work his way into contention for the Ireland squad having returned from a year-long absence.

The Enniskillen man underwent hamstring surgery following a training injury in August, having not played since the season was suspended by the pandemic last March.

He returned to action last weekend in Ulster's win over Ospreys and will start as the province seek to keep their Pro14 final hopes alive against Leinster on Saturday night.

Prior to his injury, Baloucoune had established himself as one of the country's most exciting prospects having scored 12 tries in 22 senior Ulster appearances.

He was brought into Andy Farrell's Ireland squad as a development player during the 2020 Six Nations, but the injury stifled hopes of an international debut, while former sevens teammates Hugo Keenan and Will Connors have gone on to become regulars in the senior panel.

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"Especially seeing quite a few of the sevens boys like Shane Daly and Hugo Keenan getting their chances in the Ireland squad yeah, I was disappointed and there wasn't really much I could do. That's rugby for you," Baloucoune said.

"Hopefully my chance comes again and I can put my performances in for Ulster and I'm hopefully back in the same situation I was before.

"I wouldn't have thought in a couple of years that we'd all be seeing each other in the Ireland squad. It's good to see the boys progressing through and that switch to XV's has worked well for them and that playing the sevens has benefited them.

"Just to see where they are now, it's great to see. And they're performing well."

'The muscle was ripped off the bone'

The 22-year-old sustained the injury while in a jackal position with Ulster less than a week away from returning to competitive action.

A set-back to his recovery meant that he has missed the majority of the province's current campaign, but his return along with that of Jacob Stockdale is a timely boost as Ulster seek to overturn Leinster's six-point lead at the top of Conference A in the final three matches.

"I didn't think [the injury] was actually that bad at the time but eventually it was," Baloucoune said.

"It wasn't sore at the time, but that night it was pretty bad and it started to get sore and the scan showed up that it was ripped off the bone.

"I've had back injuries before but in terms of serious injury, especially additional to lockdown and not being able to play, you out for probably the longest.

"It hasn't felt as long because there wasn't much going on in the lockdown period so no-one else was really doing anything at the time so in that type of bit I wasn't really missing out on anything."

The Fermanagh man has 12 tries in 22 senior games

The wing's flying speed and finishing ability have been central to his rise in the Ulster side, and he believes despite the injury his attributes are now as strong as they were before the injury.

"The first few weeks of rehab where you can't really move and it's pretty sore most of the time, sitting down even or just doing bits of rehab it's pretty tight. I was a bit apprehensive in terms of whether I'm ever going to get the same speed back or the same strength in my hammies that I did have.

"But I felt like every week [I was] building up the strength and endurance in my hamstrings, I found quickly I was able to get back. I got back to about 90% after a few weeks in my hamstrings so it was actually quite positive then whenever I saw results coming in."

An Ulster win on Saturday could see them narrow the gap to as little as one point with two rounds of matches remaining, however a win for Leinster could see them clinch their place in the final for a fourth straight year.