John Cooney: Scrum-half keeping Scotland option open despite new Ulster deal

John Cooney's 11 Ireland caps includes appearances against Scotland in the 2019 and 2020 Six Nations tournaments

John Cooney is not completely ruling out the possibility of playing for Scotland despite agreeing a "no-brainer" new Ulster contract.

Cooney, whose father is Scottish, was linked with a possible call-up to Gregor Townsend's squad this year although it did not materialise.

The 32-year-old won the last of his 11 Ireland caps in the 2020 Six Nations.

Asked whether an international switch remained a possibility, Cooney replied: "I'm not really sure to be honest."

The former Leinster and Connacht player said his primary focus has to be "getting more game time for Ulster" before he can even consider the likelihood of playing international rugby again.

"I can't even think about that if I am not playing regularly for Ulster as I'm not going to be in a selection criteria," the Dublin-born player said.

"All I can do is play as well as I can and try and get back into this Ulster team. I'm nowhere near playing for an international team at the moment if I can't get regular game time here."

Doak form restricts Cooney's Ulster appearances

Nathan Doak's continuing emergence has restricted Cooney's Ulster appearances this season but that did not stop the Irish province giving him a new two-year deal.

"This has become my home now. I've been here six years and it's flown," said Cooney.

"I love it here. Everything has been amazing and since I've been here, I've been relatively injury-free bar last season."

Cooney's arrival at Ulster six years ago came after the controversial, IRFU-enforced departure of the hugely popular Ruan Pienaar, but the Dubliner quickly became a fans' favourite at Kingspan Stadium, which continues even though he has spent much of the campaign on the bench.

While he is having to battle with Doak for Ulster's starting number nine jersey, Cooney says physically he feels "as good as I've felt in years and my kicking stats (87%) have also been very good this season".

"Over the weekend (in the 40-19 win over Dragons), I ran the most I've ever run in a game over a high-speed distance," added the 32-year-old.

"I've lost a couple of kilos so that I can be slightly fitter and faster to the ball. I'm constantly trying to evolve and see what I can do better."

Cooney was handed a rare recent start in Ulster's win over the Dragons last weekend

Asked how difficult the contract negotiations with Ulster had been, Cooney hinted his potential Scottish eligibility had come up in the discussions.

"People would know about other nationalities and stuff which can be a complication but in terms of what I love to do and who I love to play for it was easy in that regard that I want to play here."

Cooney admits the possibility of playing for Scotland was always on his radar prior to winning his first Ireland cap in 2017 before it re-emerged when World Rugby's international eligibility rules changed in January 2022 to allow players to switch allegiance after a stand-down period of three years.

"When I was 21, I did consider is back then. I was approached by Scotland but it was an interim coach and I was never given a club so I was left in the cold," he said.

"If they had come to me with a club at the time and a guarantee of a team, I'm sure I would have considered it a lot more but at the time it was an interim coach who could have been gone after a couple of months and I would have had no club so at the time, I felt the best option was to stay in Leinster and continue my progress there."

Cooney says his Scottish background is strong

Cooney, who helped Connacht clinch a sensational Pro12 title in 2016 prior to his move to Ulster, admits some of the media reporting of his potential link-up with Scotland has caused him annoyance.

"I saw one saying that my dad was born in Scotland... my dad is as Scottish as they come, he is not just born in Scotland so just small things like that would annoy me, the way things can be slightly manipulated in the media.

"People sometimes made it out as though I wasn't as Scottish as I am.

"Other people might say 'oh I am Irish I can never think of doing that' but you didn't grow up supporting Scotland. I would have supported Scotland in the Six Nations when I was younger. I would have a very soft spot for Scotland.

"It is easy to say if you're fully 100% fully Irish that you would never consider anything else. Anyone that is from dual countries they have a liking for both of them.

"It was a big part of my childhood going over to see my grandad. He was the only grandad I ever met as well as all my other grandparents had passed away."

Cooney has been selected for Ulster this weekend against Scottish opposition in the form of Edinburgh, whose disappointing United Rugby Championship campaign has seen them miss out on the quarter-finals, as they sit 12th in the table - 10 spots below the Irish province - going into the final round of league fixtures prior to the play-offs.