BEEN THERE, DONE that. If Ulster have any lingering doubts about Saturday’s trip to Leicester, all they need to do is fire up the DVD player.
Before their most recent visit last January, Welford Road was the Tigers’ fortress, unbreached in 25 straight Heineken Cup games dating back to a Munster raid in 2006.
The stakes couldn’t have been higher: the winner would top the pool and for Ulster, the prospect of top seeding and a home quarter-final dangled tantalisingly.
When they fell 19-9 behind early in the second half, the claws were out and the Tigers’ den looked to have claimed its latest prey.
“It is quite a daunting place to go but it was a great experience,” Craig Gilroy says, looking back on the remarkable second half rally of a 22-19 win.
“They’re a great side, especially at home. When we played them last year they had quite an incredible home winning streak and it was a fantastic experience to go over there and beat them.
“We have great confidence from the fact that we have gone there and won before. A lot of the guys who did that are still here so that will certainly give us good confidence.”
The man who had the greatest impact that night, Ruan Pienaar, will miss the first two Champions Cup games through injury while Ulster are still waiting for an update on the toe injury that forced Andrew Trimble off against Glasgow last weekend.
Trimble’s pain that night was Gilroy’s gain, and the winger seized his opportunity to impress when introduced from the bench. On 66 minutes, he spotted a gap and raced through to score his second try of the season.
“From a personal point of view you always want to come off the bench and make an impact, and I was delighted with how I played and to dot down.”
In a crowded and competitive backs department, Gilroy’s versatility has helped. Every occasional outing at full-back sharpens a different set of skills but when it comes to competing with Tommy Bowe and Trimble for a spot on the wing, tries like last Saturday’s can only help.
“You just need to stay positive and keep working hard and know that you’re going to get an opportunity at some stage that you’ll need to take. I did that well at the weekend.
It’s good to have the competition that we do have. It makes everyone work harder and brings the team together. You don’t take your game time for granted but at the same time you want to push on and nail down your jersey.
A stop-start run of injuries haven’t helped his international claims and there’s only so much he can do to impress Joe Schmidt in training camps.
With the November Series fast approaching, another opportunity might present itself but Gilroy’s focus is singular.
“I suppose I just need to worry about rugby with Ulster. Take your opportunities and play well there and the national set-up will look after itself then.
“I just want to stay fit, get all the basics right, and then maybe add a little bit extra that I sometimes think I can bring, that little spark.”
Under Armour ambassador Craig Gilroy was at Portmarnock beach to learn about the benefits of Under Armour’s STORM technology. For further information log on to www.underarmour.com
