THIS TIME LAST season, Craig Gilroy was a starter for Ulster’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against Saracens, with Tommy Bowe providing impact from the bench.
Those roles will almost certainly be reversed when Mark Anscombe names his team this afternoon, with injury travails having disrupted Gilroy’s momentum in the past year. The 23-year-old remains in the process of rediscovering the form that saw him start four of Ireland’s Six Nations games in 2013.
It’s been a testing road for Gilroy during the current campaign.
Gilroy, an Under Armour athlete, reveals that in a physical sense he is in better shape than ever before. The winger recently clocked a remarkable speed of 10.1 metres per second on the province’s GPS system, a clear personal record.
It almost makes it more frustrating when I’m lifting more and performing like that on the S & C side of things,” Gilroy told TheScore.ie. “I suppose it’s a case of relaxing and getting back into the way I play rugby; just off the cuff and trying to play my own brand, adding that little bit of X-factor.”
Despite his age and his impatience to return to Ulster’s first-choice XV, Gilroy is mature enough to realise that injuries are “part and parcel” of the game. He has faced a long-term groin issue, an ankle problem, concussion and even a broken nose in recent times.
Every player encounters these situations, and Gilroy says the real test is “how you come back from them.” His own plans include earning a place in Ulster’s first-choice XV, and eventually returning to international rugby.
The contact from Joe Schmidt throughout the season has been appreciated in that regard.
“I’ve spoken to Joe a few times this year and he’s just chatted away, given me stuff to work on; a few things to do better and a few things that I do well that he wants me to maintain. He’d be a great coach like that and goes into a lot of detail with all the guys.”
Gilroy would naturally love to be involved in the tour to Argentina in June, but admits that competition for places is fierce: “I’ve got my work cut out to put my hand up for selection there.”
Schmidt has placed heavy demands on his wings to be more rounded players, and Gilroy says he is working hard on all elements of his game. Competing aggressively on kick chase is a central focus; “even if you’re not collecting it, just getting in the way of the opposition catching it.”
Rucking is another facet of the game in which Schmidt has great expectations, asking his wide men to contribute in that area too.
Just the way the game is now, you’re expected to get involved in all aspects of it,” says Gilroy. “Certainly, it’s an area where there are only a few backs who dominate, but I think it’s important for everyone to work on that part of your game. Every little bit helps.”
Watching Ireland’s success in this year’s Six Nations could have been a testing time for Gilroy, but while he admits he hungered to be on the pitch and integrally involved, he instead focused on supporting as best he could.
“I was cheering them on 100%, it was an unbelievable Six Nations. I sat and watched the France game in my local rugby club in Bangor. It was a complete nail-biter, it couldn’t have been scripted the way the game went and how close it was.
“Trimby [Andrew Trimble] did so well to dot down and it was a fantastic win. Yes, I’d have loved to have been there, but it was fantastic to watch.”
Tries have been relatively few and far between for Gilroy for his province in the last three years, following his superb breakthrough 2010/11 season, when he scored eight tries in 14 appearances.
Crossing the whitewash 11 times in 65 Ulster games since hasn’t satisfied Gilroy’s appetite for tries, but is it really an issue? The 23-year-old agrees that a modern wing’s role is “less and less” about try-scoring, particularly if the team is dotting down often enough as a collective attacking force.
Still, he will always be on the lookout for those openings near the tryline.
“As a winger, you always want to be scoring tries and I haven’t got that many for Ulster. I’ve scored two for Ireland and then I got a hat-trick against Fiji [in a ridiculously uncapped international game in November 2012], which unfortunately doesn’t count!
You don’t want to put too much pressure on yourself, you don’t want to try and force it. I suppose it’s just a case of biding your time and hoping the opportunity comes, and then taking it when it does.”
Gilroy will be hoping a couple of those chances pop up against Saracens if he is involved, either as a starter or a replacement.
“I can’t pick the team and whether I start or I’m on the bench, I want to make as much of an impact as I can. Even if I’m not involved in the team selection, I want to show what I can do in training every week. I want to make a huge impact and do the best I can.”
Under Armour athlete Craig Gilroy trains in ArmourVent, the latest mesh innovation designed to keep you cool in the heat, and UA SpeedForm Apollo, a running shoe crafted in a clothing factory for precision fit, feel and comfort. For more information, visit www.UnderArmour.com.
