The Red Hand

On this episode of the Ulster Rugby lad podcast I’m delighted to say that I’m joined by Ulster Rugby legend Andy Ward. Every Ulster fan will know Andy Ward – I remember watching him as a kid and thinking that he was hard as nails - I was, and still am, a huge fan of his. A rock solid and unflappable presence for Ulster, he was, like all good flankers, the heartbeat of the team and had the respect of his team-mates and fans. Andy was part of the legendary Ulster team that won the European Cup in 1999 and went on to captain Ulster and also got 28 caps for Ireland. After leaving Ulster he continued to play for Ballynahinch and coached Belfast Harlequins and Cooke, opened a successful chain of gyms and did punditry for BBC NI. He now has his own business doing gardening and landscaping called Silver Fern. I could have sat and spoken to him for ages, he has some class stories. Really enjoyed it and I hope you enjoy listening.

In this episode I’m speaking to Evan Kavanagh – a font of rugby knowledge and the man behind a twitter account called EK Rugby Analysis. He has really good insight and a huge amount of knowledge about rugby. Everyone these days has an opinion on rugby – who played well, who didn’t and why. Sometimes it’s hard to know exactly why teams win or lose, why teams can drop in performance or why certain players don’t seem to fit into teams. Evan sheds some light on this as we discuss Ireland and Ulster and how things have been going this season. Really interesting listen. Hope you enjoy it.

Harry Sheridan is a very promising member of Ulster's Academy - a second-row with a tireless work-ethic and engine to match. For Harry, the journey began at Civil Service Rugby Club being coached by his Dad. Having already grown a passion for the game when he started at Sullivan Upper School, Harry kicked-on, helped by a growth spurt which provided him with a natural position in the team's engine room. Having been ear-marked as 'one-to-watch', he then starred for Ireland at under 20s level and is currently enjoying life in the academy which he balances with his studies in Trinity College, Dublin. It was a great pleasure to speak to Harry. His enthusiasm for his home-club of Civil Service and love of the game was evident and I have no doubt he'll go far. Remember the name!

Conor Joyce is a seriously inspiring person, passionate about rugby and promoting mental health in equal measure. Conor excelled as a young rugby player, playing for Ireland under 18s, 19s and 20s and went on to have a successful career playing for Ulster, Jersey and Doncaster. In his spare time, Conor and his brother grew a successful enterprise called Noggin which raises money for mental health charities across the UK and Ireland. In this interview, Conor discusses becoming the youngest player to play in the league from any Irish province, what it was like to enter an Ulster squad packed with internationals and compete with Stephen Ferris for a place, what caused him to move on from Ulster to prove himself elsewhere, his thoughts on the current squad and much more.

Willie Anderson was an integral part of the Ulster team that dominated Irish rugby in the 1980’s winning 10 consecutive interprovincial titles, Anderson played 78 times for his province and 27 times for Ireland and was to skipper both sides. He’s one of the biggest characters in Irish Rugby and he’s released his autobiography which is called Crossing the Line. The flag, the haka and facing my life. I have read a lot of sports players autobiographies and this ranks right up there with the best of them. He talks about the current Ulster and Ireland team, stories from his book, resilience, setting goals and provides invaluable advice to young players. What a legend. Enjoy.

This podcast is with one of the top rugby journalists in Ireland, Tom Savage – the man behind Three Red Kings, a website for Munster fans. Tom is funny, insightful and engaging. We talk about the problem with modern rugby coverage, where he thinks Ulster strongest and weakest (the answer will most likely shock you!) and the best young players coming out of Munster and Ulster. Really good chat and sure to cause a few debates!

Ryan Caldwell has had a fascinating journey. From playing rugby in Ulster, Exeter, Bath and with Ireland, to a difficult transition out of professional rugby, Ryan underwent a transformative experience after hanging up his boots and taking part in a ritual in the Colombian jungle. Once an abrasive second-row who did not know what to do when injury forced him to quit rugby, Ryan is now content and on a journey of self-discovery, Really interesting listen! Thanks to Vivian at Hydro-ease for allowing us to record on the premises and for taking part in the podcast.

Tom Court had, by anyone’s standards, a ridiculously successful career. Ulster fans will remember Tom as a powerful prop who was our nailed on starting loosehead in one of the best Ulster squad’s of the modern era. He was part of Ireland’s Grand slam winning squad in 2009 and was called up to the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia in 2013. This is all despite only taking up the game when he was at uni. He was also one of the best shotputters in Australia. Tom’s a really interesting and insightful speaker and I could have talked to him about his life, career and rugby for hours. Really enjoyed talking to Tom and I hope you enjoy listening!

Glasgow v Ulster Post game. I was joined by Stephen Murphy of the Master of None podcast and we discussed initial reactions to the game, a bit more chat about Ulster generally and finally, we discuss why things aren’t clicking for Ireland and what they need to do about it.

Chris Henry tells his story of developing a passion for rugby at Malone and then reaching the peak of his playing career with Ulster and Ireland, what it was like to play in one of the greatest Ireland teams, one of the greatest Ulster teams of the professional era, suffering a stroke which could have ended his career, and the process of transitioning out of the game. I really enjoyed speaking to Chris - he was an unbelievably good player – an old school back row who put his body on the line for his team and also a great lad with some really interesting insights. It was a pleasure to speak to him and I hope you enjoy listening.

In this episode of the Ulster Rugby Lad Podcast I’m joined by the world’s most popular rugby youtuber – Squidge Rugby. He has over 130,000 YouTube subscribers and his videos have been watched millions and millions of times. Robbie Owen is the man behind Squidge Rugby.  While still in his early 20s, he was looking for a way out of a job he hated.  He quit and set about making funny YouTube videos about rugby which blended tactical analysis with humour, bringing a fresh and unique insight to rugby that proved so popular it has now become his full-time job. Squidge is a rugby obsessive and, as you’ll hear, spends hours watching and re-watching games, making notes and thinking of jokes for his videos. His video on South Africa’s World Cup win was retweeted and endorsed by none other than Rassie Erasmus. If you don’t know him already, I highly recommend you watch some of his videos on YouTube. In this episode we discuss the journey from boring office job to becoming the most popular and respected rugby YouTuber in the world, the insane amount of work that goes into every minute of his videos, his thoughts on the modern game, players to look out for, Irish rugby’s rise and fall, and we have a bit of Ulster rugby chat as well just to keep on point. I really enjoyed speaking to Squidge, hope you enjoy listening to it.

In this episode I speak to Old Belvedere, Ulster, and Ireland scrum-half, Kathryn Dane. Life in women’s rugby in Ireland is tough and a relentless cycle of training, playing and work. Kathy embraces the lifestyle and is positive about the future of women’s rugby in Ireland. It was an absolute pleasure to speak to Kathy and you’ll enjoy listening to her inspirational story of pursuing greatness on the field while juggling this with her job as a physio. I hope you enjoy it.

My next guest was an influential member of the history making Ulster team in 1999, who, as we all know became the first Irish side to win the European Cup. In this episode of the Ulster Rugby Lad Pod I’ll be talking to Mark Blair. Mark was one of a number of players brought back from the mainland to bolster the Ulster squad ahead of their European campaign. After a shaky start, Mark became a key member of the squad and was a huge character both on and off the field. Really enjoyed chatting to Mark. If you enjoy listening to our chat do me a favour and spread the word about the Ulster Rugby Lad Podcast.

My next guest was part of Ulster's European Cup-winning side in 1999. This was the greatest feat in Ulster rugby history — achieved by a squad made up of a mixture of full time and part time players. Indeed, his career straddled both amateurism and the professional era. Having been a key part of the squad that season, unfortunately, Jan’s memories of the final itself are not particularly pleasant for reasons he’ll explain. He played for Ulster to end of 2002/3 season and we discuss his transition out of the game, becoming a solicitor specialising in employment law with Millar McCall Wylie. My next guest is the legend Jan Cunningham. Really enjoyed speaking to Jan, hope you enjoy listening to it!

My next guest is Sammy Arnold. He spoke to me on his birthday which was at the start of lockdown. At the time he was still a Munster player but he has now moved to Connacht. You’ll remember Sammy Arnold because he played for Ulster, having chosen us over Harlequins because he wanted to play at centre for Ireland (which he did by the way). He made his debut for Ulster at the age of 18 and won the Academy player of the year award that season. After moving to Munster, his performances were so good they earned him an Ireland call up and he got his first cap against the USA. Sammy’s only 24 and I am sure he’ll tear it up for Connacht and win a load more Ireland caps before he’s done.

My next guest is a former Ulster, Ireland and Northampton Saints player. His career spanned over 15 years, earning over 350 professional appearances. He recently moved to Texas with his family which is where I caught up with him on zoom. You all know who it is. Roger Wilson. Hope you enjoy it. I spoke to him a few weeks into lockdown.

Ulster, Ireland and British and Irish Lions Legend, inventor of the Ferris Wheel pizza. I am joined this week by Stevie Ferris - legend on and off the field. Great lad, really interesting, straight-talking chat. Hope you enjoy!

Ulster Rugby enthusiasts Dave and Andrew join to chew over the recent Ulster Rugby Squad accouncement.

Two Northern Irish broadcasting legends, Stephen Watson and Mark Robson join me to talk about their careers, passion for sport and a bit of Ulster Rugby chat. Loved speaking to them. Hope you enjoy listening!

Jenny Murphy is an international rugby player for Ireland women’s team. She’s also a casual fill-in host for Baz and Andrew’s House of Rugby Podcast, an unbelievable rugby player and a good egg. Really enjoyed the chat with her. Hope you do too!