SATURDAY WILL MARK Rory Best’s 75th European Cup appearance with Ulster and he is not yet prepared to deny himself the opportunity to hit 80 next season.
Best aims a line-out during his first season. Source: INPHO
The hooker will turn 37 before this year’s World Cup and he admitted earlier this month that he will bow out of the international game in Japan.
For some players, that might be a natural time to hang up the boots altogether. His predecessor as Ireland captain and hooker, Keith Wood, is just one example who chose that finale.
However, by the time the Webb Ellis Cup is lifted, Best will already have the dreaded pre-season training behind him and he may feel that the six months to the end of Ulster’s 2019/20 season is worth sticking around for.
“I think it was the right time with Ireland. The World Cup was a really good goal for me,” Best said after training at Kingspan Stadium yesterday.
“It’s not just the games, it’s the preparation and everything that goes with it. In terms of Ulster, we haven’t had the conversation.
“I wanted to get back here and get settled in again and just see how things are going. I’ll have the conversation with Dan (McFarland) and Bryn (Cunningham) and see what everyone wants to do.
“It’s not something I’ve thought much about. Because the contract was up to the World Cup, I thought it was the right time to answer the question on that. But I’m not even sure on (Ulster future) myself.”
Bloodied, not bowed. Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO
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Best has been a tremendous servant to Ulster.He has never set his standards or targets for the province low, nor has he shied away from speaking about his desire to lift silverware for the Ravenhill faithful to celebrate. If that came to pass this season, then maybe that would be the early curtain-closer Best would accept.
“When I do retire, I’d love to go out lifting a trophy,” he says with a laugh after the potential irony of the silverware arriving after he bowed out is brought up.
Prizes have proven elusive, there’s no escaping the 13-year-old dust in the northern province’s trophy cabinet. However much Ulster have improved this season after last year’s low ebbs there is still some way to go for them to prove themselves contenders for the Heineken Champions Cup or Pro14 crown.
Beating Leinster in the Aviva would be the place to start.
“We’re a long way off where Leinster are, as the league table shows, but I think that we’re getting closer. When we finally lift something, if I’m involved great, if I’m a fan, there’ll be a few mutterings under my breath, but ultimately I’ll be really happy for whoever is in that squad.”
Right now, and for the foreseeable future, Best is the beating heart of this team and all will turn to him for guidance and direction as they go in search of an unlikely win at the Aviva Stadium. He is reluctant to label any issue with Leinster a weakness, but he is certain there are footholds in the contest they can latch onto.
The key is stringing them together to complete an enormous climb.
“We know we are not going to get an infinite amount of chances. There is going to be at most a handful of chances, and to beat Leinster, you’ve got to take almost every one of them. That’s part of the exciting challenge.