{"id":498730,"date":"2026-05-23T07:42:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T07:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/498730\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T07:42:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T07:42:13","slug":"incredible-rob-baloucoune-brings-joy-despite-ulsters-defeat-in-challenge-cup-final-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/498730\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Incredible\u2019 Rob Baloucoune brings joy despite Ulster\u2019s defeat in Challenge Cup final \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

One-sided contests are rarely enjoyable to watch \u2013 unless a fan of the side doing the beating. Rob Baloucoune<\/a> did his best to bring some sort of joy as his team-mates wilted around him. <\/p>\n

This individual display was not quite that of a one-man band, but after a breakout Six Nations campaign in green, the wing\u2019s return to Ulster<\/a> bared the hallmarks of someone approaching top-class status. Even if, as a collective, Ulster collapsed amid heat-soaked chaos.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult to overstate the stifling nature of the conditions. The San Mam\u00e9s stadium is open in theory, but the roof opening is so small that it\u2019s barely visible from the top of the stand. Close to 40 degree heat, bodies packed together and no airflow. Sulphur and sweat percolated throughout. A greasy ball to boot.<\/p>\n

Sub-optimal conditions in any case. Let alone when facing such a slick, well-drilled and \u2013 most importantly \u2013 powerful Montpellier outfit. Thanks to Ulster\u2019s lack of depth on the bench, combined with long-drained batteries, the French side looked to be mauling against a club team in a devastating second half.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe came up against a real powerhouse of French rugby,\u201d said Richie Murphy. \u201cThey ultimately had too much power for us.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe conditions were tough out there. Our thought process was that we wanted to move these guys around but that was quite difficult with the [greasy] ball the way it was.\u201d<\/p>\n

None of which should detract from Baloucoune\u2019s display. In attack, he was ably assisted by Mike Lowry. Perhaps the two conserved plenty of energy watching their pack being marched backwards time and again.<\/p>\n

Still, Baloucoune\u2019s work rate was admirable; a consistent threat in the air while beating more defenders beaten than anyone else on the park (four) despite making just six carries.<\/p>\n

His try was a well-worked strike play, Ulster swinging with Dave McCann from the lineout to send their flyer behind a decoy and through the heart of the defence. He nearly scored again while working off his wing, only to offload to Lowry as Ulster manfully fought to narrow an insurmountable deficit.<\/p>\n

Before the game got out of hand, an athletic scramble tackle showed off Baloucoune\u2019s defensive skills. Always a supreme athlete, he looks a man reborn, enjoying the greater influence that comes from hunting for work infield.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve definitely grown as a player with the coaching,\u201d said Baloucoune now his standout season has ended. \u201cI\u2019ve changed the way I played, I used to stand on the wing a bit more but coming off my wing, being involved in play a lot more has allowed me to become a better rugby player. Being able to do that and show my ability on the pitch.<\/p>\n

\u201cMark [Sexton, Ulster\u2019s attack coach], he\u2019s come in and identified what he wants from us backs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working with Sexton, Murphy and in all likelihood Andy Farrell, given what he demands of his wingers, has clearly had the desired effect. As has simply staying fit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been [a case of] getting him back on the pitch,\u201d said Murphy. \u201cOnce Rob is fit and healthy, he\u2019s an incredible rugby player. He\u2019s been an incredible rugby player for a long time.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis influence on the group and how he\u2019s starting to lead some of those younger players, his knowledge of backthree play is really top class. You guys see the speed and the finishing, but there\u2019s much more to him than that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One-sided contests are rarely enjoyable to watch \u2013 unless a fan of the side doing the beating. Rob…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":498731,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[76],"tags":[56840,18,19,17,159480,132,23200],"class_list":["post-498730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-challenge-cup","tag-eire","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-robert-baloucoune","tag-sports","tag-ulster-rugby"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116622769693974210","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=498730"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498730\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/498731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=498730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=498730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=498730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}