THEY WERE HEADY days back when Callum Black first arrived in Ulster. And the prop is sad to depart the province as it sits in a trough.
The 32-year-old moved from Worcester in 2011 and though a neck injury restricted his ability to compete for a front-line place with Tom Court, the mood in Ulster was utterly buoyant as they pushed their way to the 2012 Heineken Cup final.
Seven years on, the northern province have played their way into a corner, but there are signs of life and three games (and possibly a playoff) to salvage a qualification berth for the big tournament next season.
Last Friday’s away win over the Pro14′s form team Edinburgh was an enormous help as Ulster now trail Richard Cockerill’s team in the automatic Champions Cup qualification spot by just eight points with one game more than the Scots still to play.
Ulster know better than anyone that a swallow doesn’t make a summer. Big performances have never been the problem, they come around every now and then, it’s what surrounds them that has always irked fans and left Rory Best scratching his head.
“People from the outside saw there was a good buzz about the boys,” Black says of the 32-20 win in Murrayfield.
“We put in a good performance and even left a bit out there, we could have put more points on the board.”
“Back to training Monday and it was just on to the next job. It was a confidence boost, but you can’t dwell on it.
“We spoke about that, Rory mentioned it in training: you can’t just sit back and think it will happen again. It’s (a matter of) raising our standards every day we come back to training.
“The squad are fully aware of that, we’re training hard and I think it will show Friday night.”
It’s no coincidence, if we put the work in then we train well and we play well. It’s about all those small margins. So we can improve personally and improve the team.”
Next season, Black will pack down under his former Ulster coach Neil Doak with Worcester.
His daughters were born in Belfast during his stint on these shores, so the city will always be a special place for him and he’s determined to give Ulster fans something to celebrate before his departure. That something won’t necessarily be a second try in 143 appearances, but a win over Ospreys to keep the pressure on Edinburgh (who host Scarlets) would bring a little extra polish for a possible silver lining on his final year.
“Selection has no guarantees, so if picked I’ll have to play like it is my last. It’d be great if I got to run out in front of the home fans a few more times.
“There’s not too many games left and every game I have it’s about leaving a bit with the team and leaving here on a high. I’ll be giving everything.”
