DAN SOPER WILL have big shoes to fill at Kingspan Stadium next season when he steps up to lead Ulster’s attack, replacing the outgoing Dwayne Peel, and the current skills coach has hailed the impact of his fellow assistant.
The pair have been at the centre of Ulster’s attacking revolution over the past few years, Peel masterminding the attacking structure and Soper refining the basics as skills coach, which has coincided with an upturn in results for the province.
But in August, things will change in Belfast, with Peel departing for Scarlets where he will take up the role of head coach and Soper filling the vacancy the Welshman leaves behind.
And as he prepares to make the transition from one job to the next, Soper has praised the impact that Peel has had with the Ulster squad in his four years at Kingspan Stadium.
“He’s had a great influence on the squad. I have learned a huge amount off him. We have worked closely together on the attack side and there are lots of his philosophies and ideas that he’s brought into the squad that I will carry with me. There are great ideas and the foundation of our attack,” said Soper.
“In Dwayne’s time there’s been a big turnover in the backs. When he started, Tommy (Bowe), Trimby (Andrew Trimble) and Cavey (Darren Cave), all moved on and you now have a young crop of really exciting backs that Dwayne’s had a huge part in bringing them on.
“He will leave behind a lot of really good foundations that he has put in place. I have learnt a lot off him. I think we will see real progress at the Scarlets.”
Ironically, this week’s opponents in a dead-rubber Rainbow Cup clash at Kingspan Stadium will be Peel’s future employers as Ulster meander their way towards the end of a season that will once again end with no silverware.
While, on the face of it, their last two games against the Scarlets and Edinburgh have nothing riding on them, Soper is keen to see some of the young players stand up and put their names forward for selection going into next season.
Players like Callum Reid, David McCann and Nathan Doak have already been given chances in the Rainbow Cup and the assistant coach – who coached the former two of the trio as part of the three-time Schools’ Cup winning RBAI side – is excited about their potential.
“First and foremost it is an opportunity for the guys to get out and play again. Guys who get the chance to play who haven’t had a huge opportunity to play this year and perform as well as they can to make progress as an individual and put themselves in the shop window for next year,” adds Soper.
“We are keen to finish this season on a positive note. We have had a good season, albeit that the last few weeks haven’t gone as we wanted.
“I guess the next two weeks are a bit of a mix, we want to win and are always going out to win but what is as important is that we want to see a performance, we want to get out there and have a crack.
“All the good work that the guys have put in during the season, we want to see that come to fruition and see a really good performance.”
