THE FIRE STILL burns bright for Rob Herring, and though he turns 36 next month, there is no sign of the Ulster hooker slowing down or about to make his exit.
Indeed, Ulster’s most capped player, who should make his 268th appearance at Zebre on Saturday evening, recently signed on for an extra year and will still be at the Affidea Stadium when he hits 37, 15 years after debuting for the province.
The 43-cap Ireland international revealed that he gave serious consideration to retiring at the end of this campaign before a change of heart.
“I still have that desire to fight for the jersey and go and win something,” Herring said.
“I feel that we’re in a really positive place to go on and try and achieve that and I wanted to still be a part of it.
Advertisement
“I almost did decide that this was going to be my last year,” he added.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do coming into this season, but I think from the start of the season, I just felt there was something, even in pre-season, I just felt there was something different this year.
“At the time it was hard to pinpoint, but it just felt like we were on a new wave.
“Mark (Sexton) has come in, and he’s been brilliant and, of course, Richie’s been great.
“Just looking at this year and next year, I feel like I still have a lot to give whether that’s on the pitch or mentoring some of the younger guys.”
Herring accepts that he has had to make tweaks to his game to dovetail with changes to the sport while accepting that the passage of time is also a factor.
“I don’t have the same top-end speed that I had 10 years ago, but I still work hard on my acceleration and I’m more of a ball player now than, say, getting 10 carries in a game.
“I might now only get five (carries) but I’ll pass three or four. I think it’s about evolving, and I’ve always had that mindset,” Herring says.
Recovery is also a much more focused affair as he explains: “How I recover is a big part of my week in getting ready for the (next) game because it does take that a little bit longer.
“But if you stay disciplined with it, you can still be fine.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
'I almost did decide that this was going to be my last year'
THE FIRE STILL burns bright for Rob Herring, and though he turns 36 next month, there is no sign of the Ulster hooker slowing down or about to make his exit.
Indeed, Ulster’s most capped player, who should make his 268th appearance at Zebre on Saturday evening, recently signed on for an extra year and will still be at the Affidea Stadium when he hits 37, 15 years after debuting for the province.
The 43-cap Ireland international revealed that he gave serious consideration to retiring at the end of this campaign before a change of heart.
“I still have that desire to fight for the jersey and go and win something,” Herring said.
“I feel that we’re in a really positive place to go on and try and achieve that and I wanted to still be a part of it.
“I almost did decide that this was going to be my last year,” he added.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do coming into this season, but I think from the start of the season, I just felt there was something, even in pre-season, I just felt there was something different this year.
“At the time it was hard to pinpoint, but it just felt like we were on a new wave.
“Mark (Sexton) has come in, and he’s been brilliant and, of course, Richie’s been great.
“Just looking at this year and next year, I feel like I still have a lot to give whether that’s on the pitch or mentoring some of the younger guys.”
Herring accepts that he has had to make tweaks to his game to dovetail with changes to the sport while accepting that the passage of time is also a factor.
“I don’t have the same top-end speed that I had 10 years ago, but I still work hard on my acceleration and I’m more of a ball player now than, say, getting 10 carries in a game.
“I might now only get five (carries) but I’ll pass three or four. I think it’s about evolving, and I’ve always had that mindset,” Herring says.
Recovery is also a much more focused affair as he explains: “How I recover is a big part of my week in getting ready for the (next) game because it does take that a little bit longer.
“But if you stay disciplined with it, you can still be fine.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Ireland Rob Herring Rugby soldiering on Ulster URC