Dillane excited to front up to Boks after Connacht’s Pro12 glory

ULTAN DILLANE WAS in the Aviva Stadium yesterday looking towards Ireland’s tour of South Africa, less than 48 hours after playing a starring role in Connacht’s Pro12 victory over Leinster.

The 22-year-old’s own remarkable rise this season has very much reflected that of the western province itself and their success in Murrayfield brought Dillane his first winner’s medal as a professional player.

Source: Sky Sports

Having had to switch into Ireland mode so soon after that glory, one wonders if Dillane has been able to fully enjoy Connacht’s achievement.

“Definitely,” says Dillane with a smile, “my voice is still a bit gone. I got a few hours celebration after the game. We had an unbelievable reception in Galway yesterday afternoon.

“That’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. It was brilliant.”

A Kerry man growing up, Dillane likens Sunday in Galway to being part of the welcoming party for his county’s football teams as they returned with All-Ireland honours in his youth.

The firm impression is that Dillane has many more memorable days in rugby ahead of him, whether they are with Connacht or in the green shirt of Ireland.

The dynamic lock was hugely impressive again last weekend against Leinster, providing Connacht with go-forward ball in the carry and a number of thumping tackles, as well as his usual set-piece work.

‘I was just delighted to see her there’ – Dillane with his mother, Ellen, at Murrayfield. Source: James Crombie/INPHO

The highlight was his memorable boshing of Dave Kearney, as he sent a man he will now tour South Africa alongside flying.

“Dave’s a great team-mate and not someone I’d want to go out to hurt but, yeah, it happened and it got the team going forward as well so it was good for us,” says Dillane.

He laughs and shakes his head when asked if he likes hurting people who aren’t his team-mates but certainly the Paris native enjoys that physical aspect of the sport.

“That’s part of it, yeah, it’s part of rugby. It’s not the worst part of it.”

It’s just as well that Dillane relishes the physical side of rugby as this visit to South Africa is likely to be demanding in that regard.

Dillane won his first three Ireland caps in this year’s Six Nations, playing off the bench for 15 minutes in Twickenham on debut, amassing 26 minutes as a replacement against Italy and then making a 12-minute cameo in the game against Scotland.

“A bit more game time would be brilliant” in South Africa, says Dillane, while underlining that this Ireland squad believes they are good enough to make history and win the Test series against the Boks.

“We’re the first [Irish] team to play in South Africa in 12 years, so it’s a huge challenge ahead of us but we want to win the series, we think we have the team for it so that’s the main goal really.”

Having been playing in the Ulster Bank League with Corinthians as recently as November, Dillane says Ireland caps weren’t at the forefront of his mind earlier this season, but now that he has had a taste he simply wants more.

Dillane and James Connolly with the Pro12 trophy in Galway. Source: James Crombie/INPHO

“That’s one thing I’m definitely looking forward to,” says Dillane when asked if he would relish taking on a Test side as physically abrasive as the Boks.

“Hopefully, I’ll have a chance at having a go at some players over there. I’m really looking forward to that.”

Devin Toner, Iain Henderson, Donnacha Ryan and Quinn Roux are the four other locks in Joe Schmidt’s touring party. The head coach yesterday explained that Roux is the only natural tighthead lock in the squad, meaning that one of the other four will have to flip over and play on that side of the scrum.

Toner has plenty of experience in doing so and Dillane said he would also be more than happy to fill the role.

“It is something I’m definitely looking to develop, something I would love to get good at,” says Dillane. “It’s another challenge ahead. Hopefully, I will rise to the occasion of it.

“It is just more weight comes through,” he continues when asked what the difference is to playing on the loosehead side. “It is something you wouldn’t think it is.

“Personally, on the loosehead side, you are so used to scrummaging there. It [tighthead] feels different and there’s more weight coming through. It is a small technical difference but it can somehow make a huge difference.”