Boss Glad To Be Back

The benefit of Ireland’s pre-season conditioning programme will stand to him, but Isaac Boss would have liked nothing better than to have played in Ulster’s opening two Magners League games.

…Isaac Boss…

The benefit of Ireland’s pre-season conditioning programme will stand to him, but Isaac Boss would have liked nothing better than to have played in Ulster’s opening two Magners League games.

Boss, who won his first two Ireland caps on the summer tour to New Zealand and Australia, missed Ulster’s winning start to the season due to his international commitments.

He returned to Ulster’s ranks on Friday night in the 20-15 defeat to Edinburgh, and pitch-time was just what the Tokoroa-born scrum half had ordered.

“Pre-season was a bit all over the place as I was training in different places and various camps with the Ireland and Ulster boys,” said the 26-year-old.

“It has been rigorous but at the same time, it was frustrating as everyone has been playing and you are still training. I’ve been looking forward to getting back involved and getting out onto the pitch.

“It’s probably good to get a rest but when the team is playing, you want to be out there with them. It was good that we won our first two games, but it’s hard to watch knowing that you want to be out there.”

Boss wants to “push on” after his first year with Ulster went “better” than he had planned.

“I was hoping last season would go quite well for me, but it was great and the couple of bonuses at the end – winning the league with Ulster and being capped by Ireland – really topped it off for me.”

Describing his first cap, earned against the country of his birth, New Zealand, as “like a fairytale”, Boss wants to build on the foundation of work he put in during the summer tour. And he obviously made an impression as he has been retained in the Ireland squad for this week’s mini training camp in Dublin (the squad assembles on Sunday).

“The two caps is something for me to start from. You have to wait and see what happens with form and there is a bit of depth in the half-back position so you have to wait and see how the season progresses, but hopefully I can maintain my place (in the squad) and add to those two caps.”

For a man who has yet to play at the ‘old’ Lansdowne Road, game-time in November’s internationals against South Africa, Australia and the Pacific Islands will be a must.