First impressions augur well when it comes to Ulster’s new outhalf Aidan Morgan on and off the pitch. Last weekend the 23-year-old enjoyed a tidy debut in Ulster’s 26-19 preseason victory over Benetton at the Kingspan Stadium.
Morgan showed flashes of his ability in running the game, but there were a couple of moments in defence that were equally notable: one that involved a body-and-soul tackle that saw him pick up a knock, and another in which he hustled to get back to make a try-saving intervention. It revealed character and an admirable sense of duty.
Irish-qualified through a Belfast grandmother, the New Zealander made 24 appearances in Super Rugby for the Hurricanes before agreeing to join Ulster. Off the pitch, on his day off, he came in to do some video analysis, something which Ulster head coach Richie Murphy pointed to when fielding questions about Morgan.
Murphy’s previous iteration as Ireland under-20 head coach saw him help to develop the top young outhalves of recent vintage and by extension leaves him perfectly placed to assess where Morgan might fit in that picture.
The Ulster head coach, speaking at a URC round table gig, said: “It’s very early days at the moment. Does he compare well with other guys? He’s different strengths to the players we’ve had up through the under-20s in the last couple of years. The big thing is that he’s played a different game. Super Rugby is very different to the European game. It’s going to take him a bit of time, there will be good days and bad days, but it’s a case of seeing how he goes over the next number of weeks to get him started.
“There’s elements of his game we’re trying to get him to work on, but we’re pretty happy with his attitude, his commitment, his work rate. He’s sitting outside the room here doing video clips from yesterday and today’s his day off. He’s working hard and he’s a promising young player.”
When asked to nominate Morgan’s primary assets, Murphy continued: “He’s a big running threat, ball in hand; he’s probably going to spend a bit of time getting used to the balance between that and the European game and what’s expected of him. He’s very exciting and fitted in with the group straight away.
“He’s not a big man, but he’s a very tough defender who defends his channel very well for a man of his size. It’s going to be very exciting to see how he develops.”
It’s a position in which Ulster are a little light on frontline experience, with Jake Flannery (25), Morgan (23), James Humphreys (22) and Jack Murphy (20) the primary options.
Michael Lowry has played there in the past but, as Murphy pointed out, “It’s an opportunity to build something around those [young] guys and that’s pretty interesting.”
Ulster lost a glut of experience at the end of last season and there’s a distinctly young look to the squad. The senior cohort is about to get a makeover. There’s no shortage of talent among a group in the foothills of their career. It’s the blending process that’s key.
Murphy said: “We had a situation last year before I was here where [backrow] James McNabney got a few runs in the Ulster team and did particularly well, then he didn’t play for the rest of the season with an injury. He started preseason, played last week [against Benetton], and had another big impact on the game, so we’re looking forward to seeing where we can bring him over the next number of weeks.
“It’s a balance. If you throw them all in at the same time, you’re in trouble, but it’s something we’re looking at this year.”
Ulster have a tricky opening to their URC campaign: the opening match against the Glasgow Warriors followed by a couple of games in South Africa. It’s further compounded by Emerging Ireland’s three-match schedule in Bloemfontein to which the province will contribute.
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Murphy admitted: “With the Emerging Ireland team going away there is going to be disruption in relation to that, so that is all going to have to balance out. I think it is going to take longer than that [three rounds of URC matches] before we know exactly where we are [in terms of a selection pecking order].
“A number of guys will go to Emerging Ireland for round two, three and round four. Really, we are starting in round five again. It’s a disruptive start to the season but we are hoping that we are being clear enough in what we expect from a rugby point of view that players can come in and out without a huge drop-off in performance.”
One player Ulster will hope can kick on again is Cormac Izuchukwu, who toured South Africa with Ireland in the summer without getting capped. Murphy noticed a difference. “He’s in a really good place. He looks very big and strong and there’s definitely a confidence around him that hasn’t been there before.”
Ulster face the Chiefs in Exeter this weekend in a second warm-up game looking to make further progression in style and content before the season begins in earnest.
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