There is something fundamentally wrong when a top young player turns down the potential to play for Ulster and Ireland to go study in Scotland. Wrong on his part on why he wouldn’t want that and wrong on ulsters part for not blowing Smoke up his ar$e from a young age to try and keep him here. Surely Queens would have been more than happy to have him if he was playing at a high level underage. I despair.
As a young lad I’d have thought even a sniff at being a professional sportsman would easily trump what is academically the best degree. Wouldn’t have thought there’d be to many Leinster/Munstermen turning their noses up at an academy place to go study on the mainland. But hey, each to their own.
There is something fundamentally wrong when a top young player turns down the potential to play for Ulster and Ireland to go study in Scotland. Wrong on his part on why he wouldn’t want that and wrong on ulsters part for not blowing Smoke up his ar$e from a young age to try and keep him here. Surely Queens would have been more than happy to have him if he was playing at a high level underage. I despair.
Thomas Armstrong, the one that got away
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Often wondered where he went. Hadn’t heard anything of him playing at Queens so figured it must have been “across the water”. Interesting he is still playing but how Ulster could have been doing with a talented 10 his age.
I had saw Reece Malone was named in an Ulster A team a while back as an IQ having been playing across in Loughborough Uni. Would be interesting to know if Ulster had tried retaining a link similarly with Armstrong or if he just wasn’t interested. Whatever as you say KOTH definitely seems like the case of the one that got away.
There is something fundamentally wrong when a top young player turns down the potential to play for Ulster and Ireland to go study in Scotland. Wrong on his part on why he wouldn’t want that and wrong on ulsters part for not blowing Smoke up his ar$e from a young age to try and keep him here. Surely Queens would have been more than happy to have him if he was playing at a high level underage. I despair.
Thomas Armstrong, the one that got away
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Often wondered where he went. Hadn’t heard anything of him playing at Queens so figured it must have been “across the water”. Interesting he is still playing but how Ulster could have been doing with a talented 10 his age.
I had saw Reece Malone was named in an Ulster A team a while back as an IQ having been playing across in Loughborough Uni. Would be interesting to know if Ulster had tried retaining a link similarly with Armstrong or if he just wasn’t interested. Whatever as you say KOTH definitely seems like the case of the one that got away.
Choose medicine over being in the academy.
He was/is a serious talent. Was gutted he didn’t go into the academy. I would love to be that smart and talented to have the choice.
Queens and Ulster Rugby do nothing to help young players have a rugby and academic career - there should be scholarships - Ulster need to pay or find a sponsor - as usual its all lip service about preparing players for life after rugby
I believe the only young Ulster players still at University are Sheridan and McCann - probably others in the academy
I heard about a guy that went to the States on a rugby scholarship - tuition fees, accommodation and food all paid for - about $30-40k - wasn't even that good a player - at Queens you don't even get a student loan if you are part time
TheUlsterTruth wrote:Queens and Ulster Rugby do nothing to help young players have a rugby and academic career - there should be scholarships - Ulster need to pay or find a sponsor - as usual its all lip service about preparing players for life after rugby
I believe the only young Ulster players still at University are Sheridan and McCann - probably others in the academy
I heard about a guy that went to the States on a rugby scholarship - tuition fees, accommodation and food all paid for - about $30-40k - wasn't even that good a player - at Queens you don't even get a student loan if you are part time
The problem is that if they are given scholarships they have to play for queens.
TheUlsterTruth wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 12:34 pm
Just my opinion but all the Ulster players should be playing for one AIL team - Queens might be the obvious one
Queens would be AIL 1 within 2 years
The Leinster fringe players have a significant advantage over a lot of the Ulster fringe players in that they are playing AIL1 every week
Harry Sheridan was developed in Trinity
Definitely interesting how Sheridan after playing AIL 1A seems to have jumped up ahead of some others in the Ulster pecking order. That and also probably playing with a lot of Leinster academy players there has aided his development. Indicates all Ulster academy & NTS/PTS school leavers need to be playing 1A regularly and Ulster need to consider a strategy for how they make that happen. No good players playing 1B or lower.
TheUlsterTruth wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 12:34 pm
Just my opinion but all the Ulster players should be playing for one AIL team - Queens might be the obvious one
Queens would be AIL 1 within 2 years
The Leinster fringe players have a significant advantage over a lot of the Ulster fringe players in that they are playing AIL1 every week
Harry Sheridan was developed in Trinity
Last June Ulster entered into an agreement with Queens which has a number of strands to it but one of those is that NTS and Academy 1 school leavers will go to Queens, players will then move on once reach Academy Year2/3 so that positional back logs don’t occur. Queens will get up this year so will be interesting if this stays and they work to that model or if they just load them with players, part of the agreement was that Queens would have limit placed on the number of non student players so that once they graduate they will move on to other clubs.
The details around the whole thing are very sketchy but there is a partnership now in place.
Hi folks - long-time lurker here but this topic is close to my heart at the minute as my son is currently 16/5th form at a non-rugby playing school. He is currently playing his rugby at Malone U16s and has applied to Belfast Met's Rugby Academy to study a BTEC Level 3 in Sport Science. Anyway my point is (finally!) that there does not seem to be as much support from Ulster Rugby for this, quite unique, course as I would have expected. I had a discussion with the head coach/tutor and he told me a story of when the Met 7s team went over to take part in a college 7s tournament in England and were surprised to see that their equivalent college in Exeter were kitted out in Exeter Chiefs kit! Turns out that the college there has a direct pathway and support from the Chiefs and their Academy.
A lot of the students who enrol on the course appear to come from traditional grammar schools but, for whatever reason, they have not stayed on for 6th form there. Could Ulster Rugby not be doing a little more to support this initiative? At present the Met team are not allowed to participate in the School's Cup(even though the students are the same age and are studying an A Level equivalent course) and have taken part in Club leagues and cups(even though they are not really a club).
Anyway I've waffled on a bit here but would be interested to hear the group's thought on this, as it is an alternative to the traditional grammar school pathway that doesn't appear to be tapped into maybe as much as it should be, cheers.
De-aRt wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 4:18 pm
Hi folks - long-time lurker here but this topic is close to my heart at the minute as my son is currently 16/5th form at a non-rugby playing school. He is currently playing his rugby at Malone U16s and has applied to Belfast Met's Rugby Academy to study a BTEC Level 3 in Sport Science. Anyway my point is (finally!) that there does not seem to be as much support from Ulster Rugby for this, quite unique, course as I would have expected. I had a discussion with the head coach/tutor and he told me a story of when the Met 7s team went over to take part in a college 7s tournament in England and were surprised to see that their equivalent college in Exeter were kitted out in Exeter Chiefs kit! Turns out that the college there has a direct pathway and support from the Chiefs and their Academy.
A lot of the students who enrol on the course appear to come from traditional grammar schools but, for whatever reason, they have not stayed on for 6th form there. Could Ulster Rugby not be doing a little more to support this initiative? At present the Met team are not allowed to participate in the School's Cup(even though the students are the same age and are studying an A Level equivalent course) and have taken part in Club leagues and cups(even though they are not really a club).
Anyway I've waffled on a bit here but would be interested to hear the group's thought on this, as it is an alternative to the traditional grammar school pathway that doesn't appear to be tapped into maybe as much as it should be, cheers.
Ive come across this problem also. It's madness; of course there should be a close link beteen the Met and UR. Is there some reason that none of us are privy to why this doesn't happen?
De-aRt wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 4:18 pm
Hi folks - long-time lurker here but this topic is close to my heart at the minute as my son is currently 16/5th form at a non-rugby playing school. He is currently playing his rugby at Malone U16s and has applied to Belfast Met's Rugby Academy to study a BTEC Level 3 in Sport Science. Anyway my point is (finally!) that there does not seem to be as much support from Ulster Rugby for this, quite unique, course as I would have expected. I had a discussion with the head coach/tutor and he told me a story of when the Met 7s team went over to take part in a college 7s tournament in England and were surprised to see that their equivalent college in Exeter were kitted out in Exeter Chiefs kit! Turns out that the college there has a direct pathway and support from the Chiefs and their Academy.
A lot of the students who enrol on the course appear to come from traditional grammar schools but, for whatever reason, they have not stayed on for 6th form there. Could Ulster Rugby not be doing a little more to support this initiative? At present the Met team are not allowed to participate in the School's Cup(even though the students are the same age and are studying an A Level equivalent course) and have taken part in Club leagues and cups(even though they are not really a club).
Anyway I've waffled on a bit here but would be interested to hear the group's thought on this, as it is an alternative to the traditional grammar school pathway that doesn't appear to be tapped into maybe as much as it should be, cheers.
Ive come across this problem also. It's madness; of course there should be a close link beteen the Met and UR. Is there some reason that none of us are privy to why this doesn't happen?
