ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Can Hume Upset The Applecart And Start For Ireland?

BY Philip Bendon  ·  Thursday Jun 9, 2022

Friday June 3rd in Belfast may well be looked back on as a momentous day for the current Ulster Rugby set up.

ADVERTISEMENT

Welcoming old foes Munster to the Kingspan stadium for a United Rugby Championship quarterfinal traditionally means a tough battle with plenty of fireworks throughout.

What transpired however was perhaps one of the cleanest performances of the Dan McFarland era to date.

The Ulstermen ran ragged as they swept aside the two-time European Champions with ease to progress to the semi-finals.

Next up is a mouth-watering trip to Cape Town to take on the high flying Stormers who have quite literally stormed back into contention as legitimate title challengers.

Whilst on balance, Leinster remain the Irish pace setters due in no small part to their ridiculous strength in depth. Ulster should be confident that in a one-off match-up they could rattle their southern nemesis.

Of course, before them lies the small matter of the Stormers who will fancy their chances of booking a ticket to Dublin with a chance to knock over losing European finalists.

ADVERTISEMENT

Should Ulster overcome the physical and fast Stormers, the belief within the squad will be at a point never seen before.

Having come within one point of knocking over the then European champions Toulouse, McFarland’s side has proven they have what it takes. However, if they do not go all the way this season whether correct or not, the title of almost rans will be thrown about.

Whilst this assessment may not be fair, the squad that Ulster now possesses is full of potential Irish internationals for their upcoming tour to New Zealand.

Leading the way is the 23-year-old James Hume who has become a revelation over the past couple of seasons.

The centre has shown that he is the real deal, the challenge facing him however is that Ireland coach Andy Farrell has several other centres who are also the real deal.

Starting with British and Irish Lions Robbie Henshaw and Bundee Aki as well as Garry Ringrose who many believe to be the best of the bunch.

This trio has had a monopoly on the Irish centre berths dating back to the Joe Schmidt era and none of them look likely to ease up between now and the World Cup.

Behind them is the ever-physical Chris Farrell of Munster and Hume’s Ulster teammate Stuart McCloskey

Dig even deeper and there is the quick rising Ciaran Frawley alongside the experienced options of Rory Scannell and Sammy Arnold.

Centre is not a position of need for Irish Rugby at this moment in time but such is the quality of Hume’s performances of late the question must be asked can he go straight into the starting line-up?

At 6’1” and 100kg with exceptional pace but more importantly a brilliant distribution game, Hume fits the bill perfectly for what Ireland are trying to achieve.

A combination with Ringrose would see two silky smooth operators get Ireland’s dangerous back three into the game quite quickly.

Should Farrell need to take a physical approach a combination with Aki could see holes blown in opposition defences.

Saving perhaps the best for last however would be a Henshaw and Hume combination that would incorporate the physicality with the footballing skills of both men.

Any of these three options are good enough to go toe-to-toe with the best in the world. The question now is which one if any will Farrell select as he looks to bed down combinations ahead of the all important World Cup.

Related Articles

  • 50 WEEKS AGO

    Jamie Heaslip Exclusive: Respectfully...Ireland...

  • 54 WEEKS AGO

    The sending off that rocked the Six Nations...

  • 54 WEEKS AGO

    'A really poor imitation' - Shane Horgan...



ADVERTISEMENT

Great Tries

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Flying frenchman scores tremendous try for Toulon

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Young England hopeful continues to impress with double against Stade Français

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Full throttle Premiership final rematch ends in heartache

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Santiago Carreras scores a blinder in front of thrilled Kingsholm crowd

  • 7 WEEKS AGO

    Fans in awe as Kildunne finishes off STUNNING team try

View All

Big Hits & Dirty Play

  • 12 WEEKS AGO

    Wallabies wunderkind Sua'ali' and Scotland captain Tuipulotu clash

  • 13 WEEKS AGO

    Ireland 'steal' Argentina's opening try as debate rages

  • 15 WEEKS AGO

    WATCH: The biggest hit from week one of the Autumn Nations Series

  • 18 WEEKS AGO

    'Cheap shot' from Leicester Tigers vs Northampton Saints causing a stir online

  • 18 WEEKS AGO

    Wild moment leads to all in brawl during Welsh derby between Cardiff and Scarlets

View All

See It To Believe It

  • 1 HOUR AGO

    'A few nuts and bolts out' - Eden Park streaker sheds boxers to achieve goal

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    SHOCK results in the PWR keeps top four race thrilling

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Santiago Carreras scores a blinder in front of thrilled Kingsholm crowd

  • 7 WEEKS AGO

    Fans in awe as Kildunne finishes off STUNNING team try

  • 10 WEEKS AGO

    Supporters can't believe Saracens Sharp's UNBELIEVABLE finish

View All

Funnies

  • 1 HOUR AGO

    'A few nuts and bolts out' - Eden Park streaker sheds boxers to achieve goal

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Nightmare blunder from Exeter winger as try goes wanting

  • 8 WEEKS AGO

    'A dog with a mallet up its arse could’ve written Johnny’s book' Donnacha O'Callaghan

  • 9 WEEKS AGO

    ‘The knee slide was too much’ - Ben Earl reflects on THAT viral moment

  • 9 WEEKS AGO

    U.S. Army Special Operations Sergeant Major makes big claim about rugby

View All

Amateur

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Nightmare blunder from Exeter winger as try goes wanting

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Santiago Carreras scores a blinder in front of thrilled Kingsholm crowd

  • 110 WEEKS AGO

    You Won’t See Many Better Than This Silky-Smooth Try From Llandovery RFC

  • 110 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes As Caldy RFC Hand Ealing First Championship Defeat Of The Season

  • 133 WEEKS AGO

    Dubious Score Decides Result Of Rugby's Biggest Schools Fixture

View All

Player Features

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    The Capuozzo try that jump-started Italy's victory

  • 8 WEEKS AGO

    RugbyDump's top five backrows in 2024

  • 9 WEEKS AGO

    ‘The knee slide was too much’ - Ben Earl reflects on THAT viral moment

  • 10 WEEKS AGO

    Marcus Smith makes big call on his future

  • 13 WEEKS AGO

    'Eligible for England' - Fans react to South African star's contract announcement

View All