'He’s just another guy with two legs and two arms' - Zac Ward reveals mindset for Ulster debut against Damian Penaud in Champions Cup

That was the prospect Zac Ward had to contend with in Ulster’s 40-19 defeat against Bordeaux on Saturday as he went head-to head to head with flying French winger Damian Penaud.

Ward was one of the stars for Ireland as they narrowly missed out on a medal in the Rugby 7s at the Paris Olympics in the summer, his form earned him a call-up to the Ulster squad and it is expected he will pen his first contract with the province very soon.

He was part of the Emerging Ireland side that toured South Africa in October but has had to wait until December to win his first cap for the province.

Penaud has scored 36 tries in 53 international appearances and was part of the France team that won the 2022 grand slam.

“As a friend of mine said during the week, ‘he’s just another guy with two legs and two arms’ so it was just trying to remember it like that...tried not to overhype it too much,” said Ward. “You know you’re up against one of if not the best wingers in the world, so you have to do something special to stand out but I tried not to think about it too much.

“I’ve watched a lot of clips of what he tries to do and another guy I’ve watched a lot is Mack Hansen.

"When I was on that Emerging tour Simon (Easterby) said to me ‘just watch him, watch how he works off the ball to get his hands on the ball’...so studying a lot of what he does, him James Lowe and Penaud.

“In fairness, Jacob (Stockdale) has been a massive help, as has Rob Baloucoune, they have helped me try and learn and it’s a good culture, everyone wants to help each other improve.

“Not easy when you come up against one of the best wingers in the world, you are always going to be under the pump, I was pretty happy with how I played but still lots of stuff still to work on.

“I thought I played to my strengths, which was ball in hand, so hopefully can get into the team again and try and do the same again.”

Ward admitted he is still finding his way in the full code of the game but clear “I’m loving it”.

He added: “I was ready for a change off the back of the Olympics and ever since coming into Ulster I’ve felt really welcomed and I’ve enjoyed every minute and I’m still learning every day.

“The guys are really good in helping me and Richie (Murphy, head coach) and ‘Sopes’ (Dan Soper, assistant coach) are really good at giving me pointers and not bombarding me with loads of things to learn.

“I think it’s starting to click for me.

“With Sevens there is a lot more space but you have to think constantly all the time and you’re sprinting so you’re a lot more fatigued and you have be constantly alert.

“It’s maybe a different way of thinking out there (in 15s), there’s not as much space but that means there’s space in other areas, so I have to think about what I can do to help create space somewhere else for others.”

Ward is hoping he has done enough to retain his place for Friday night’s URC clash with Munster.

“I was delighted to get my first cap...a bit of a boyhood dream come true, but it would have been nice to top it off with a win,” said Ward. “For a first cap, Champions Cup at home doesn’t get much better than that but now I’ve got the opportunity to potentially play against Munster at home...so there is something a little bit extra for those games, if I can try and get into the mix for that (it) would be pretty cool.”