James Hume backs Dan Soper to step into Ulster assistant role

Soper is one of the front runners to replace Dwayne Peel as Ulster’s backs coach after the former Wales and British Lions scrum half will return home at the end of the season to take up a position with the Cardiff Blues.

Soper is currently part of the Kingspan Stadium backroom staff as skills coach, but Hume, who won three Schools Cups between 2015 and 2017 with RBAI under the Kiwi’s tutelage, has endorsed the former full backs credentials to take on a new role.

“If Dan does step up we (the players) would 100% back him,” he said.

“He is class and you can see for an instance Nick Timoney’s try at the weekend Al (O’Connor) gives a nice inside tip and then Greg (Jones) gets an offload away and that is something that we really have brought to our game over the past couple of seasons since ‘Sops’ has stepped in.

“Just doing bits and bobs in the gym, our gym sessions just aren’t weights anymore there are skills involved and everyone is looking to do extras after sessions and Dan has really drove that skills aspect of the game.”

Soper has kept the same formula from his success as schools coach to going into the professional game.

“He hasn’t changed, I haven’t noticed the difference from fifth year, I’ve had him in school, with Banbridge and at Ulster and I haven’t noticed any difference at all,” said Hume.

“He is just very natural in the way he has come across maybe the detail are a bit more specific and more high end but the way he comes across isn’t different at all.”

Ulster face Munster in Belfast tomorrow night (5.15pm) both sides top their Conferences in the Pro14 and both are unbeaten.

Munster had an off week over Christmas as their game Boxing Day game with Leinster was cancelled and Hume could be facing a midfield of South African world cup winner Damian De Allende and Irish international Chris Farrell.

“If I want to be the best in my position I’m going to have to challenge myself against current Ireland internationals and World Cup winners and I’m not going to back down from that, I feel like that’s the type of challenge I thrive on, whatever the combination they go for I’ll be putting my best foot forward,” he said.

The key for Hume’s putting in a good performance on the pitch is doing his homework in the week leading up to the game.

“Even if Munster don’t go full strength they’ve got exceptional depth,” he said.

“You’ll watch games where they did have full strength and you’ll watch games when the internationals were away and they had their depth players filling in so you have to do a bit more and analyse all those combinations and what they bring to the table.

“Teams usually run the same shapes and have a bit of a theme so it’s just whether they have more ball players, carriers, if they step in more, take the outside that’s the type of detail you have to look at.

“I’ll do my homework alright and I’ll be ready”