Roddy Grant highlights Ulster value of ‘brilliant’ Nick Timoney across all areas

Timoney seized his chance last season when Marcell Coetzee was injured helping Ulster to a second place Pro14 Conference finish and the European Challenge Cup semi-final, where he scored a try in the defeat at Leicester Tigers.

Timoney was rewarded with a first Ireland cap in the summer and he doubled his international tally last Sunday, coming off the bench against Argentina.

Timoney was imperious in Ulster’s victory at the RDS on Saturday night, narrowly losing the ‘man-of-the-match’ award to James Hume.

The Dublin native has had an impact on both sides of the ball, in attack he’s had 65 carries, beaten 11 defenders, made two clean line breaks and scored five tries. In defence, Timoney has been equally effectively with a 94 per cent tackle success rate and has won seven turnovers.

Ulster forwards coach and former back row Roddy Grant feels it Timoney’s attitude and approach to the game that has seen him flourish.

“It is down to him, he has done well and worked really hard at his game, he is a brilliant bloke and he thinks about things a lot...the psychology, the preparation, the mindset, his state of approach I would say is a big thing that I have noticed about him,” said Grant. “His approach and his outlook, he is in a really good determined state and he is going well.

“I’m pleased that he is playing consistent and that he has had the international recognition and still gone well afterwards but he has worked hard at it.

“I really enjoy working with him, we have a good relationship as well where we are able to chat on different things.

“We can send each other podcasts on random things like that that are linked to mind set, he has done really well to get to where he has got I’m really pleased and long may it continue and hopefully he keeps going.”

Grant is hoping the win and performance at the RDS wasn’t a flash in the pan as Ulster face two more big games on the road, travelling to the Ospreys this Saturday before kicking off their European quest with a game in Clermont.

“I guess that is professional sport...when you have a good result how do you get up mentally from that, like a lot of times in sport it wasn’t perfect and there are easily areas that you can focus on and say that we need to be better.

“The opposition that we are playing now helps in that motivation, the Ospreys are going well in the league have had some good wins and you are going to get a backlash after their result at Connacht,” he said. “It is pretty easy to get across, but we’ll see how we go individually and as a collective.

“It was a great result but there are huge areas for improvement both technically, physically and emotionally as well.

“That is not our pinnacle of performance.

“You look at what went well just not the game but the week’s prep from training, tactics through to mind set.

“If you can nail them and know what works you have a better chance of repeating them in the future.”

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