Ulster's Herring relishing Stormers challenge in old hometown

Ulster hooker Rob Herring is enjoying being back in his old hometown as his side gear up for a battle with the Stormers in the URC. 

Herring was born and schooled in Cape Town and made a few appearances for Western Province before pursuing a career in Ireland, for whom he qualified through his grandfather.  

“It’s great to be home and it’s been a while since I’ve been back here,” he said. 

“It’s not something I ever thought I’d get a chance to do with Ulster, is come and play in my hometown against the Stormers and a few of them (family) were down to watch training. 

“It’s great to be back and there’s a great buzz around the squad, and the guys have been enjoying the heat. We had a nice recovery day at the beach on Monday and training was certainly a lot tougher in the heat but there is a lot of excitement and a good buzz to be here. 

“My school was just up the road from Newlands and I had season tickets... where there was a terrace where you sat and watched and I went to a lot of games when I was in school.” 

He quickly became a regular feature for Ulster and has notched up over 200 appearances since joining the club. He also has 26 Ireland caps to his name to date. 

“I think it’s been a great journey since I left and I’ve enjoyed it every step of the way, and myself, my wife and daughter are settled in Belfast now,” he said. 

With regard to the upcoming clash, Herring said: 

“The Stormers have a big physical pack all around and it’s a big part of their game, so it’s something we’ll have a closer look at and prep for it accordingly.” 

“It’s an incredible challenge and we were talking about how no-one from the URC has won in South Africa (before this weekend) and that just tells you right there how good the South African teams are at home and particularly how well they are playing at the moment. 

“They have had a good run of games and I think the normal things like the physicality and that’s a big one and the Stormers have a really good attack and they can score tries from anywhere.”