From forgotten man to Six Nations star – Baloucoune’s revival

“It’s been a full turnaround since last season and the level I’ve been playing at, at the minute it’s unbelievable”.

Rewind to this time last year and Rob Baloucoune was preparing to return to action for Ulster after 11 months out with a hamstring injury, with hope of ending his international exile far from being at the forefront of his mind.

He played and scored his side’s first try in Ulster’s comeback victory over Stormers on 27 March, but was replaced after 47 minutes and suffered another hamstring problem that ruled him out of the end of the campaign.

An ankle injury then further delayed his comeback for the 2025-26 season, but since regaining full fitness in October, Baloucoune has been a regular for the province and has been back doing what he does best – scoring tries.

His six tries for Richie Murphy’s side saw him earn an Ireland recall for this year’s Six Nations.

While he sat out the disappointing opening day defeat against France, he was handed his Six Nations debut in a much-changed Ireland side for the visit of Italy.

It was his first Ireland cap since November 2022 and he grasped the opportunity with both hands, taking his club form on to the international stage.

He scored against Italy and again against England in the following game where he produced all-action performance in a famous win, before another good display in a victory over Wales last week.

Baloucoune is now one of the first names of the team sheet for Andy Farrell and will start his fourth successive game as Ireland face Scotland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

So, what does Baloucoune put his good form down to?

It’s a simple formula really; playing consistently and being injury-free, something he has not had the luxury of doing in the past two years, has helped increase his self-belief to perform at his best on the pitch.

“My ability to play games repeatedly is something that’s been a big focus of mine, trying to be in training consistently and being able to do that has allowed me to build confidence each game I’ve played and being able to do that continuously is a big factor in my game,” he said.

On Saturday, Baloucoune will come up against two more wingers playing at the peak of their powers in Scottish duo Darcy Graham and Kyle Steyn.

Both wingers have registered three tries each to keep Scotland in the hunt for the Triple Crown and the championship.

Baloucoune is relishing the opportunity to show he belongs alongside such high-calibre wingers as Ireland also look to retain the Triple Crown and keep their outside hopes of a championship win alive.

“I enjoy the opportunity to play against different types of winger and that will definitely be the case this weekend,” he added.

“Scotland have been class this championship and have really exciting backs and the wingers have been playing well, but I also see it as an opportunity to show my ability on the pitch and back myself defensively.

“Kyle Steyn is a physical character, I’ve played [against] Darcy Graham a few times at Edinburgh, he’s nippy and works round the nines quite well which is something I need to work on in my game, but they’re two class wingers, they know how score and that’s a main focus for every winger, so they’re doing well.

“It will definitely be a challenge at the weekend, but I back myself and looking forward to the challenge.”