‘World class’ James Hume looks ready to shine on New Zealand trip

James Hume on the burst against Munster at Kingspan Stadium. Photo: Sportsfile

Ruaidhri O'Connor Twitter

June 06 2022 02:30 AM

Andy Farrell will name a large panel of players to take to New Zealand next week and, while he says he’s not giving too much thought to Ireland selection, James Hume would do well to keep his passport safe and his diary clear for the month of July.

The Ulster centre was magnificent in his side’s win over Munster on Friday night and, if the province are to pull off a semi-final win over the Stormers in Cape Town this Saturday, they’ll need their No 13 at his best.

A win there could set up a showdown with Garry Ringrose in an RDS final, a stage for the 23-year-old to announce himself as a real rival to the established Ireland No 13.

Certainly, he looked the part in front of Farrell and Paul O’Connell in Belfast last weekend, with a performance full of attacking intent.

For his head coach Dan McFarland, however, it was Hume’s work without the ball that stood out.

“His footwork etc, he’s so strong on the ball as well, has really good acceleration, but his defence is world-class, as a centre,” McFarland said.

“Again, I don’t say that very often. World class, as an outside centre - One of the most difficult positions to defend on the field. Don’t get me wrong. He still makes mistakes, because he’s a young fellah, but his ability to make plays out there is really excellent.

“The area of his game that he’s been working on and needs to work on is his distribution skills, his ability to be able to move the ball.

“We’ve got people like Mike Lowry, Jacob Stockdale, Will Addison, Robert Baloucoune, Ethan McIlroy – wingers with pace.

“We need to get the ball to them and other teams know that.

“James needs the ability to move the ball, he did that on Friday.”

Asked about his defensive improvements, Hume laid the responsibility firmly at the feet of a man who once wore the Ireland No 13 shirt with distinction.

“Jared Payne, plain and simple,” he said of Ulster’s defence coach, who is off to Clermont at the end of the season.

“Dan and Sopes (Dan Soper) have played a big part in getting me where I am but I don’t think that I’d be anywhere near where I am without what JP has done at the club.

“When he first stepped into that defensive role, I’d genuinely put him up there as a genius defensively.

“He always has an answer for everything you could ask him and I don’t stop asking him questions because I know he’ll have the answer.

“Massive credit to him. It’s still a work in progress. I missed a few tackles which I’m pretty peeved off about but it’s good to have something to work on.”

Extending the season by another week at least gives the Ulster players more chances to impress Farrell and his coaches, whereas the Munster contingent must now hope they’ve enough credit in the bank.

Hume isn’t alone, with Stuart McCloskey and Robert Baloucoune shining on Friday night, and Jordan Larmour offering a firm reminder of his credentials for Leinster on Saturday.

Farrell may be looking at Hume and McCloskey’s combination as a winner for the midweek team, who face the Maori twice on a gruelling tour.

“From the moment when I came into the squad as a cocky wee so and so, I had a lot of learning to do but Stu was one person I can say was always welcoming from day one,” Hume said of his partner, whose physicality and skill caused Munster all sorts of issues on Friday.

“I think that’s developed our relationship rapidly. We bounce off each other, he can have a go at me, I can have a go at him, give each other praise. It’s a great relationship. It’s a pleasure to play with someone not only of that calibre but one of your best friends every week.”

It looks like they’re about to take their show on the road.

URC FINAL FOUR FIXTURES

Friday, June 10

Leinster v Vodacom Bulls,

RDS Arena (Dublin), KO 7.35. Live TG4, SuperSport, Premier Sports & URC.tv

Saturday, June 11

DHL Stormers v Ulster, DHL Stadium (Cape Town), KO 2.0. Live on SuperSport, Premier Sports, RTÉ & URC.tv