There was as soon as a time when Ulster gamers with fond recollections of dealing with Leinster had been few and much between.
Time and time once more over the previous decade, it has been the RDS outfit standing in the way in which of the northern province and success, the very sight of a darkish blue jersey sufficient to warrant one thing of an undesirable flashback.
Marcus Rea, although, is an exception. Certainly, among the most pivotal days of his profession have come in opposition to the eight-time League champions.
First there was his dwelling debut in 2019, an event that noticed him come from the bench early and rating a attempt in a recreation that earned him man of the match honours in an Ulster win.
If that cameo hinted at a breakthrough, accidents and choice restricted him to simply 4 run outs for the senior facet within the subsequent marketing campaign.
He began final season out of the image too till one other run from the bench in opposition to Leinster did sufficient to catch the attention as soon as once more.
Every week later and his cameo included a pair of turnovers in opposition to the Ospreys. Subsequent day trip, he was beginning in opposition to Clermont within the Champions Cup and from that time on, he’s been a fixture within the Ulster back-row.
He confirmed why once more in opposition to the Scarlets on Saturday afternoon, not solely scoring a attempt within the 55-39 win however, at a time when the sport was within the stability, securing a key turnover on the Ulster line that could possibly be considered as a turning level.
Whereas the 25-year-old’s transformation from squad participant to key performer might have appeared sudden, he believes it was extra a matter of seizing his probability when it got here.
“In the beginning of final yr, I didn’t get taking part in that a lot however then I obtained to indicate what I’d been engaged on for possibly the final yr on my own,” he mentioned.
“(The turnovers have) develop into a little bit of a focus for my recreation now. It’s a little bit of a slog while you’ve one type of (energy) you can’t actually present in coaching, it’s solely actually in video games, and that’s your level of distinction.
“That makes it onerous to get in however final yr in opposition to Ospreys off the bench and Leinster off the bench I needed to take my alternative. It was all all the way down to onerous work that I had finished within the years main as much as it. I all the time knew I might do it.”
Ought to choice stay constant when Leinster go to Ravenhill tomorrow, Rea will get to check himself in opposition to Josh van der Flier, the reigning European Participant of the Yr and a participant the Ballymena man seems to as a benchmark.
“It’s one other alternative to mark your self in opposition to probably the greatest gamers on the earth and Josh I might regard as most likely the most effective seven on the earth,” he mentioned.
“Over pre-season, I appeared on the manner Josh carries. Josh isn’t an enormous fella statistically for a back-row, he’s not 115kg, however the way in which he carries, it’s the approach he has that will get him over the gain-line in opposition to guys which have 10 to 15kg on him.
“It's one thing that I've checked out and possibly tried to include and I’m nonetheless making an attempt to include.”
If it was getting over the ball that noticed Rea seize upon his Ulster alternative, getting on it extra in opposition to Leinster could be one other approach to catch the attention.