Tommy Bowe is back home to help Ulster maintain momentum

Tommy Bowe is back home with Ulster Rugby and reveals that envy, as much as ambition, will be driving him on this season.
“Watching them in the Heineken Cup semi-finals and finals last season was sometimes hard for me,” he said. “I was so jealous, but delighted for them.”
The winger, who spent four years with Ospreys, returns to an Ulster side that has markedly improved since he first flew out to Wales.
Under coach Brian McLaughlin, the province reached the Heineken Cup quarter-finals in 2011 and went two steps further, to a final defeat at Twickenham last May. McLaughlin has moved on to a developmental role within Ulster and New Zealander Mark Anscombe is the new man calling the coaching shots.
Bowe has been back in pre-season training since mid-July and likes what he sees. “There are so many things that are familiar to when I was here before but then you see the new, main stand and other parts that are very different,” he said. “There is a real sense that Ulster is heading in the right direction and it is exciting to be coming back to it.”
The province has brought back two other former players – Roger Wilson (from Northampton) and Niall O’Connor (from Connacht). Their final defeat to Leinster, 42-14, was a chastening experience but they now believe they know how to win trophies.
Bowe explains, “We will be looking at consistency and trying to bring that into our game. Ulster were pulling out massive performances against the top teams in Europe last season and then, maybe, slipping off the next week.”
Ulster captain Rory Best has stressed to the squad, that 2012-13 is all about ‘pushing on’. “We have to put pressure on ourselves to outperform last year,” Best declared.
Bowe added:  “It is about having a squad. You look at Leinster and they make as many changes as other teams, if not more, and the guys seem to be able to slot in and win matches.
“They don’t lose momentum. That is where we are looking to get – that when players slot in there will be no upset. Obviously, there will be teething problems trying to build a squad but with the likes of Roger coming back, myself, Niall O’Connor and the other guys, it is strengthening the squad.”
The 28-year-old is not expecting to walk straight into the starting line-up.
But he says: “That is one of the things that excited me about coming back. When I went to the Ospreys, people didn’t give me much chance with Nikki Walker, Lee Byrne and Shane Williams all there, and all internationals.  I had to up my game and improve myself. I think I did that.
“Coming back to Ulster you have something similar – Andrew Trimble, Ger Gilroy, Darren Cave, Paddy Wallace, they are playing great rugby. I’ll have to work hard to get myself into the team and that is exactly what I want.”
PATRICK McCARRY