Ulster and Ireland hooker Rob Herring is closing in on the all-time Ulster Rugby appearance record of 229 appearances, currently held jointly by Ulster fan favourites Darren Cave and Andrew Trimble.
The Cape Town native stands to equal the appearance record on Friday night in front of home fans at the Kingspan stadium in the highly-anticipated United Rugby Championship quarter-final clash with provincial rivals Connacht.
If Ulster progress in the play-offs, Herring will hope to overtake the mark held by Cave and Trimble this season, however, the hooker looks certain to smash the record over the next two seasons, having recently signed a new contract which will keep him with the province until 2025.
Despite the significant impending milestone, Herring remains focused on taking each game as it comes and contributing towards Ulster’s pursuit for silverware for the first time in over 16 years.
“It’s not really something that would have been a big focus of mine to get to this sort of milestone. It’s something I’m sure I’ll look back on one day and I’ll be proud but at the moment I’m focused on making each game count and for me that’s winning silverware with this club,” Herring said.
“Over the next few games, we have the opportunity to do that. We have a home quarter-final and potentially a home semi-final and that’s my focus – the rest of the stuff will come off the back of that.”
It has been an eventful year for Herring already with the hooker scoring Ireland’s game-clinching try against England as Andy Farrell’s men secured a historic Six Nations Grand Slam.
“The atmosphere the whole day, the whole week leading up to the England game – that’s the big one that everyone wants to win. Then, to have it on St Patrick’s Day with the Grand Slam on the line – to finish it off the way we did was really special.”
Appearance records and Grand Slam titles were far from Herring’s mind when he initially came to Ulster on a short-term contract and found himself down the pecking order behind Ulster and eventual Ireland captain Rory Best.
“I initially came to Ulster on a three-month trial. After a stint at London Irish I had gone back home and was playing Varsity rugby and studying in South Africa,” Herring said.
“David Humphreys must have found out I was Irish qualified through my grandfather and maybe had a scout over there because they offered me a two-year development contract. Another club were speaking to me as well at the time, but they said, ‘two years or nothing.’
“I decided it would be better to go to Ulster for six months and if it didn’t work out, I could go back home.”
Despite going on to become an elder statesman in the Ulster squad, Herring admits it was a difficult transition when he first moved to Belfast.
“When I arrived it was meant to be summer - it was raining almost every day. I didn’t know many people,so it took a bit of time to adjust to life here. I’ve grown to love it here though.
“When I joined, the coach (Mark Anscombe) told me, ‘You’re fourth choice. Train your hardest and see how you go.’ In terms of competition there was Rory Best, Nigel Brady was still playing, and Niall Annet was there too.
“The first pre-season game I got 20 minutes, then in the next game I got 40 and then I started the third one. Then he backed me to start the first few games of the season. It was a bit of whirlwind! I was not expecting that at all when I arrived.”
Patience has been a theme in Herring’s career. Despite competing with Rory Best for the number two jersey for club and country, Herring became an important member of the Ulster squad and his early performances for his adopted province eventually earned him international recognition.
“My first cap was in 2014. I was playing pretty good rugby at the time. I wasn’t expecting a call up and then was asked to go to Argentina for the tour. I got a few minutes off the bench in the second half. It was such a brilliant experience and I loved it. It was four years later I got my next cap.
“When I did get my next cap. it felt like a new experience, another first cap. It came against South Africa. It was a great experience, but I could have done without the big gap between my first and second caps.”
⚪ @UlsterRugby get the first try of the game through Rob Herring!@JCooney09 nails the conversion, and Ulster lead 10 - 3!#LEIvULS pic.twitter.com/tcveYwVvZe
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) December 3, 2022
Herring has now established himself as a reliable and unflappable presence in both the Ulster and Ireland squad where he has increasingly taken on a leadership role for younger players including the likes of the promising young Ulster hooker Tom Stewart.
“Next season I’ll be one of the oldest guys in the squad. I do feel a bit of responsibility to help the younger guys breaking through in the squad – in every position but also with the likes of Tom (Stewart) in my own position – I think it’s important to create an environment where guys can be themselves and improve. For the senior boys that is an important part of what we bring.”
With his sights set on the Connacht game this weekend, Herring is focused on the task at hand and is confident his side have what it takes to progress in the competition.
“It’s one of the best squads I’ve ever played with – the depth, the work-rate, the characters. We have a common goal of winning silverware, and we keep each other on our toes – that’s what makes us get better,” Herring added.
“We’ve improved year on year in most aspects of the game and we finished with more points than last season. I’m feeling confident. We’ve worked hard to get the home advantage and that’s a big thing for us to play in front of our own crowd.”
