David McCann hopes to emulate his Ireland U20 Grand Slam-winning colleagues by playing for Andy Farrell’s senior international team.
McCann was part of the Irish age group team that won it all in 2019, along with Ryan Baird and Craig Casey.
A year later, with McCann as captain and Joe McCarthy in the squad, Ireland had won their opening three games before the Under-20 Six Nations was postponed due to coronavirus.
McCann was one of Ulster’s standout players at the start of the season, but injury ruled him out for two months and any chance of a Six Nations call-up.
“It’s impressive that they’ve really stepped up. They’ve been around the team for the last few years and especially when you look at Joe McCarthy, who was my contemporary in the 20s, he It really affects the game,” McCann said.
“It’s impressive to see and it drives you.”
“I loved playing for Ireland when I was underage and that’s what I want to do at senior level.”
“Watching Ireland play so well is really motivating, but it’s a really competitive environment so you want to get in there and test yourself.”
McCann believes Ireland will become the first team in history to win back-to-back Grand Slam titles.
“Now that they beat France away, I think they’re definitely going for it. I think they’ll do it in the remaining three games. It’s very exciting so I’m looking forward to watching.”
The former RBAI captain feels he can improve his game at Ulster by watching the likes of Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris.
“When you think about the parts of your game that are weak and you see other people being really good on TV or on your team, you try to add to that and try to get really good at what you’re already doing or even more. You’ll try to improve.” Round. ”
“I’ve done both, so I think that was the key.”
“If you look at the Irish back-row, they’re really good as players who play in the team. They’re really good, especially with breakdown work and just the little things, so if you look at them closely, they’re pretty good.”Where to start. ”
A month after conceding 95 points in their last two games and being eliminated from the Champions Cup, Ulster return to action on Sunday in the United Rugby Championship against the Ospreys.
“A break gives you a period of reflection, which is always a good thing. You might not want to dwell too long on a bad loss. It’s good to look back and think about what individuals and the team can improve on. It’s been good and productive during that time.”During this time, I’ve had several conversations with the coach and other players, so I think we’ll be in a good position. ”
“Then we all watched the games and analyzed them individually. Teams and coaches will have things to highlight. So we looked at them and reviewed them on an individual and team basis, so , we want to incorporate them and improve those areas in our play. ”
“I think the players have a big responsibility to take responsibility.At the end of the day, we are the ones on the pitch, we are the ones putting the product out into the world, so in that sense we need to take responsibility. We ultimately push the team to the point where it stays in the league.”