Ulster invite Exiles star Stapley for two-months training in July

Matt Jones - Editor 18:03 10/04/2016
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  • Speed and skill: Tom Stapley.

    It’s been a whirlwind 2015-16 season for the exciting teenager who has not put a foot out of place since making his senior debut for the club just a few months ago, when he was still only 17.

    The strapping 6 feet 2 inch Stapley was born and grew up in the UAE but is now preparing to leave home behind for the Emerald Isle and a shot at professional rugby.

    He has already been to Ulster on a week-long trial earlier this year but has been invited back for a two-month stint which will include pre-season in July and August.

    Some of Ireland’s most famous players have worn the jersey, including Tommy Bowe, Rory Best, David Humphreys and Willie John McBride, and Stapley insists he’ll put everything into his chance.

    “It’s very exciting…a chance for me to really go and prove myself as a player,” said the teen.

    “It’s a chance to show my game somewhere else and really push myself and my game to the best it can possibly be. I was there for a week in February and had tips from the coaches what to work on. It’s good I’ve been invited back so I must have done something right.

    “I’m aiming high, and the highest I can aim for is to be a professional. I will work as hard as I can to make that happen.”

    Ulster, who compete in the Pro 12 and European Rugby Champions Cup, were tipped off about Stapley’s talent by Exiles director of rugby Jacques Benade, who enjoyed a stellar 15-year coaching career in Ireland before his move to the Emirates last July.

    Stapley first represented Exiles as a six-year-old and says he owes his boyhood club a huge debt.

    He said: “The level of coaching out here is excellent. To get people out here up to the required standard needed to go back to the UK, I owe a lot to them for where I am now, and I definitely won’t forget that when I’m in Ireland.”

    Stapley signed off for now in perfect fashion with a hat-trick in Exiles’ 83-19 romp over Al Ain Amblers on Friday as the club claimed the double of UAE Premiership and West Asia Championship titles in 2015-16.

    Rugby, let alone winning silverware, wasn’t even on his mind at the start of the season. Stapley did not feature for Exiles until January as he had exams to concentrate on at Jumeirah College.

    “I didn’t think I’d have had as much of an impact as I have at the start of the season,” he admitted.

    “Jacques and the coaches have put a lot of trust in me. Being 17, I had no idea I would have played as big a part or as many games as I have, but it’s been great to do that, because I’ve been involved with the club since I was six.”

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