Andy Ward received a police escort that whisked him from Ravenhill during Ulster’s 15-13 European Cup quarter-final victory over Toulouse on December 11th, 1998, to the hospital in time to be present for the birth of his son, Zac. Six weeks later, they would become the first Irish province to lift the trophy.
Ulster team doctor and former Irish international centre David Irwin received word that Ward’s wife, Wendy, had gone into labour and so the New Zealand-born, Irish international flanker left the game 10 minutes before the interval. He made it in time for the birth.
That strapping eight-pound, six-ounce baby boy, was a try scorer for Emerging Ireland in their 36-24 victory over the Pumas in Bloemfontein earlier in the week. It’s been a remarkable year for the 25-year-old Zac, a Sevens Olympian, a tournament in which he scored four tries, and his consistent excellence was recognised by his peers, when he was voted as the 2024 Ireland Sevens player of the year.
Ahead of this season, Ulster head coach Richie Murphy invited him to take up a short-term contract until the November Test internationals to try his hand at the 15s game. On foot of that decision he was selected for the Emerging Ireland squad.
During his days at Down High School he played in the backrow, like his father Andy, who won 28 caps for Ireland, and his younger brother Bryn, an openside flanker on last season’s Irish Under-20s team. A forward in Sevens, he has been chosen as a wing on his return to 15s.
Zac’s second-half performance against the Pumas illustrated why, as he broke tackle after tackle in ushering his team over the gainline time and again, often with little or no space. His try was also emblematic of that robust power, stepping between two would-be tacklers and fending off a third.
The pathway from Sevens to 15s has had many playing advocates in recent years, with Ireland fullback Hugo Keenan arguably the most high-profile, and that throughput is important. Emerging Ireland head coach Simon Easterby said: “I think he is a really nice story. He has played incredibly well on the Sevens circuit, culminating in the Olympics and now transitioned back into 15s.
“He has worked with Ulster across the preseason since he has come back from the Sevens. He is a really exciting prospect. He was excellent [against the Pumas]. Goody [Andrew Goodman, Irish backs’ coach] said it earlier, just looking forward to seeing Zac break tackles, beating people one on one; you could see out there he did that countless times.
“We want to make sure that there is a way for them to get back into 15s. Conditioning and fitness [wise], it’s a different game [to Sevens]. He started to cramp up toward the end of the game but stayed in [there and] showed up really well. He should be really pleased with the way he went about his business.
“Zac will feel there are still things he is continuing to learn in the 15s game about that position, he’s not familiar with.”
That assertion was borne out by the player who admitted: “I am absolutely wrecked, that is my first 80 minutes of rugby in a very, very long time. My body is in bits, but it was fantastic to finally get out there. I have been dreaming about it for a long time, so to finally get out on the pitch and help the lads to a win was phenomenal.”
Shifting from Sevens to 15s, from backrow to wing, requires not just talent but the capacity to pick the detail up quickly. Ward has shown that aptitude. “I am slowly starting to find my feet on the left wing. It has only been a month. I am enjoying it, got a lot of ball-in-hand [against the Pumas] and was happy with it [my performance]. Hopefully I can kick on in the next two games.”
Ward is not the only recent “convert” from Sevens as injuries to Tommy O’Brien and Shayne Bolton saw another Olympian, Chay Mullins, called into the Emerging Ireland squad as a late replacement. Ward suggested that there is an overlap in skills between the two codes.
“Sevens has helped me to develop as a player massively and now that I am in the 15s game it is just trying to apply all the skills that I have learned in Sevens into the 15s game. Chay and I are both relatively new to it. We are slowly getting used to it. It’s been great.
“Even up at Ulster, Richie [Murphy] and the guys have been really helpful with me transitioning into that role. I have some good close friends in the likes of Ethan McIlroy, Jacob [Stockdale] and Stu Moore. They have been giving me pointers.
“I think whenever we were under the pump on the pitch [against the Pumas] with the altitude and the heat, those pointers definitely helped. It’s a great environment to be in. Simon [Easterby] and Paulie [O’Connell] have been fantastic in not just helping myself, but everyone to develop as players.”
Ward has certainly delivered a very positive first impression.
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