Ulster winger Tommy Bowe was in studio with Ger Gilroy this evening to speak all things rugby and the Monaghan man is confidant that Ulster have a big season ahead of them which will hopefully bring success to the province.

“This is the first season where Ulster have not lost a coach or lost a player, we’ve got the exact same squad as last year with maybe one or two additions. We’re actually in a great position this year. We went about 14 or 15 games without losing a match last season but around Six Nations time we kind of crumbled a little bit only to come back with a strong enough finish but unfortunately we still didn’t win any silverware so that’s still a goal for us. We want to come away with a trophy this year."

The Lions and Ireland player thinks that the success achieved by both Leinster and Munster over the past few years can be used as a stepping stone for Ulster and their young squad in the upcoming season.

“You see the success of the likes of Munster and Leinster and they are the first ones to put their own pressure on themselves. They have huge expectations on themselves and that’s something that we’re trying to breed as older players into the youngsters in the squad. In Ulster there are so many talented young fellas coming through and all fighting for different positions and it’s a case of the guys who have been there and done that to push them and push themselves to not sit in a comfort zone.”

Having missed most of last season with injury and then almost missed out on the Lions test series in Australia Bowe is almost back to full fitness just in time for the start of the new season. 

Listen to the interview below.