There have been a few quality Ulster backrows come up through the Irish U20s system in recent years, McNabney is the latest to join that list behind the likes of 2022 Grand Slam winning captain Reuben Crothers and current Ulster players, Harry Sheridan, and David McCann.
McNabney said Crothers has been a great help to him, saying: “Reuben has been a big inspiration to me, he was the captain of the U20s last year. He’s a fellow friend at Ulster, me and him are in the academy together, we train hard together. He has helped me along the way.
“I would say I’m probably more mature and better than I was last year, or I liked to hope so. He’s definitely helped me along the way, as well as Willie Faloon as a coach”, said the Ulster academy player.
He is a past pupil of Cambridge House in Ballymena. The 20-year-old said the school has helped shape him into the man he is today, and he takes a lot of pride in representing his hometown of Ballymena.
“It’s a great honour to represent the school, the school has done everything for me and got me probably to where I’m at today, shaped me into the person that I am.
“I had the same coach at school as I did at the club, he has been great for me. Ballymena is my home club and it was always an honour to play for them. They’ve done a lot for me and I’m very grateful for that”, told the proud Ballymena native
McNabney switches back to the number six jersey for tomorrow morning’s game vs Australia. The versatile backrow player scored a try in the 34-34 draw with England. He admits it was a tough game and they need to win tomorrow if they are going to make that semi-final.
“It was a tough game. The forwards had to work hard throughout the game, we could’ve won, we could’ve lost, but we were just happy to come away with the three points.
“Originally, we started out saying we had to win all games and that slightly changed, there is slightly more pressure added to this week against Australia, I think we can definitely do it and we need to get the win if we’re planning to get top four,” explained the back-to-back U20s Grand Slam winner.
Tomorrow’s game has huge implications for their future in the rest of the tournament, it’s arguably the biggest game yet for this particular group. The young player is aware of the magnitude of the challenge ahead, but he believes every game they’ve played so far at this level has carried a level of importance.
“This is probably one of the biggest games of the year for us because it’s do or die, as Mark said, if we lose this one, we probably won’t get top four, but also on the other hand, every game is a big game for us, and if you don’t win every game, you’re as good as your last game, so we try and win them all”, said McNabney.
The U20s World Cup provides the perfect platform for young players to test themselves against some of the brightest young talents on the other side of the world. McNabney got a taste for southern hemisphere opposition before when he played against South Africa in the Summer series last year, but for many in the squad, it’ll be their first time squaring up to a team like the Junior Wallabies.
“We know they have threats all over the park. They are a southern hemisphere team, a lot of the lads haven’t really played against, I only played against South Africa last summer, that was the first exposure I had to it.
They are very physical, they like to run with the ball, they’re good in open space, we got to take that away from them at the start.
The condition of the pitch at Paarl Gimnasium remains a big talking point heading into tomorrow morning’s game. The hard surface makes it difficult to play an expansive brand of rugby, being a true forward, he admited the conditions have actually suited him personally.
“The pitch is heavy. There is not much we can do about it, both teams are in the same circumstances and we just have to get on with it. At the end of the game, we were definitely very tired as a pack, the legs were drained.
“But I kind of suit that pitch, I’m use to that sort of environment. The legs were sore after the game, but we’ve recovered well and we’re good to go”, admitted the old school forward.
A short format competition like this demands a lot of the players both physically and mentally. It asks questions of your fitness and the resources and strength of your overall squad
McNabney said they are ready to go again.
“It doesn’t seem long since we played, but we have a great team of physios, and we are just working hard to try and get back, doing as much as possible, getting as much sleep and recovery as possible, and the team is good to go for tomorrow”
