Clogher Valley RFC

The Ulster Ravens take on Munster A in the quarter-final of the B&I Cup at Ravenhill this Friday (KO 7.30pm) and one young player who has featured in the campaign so far is 18 year old Chris Farrell...

It's been a bit of a whirlwind year for the affable 18 year old who signed off 2011 with his first two Ulster caps.

Chris Farrell is a member of the current Phoenix Ulster Academy crop and made his Ulster debut against Leinster at the RDS in December.
“The Leinster game was one I had aimed for. When I saw that there were two games within four days I thought it might be a chance for me.”

The teenager who has, for almost 10 years looked up to and admired Gordon D’Arcy suddenly found himself lining out opposite the British & Irish Lion.

“Surreal” is how he describes the experience. “I had never imagined that within six months of leaving school I’d make my first appearance for Ulster, and in front of over 18,000 people.”

And the match?

“I think it was good that there were a number of us in the same boat. Sixty-five minutes in we were still in the game but their experience told in the end, they turned up the heat and we just couldn’t deal with the pace of their game.

We’d tried to avoid the press reports before the game because people were just writing us off. Yes the score was disappointing, but for most of us it was about the performance and getting a taster of rugby at that level and showing that we are capable.

After the game Brian game us some feedback, I think he was happy with the performance if not the result. He speaks to us quite individually at times, we get a lot of feedback from him and he tells you what he wants you to do and how he sees you progressing, it’s very helpful.”

And the teenager obviously impressed, because four days later, he found himself on the bench for Ulster’s sold out clash against Munster.

“I didn’t expect to get a run out at the Munster game. I was relaxing at home in Fivemiletown when I got a call from Brian to tell me I was on the bench and that I’d better get back to Belfast. It was a short Christmas, but I got 20 minutes and was delighted with that.

It wasn’t a start but it was my first run out at Ravenhill and it was special, the team was almost entirely made up of senior players and it was a full house, it certainly whet my appetite.”

His Ulster debut marked a significant milestone in his burgeoning career. This time last year, Farrell was a pupil at Campbell College, on the 1st XV and preparing for the Northern Bank Schools Cup competition. However, his route to the final was less traditional than one may realise, as Farrell spent only his final school year at Campbell having been educated at Fivemiletown College until the start of Upper Sixth.

He came to rugby initially through Clogher Valley Rugby Club and the Ulster Youth Programme. He represented both Ulster and Ireland at Youth level and with his size and natural footballing ability, soon came to the attention of Ulster Rugby’s development officers who felt that he had the talent to consider a career in rugby.

Farrell was encouraged, but wondered how much better he could be in could be in a more rugby-orientated environment and so, with the support of his parents he put the wheels in motion for a move to complete his Upper Sixth year at Campbell College in Belfast. It was a big step, particularly with is A-Levels in Biology, Geography and P.E., looming and the fact that the distance from home in Fivemiletown to school meant that he would have to board at school during the week.

“There was definitely a lot more focus once I started playing rugby at Campbell. The focus was always there, from right before the start of the season in September, through the friendly fixtures on Wednesday and Saturdays to the start of the Schools’ Cup competition, everything was very structured.”

Of course Campbell went on to win the Northern Bank Schools Cup in 2011, defeating Inst in the final. Farrell was one of the stand-out players and in May was offered a place in the Ulster Academy, going straight into pre-season with the senior squad in June.

“The volume of training during pre-season was phenomenal, so much more than anything I was used to, even compared to Campbell. There was a massive step up in intensity and we were getting monitored during and after every session .. there was no hiding place!”

It’s clear that this young man has an appetite for hard work. During the summer months and pre-season he was living at home in Fivemiletown and travelling to and fro Belfast every day with early morning gym and fitness sessions meaning that he was rising at 5.30am to start his journey.

In September, and with the start of term at the University of Ulster Jordanstown where he was enrolled on a degree in Sport and Exercise Science, Farrell moved to Belfast where he shares a house with Ricky Andrews, also in the Academy, his brother John and Neil Faloon, who is a cousin is the Ulster backrow forward Willie.

He is combining study and his Academy rugby with club rugby at Dungannon but his appearances for the Co. Tyrone side have been limited this season due to his involvement with the Ulster U20s and the Ulster Ravens in the British & Irish Cup.

This Friday there's the small matter of the British & Irish Cup quarter-final at Ravenhill when the Ulster Ravens face Munster A having topped their group during the pool stages. Farrell has featured plenty for the Ravens this season and is in line for selection this weekend.