John Cooney: Ulster scrum-half on ‘adversity’, Richie Murphy and rotation

Bad memories in sport have a tendency to linger and that is no different for John Cooney.

After 13 years in professional rugby, he has his fair share.

Cooney of course has achieved a great deal, notably a Pro14 (as it was known then) title with Connacht and inclusion in the United Rugby Championship team of the year no fewer than five times.

Freshest in the Dublin-born scrum-half’s memory, though, is his starring role in Ulster’s 32-27 win over Connacht on Saturday. In his second run-out of the season, Cooney directly contributed 12 points – including his second try in as many games – and was named man of the match.

But the ease with which he rattles through the hard times suggests he likes to keep those memories in mind as a form of motivation.

He specifically mentions a few – being dropped from the Ireland Under-20s and getting replaced at half-time on his Leinster debut – but those he doesn’t namecheck are worth noting too, including being dropped for Ulster’s Pro14 final in 2020 and losing his place in the Ireland squad.

There was also the nadir of March’s defeat by the Sharks, after which Cooney’s unsparing facility for self-assessment even led him to question his own abilities.

“My whole career has been one of adversity and I work best with that,” says Cooney.

“That’s what drives me every day to improve. I like that and it works for me.

“Sometimes I have to come up with a way to motivate [myself]. I don’t like being told I’m doing really well sometimes, I like to have that grit in my teeth. That’s the way I am and maybe that’s how we [Ulster] are driven at the moment, to prove people wrong.”