I was in a tricky spot but have proudly turned a corner now, beams Ulster’s John Cooney
John Cooney holds his Man of the Match medal following Ulster's victory over Benetton
Ulster's John Cooney is tackled by Scott Screafton of Benetton during the sides' URC clash at Ravenhill
Ulster's John Cooney kicks a conversion during the province's victory over Benetton at Ravenhill
Among John Cooney’s worst days of his rugby career are the likes of the shoulder surgery he thought would force him to retire, as well as being dropped for the Pro14 Final in 2020.
Add Ulster’s loss to the Sharks to that list, too.
In what was Richie Murphy’s first game in charge of the province since taking interim charge after the sacking of Dan McFarland, the province produced a tepid performance, losing 22-12 and handing the South Africans only their second win of the 2023/24 season.
As well as piling more pressure on an already struggling squad, it had personal implications. For Cooney, it saw him withdraw and start to ask some pretty alarming questions when it came to his own game.
“I thought, ‘Where the hell are we going’, and questioned my ability,” reveals the scrum-half.
“Then I had a hard word with myself, asking, ‘What do you want, you’re almost 34 and you’ve got another year and a bit (on his contract)’.
“I wrote down in my notes that this was going to be the next chapter. Since then, I’ve been happy with how I’m going.
“You’ve got a question; do you want to dissolve into your career and that be the end of it, or do you want to fix it? Now, when I look back on it, it’s quite nice.
“There’s something about difficult moments that people don’t understand, when you look back on them they’re kind of nice in a weird, messed-up way.
“So now, I like to think next season or the end of this season, I can look back on that and say that was quite a cool moment that I was struggling and managed to turn it around.”
Working with long-time friend Murphy has helped, the pair having known each other since Cooney was 15 and still at Gonzaga, with the interim boss able to pick out minute details in the former Ireland international’s game that he was slacking on.
It culminated in a Man of the Match performance against Benetton on Friday as Ulster racked up a 38-34 win at Ravenhill that moved them up to seventh in the URC standings.
“We have to enjoy it,” adds Cooney. “Stu (McCloskey) joked at the end there, ‘Lads, we got five points, can we have a smile on our faces’, because at the end, we left it close as usual.
“Huge win. We had to win, it was essentially a knock-out game. We’ve got to enjoy these because, during wintertime, we didn’t enjoy any of the wins we got because it was such a turbulent place and a difficult time.
“I didn’t enjoy any of the games bar Racing. Even Leinster away, I didn’t enjoy, Connacht at home, I didn’t enjoy. I’ve been enjoying my rugby a lot more in the last few weeks.”
The hope now for Cooney is that the Sharks game can be a proverbial line in the sand in Ulster’s 2023/24 season, particularly with the Play-Offs fast approaching and the province yet to secure their place in the knock-outs.
They’ve tried to have two line-in-the-sand moments already, after their wins over Racing 92 and Leinster, that have proven to be false dawns, but this one feels somewhat different.
“I don’t think this season can have us in a place where we’re not grounded. I think we have to keep working and keep implementing what we want to do and get time on the paddock,” continues Cooney.
“I won’t be letting any of the lads get ahead of themselves because we’re still a way off where we need to get to. I don’t think (losing focus) is going to happen. I don’t think this season could be like that.”
