When a flanker discusses adding some more beef to his team’s pack, generally they’re using it as a metaphor for power. In Marcus Rea’s case, he means it literally.
Alongside his playing duties, Rea has just completed a Level 2 beef production course at Greenmount’s CAFRE campus, the 27-year-old doing some early preparation for a life post-Ulster by getting a qualification that will set him up for his next career when he hangs up the boots.
“It was nice and it was something to get away from just sitting in the house after training and stewing in your thoughts over a good or bad rugby session,” explains Rea.
“I suppose it was the decision of ‘this is what I want to do post-career’. I sort of always knew but this was the first time where I went ‘right, I’m now 27 so I need to make some actions positive actions for the future’.”
Of course, for Rea to be considering that line of education means he has been thinking about his future in the sport. With his contract up at the end of this season and having played just three games since Richie Murphy took over in March, his mind has naturally wandered to what could await him come next summer.
“The last few seasons I have had haven’t been great for me on the field, so you are naturally thinking what is next for you off the field,” he adds.
“It’s better to have regardless of whether it goes good or bad.”
But then you never know what is round the corner and, after impressing last week against the Ospreys, another chance could be about to present itself against more Welsh opposition this weekend when Ulster head to Cardiff.
If we have learned anything from Murphy’s reign, it is that players will be given a chance, as evidenced by the fact that he has named five different back row combinations for all five of Ulster’s games thus far. While some of that has been down to injury, it has also been in the interest of spreading the minutes around, and Rea has recently been the beneficiary of that.
Still, knowing that a chance will come doesn’t make sitting out any easier. Instead of going to South Africa with the team for their mini-tour against the Lions and Bulls last month, the flanker instead found himself togging out for Ballynahinch in back-to-back weeks which, while good for game time purposes, was not where he wanted to be.
“Inevitably doubt does come in, but I just remain focused,” he explains.
“I can approach Richie and he is very good at saying if you get better at these things, X, Y, Z, we’ll have a look at you.
“If you go to him, he’ll tell you why you are not playing and you can start to build a plan off the back of it. He is very good like that. He is on us but you can also have a bit of craic with him as well, but when those honest sessions come around, he is very good at dealing with them and setting us in the right direction.
“At least you know where you’re going and what to work on, whether it be two or three times a week or trying to implement it at club level, show you can do it there.”
For the most part, the X, Y and Z tend to be things that Rea himself knows he needs to work on. As a stereotypical groundhog openside flanker, he is predominantly relied upon to be a nuisance at the breakdown and either disrupting or turning over opposition ball at the breakdown.
“Most of it you sort of know,” he says. “Sometimes you do think you are ahead of where you are and it is natural for a lot of people to think that way, and sometimes you just need to be brought back down to earth.
“Richie really doesn’t look too much at stats but this is what that is saying or this is what we are seeing. Off the back of that, I make a decision whether to go after it or not.”
His hard work in training, allied with an injury to Sean Reffell, presented him with the opportunity against the Ospreys a week ago and the Glarryford man took it, part of a dominant pack performance that saw Ulster wrap up a third win in their opening five games and a third try bonus point, too.
After the disappointment of not being selected for the squad that travelled over to South Africa early in the season and having to wait just over six months between appearances for the province, it was a welcome return to the line-up for the younger of the Rea brothers — fellow flanker Matty is four years his senior — and he is eager to keep laying down a marker when called upon.
“Very pleased, I was gutted not to make it over for the South Africa trip but I put my head down, played a few club games and it went well,” he smiles.
“It was good to get time on the pitch and if I was over there, I may not have got much time on the pitch.
“Coming back, getting the nod was pretty good so I just had to perform off the back of a few good club games and just put on the pitch what I’ve been working on at pro level.
“The competition is crazy and any opportunity, whether it is through injury or other means, any opportunity is huge. You can’t let it slip because there will be someone in there next week performing and then it will be their opportunity.
“I suppose I have been very lucky to get that opportunity off the back of South Africa with a few injuries.”
And the most important thing now is backing it up on Saturday night against a Cardiff side hurting after three straight losses and boasting a dangerous breakdown game themselves, led by Thomas Young.
“Cardiff are going to be a different challenge for us, it is tough going over there and getting a win,” admits Rea.
“It’s a tricky track for us to play on, they have got some good players in there and some good young talent and some powerful quick centres.
“It’s just the same narrative as ever, we’re just focused on ourselves trying to control what we can control.”