Baloucoune Has Five Ireland Caps
Ireland wing Rob Baloucoune expressed his determination to "take every opportunity" following his unexpected inclusion in the squad ahead of the upcoming match against England (14:10 GMT).
Baloucoune had not played for Ireland since November 2022 due to injury but returned to start and score against Italy in last week's Six Nations fixture.
The wing featured only twice for Ulster last season due to injury setbacks and missed this season's opener because of an ankle injury.
Since his return, Baloucoune has been in excellent form, making a significant impact during Ulster's promising United Rugby Championship (URC) campaign so far.
"To be honest, yeah probably," Baloucoune replied when asked if he thought he might not get another opportunity to play at international level.
"It had been a while and playing for Ulster even looked a bit dreadful. I got a good run of games this season, was playing well and the team were playing well which helped my ability to get back into the game and scoring tries always helps.
"I was surprised to be in camp so I took the opportunity to play the game [against Italy] and I will take every opportunity I can get."
Last season, Baloucoune returned from a long-term hamstring injury in March but suffered another setback shortly after, which kept him sidelined until October.
Since his comeback, he has scored six tries for Richie Murphy's side, who currently sit fourth in the URC standings.
"Last year was probably my toughest year, I had quite a number of big setbacks," he continued.
"I had a couple times nearly come back playing and then got pushed back. I had injuries over the years and I try to get back to as fit as I can. I try to focus on parts of my game, like handling, that I can try improve when injured.
"It can be tough, but I try set markers for where I want to be and I feel like if you have a goal in place, you can always track it and get back into it."
'England Will Be Hurting'
In addition to balancing his playing commitments for Ulster and Ireland, Baloucoune has taken on a coaching role at Enniskillen Rugby Club.
The 28-year-old assists with coaching the backs and believes this new responsibility has enhanced his own performance.
"I am even helping coaching with Enniskillen and you see the game from a different style.
"It has opened my mind up to what the players have to do and what they sense and that has brought my game along.
"I hope I can show out on the pitch now as well."
Ireland aims to build on their positive result against Italy as they prepare to face England.
Steve Borthwick's team enters the match following a heavy defeat by Scotland, and Baloucoune stated that Ireland is ready for the challenge.
"Going to Twickenham is something you can always get up for," he added.
"We know it is going to be tough as well, they are going to be hurting and the game is going to be physical and we know what we have to bring.
"We looked at their kicking game and I think that is something that we dealt with in the other games.
"In the Italy game we dealt with their kicks and it was a good way to get back into the game. We have a gameplan in place."
