How have you settled in with the Ulster Team?
It has been relatively easy settling in because I arrived for preseason training, although I am still getting to know the guys.
You were capped 28 times for Wales- was the transition from player to coach a hard one?
I was very lucky as I got a job almost immediately and became head coach. I had come into a team that wasn’t doing very well so I was thrown in at the deep end and slightly. (In 2004 Steve became Head Coach at Coventry RFC and in just one season he brought Coventry from the relegation zone to a 6th place finish in their League).  Coaching is a lot more involving than playing; you have to think about the game and the team as a whole a lot more.

Had you encountered any of the Ulster Rugby staff or players before you became Assistant Coach?
I had played with Kieran Campbell and Kieron Dawson at London Irish before and I coached Seamus Mallon and Tom Court but apart from them I was meeting most of the staff and players for the first time.
Have you been impressed with anyone in particular out of the full squad?
Of course David Humphreys. He’s still such a keen player and obviously impressive. He applies the same amount of dedication to training as he does to a match situation and he thinks a lot about the dynamics of the game- you can still see that when he is playing.

How has the absence of many of the players who have been selected to compete in the Rugby World Cup affected training?
It’s great after the team is named- before that there is a lot of uncertainty and coming and going. Once you know who has been selected you can focus more and just get on with training. Also, the dynamics of the group will constantly change if people are coming and going but once the International players are gone it gives some of the other players a chance to come forward and be more vocal and lead the group. Not just for people like Roger who has been given the opportunity to Captain, but for more inexperienced players who my not have seen themselves in a strong leadership role before it can let them step up and show what they’re capable of.
The team have suffered a few injuries - how will that affect the start of the season?                                                                    
We’ve been lucky that the injuries within the team aren’t as bad as they could have been- obviously with the exception of Neil Hanna whose injury is unfortunate considering what a promising player he is. Any of the guys that aren’t recovered for the first match should be by the second, so although the injury list is quite long at the minute were luck that the majority of them are not long term or serious.

Have you been impressed with some of the young talent that is coming to Ulster from the Ulster Academy?
The guys from the Academy that have been training with the Ulster XV have definitely impressed. They’ve impressed enough to start in the first preseason friendly- but regardless of how that match goes I’d be surprised if it was their first and last game. They all have the drive, talent and ability to have long careers in front of them.
What are your hopes for the coming season?
The Heineken Cup is always going to be tough. It’s the cream of Europe competing so it’s never easy to make predictions or be satisfied with a pool. There are no easy pools, anything can happen which I think is a good thing because the guys are giving 100% going into every match and not getting to comfortable about the opposition.
If you had an unlimited budget who would you sign?
Probably my brother and split the money!! Ha ha!! No seriously if I had to sign a rugby player the obvious choice would be someone like Dan Carter.