Charles Piutau ready to take next step and help Ulster end drought

Ulster’s marquee signing Charles Piutau looks ready to make his eagerly anticipated debut for the northern province this weekend in their pre-season friendly at Exeter Chiefs.

And, should it come to pass, at least the opposition will actually be rather familiar to the 24-year-old All Black should he pull on the Ulster shirt for the first time on Saturday.

After all, Piutau, spent last season showing some seriously attention-grabbing form at Aviva Premiership side Wasps, who snapped up the utility back a year ago after the uproar of his ultimate departure to Belfast brought an early end to his playing time at Auckland Blues as well as costing him a place in the All Blacks’ World Cup squad.

Whispers silenced

With the whispers that Wasps were prepared to break the bank to keep him now clearly silenced, Ulster will be hoping that their stunning coup in signing Piutau starts to pay immediate dividends.

And should that be at Sandy Park then the Kiwi is well versed with meeting Exeter – his last game for Wasps was in the Premiership semi-final defeat to the Chiefs – who just happen to also be in Ulster’s Champions Cup pool this season.

“It was probably one of the hardest things of my career to date to do and I knew that it would effect my chances [of playing for the All Blacks],” Piutau said last night of his decision to leave New Zealand to serve two years at Ulster.

“But there is the positive side to it and I really think it [coming to Ulster] will push me to get better and also play my best years here at this club.

“But I just want to get that first game out. I think it’s been a long time coming so it will be nice to finally just do it and be out there playing again,” he added at last night’s European shirt launch.

‘Expectation and pressure’

“There is always expectation and pressure,” he said of bringing the dazzling form he showed at Wasps to his new employers, “but I see that as a challenge and it I think it will help me perform and get better.

“I can only be myself and bring my skills-set and hopefully that will help the team.

“And the right ingredients are hopefully here to take the next step,” Piutau added of the chances of Ulster ending their long drought without a trophy.

Meanwhile, fellow new signings Rodney Ah You and Marcell Coetzee were also at last night’s shirt launch, with the former Connacht player in a good position to get regular starts as tight-head prop as Wiehahn Herbst could be out until November while back-rower and former Shark Coetzee’s ACL injury means he will not be able to play until January at the earliest.