Ulster Rugby's eight greatest Ireland wingers since Trevor Ringland hit the scene in 1981

They are expected to explode into games without necessarily seeing much of the ball and do the needful, at minimal notice, by simply running in tries and taking all the plaudits for their work.

Ulster have provided quite an assembly line in terms of developing wingers and then pushing them Ireland’s way. What better way to recall what has been achieved — and in the case of contemporary players Jacob Stockdale and the emerging Robert Baloucoune what is hopefully still to be seen — than taking a look at Ulster’s most notable players to have either worn the No.11 or No.14 shirt for Ireland?

The timespan is over the last 40 years — well, a little bit more than that as Trevor Ringland’s first Ireland cap was in 1981 — and includes quite a list of star quality from the province to have graced the heights of Test rugby and, mostly, made their mark.

Trevor Ringland

Tests: 36: Ireland 34, Lions 2

Debut: v Australia, November 1981

Final game: v England, March 1988

Five Nations Tests: 27 Tries: 8

Overall tries: 9

What he brought: Ringland had a winning combination of pace and power to bring to the Test arena and he quickly showed what he could do on only his second cap, and Championship debut, when he smashed his way over to score a memorable try against Wales which started the ball rolling for the Triple Crown secured in 1982.

Finest moment: Scoring two tries at Murrayfield in 1985 as Ireland opened the Five Nations as they meant to go on: playing high-risk but high-reward attacking rugby. It worked too as they won a second Triple Crown, this time playing dazzling rugby.

Keith Crossan

Tests: 41

Debut: v Scotland, February 1982

Final game: v Wales, January 1992

Five Nations Tests: 28 Tries: 3

Overall tries: 12

What he brought: A very different style of winger than his contemporary Ringland, Crossan had pace to burn and guile which made him a very slippery prospect for defenders. But Crossan was no lightweight and could tackle as well as score.

Finest moment: Cardiff had been a graveyard for Ireland’s ambitions for nearly two decades until the 1985 side showed up. Crossan’s try was a marvellous team effort involving a passing move from right to left with full-back Hugo MacNeill surging through and giving the Ulsterman the ball for him to pin his ears back and hare over the line.

James Topping

Tests: 8

Debut: v Samoa, November 1996

Final game: v Australia, June 2003

Five Nations Tests: 2 Tries: 0

Overall tries: 1

What he brought: Fast and strong, Topping also excelled at Sevens where he also represented Ireland. However, being on the wing in the ’90s wasn’t necessarily a great time to be showcasing your talents and Topping was only on the winning side twice in his eight Tests and those were games against Romania and the USA.

Finest moment: Not exactly a greatest hits for the Ballymena player but his only try for Ireland was scored in his penultimate game when he crossed the line against the USA in 2000, a day when Ireland racked up 11 touchdowns in an 83-3 thumping.

Tyrone Howe

Tests: 14

Debut: v USA, June 2000

Final game: v South Africa, June 2004

Six Nations Tests: 6 Tries: 1

Overall tries: 6

What he brought: Howe was a skilful operator who played smart, using his speed and ability to sniff out scores at Ulster to bring him into the Test fold. This even led to a Lions call-up in 2001 as injuries took their toll on the tourists. He was reliable and experienced, his best run coming in the 2004 Championship when he played in three games ahead of Ireland’s Triple Crown triumph.

Finest moment: He provided the assist for Girvan Dempsey’s famous touchline to touchline score to down England at Twickenham in 2004, but his likely highlights were the two tries he scored on his second cap against Japan back in 2000.

Tommy Bowe

Tests: 74 Ireland: 69 Lions: 5

Debut: v USA, November 2004

Final game: v Wales, March 2017

Six Nations Tests: 30 Tries: 14

Overall tries: 30

What he brought: A wonderfully gifted player, Bowe had it all really, an instinctive gift to score tries and also a superb presence with the ball in the air. His best rugby was played while he relocated from Ulster to the Ospreys which hugely benefited his development into a world-class finisher as he illuminated the stage both for Ireland and on two tours with the Lions.

Finest moment: There are many moments, but it has to be the Grand Slam decider against Wales in 2009 when Bowe latched onto Ronan O’Gara’s weighted cross-field chip to tear clear and make the Welsh line.

Andrew Trimble

Tests: 70

Debut: v Australia, November 2005

Final game: v France, February 2017

Six Nations Tests: 32 Tries: 7

Overall tries: 17

What he brought: Speed allied with deceptive power were Trimble’s main assets. Close to the line he was difficult to stop but could also tackle hard and put in impressive yardage, as with a famous solo try for Ulster at Bath. He was a key part of the Championship-winning side of 2014 and played on the first Ireland side to down the All Blacks in Chicago back in 2016.

Finest moment: Surely the one of most significance was the try he scored in Paris which contributed to the winning of the Championship in 2014 which sent Brian O’Driscoll into international retirement with another winning medal.

Craig Gilroy

Tests: 10

Debut: v Argentina, November 2012

Final game: v Italy, February 2017

Six Nations Tests: 5 Tries: 4

Overall tries: 5

What he brought: His jinking runs could leave defenders grasping air and that allied with the usual winger’s pace made him stand out as a finisher of high quality. With the ball and space, Gilroy needed no invitation to find a way to the try line but was unable to secure a regular place as an Ireland starter.

Finest moment: Well, that’s easy. Though he scored a scorcher on debut, it was Gilroy’s hat-trick in Rome when he came off the bench and ran in all three in just over just 13 minutes. Having said that, Joe Schmidt wasn’t that impressed and he never played a Test again.

Jacob Stockdale

Tests: 35 (so far)

Debut: v USA, June 2017

Six Nations Tests: 16 Tries: 10

Overall tries: 19

What he brings: This is very much the present tense as Stockdale, even though his season is over, is still in the frame to win more Ireland caps. His size and ability to shift at high speed are major attributes as well as his skill with the boot which has brought him some memorable scores in the green shirt.

Finest moment: Not so straightforward, as there are two. His marvellous try at Twickenham on St Patrick’s Day 2018 as Ireland snatched another Grand Slam and then his chip and collect at the Aviva eight months later when the All Blacks were again put to the sword. Hopefully, there is more to come.

Robert Baloucoune… Already with two caps and a stunning try… watch this space.