At 28 years of age, the Ulster winger picked up the Rising Star award to go with the Triple Crown after Ireland’s win over Scotland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday
Robert Baloucoune’s name appears prominently on two lists following the completion of the 2026 Six Nations tournament.
Given the importance of the top try-scorer’s list – the Ulster winger’s three touchdowns against Italy, England and Wales, in four games is impressive.
The first was against Italy, taking in Stuart McCloskey’s ‘quarterback pass’ and beating two defenders.
Against England, he stays wide after a 35 metre McCloskey bust is stopped just short, and he gets the Jamison Gibson-Park recycle.
Against Scotland, a rifled 30m left-handed spin pass from McCloskey to the wing sees him beat two defenders to dive over the line in the tackle.
Baloucoune’s position in the second list is at the top, the winner of the Rising Star award which was established and presented for the first time last season.
“The award was a bit of a shock, to be honest – 28 years-of-age and getting the Rising Star,” he says good-naturedly, clutching the big silver trophy nonetheless.
“I’m getting slagged for it already, so I’m sure I’ll get slagged by a lot more people, but I’m grateful for it and at least people are seeing what I’ve put out there.”
But then life’s full of surprises for the Enniskillen-born star, doubling his Ireland caps from four to eight, a Six nations debut, a Triple Crown and a Rising Star award
“It’s been an unbelievable experience. It’s something I wouldn’t have expected and I’m just grateful to actually getting here.
“I’ve been in before where I haven’t played and done that so, yeah, I’ve been able to finish it off with a trophy and being part of the group has been really special.
“The group’s been massive. It feels like a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience for me because I wasn’t expecting it when I came in and to finish it off like that, it’s been class.”
This comes after he claimed, following Ulster’s win over Stade Francais in the first week of January that he was just happy to be playing rugby at the level he was.
Injury blighted, it was just his fifth game of the season – Bulls, Lions in October, Ireland ‘A’ against Spain and Benetton in November – and that was on the back of only playing twice in 2024/25.
“It was always in the back of my mind that that I wanted to play the best that I can and still I always had to have some belief in the player that I am.
“But just being given the opportunity has been class and I suppose that’s what I needed this season, being able to back up games and that was a big focus for me from the start of the season.
“I feel like whenever I’m playing back-to-back games I’m able to fit in and get used to having a bit of game time and stuff.
“That’s what I probably lost last season and probably the years before I’d come in a bit rusty, I’d be up and down.
His sensational April 2022 hat-trick in Toulouse was nearing its fourth anniversary, receding almost.
“I suppose those sorts of performances give you belief,” he says emphasising they can’t just be stand-alones.
“It’s just being able to back up performances and doing it consistently, is a big part of the game.
“I knew what I was capable of doing. More so, it was like being able to back that up. Like, the next week after Toulouse I didn’t play well or as good as I wanted to.
“So, hopefully it’s now an upward trajectory and I’ll try to push on from there.”
What Baloucoune has done since being put into the Ireland side shows he is suited for the new kicking/chasing laws.
While his Ulster partnership with another unexpected breakthrough star, McCloskey, has been a boon.
Two of his three Six Nations tries were set up ‘from nothing’ by McCloskey but, each time, thee 30m finish was all Baloucoune; the other try was also created by McCloskey although convention says Gibson-Park gets the assist.
“We talk about it at training camp, you know, trying to get the ball into space and taking on defenders.
“Stu’s done it before as well, taken on that big long pass, so I knew that was coming and, yeah, just trying to beat defenders, trying to get to the try-line, it’s what I’m good at, what I try to do.
“If I see space, I know it’s there in front of me and I’m going to take that all day. I backed myself to beat defenders and got around Darcy Graham, so happy enough to get in the corner.
The Ireland back-three’s scoring rate this Championship has been a reflection of that coaching mantra.
“Yeah, everyone, Goody, Johnny as well, they’re like, ‘Get the ball in space, try and make things happen,’.
“And I think you’ve seen that over the course of the championship, you know, even when I feel like it’s not on and we take it, we can still make something out of nothing.
“It’s something that’s been driven in training, something that you can see in matches as well.”
Don’t underestimate McCloksey-Baloucoune’s partnership, they may yet do a 2026 Rising Star and 2026 Player of the Tournament double.
“Stu’s kinda got a big Ulster head on him in the Irish squad,” giggles Baloucoune. “No, no, I joking but he knows he’s played well.
“He got a shout out as well, Faz said that he’s one of his players of the tournament. I think everyone can see that from the outside as well, how well he’s done in this tournament.
“He’s always been class whenever I’ve played with him for Ulster. We know his skill set and what he can do, so it’s good that he’s showing it out here playing for Ireland.”
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