Jared Payne may still have a future at Ulster Rugby and in Ireland.
The Ireland centre has not played a competitive game since he withdrew from the tail-end of British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, last July. Payne began to suffer migraines and though they have abated somewhat, medical experts have not been able to get to the bottom of the issue.
Ulster and Ireland had hoped he would return to action by November but comeback dates were revised, pushed back and eventually shelved. The 32-year-old has trained with the senior squad but has not been given the go-ahead for a full return.
Payne will not be offered a new IRFU central contract, due to his ongoing medical issues, and there are very real doubts that Ulster would be cleared to offer him a provincial deal. For Payne and his young family, these are worrying times.
There has been some positive news out of the Ulster Rugby camp, however. With former director of rugby Les Kiss now departed from the province, Payne has been asked to help out with some coaching tasks.
Ulster team manager Bryan Cunningham says responsibility for the team’s defensive structures will be divided between head coach Jono Gibbes, assistant coach Dwayne Peel and ‘with input from one of the most experienced members of the playing squad’. Cunningham commented:
“Obviously coaches at that level, particularly Jono’s level, will have been competent at defence over a period of time. He will have his own views on what needs done there. Dwayne, from a back’s perspective, will be very au fait with set piece defence.
“Jared Payne is also in there helping out at the moment. He is still injured at present and unavailable to play, but he has got a fantastic rugby brain. He is one of the smartest players in modern day rugby. I know Joe Schmidt holds him in incredibly high regard in relation to how he operates and how he runs that backline.”
Indeed, Payne was highly regarded in the Ireland set-up as the backline’s defensive organiser. His loss, due to injury, during the 2015 World Cup was keenly felt in the quarter final defeat to Argentina.
Speaking to Leinster and Ireland star Garry Ringrose about Payne, early last year, he was effusive in his praise for the New Zealand-born centre. He said:
“Jared is incredible defensively, and I’ve learned as much as I could off him training with him and watching him on TV. To describe Jared as the defensive captain is very true.”
One hopes that Payne can get medical clearance to begin playing again, if it is safe to do so, but there seems to be a future for him at the province he has served so well since 2011.
