Back in the groove but frustrated Bowe still has plenty of scores to settle

WITH his return to the international fold cemented by two tries against Scotland, you would think Tommy Bowe has been a happy man these past few days. Not quite. The Ulster wing actually found Saturday’s game a frustrating experience.

For a start, he could have had a hat-trick had Marcus Horan not beaten him to Ronan O’Gara’s crossfield kick — but Bowe is not of a selfish persuasion and jokes that he won’t be sharing a room with the Munster forward any time soon.

No, what is bugging him most is the lack of ball he saw. Like most of the Irish 15, he spent the first quarter plugging leaks as the Scots dominated possession and territory. It was 30 minutes before he got his hands on the ball.

“It was a daunting enough first half for me,” said Bowe yesterday. “The ball didn’t really run my way in the second half either. At the same time, Scotland had an awful lot of possession and a lot of the lads were saying the same thing, that they didn’t really get as much ball as they would have wanted.

“A lot of the time we were making breaks off turnovers and we were quite clinical on those. So, there is an awful lot more to give. I’m happy enough with where I am, I just want to get in for the Welsh game and go on from there.”

He still isn’t happy with his scoring rate for Ulster or Ireland but maybe he shouldn’t be so hard on himself — the brace at Croke Park leaves him on five after just 11 caps.

His successful return to the fold could hardly have come at a better time as Girvan Dempsey and Shane Horgan should be pressing for starts in the back three for the next game.

With Geordan Murphy excelling on his return to fullback and Rob Kearney taking to the international game like a duck to water on the far wing, the competition for a spot in the back three positions could hardly be greater.

Even aside from that, it was important to do himself justice last weekend as he patently failed to do that in an Irish jersey after what was an initially promising start to his career on the biggest stage.

Does he feel confident about holding onto the jersey in two week’s time? “There is a still an awful lot of pressure on,’’ he admits. ‘‘It was great obviously to get a win in the match at the weekend. It is a building block to move forward to finish off the tournament but we know we have two massive games ahead of us.

“For me, personally, I’m not sure. Hopefully I will have done enough to retain my position for the next match and then I need to provide an even better performance in the next game.”

He admits to being more comfortable at this level now. When he first joined the international set-up he was daunted by the faces and reputations that surrounded him but he feels their equal now, especially with his recent form at Ulster.

It was an impressive second coming last Saturday. A string of errors lost him his place in the Irish team after his debut against the USA in 2004 and he paid the price by sitting out last year’s Six Nations.

The summer tour to Argentina offered another chance but a knock in the first test stymied that plan and he hit rock-bottom when Brian Carney beat him to the last wing spot for the World Cup.

“It was a horrible time,” he admits. “What can you do? I went straight back to training with Ulster again, the boys were very good to me there and Mark (McCall) told me if I wanted to play, to get back on the horse again, basically, to move on from there and use it as motivation. That’s the way I tried to turn it.” The experience doesn’t appear to have scarred him. If anything, it will come in handy in the years to come.

“I don’t take it for granted anymore. It’s not that I took it for granted but I know now the pressure that you’re under when you get into this position and that there are always people biting at your heels.

“One bad performance can mean you’re going to lose your place — and lose your place for two years. That’s not what I want to do.”