Trimble preferred to Danielli for Ulster wing slot

ANDREW TRIMBLE has won the race for the left-wing berth in the Ulster team for tonight’s Heineken Cup opener against Bath at Ravenhill.

Trimble, who scored two tries against the Scarlets last week, keeps Simon Danielli’s return from injury restricted to the bench. Ireland’s Tom Court keeps his fellow international Bryan Young on the bench alongside Chris Henry who returns from injury at the expense of Thomas Anderson.

Timoci Nagusa is hoping Trimble makes an impression on Ireland coach Declan Kidney tonight, as the Fijian flyer wants to face him at the RDS in Dublin on 21 November as part of the autumn Test scene.

Nagusa, or ‘’Jimmy’’ as he has been nicknamed by his Ulster teammates, says it would make for an interesting battle.

“I got a call from the Fijian captain last Monday afternoon about my availability to attend the squad sessions,” said Nagusa. “It looks like I will be up against Ireland. It would be great to face the ‘great’ Andrew Trimble,” smiled Nagusa. “It’ll be very interesting the two of us against each other.

“We have become good friends and playing opposite each other would be a little strange. I have scored four tries in five games for Fiji and would love to score more. But that is for later. We will just have to wait see what happens. There is a lot of rugby to be played between now and then.”

First up is Bath tonight in an arena which has taken to the 22-year-old from Tailevu, one of Fiji’s largest islands. A former member of the elite Fijian Police Tactical Response Group, Nagusa’s name is one of the first names on Brian McLaughlin’s team sheet and he has made the right-wing slot his own.

Nagusa, however, is the man in form. Scoring at will, he has added to his game this season, and with the arrival of his pregnant wife Maggie to Belfast, he is a player on a mission.

“Twelve months ago it was very different. I was here in a strange country and trying to get my head around being a professional rugby player.

“It was very difficult. Getting used to the weather was my immediate problem, and then there was the training and the way rugby was run professionally.”

Nagusa was mainly noted for his lightning pace and little else, as he showed with his brace of tries against Munster last season. Now he is bringing an all-round game to the table thanks to specialist training in the summer.

“This season is so different. I worked extremely hard in the off season and I have put on 10kilos. I’m aiming for 100k so I will continue to work hard with the weights. It has made such a difference. Before, I was reluctant to mix it up, now I just love going into contact.”