Afoa timed Ulster arrival to perfection

John Afoa could have been forgiven for thinking he had got his timing wrong when, within weeks of his arrival in Belfast, the IRFU announced a spate of restrictions on the number of non-Irish qualified players and the length of time they could spend with the provinces.

The Kiwi had been diligent in his research before agreeing to the move. A lifetime with the Blues had taught him about the value of ‘family’ at a club and in Ulster he sensed a familiar environment.

David Humphreys was puttingtogether a squad lined with both indigenous and global pedigree and, at 28, Afoa felt his experience could be put to good use on the field and the training paddock where the club’s academy was fashioning the future.