Interview with Bryan Young: John O'Sullivan talks to the loosehead Ulster prop

Bryan Young's international Test career has arrived by a somewhat more circuitous route than many might have anticipated from his early underage playing days. He was selected for pretty much every representative team, national and provincial, in age-grade rugby, captaining most, including the Ireland Schools in 1999.

The script called for a measured progression through the senior ranks but it hasn't panned out quite that way. Less than a fortnight past his 25th birthday, he will make his first start in his fourth appearance for the national side against Australia, at Lansdowne Road on Sunday.

Having made his senior debut for Ulster in 2002 it was only last season he finally established himself in the provincial set-up on a consistent basis thereby facilitating an ambition to make the national squad. The wilderness years saw him play more All-Ireland League rugby with Ballymena than he might have anticipated.

There's no doubting his ability as anyone who's seen him in the last 18 months alone will attest. His gradual progression has permitted him to hone the tools of the propping trade. "Bear", as he is known to his team-mates, is a renowned scrummager while also boasting all the requisite skills of the modern prop.

Unaffected by his new-found status, Young, admitted to being pleasantly surprised in winning a starting role against the Wallabies. "I had to put my hand onto my heart to stop it jumping out of my chest. I didn't really expect it. Eddie (O'Sullivan) read out the team in a different order. He generally starts with number one.

"That morning he started at 15 and then went from one to nine. When I heard my name I was in shock while obviously pleased at the same time. I just had to get my headset on for training and forget about it. Rory Best stuck his hand around while the meeting was still going on."

Young's close friendship with the younger Best will help him cope when Sunday comes. "He (Best) started against the Springboks and he can bring that experience to help me get through the opening exchanges. The first few scrums are going to be crucial.

"He's (Best) a phenomenal scrummager. It helps to have someone like that there. We work together, bounce things off one another. If he is struggling then I'll get him going and vice versa. It's good to have that relationship."

Young is satisfied with certain aspects of his game but there are a few areas he'd like to polish. "As I moved into the Ulster team my ball carrying has waned a bit and I am trying to bring that aspect back into my game.

"It's about just being up there and taking offloads, making myself available to carry the ball a bit more.

"I know some of the guys that have been there before are really good ball carriers and they make themselves available.

"The relationships that scrumhalves have (with their forwards), they just look for the big ball carriers. I just want to get my hands on the ball a bit more and make an impact in that facet of the game. My rucking has been improving."

The return of former Ireland prop Justin Fitzpatrick after a spell with the Castres club in France didn't augur well for Young initially and the indication was that he would be on the periphery of the Ulster squad.

"At the time that was the case and I spent most of the start of last season on the bench until after the autumn internationals last year.

"My first start of the season was against Munster down here. I did okay and stayed in the team for four weeks. Fitzy came back and then took the starting position for the rest of the season. It's tough to stay in the team because you have someone like that breathing down your neck and putting pressure on. It means you have to play consistently well."

He alluded to the difference in him as a player over the past 18 months in an earlier interview.

"It all happened very quickly last season. I have always worked hard, as I have been told working hard brings you rewards. I think it was a combination of hard work, being older and a bit of luck. I learnt a lot throughout the season, and I felt that my body was more ready for the season. I felt stronger, more able to cope with the demands."

Sunday will be the first time Young will start a match at loosehead, his preferred position this season. He smiled: "It's difficult to move backwards and forwards but it's easier to move from tighthead to loosehead (prop). There are a few less things to consider. It's about getting my mindset right and being ready for it."

Seven minutes in the second Test during the summer against the All Blacks, 20 minutes against Australia in Perth, and 15 against the Springboks at Lansdowne Road last weekend: the learning curve is about to rise appreciably but Young has the aptitude and maturity to take it in his stride.