Rob Baloucoune ready to battle in-form Scotland wing Kyle Steyn

The Glasgow Warriors star has three tries to his name from his previous two Scotland caps, following a score against Wales in the Principality, and a stunning breakaway brace in last weekend's win over France. Steyn also tops the 'meters-per-carry' charts, having made an average of nine metres on the front foot upon every touch of the ball throughout the Championship.

Speaking in the week, Rob Baloucoune revealed how he has 'done his homework' on the 32-year-old, ahead of the pivotal round five match at the Aviva Stadium.

"I always do my homework. It's always enjoying the opportunity of playing against different types of wingers and that will definitely be the case, I suppose. Scotland have been class in this championship with really exciting backs and obviously the wingers have been playing well.

"I just see it as an opportunity to also show my ability on the pitch and back myself defensively. That's something that I'll look forward to. As a rugby player, I've built confidence from the wingers that I've played over the years, and I'll take that into this week."

Scotland have no shortage of in-form wingers, with Darcy Graham also enjoying a purple patch this year. Baloucoune has had plenty of previous battles against the Edinburgh speedster across the URC, with the Ulster wing ready for his next crack against the 28-year-old.

"Kyle Steyn's physical, he's a physical carrier and knows his way around. I've played Darcy Graham quite a few times against Edinburgh and he's nippy and he actually works around the nines quite well as well, so it's something that I need to work on in my game, is get involved around like that.

"They're two class wingers and know how to score." Baloucoune added. "If you're doing that, you're doing well. it'll definitely be a challenge for the weekend. I'm looking forward to the challenge."

Whilst Baloucoune takes pride upon his studious pre-match preparations, no-one would have forseen the phenomenal break from Wales prop Rhys Carre last Friday night. The Saracen wrong-footed Baloucoune and planted the Ireland man with a strong fend, before careening down-field to bag a real contender for the 2026 Six Nations try of the tournament.

"Definitely tough to watch back. [We] reviewed it, being on the same page." Baloucoune said of the try.

"I never like to see that, I hate missing tackles. It's something that I'll definitely be looking at in training and trying to compound that. But, fair play to the big man, he was flying as well. It's something I'll try and cut out of my game."

Having only made a handful of sporadic Summer and Autumn Series appearances for Ireland ahead of the 2026 Six Nations, Baloucoune is yet to experience the thrill of collecting silverware at the end of the Championship. Whilst the Triple Crown is up for grabs this Saturday, Ireland also have an outsiders shot at the title, should they defeat Scotland before France take an unexpected defeat to England in Paris.

"It's a great opportunity. I'm really excited for it. Just being part of this Championship and trying to put my best foot forward in this campaign has been an opportunity for me and the team. It's also a great opportunity to get some silverware. It's a really important game and I'm excited to be a part of [it]."

Having given his assessment of the incoming wingers that he is said to face, Balouocoune then turned his attention to the teammates that he's been lining up alongside in the back-field.

Last time out, Baloucoune lined up in the back-field alongside his Ulster teammate Jacob Stockdale, with the provincial teammates putting in a stellar performance in the 27-17 win over Wales. Stockdale marked his opportunity with a try against Steve Tandy's side, which only delighted his Belfast brother Baloucoune.

"It's always a class when you're lining up alongside another club player, especially Jacob that I'm with most days We're on the same page and it's good to connect out there on the pitch as well."

"Jacob's been about for years and you've seen the talent that he has and performances that he's put in. He got an opportunity and he got a try as well [against Wales], which had been for five years or so. It's great to see him. He's been unbelievable for us at Ulster throughout the season, it's good that he can showcase that as well for Ireland."

Outside of his home province, Baloucoune has enjoyed lining up alongside Leinster wing Tommy O'Brien. Baloucoune backs O'Brien to be the quickest member of the men in green, and he enjoys always having the speedster on his shoulder in support.

"Tommy O'Brien is pretty quick as well, so I'd say we'll be close enough between us! There's no stats out there, I don't know what the top speeds are yet, but they're quick enough.

"It's just the way we want to play, where you're getting off the wings. Once you're there, you're working, you're in a spot to be an option or be a threat. I think it wasn't a set plan of us working together. We've worked hard to get into the space where the space is. We've done our work early as well, so then effectively, we've then linked up and it works really well against England. It's definitely a threat that we can push forward as well."

Whilst O'Brien looks to be leading the speedsters around the Ireland training camp, Baloucoune is by no means a slouch when it comes to getting quick off the mark. The man is known by his nickname of 'Cat', which you would deduce comes from his cat-like reflexes and nimble balance when attacking at his revered speed. However, Baloucoune revealed where he originally got the moniker, as his relaxed attitude and keenness for a cat-nap helped solidify the pseudonym.

"Since I was in the academy with Ulster, it was actually Willie Anderson. He gave me the nickname Cat. It was a bit random. I had a bad back when I was 18 or 19, and I'd always be doing cat poses on the pitch to try and get myself around the pitch. That kind of stuck then after that.

"That kind of added as well, because then I'd be sleeping everywhere, so it was like, OK, this is actually sticking now. I don't sleep as much as I used to when I was younger, but I'm still pretty relaxed."

With just one more match to go for Ireland's 2026 Six Nations campaign, Baloucoune took a moment to personally reflect upon a break-out campaign in green. The Ulster flyer had been plagued with a series of arduous injuries since his Test debut in 2021, with the ongoing Championship bringing about his maiden Six Nations appearences and a long awaited run in the team.

"It's been a full turnaround since last season. The level that I'm playing and the minutes has been unbelievable. My ability just to play games repeatedly is something that's been a big focus of mine, trying to be in training consistently and being able to do that. I feel like that allowed me to build confidence each game I'm playing and being able to do that continuously is a big factor in my game."