Smith praises coach McKeever’s impact at Ballyclare Rugby Club

The Carrick native, who is Director of Rugby at Ballyclare High School, took over at The Cloughan in the summer and Smith says he has allowed the lads to play an ‘expansive’ brand of rugby in Qualifying 1.

“Mike has settled in rightly. It’s different to him coaching the kids at the High School, but the style he’s trying to make us play is a lot better than what we have been playing in the last year or two.

“We’re going back to the rugby we played maybe three or four years ago under Bob Young. We enjoy playing that style; it’s a lot more expansive and a lot more exciting and it’s been nothing but good for the team.”

Smith added: “We didn’t start the best because we had a few heavy defeats early on, but since then we have look pretty promising.

“I think we are sitting third in the table at the minute. We’re out of the Junior Cup now, so its a case of focusing on the league.”

Ballyclare have no game this weekend, but they are preparing for the December 5 visit of second-placed Instonians who are level on points but have two games in hand.