Ulster assistant coach Dan Soper believes Robert Baloucoune is playing with the confidence of a player who belongs at the top level.
Baloucoune is being tipped to secure a starting berth when Andy Farrell names his Ireland team to face Wales when the Six Nations kicks-off this weekend.
And Soper, formerly an innovative skills coach with Ulster, believes the 24-year-old is equipped, as much mentally as physically, to step up if called upon in Saturday’s opener in Dublin.