Christian Lealiifano has been an absolute revelation at Ulster throughout his five-month loan. The Australian out-half received a standing ovation last week as Kingspan Stadium bid farewell. This week will be his last time in an Ulster jersey for the foreseeable future.
Lealiifano's playmaking ability and instant understanding with John Cooney have gotten Les Kiss's side out of a hole on more than one occasion this season. He was brought to cover for the absence of Paddy Jackson and fitted in seamlessly with the squad.
His achievement is all the more impressive given Lealiifano had just overcome cancer prior to his move. With his final appearance just days away, Ulster have released a tell-all video with the player in what is a frankly superb interview.
Lealiifano outlined how cancer first started to affect him.
2016, during the June series I just felt a little bit off. I didn't know what was going on and I sort of tried to push through training but I was getting tired and was getting worse and worse. I couldn't shake a cold or do anything really and I'd just had my son who was two-month-olds, people thought that was why I was so run down.
Lealiifano opened up on the impact the illness had on his surrounding family, and how important their support was for him.
Whether I was going to make it through it or not, I wanted to make sure I was positive and happy and that people felt that around me. To have my son there, and knowing that If he was sick and I was sick we couldn't have contact, because it would make me worse. That was a real drive for me as well. I needed to be a father to Jeremiah, there was no way he was going to grow up without a dad. Just to see him lie there and smile, whether I had eyebrows or not. Whether I had hair or not. He'd smile exactly the same, that to me was a true gift.
Across 15 appearances Lealiifano landed 47 points. But above all else is the character of the man has shone. Les Kiss recently highlighted as much when speaking to the Times after a man-of-the-match performance against Munster.
He’s class. You saw those things, he has been smashed a hundred times this year. Busted ribs and all. And you go to him at half-time and he says that’s what this game is about. You don’t play fully fit, without injury and without tiredness.
That type of character, resilience and robustness is a hallmark of his. You have seen that from where he has come from in his own personal situation.
There is no doubt his impact will be missed, on and off the field.
