"I’ve absolutely loved it”: Former Ulster wing Rory Telfer on his time in BUCS Super Rugby
Rory Telfer and Durham are hoping to lock-in a home quarter-final spot in BUCS Super Rugby
©Ben Lumley / BUCS Super Rugby
14th December 2024. Rory Telfer runs out at the Kingspan Stadium to make his debut for his boyhood club, Ulster Rugby.
With four minutes to go and 16 points down on the scoreboard, the game was gone but a dream was realised for the man from Coleraine.
He entered the fray opposite the world-class Louis Bielle-Biarrey and against a Union Bordeaux-Bègles side that would go on to win the Investec Champions Cup.
"I don’t think I even touched the ball," Telfer joked, recalling the special moment of pulling on the white jersey.
He would go on to make three more appearances for the club before being released in May of last year.
Now, he dons the palatinate purple of Durham University, playing in BUCS Super Rugby.
Studying for a Master’s degree in Business Management, he is enjoying the fast-paced nature of student rugby - something that first made him fall in love with the game.
Telfer’s journey began at Ballymoney Rugby Club in a small town in Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Following in his brothers’ footsteps, he played for the club’s minis before moving on to Coleraine Grammar School, where he began to make a name for himself as a schoolboy, earning selection for the Ulster age-grade team at just 14.
"School rugby is the best rugby you’ll play. You’re playing with some of your friends, and you’ve got some of your friends watching. I just loved that atmosphere."
Telfer recalled the feeling of being part of a school that was often the underdog in competitions, and how that has shaped his mentality and career.
"I like being the underdog in games," he tells TRU. "For example, this year I've loved playing against teams like Loughborough [who are top of BUCS Super Rugby] and Exeter when you’re not really expected to win. I think that brings the best out of us at Durham.
"If you back yourself enough and work hard enough, you can be as good as anyone."
It’s a mentality he had in the Ulster Academy and during his time with Ireland Under-20s.
Telfer was part of the Ireland Under-20s squad that secured a Grand Slam in 2023, playing alongside the likes of current senior internationals Sam Prendergast and Gus McCarthy.
"At that time, you maybe don’t truly realise how good a team you had until a few years down the line and you look at the team sheet," Telfer adds.
The versatile back actually came up against the aforementioned Bielle-Biarrey in that tournament when Ireland faced France, as well as the electric Théo Attissogbé and several other current French internationals.
Fast forward to just after Christmas 2024 when the Ulster man made his first professional start against Connacht Rugby, lining up alongside fellow Ireland Under-20s star James McNabney. The away side secured a 17-7 victory in Galway.
"A highlight of my time at Ulster," Telfer says without hesitation.
"I remember being on the bus on the way down when the teamsheets were released and seeing that I was on the left wing and that Mack Hansen was on the right wing for them.
"To get a few touches and a few tackles on him was class. It was an amazing experience and an amazing win."
However, with his academy contract coming to an end last season, Telfer soon found out he would not be staying on at the club.
"I found out at the start of February. I didn’t really process it at the time as I was just focused on finishing university [at Queen's University Belfast]. When I finished in June, it was tough having that time off to process things.
"By August, I hadn’t got a club sorted for the next season. At the end of August, I had a text asking if I would be interested in coming over and playing in BUCS while doing a Master’s at Durham.
"It was the perfect thing for me, so I took it. The big thing for me was getting back to enjoying rugby, and I’ve loved it this season in BUCS."
With the fast-paced game and tribal atmosphere of student rugby, BUCS has given Telfer the chance to reconnect with a part of his journey that brought him so much joy at school - the thrill of running rugby and an excitable crowd.
Playing every minute for Durham this season, he has been a key figure for the Palatinate across the outside backline.
"I’ve noticed there’s probably a bigger focus on attack," Telfer says. "You have to score five or six tries a game to win a match, so it promotes a kind of free-flowing rugby, which is good for the neutral.”
Durham have certainly played their part, scoring 433 points across 16 matches so far this season.
They currently sit fourth and in the home play-off positions ahead of the MBSR Milk Championship, which begins in three weeks time.
However, there is still work to be done for Durham if they are to secure a home quarter-final. They sit just one point clear of Nottingham (5th) with games against Swansea and title-chasing Bath to come.
Looking ahead to those decisive games, Telfer highlights the strength of Durham’s set-piece and attacking shape, while acknowledging that improvements are still needed in defence and discipline.
"We’re confident that whoever we get in the quarter-final, we’ll give it our all, regardless of who it is,” Telfer concludes. "We’re buzzing for the run-in.
"This year has highlighted to me how much I still love rugby, and I would love to get a club for next year. However, this year I’ve just tried to focus on everything as it comes and not get too caught up in what’s next."
Telfer and Durham travel to Swansea (10th) this week, while table rivals Nottingham (5th) head to Cardiff Met (7th).
The spotlight, however, will be on Bath (2nd) as they clash with Loughborough (1st) in a potential title decider.
Martin Webdale's side enter the match just one point ahead of Bath and could secure back-to-back league crowns with the right result.
Elsewhere, Exeter (3rd) entertain Hartpury (6th), while second-from-bottom Cardiff (9th) face a key trip to Leeds Beckett (8th) as they aim to move closer to safety.
