So, what does Baloucoune put his good form down to?
It’s a simple formula really; playing consistently and being injury-free, something he has not had the luxury of doing in the past two years, has helped increase his self-belief to perform at his best on the pitch.
“My ability 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 has allowed me to build confidence each game I’ve played and being able to do that continuously is a big factor in my game,” he said.
On Saturday, Baloucoune will come up against two more wingers playing at the peak of their powers in Scottish duo Darcy Graham and Kyle Steyn.
Both wingers have registered three tries each to keep Scotland in the hunt for the Triple Crown and the championship.
Baloucoune is relishing the opportunity to show he belongs alongside such high-calibre wingers as Ireland also look to retain the Triple Crown and keep their outside hopes of a championship win alive.
“I enjoy the opportunity to play against different types of winger and that will definitely be the case this weekend,” he added.
“Scotland have been class this championship and have really exciting backs and the wingers have been playing well, but I also see it as an opportunity to show my ability on the pitch and back myself defensively.
“Kyle Steyn is a physical character, I’ve played [against] Darcy Graham a few times at Edinburgh, he’s nippy and works round the nines quite well which is something I need to work on in my game, but they’re two class wingers, they know how score and that’s a main focus for every winger, so they’re doing well.
“It will definitely be a challenge at the weekend, but I back myself and looking forward to the challenge.”
His resurgence from forgotten man to a key player for Ireland shows that Baloucoune is always up for overcoming huge challenges.
