County Tyrone is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an administrative division for local government but retains a strong identity in popular culture.
Ulster Rugby is one of the four professional provincial rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the Irish regional pool of the United Rugby Championship and in the European Rugby Champions Cup, each of which they have won once. Ulster were the first Irish team and the first team outside England and France to win the European Cup in 1999.
Morley Rugby Union Football Club is a rugby union club based in Morley, West Yorkshire. England. The club are famous for playing in a maroon kit and thus are nicknamed "The Maroons". They currently play in North 1 East, a level six league in the English rugby union league system, following their relegation at the end of the 2017-18 season.
Andrew David Farrell is an English professional rugby union coach and former rugby league and rugby union player who has been head coach of the Ireland national team since 2019.
Ayr Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club. Its professional men's side currently plays as Ayrshire Bulls in the Super 6 competition; and its women's side play in the Scottish Womens National One. The club also runs a "Club XV" which competes in the Tennent's National League 1, a 2nd XV "Ayr-Millbrae", which plays in the SRU West Reserve League Division 1, and various age group teams, from age 4, up to age 18.
Rugby union is a popular team sport on the island of Ireland, organised on an all-Ireland basis, including players and teams from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Its governing body, the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), was founded in 1879, making it the third oldest rugby union in the world after the RFU (England) and the SRU (Scotland).
Justin Michael Fitzpatrick is an Irish former rugby union player who most recently was head coach of the Houston SaberCats of Major League Rugby (MLR). He previously played for London Irish, Castres Olympique, Dungannon RFC & Ulster. He had also held several other coaching positions, including head coach of Dungannon RFC and the Seattle Saracens, and assistant coach of the United States national rugby union team.
City of Derry Rugby Football Club is a rugby club, formed in 1881 in Derry, Ireland. They currently play in the Ulster Rugby Championship Division 1 after relegation from Division 2C of the All-Ireland League in 2022.
Rainey Rugby Football Club is situated in the market town of Magherafelt, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland playing in Division 2B of the All-Ireland League.
Bruff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club in County Limerick, Ireland. As at April 2022 it was playing in Division 2C of the All-Ireland League. The club plays at home in Kilballyowen Park, near the town of Bruff in County Limerick. As at the 2017/18 season they were fielding 16 rugby teams at the club including 3 men's adult squads, girls' youth, minis and boys' youth rugby teams ranging in age from under-7 to under-18.
Galwegians Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club in Galway, Ireland.
Boyne RFC is a rugby team in Drogheda, Ireland, with the men playing in Division 1B of the Leinster League.
Queen's University Belfast Rugby Football Club is the rugby union team of Queen's University Belfast, currently playing in Division 2A of the All-Ireland League. Founded in 1869, it is the most successful and oldest continuous rugby union club in Northern Ireland. They originally played as Queen's College, Belfast and have won the Ulster Senior Cup a record 23 times.
Enniscorthy RFC is a rugby union club based in Enniscorthy, County Wexford in Ireland. As of 2023, it fields teams in Division 2B of the All-Ireland League, having been promoted from Division 2C in 2022. Its clubhouse and pitch are located on the Ross Road in Enniscorthy. Founded in 1912, it is one of the oldest rugby clubs in County Wexford.
Fivemiletown United Football Club is an intermediate-level football club who play in the Intermediate A division of the Mid-Ulster Football League in Northern Ireland. The club is based in Fivemiletown, County Tyrone. Their home ground has been the Valley Stadium on the Cooneen Road in the Town since 1993. The club was formed in 1888 giving Fivemiletown United the illustrious honour of being the oldest club in Northern Ireland not playing at Senior Level in the country.
Christopher Robert Eric Farrell is an Irish rugby union player for French Pro D2 club Oyonnax. He plays as a centre.
Bangor RFC is a Northern Irish rugby union club from Bangor, County Down, playing in Division 2C of the All-Ireland League.
Omagh Academicals RFC is a Northern Irish rugby football club from Omagh, County Tyrone, playing in Division 2C of the All-Ireland League.
The 2022–23 season was Ulster Rugby's 29th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union. They competed in the United Rugby Championship, finishing second in the league table and going out in the quarter-finals, and the European Rugby Champions Cup going out in the round of 16. It was Dan McFarland's fifth season as head coach. Scrum-half John Cooney was leading scorer with 154 points. Hooker Tom Stewart was leading try scorer with 17, and won the URC Top Try Scorer and Next-Gen Player of the Season awards.
The 2023–24 season is Ulster Rugby's 30th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. It was Dan McFarland's sixth season as head coach, until he left his position on 21 February 2024. Assistant coach Dan Soper took temporary charge before Richie Murphy became available for the rest of the season.
