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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.
Cameron Michael Henderson GibsonMBE is a former rugby union international player who represented Ireland and the British & Irish Lions.
Jonathan Charles Bell is an Irish rugby union coach and former player. He played centre for Ulster, with whom he won the 1998–99 Heineken Cup, Northampton and Ireland, and has coached at Ulster, Gloucester, Glasgow Warriors and Worcester Warriors. As of the 2022–23 season he is defence coach at Ulster.
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).
Rory David Best is an Irish former rugby union player who was the captain of the Ireland national team from 2016 to 2019. He played hooker for Ulster and was registered for Banbridge RFC. Best earned 124 caps for Ireland, making his debut in 2005 and retiring at the end of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, his fourth World Cup. Best is one of the most capped rugby players of all time, as well as the most-capped forward to represent Ireland.
Declan Fitzpatrick is an Irish former rugby union player. He played for Ulster from 2006 to 2015, and won seven caps for Ireland.
Matt McCullough is a former Irish rugby union player, who played in the second row for Ulster and Ireland
Roger Wilson is an Irish former rugby union player, who played at number eight for Ulster, Northampton Saints and Ireland. Since retiring in 2017, he has worked in the United States, coaching American football players in rugby tackling techniques.
Andy Ward is a New Zealand-born former rugby union player, who played flanker professionally for Ulster and internationally for Ireland.
Sport in Northern Ireland plays an important role in the lives of many Northern Irish people. Most sports are organised on an all-Ireland basis, for example rugby union, Gaelic games, basketball, rugby league, hockey, and cricket, whereas others, like association football and netball are organised on a separate basis for Northern Ireland.
Darren Cave is a retired professional Irish rugby union player who played centre for Ulster, sharing the province's appearance record with Andrew Trimble and Rob Herring with 229, and won eleven caps for Ireland.
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.
Nigel Carr is a former Ireland rugby union international whose promising career was cut short due to injuries sustained in an IRA bomb explosion.
David Humphreys MBE is a former Irish rugby union player. He played 72 times for Ireland, scoring 560 points, including 6 tries, and at the time of his international retirement was Ireland's most capped out-half. He played his club rugby for London Irish and Ulster, winning the 1998-99 Heineken Cup, the 2004 Celtic Cup and the 2005–06 Celtic League with the latter. Since retiring as a player he has served as director of rugby for Ulster and Gloucester
Craig Gilroy is an Irish rugby union player who wing for Ulster, and is a former Ireland international. he was Ulster's player of the year in 2014–15, and was named in the Pro12 Dream Team twice.
Philip Rainey is an Irish rugby union former player who played fullback for Ballymena, Ulster and Ireland.
Nick Timoney is an Irish rugby union player, who plays in the back row for Ulster and Ireland. He is regarded as a "hybrid" player, an athletic forward with the pace of a back. He was named in the 2021–22 United Rugby Championship Dream Team.
Michael Lowry is an Irish rugby union player from Northern Ireland who plays fullback and out-half for United Rugby Championship and European Rugby Champions Cup side Ulster, and internationally for Ireland. Doubted early on because of his small stature, he has exceptional footwork and acceleration. Ireland coach Andy Farrell describes him as a "nightmare" to play against, praising his explosiveness and bravery.
Thomas Niall O'Toole is an Irish professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for United Rugby Championship club Ulster and the Ireland national team.
Tony McWhirter is an Irish former rugby union player, who played number eight and lock for Ulster.
References
- ↑ "'We scared Australia on that day' – former Ireland and Ulster player Harry Steele recalls the moment that turned 1979 Test series". Belfast Telegraph . 16 November 2022.
- ↑ Deeson, Tony (2002). The Stones That Ground the Corn. Ulster Historical Foundation. p. 175. ISBN 1903688272.
- ↑ "Dunloy to take a lead from Ireland". Belfast Telegraph. 10 March 2004.