Date of birth | 8 September 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Place of birth | Glarryford, County Antrim, Northern Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 109 kg (17.2 st; 240 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Ballymena Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notable relative(s) | Matty Rea (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Marcus Rea (born 8 September 1997) is an Irish rugby union player who plays in the back row for Ulster in the United Rugby Championship and European Rugby Champions Cup.
He was captain at Ballymena Academy, and captained the Ulster under-19 team in 2016. [2] He joined the Ulster Academy ahead of the 2016–17 season; [3] his older brother Matty joined the senior team on a development contract the same season. [4] He made his senior competitive debut for Ulster in their 14–13 win against provincial rivals Leinster in round 21 of the 2018–19 Pro14 on 27 April 2018. Rea replaced Sean Reidy after just 15 minutes and joined his brother in the back-row, before scoring a crucial try in the 60th minute, converted by Peter Nelson, to secure victory for the Ulstermen, and winning the Man-of-the-Match award. [5] [6] He signed a development contract ahead of the 2019–20 season, [7] but broke his jaw playing for Ballynahinch in the All-Ireland League in November 2019 [8] and didn't make his second appearance for Ulster until October 2020. [9] He made 7 appearances, including four starts, in 2020–21, but he established himself in the team in the 2021–22 season, in which he made 19 appearances and 15 starts, including starting in all six of Ulster's Champions Cup matches. [1] He signed a new contract in February 2022. [10]
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John Cooney is an Irish rugby union player who plays scrum-half for Irish provincial side Ulster in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup, having previously played for Leinster and Connacht, and has eleven caps for Ireland. Since joining Ulster in 2017, he has been nominated for EPCR European Player of the Year once, been named in the Pro14 Dream Team four times, and been Ulster's player of the year twice.
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The 2021–22 season was Ulster Rugby's 28th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and Dan McFarland's fourth season as head coach. They competed in the inaugural United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup.
The 2020–21 season was Ulster's 27th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and Dan McFarland's third season as head coach. Iain Henderson was captain. They competed in the Pro14, the Pro14 Rainbow Cup, the European Rugby Champions Cup and the European Rugby Challenge Cup.
The 2019–20 season was Ulster's 26th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and Dan McFarland's second season as head coach. Lock Iain Henderson was named captain in place of retired hooker Rory Best. They competed in the Pro14 and the European Rugby Champions Cup. Both competitions were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, he later stages being played in August, September and October 2020. In the Pro14, Ulster finished second in Conference A, making the playoffs and qualifying for next season's Champions Cup. They beat Edinburgh in the semi-final, but lost to Leinster in the final. They finished second in Pool 3 in the Champions Cup, qualifying for the quarter-finals, where they were beaten by Toulouse.
The 2018–19 season was Ulster's 25th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and Dan McFarland's first season as head coach. Rory Best was captain. They competed in the Pro14, making the semi-finals, and the European Rugby Champions Cup, making the quarter-finals.
The 2016–17 season was Ulster's 23rd season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and the third under Director of Rugby Les Kiss and head coach Neil Doak. They completed in the European Rugby Champions Cup and the final season of the Pro12 before it became the Pro14 with the addition of two teams from South Africa.