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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.
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).
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, as a performance consultant with the Georgian Rugby Union, and is currently Director of Performance Operations with the England and Wales Cricket Board. He will succeed David Nucifora as the IRFU Performance Director in 2024.
Craig Gilroy is an Irish rugby union player who played wing for Ulster, and a former Ireland international. He was Ulster's player of the year in 2014–15, and was named in the Pro12 Dream Team twice.
Luke Marshall is an Irish former rugby union player, who played centre for Ulster, and won 11 caps for Ireland, the last coming in 2017.
William Iain Henderson is a professional rugby union player who plays as a lock for United Rugby Championship club Ulster and the Ireland national team, and has been selected for two tours with the British & Irish Lions. He has been the captain of Ulster since 2019, and captained Ireland in 2021 and 2023.
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.
Andrew Warwick is an Irish rugby union player who plays loosehead prop for Ulster Rugby.
Declan Moore is a New Zealand-born, Australian rugby union player who plays for Anthem Rugby Carolina in Major League Rugby (MLR). He plays as a hooker.
Nathan Doak is an Irish rugby union player who plays scrum-half and out-half for Ulster in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup.
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.
The 2011–12 Ulster Rugby season was Ulster's 18th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and their third under head coach Brian McLaughlin. They competed in the Heineken Cup and the inaugural Pro12, successor competition to the Celtic 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 and the European Rugby Champions Cup. It was Dan McFarland's fifth season as head coach.
Harry Sheridan is an Irish rugby union player who plays lock and flanker for Ulster Rugby.
The 2023–24 season was Ulster Rugby's 30th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union. They competed in the United Rugby Championship the European Rugby Champions Cup, and the EPCR Challenge Cup. It was Dan McFarland's sixth season as head coach. Despite some good results, including a home win against Racing 92 in the Champions Cup and an away win against Leinster in the URC, Ulster slipped back in the league, and poor performances against Bath, Harlequins and Toulouse dumped them out of the Champions Cup. After an away defeat in the URC against Ospreys in February, McFarland left his position, replaced by former Ireland under-20 head coach Richie Murphy. CEO Jonny Petrie also left, replaced on an interim basis by Hugh McCaughey. Murphy oversaw two away losses in South Africa and a quarter-final exit in the Challenge Cup, but form improved in the league, with four straight wins, including a home win against Leinster, and a losing bonus point away to Munster secured a quarter-final place, losing away to a full-strength Leinster side, and qualification for next season's Champions Cup.
The 2024–25 season will be Ulster Rugby's 31st season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and Richie Murphy's first full season as head coach..
References
- ↑ "Scott Wilson". Its Rugby. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ↑ "Scott Wilson". All Rugby. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ↑ "Ex-Ireland ace Stephen Ferris with full faith in Scott Wilson's Ulster progress". The Newsletter. 26 December 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Gray, Andy (14 November 2023). "Scott Wilson: From fan to the pitch - Queen's University prop's 'dream' Ulster debut". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- 1 2 3 Herman, George (9 November 2023). "Queen's prop Scott Wilson determined to make the most of Ulster opportunity". Irish News. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ↑ "Ulster's Scott Wilson is living the dream". The Newsletter. 14 November 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ↑ Bradley, Jonathan (13 November 2023). "Ravenhill season-ticket holder Scott Wilson reveals it was a 'dream come true' to make his debut as Ulster beat Munster". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ↑ "Ulster predicting big future for newcomer Wilson". BBC Sport. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ↑ Donaghy, Ciaran (11 August 2024). "Rob Herring hails Scott Wilson as Ulster's breakthrough player of season and predicts bright Ireland future". The Newsletter. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ↑ Sadlier, Michael (10 April 2024). "Scott Wilson is one of Ulster's most exciting prospects in a long time: Iain Henderson". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 13 April 2024.