The Ulster Senior League, currently known as the Ulster Rugby Premiership, is a rugby union competition for senior clubs in the Irish province of Ulster. It was formed by the then Northern Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union in October 1890.[1] It has traditionally being ranked second in importance to the Ulster Senior Cup. It has declined in importance due to the formation of the All-Ireland League and growth in importance of the Heineken Cup.
The Senior League has had a chequered history. Its value was marred in the amateur era by periods when the elite clubs like North, Instonians and Collegians withdrew from the league to allow them to fulfil more friendly fixtures - particularly against English and Welsh opposition. This attitude from some of the senior clubs even lead to the scrapping of the league in 1930, and it was not re-established until after World War II. The practice of withdrawing from the league finally died out in the 1970s.
Mostly the league was played in one section on an all-play-all home and away basis. However, with the expansion of the number of Senior Clubs in 1980, two sections were formed and the top two teams qualified for semi-finals. This allowed for a showpiece final at the end of the season.
The two section arrangement continued until 1990 when the advent of professionalism and preparation for the All-Ireland League, saw the league separated into two sections based on playing ability. Promotion and relegation between the two sections was introduced at this time. This later gave way to a single-division league.
For the 2015-16 season, the Ulster Senior League was revamped as the Ulster Championship League. To avoid the fixture congestion caused by playing in two competitions, Ulster's ten All-Ireland League clubs were divided into two sections, based on last season's league standings - Ballynahinch, Armagh, Ballymena, City of Derry and Malone in Section 1, and Queen's University, Belfast Harlequins, Rainey Old Boys, Banbridge and Dungannon in Section 2 - with each team playing just four matches.[2] For the 2016-17 season it was revamped again as the SONI Ulster Rugby Premiership, sponsored by System Operator for Northern Ireland.[3]
The Medallion Shield is an annual rugby union competition involving schools affiliated to the Ulster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union. The competition is open to all schools within Ulster, but only schools from within Northern Ireland currently enter, with no entries from schools situated in the three Ulster counties within the Republic of Ireland.
The Ulster Senior Cup is a knock-out competition for senior rugby union teams in the province of Ulster. It is administered by Ulster Rugby.
The All-Ireland League (AIL), known for sponsorship reasons as the Energia All-Ireland League, is the national league system for the 50 senior rugby union clubs in Ireland, covering both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The league was inaugurated in the 1990–91 season.
Belfast Harlequins is a multi-sports club located off the Malone Road in south Belfast, Northern Ireland. The club name provides the overall umbrella for rugby union, men's and ladies' hockey, and squash. The club is associated on and off the field with Methodist College Belfast (MCB).
The Ulster Towns Cup is a rugby union competition organized by the Ulster branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union.
The Ulster Senior League is a league competition for the first teams of men's hockey clubs affiliated to the Ulster Hockey Union of Hockey Ireland.
Watching and playing sports is an important part of culture in Belfast, Northern Ireland where almost six out of ten (59%) of the adult population regularly participate in one or more sports. Belfast has several notable sports teams playing a diverse variety of sports including football, rugby, traditional Irish Gaelic games, and North American sports such as American football and ice hockey (at the SSE Arena where the multiple time Elite Ice Hockey League champion Belfast Giants are based. The Belfast Marathon is run annually on May Day, and attracted 14,300 participants in 2007. Cycling, triathlon and athletics are also popular as both participation and spectator sports, with the first two stages of the 2014 Giro d'Italia starting from Belfast City Centre, and the annual high profile Belfast International Cross Country event being held in the grounds of Stormont Castle every year until 2009. The Stormont Estate is also one of the four home grounds for the Ireland cricket team, alongside Bready, Malahide and Clontarf, and also hosts the Northern Cricket Union provincial teams.
North of Ireland Football Club is a former Irish rugby union club that was based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was the first rugby club formed in what is now Northern Ireland and only two other clubs - Dublin University and Wanderers - were formed earlier anywhere else in all Ireland. It was founded in 1868 by members of North of Ireland Cricket Club. NIFC also played in the first recorded rugby game in Ulster when they played a 20-a-side match against Queen's University RFC.
Niall Gareth Malone was a former rugby union player who played out-half for Leicester, Worcester, Ulster and Ireland. Afterward, having worked as an elite player development officer with Ulster's academy and as a skills coach for Ulster's senior team, he has been Ulster's head video analyst since 2018.
Innes Gray was a sportsman from Northern Ireland, who played rugby union, rugby league and association football. He represented Ireland at rugby league in 1998.
The All-Ireland Cup, also known as the Bateman Cup, is a knock-out competition for the winners of the four provincial rugby union cups in Ireland.
Mark Best is an Irish Rugby union player
The 1997–98 season was Ulster Rugby's third season under professionalism, during which they competed in the Heineken Cup and the IRFU Interprovincial Championship. Ulster Rugby Limited was incorporated as a private company limited by guarantee on 9 May 1997.
The 2003–04 season was Ulster Rugby's ninth under professionalism, and their third under head coach Alan Solomons. They competed in the Heineken Cup, the Celtic League and the inaugural Celtic Cup.
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.
Jan Cunningham is an Irish former rugby union player, who played centre, wing and fullback for Ulster.
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.
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