Ulster Rugby Annual Report 2015 - 2016

depth of experience at Pro12 level for next season. A concerted effort, as part of an over-arching rugby plan, was to continue to raise the level of performance and results of the Ulster ‘A’ team. While missing out on group qualification in the B&I Cup, there have been significant improvements that we aim to build on for next season which will help to ensure that the “A” team compete in the latter stages of the competition. With a greater appreciation throughout the Ulster organisation on the importance of these fixtures, there is now a greater buy-in to strive for improved results. This is culminating on better identification of fringe players being able to step up to the Senior team and a stronger overall squad. Off the pitch, there have been some staff changes. The medical team loses a character and squad favourite in Alan McCaldin as Assistant Physio. He made a very tough and emotional decision to spend more time at home and help run the family business. He will be missed. Alan’s replacement, Chris McNichol, highly accomplished, will start officially at the beginning of next season. The medical department will be furthered strengthened with Michael Webb, as Medical Director, moving to 3 full days per week with the squad. The added benefits are numerous in terms of efficiency and service provision. Finally, Kyle Alexander moves from part-time to become our full time masseur post his Olympics duties in Rio this summer with Team GB. Next season will see the addition of World Class players Charles Piutau (nominated for European Player of the Year 2015/16 with Wasps) and Marcell Coetzee (Sharks). We also have some highly promising Irish Qualified additions in the form of Rodney Ah You, as tight head prop possessing huge potential at only 26; Kieran Treadwell, a man mountain from London Harlequins and standout England U20 lock; and Brett Herron, a highly talented out-half from Bath, again with huge potential. The future is exciting! Ulster also says goodbye to a number of familiar faces. Nick Williams, a real fans favourite and hugely popular squad member, will depart for Cardiff. Ian Humphreys will retire from the game at the end of the season and Rory Scholes and Sam Arnold head to Edinburgh and Munster respectively. Ulster Rugby wishes them well in their new environments. Lewis Stevenson, who departed for an opportunity with Exeter mid-season, Ruairdhri Murphy, Bronson Ross, Frank Taggart, Paul Rowley and Paul Jackson all finish their stints with Ulster. We wish them all well with their futures in whatever field that may be and thank them for their contribution to Ulster Rugby. The Hughes Insurance Academy continues to strive for excellence in everything they do. The alignment with the Senior Squad is becoming increasingly strong from a succession planning point of view. With the players being integrated yet further into full Senior squad sessions, the Academy players are making faster progress. Alex Codling, after only one season, moves on from an EPDO role for personal reasons and will head back to England taking up the post of Head Coach at Ealing in the Championship. His contribution to the development of our forwards was excellent and again, we wish him well with Ealing. His replacement will come with yet further experience in the form of

Another area which the Development Committee has been heavily involved with is the Sub Regional Funding Strategy which is run by DCAL. This strategy aims to support investment for enhancing and developing clubhouses and sports’ grounds. The recent Political and Budget difficulties at Stormont has delayed this scheme. However, in the interim, the Development Committee has maintained regular contact with DCAL to ensure that Ulster Rugby has all the necessary arrangements in place to make full use of the funding from this scheme when it becomes available. The Ulster Branch is again indebted to the continuing commitment and hard work of the Development Committee whose members are Cecil Watson (chair), Joe Eagleson, Michael Boyd, David Workman and Tony Reynolds. THE PROFESSIONAL GAME The 2015/16 Season has been defined by fine margins. The personnel changes introduced for this season are now firmly embedded and everyone within Ulster Rugby can see the improvements both on and off the pitch. Of particular note we would like to congratulate Rory Best on the huge honour of being named Ireland Captain, a fantastic achievement, and also a first cap against England in the Six Nations for rising star, Stuart McCloskey. Missing out by a solitary point on progression from the group stages in the Champions Cup was a bitter pill to swallow. However, in a group with the current powerhouse of Europe, Saracens, French giants, Toulouse and the unknown quantity in Oyonnax, it was always going to be a tough assignment. The back-to-back wins against Toulouse was one of the highlights of the season, producing some scintillating rugby and confirming Ulster as a force within Europe. Unfortunately, Saracens, both home and away, proved too strong and it was not a surprise when they defeated Racing Metro in the Final of this year’s European Champions Cup while leading the English Premiership, illustrating the sheer quality and strength in depth they have built on over the last 3 to 5 years. The Pro12 League has been a highly competitive entity this season with 8 sides still being in contention for a top 4 playoffs spot before the final couple of games. Ulster produced four excellent performances in the last four games, beating Connacht and Leinster at home and securing bonus point victories away to Zebre and Ospreys to finish in fourth place. This meant a play-off game against Leinster at RDS. However, Ulster have rued a couple of missed opportunities at home against the Scarlets and Munster which could have secured a home playoff. It should also be noted that Ulster have the second highest tries scored and are second best in points differential showing that the core elements of attack and defence have largely been very successful. Confidence was high going into the play-off against Leinster but, as has happened against Leinster in recent play-offs, the side came up just short on the day. While never wanting to make excuses, Ulster suffered a 25-28% injury rate throughout the season, with a high percentage of that to some of our key players. The flip side was that many players had to step up to the mark and having performed excellently have given us greater

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