Ulster Rugby - Annual Report 2017-18

PRESIDENT’S REPORT GRAFFIN PARKE

To be elected by the Council of the Ulster Branch to serve as President for the 2017/18 season has been a tremendous honour and to be the first person from the Rainey Old Boys Club in Magherafelt to hold this position has made the privilege even greater.

positive outcome of the season was the integration of so many of our top young players into the senior squad, with no less than eight Academy players featuring throughout the year. The area of Academy and Age-Grade development is certainly one of significant encouragement. Last year, a record twenty seven young players represent Ireland at U18, U19 & U20 level, representing a 73% growth over the past six years, and we are on course to continue that trajectory. In September, the Ulster U18 Schools’ team won the Interprovincial title for the first time in twelve years, defeating Leinster twice along the way to the outstanding success, with seventeen different schools represented on the squad. The Ulster “A” team reached the quarter-finals of the British & Irish Cup for the second year in a row, where Championship side Bedford Blues proved too experienced for the youthful Ulster team, which included thirteen Academy & Sub-Academy players. I travelled to this most enjoyable game with the very young and enthusiastic Ulster side which made us all very proud of their performance. Thanks to Branch members Bobby Stewart, Philip Gregg and Paul Flanagan who supported the “A” team at home and away throughout the season. Earlier this season our Director of Rugby Les Kiss parted company with the Club, and Head Coach Jono Gibbes is also set to leave in the summer. We thank both of them for the contribution to the Club and wish them well in their future endeavours. We recently confirmed that Dan McFarland will take charge as Head Coach next season and we look forward to welcoming Dan to Kingspan Stadium and supporting him as he leads the team into the future. On the playing front, several people will also be taking their leave, most notably Andrew Trimble, Tommy Bowe and Paul Marshall who are retiring, Robbie Diack and

Despite all of the well publicised difficulties for Ulster Rugby this season, I have found the experience very enjoyable and I will retain fond memories from the games, events, occasions and the many people I have met along the way. An early highlight from my term in office was certainly the Women’s Rugby World Cup, which proved to be a magnificent success with the semi-finals and final held at Kingspan Stadium and Queen’s University. The success of these events was a source of great confidence ahead of Ireland’s bid to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup but, alas, that was not to be as France emerged as the successful candidate. For the Ulster team, the PRO14 campaign got off to a promising start with consecutive wins over South African newcomers Cheetahs, Benetton and Scarlets, with the latter proving a poignant tribute on the fifth anniversary of the passing of Nevin Spence. However, too many below par performances, away from home in particular, would eventually cost Ulster a place in the Championship play-offs despite a late charge that featured impressive wins over Edinburgh, Ospreys and Glasgow. Ulster then defeated Ospreys in a crucial Champions Cup play-off at Kingspan Stadium to ensure top tier European rugby next season. In this season’s Champions Cup, Ulster kicked off with a home win over Wasps followed by defeat in La Rochelle in Round Two. In December, Ulster battled the snow and Harlequins to record impressive back-to-wins over the English Premiership side. One of the highlights of the season was the home win over La Rochelle in Round Five, but a disappointing loss to Wasps in the final pool stage game in Coventry saw Ulster miss out on the quarter- final places by just one point. On a personal basis, to travel with the team over the past three years has been a great experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the players better while visiting new stadia and locations. While results too often eluded us, one major

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