Ulster Rugby Annual Report

An attacker who ran some great lines, Darren was also one of the most dependable defensive players in the Ulster side. It would be difficult to argue with Bryn Cunningham’s view that Darren should have had more than the eleven Irish caps which he earned. Another of the fans most popular players, Chris Henry announced in an open letter that he had retired with immediate effect last November. Another ‘one- club’ player Chris made one hundred and eighty six appearances for Ulster and twenty four for Ireland. Both of these would have been greater had it not been for a serious illness which he suffered just before he was due to play for Ireland against South Africa in 2014. Thankfully he made such a complete recovery that he was able to resume playing for Ulster only five months later, before being selected in the 2015 Irish World Cup squad. Among the others to whom we say, or have already said, goodbye are Peter Nelson, Wiehann Herbst, Jean Deysel, Peter Brown, Rodney Ah You, Jonny McPhillips, Schalk Van der Merwe, Alex Thompson, Caleb Montgomery, David Busby and Jack Owens. Ian Nagle and Henry Speight both made valuable contributions during their short-term contracts. From the backroom staff, Aaron Dundon and Chris Hagan are also moving on, while Kevin Geary has agreed to take up a senior post with Bristol Bears. Fiona Hampton left her role as Head of Sales and Marketing to pursue other interests, Adrian McDonagh, IT manager relocated to Dublin, and Anita Bayne, events manager took up a position with the IFA. Also leaving, after many years, is Rev Andrew Thompson, following the decision that the position of chaplain would cease at the end of the season. All depart with our thanks for their contributions and with our best wishes for the future.

and a wait of one hundred and eleven years. Then, just to prove it hadn’t been a fluke, he did it again, this time beating the All Blacks at the Aviva Stadium in November 2018, by which time Rory had captained the team to number two in the world rankings, their highest ever position. In 2016 Rory had also led the Irish team to its first ever win against the Springboks in South Africa and cemented his place as one of the most successful Irish captains of all time by leading the side to the Grand Slam in 2018. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to rugby, while on his second tour with the British and Irish Lions in New Zealand, having also been in the touring party to Australia four years previously. Despite his International commitments, Rory still managed to play for Ulster on two hundred and twenty one occasions, testament to his commitment and pride in wearing the white shirt. As someone who gave his all for Ulster every time he took the pitch, his utter commitment, leadership and experience will be missed, both by his fellow players and by all of the fans, by whom he is regarded as an Ulster legend. We wish him every success in whatever he chooses to do after rugby, and hope that he will continue to visit the Kingspan Stadium in the future. Also Leaving Darren Cave has also retired. His ability was spotted early when as a pupil of Sullivan Upper School, he was selected to play for Ulster Schools, winning the Inter- Provincial Championship. He also helped Ireland U20s win the Grand Slam in the 2007 Six Nations and Ireland “A” to win the Churchill Cup in 2009. A “one-club” player, Darren drew level with Andrew Trimble in the last match of the season as Ulster’s joint most capped player with two hundred and twenty nine appearances.

8

IRFU ULSTER BRANCH ANNUAL REPORT 2018/19