Ulster Rugby Annual Report

Cooke was the sole Ulster representative in the AIL. Although it was a something of a development season for them, having to build and blood new young players following the late transfers of some experienced players shortly before the start of the season they still took home the All Ireland Shield title and finished fifth overall in the All Ireland League. Cooke also worked hard to establish a 2nd XV, who competed in the Ulster Rugby Conference/Development League and reached the Junior Shield final. Division One saw Malone have another extremely successful season, winning the double of the league & cup once again. They defeated City of Derry in the Junior Cup Final which was hosted at the Kingspan Stadium. They also reached the finals of the AIL Qualifier against a strong Suttonians side and narrowly missed out on promotion to the AIL. However, it is encouraging to note that they have been invited to participate in the Women’s AIL next season and we wish them luck on their first visit to the top tier. Unfortunately Enniskillen withdrew from the League/ Cup this season due to lack of playing numbers, exacerbated by a number of injuries. In its second season Division Two continued to flourish. Following a hugely successful recruitment drive Queen’s were in the driving seat and finished the season unbeaten, doing the double and taking home the Junior Shield. As a result of their successful campaign Queen’s will compete in Division One next year. It was also a highly positive season for Dungannon in their first year as a standalone team. They were highly competitive during the league and took that form into the Cup competitions emerging as ReJenerate Cup winners. The Conference/Development season started with three new teams involved in this league, but it soon became apparent that an amalgamation with Virginia/ Newry was not practical and they played no part. Cooke Seconds and a newly formed North Down team played each other as well as each of the eight teams from Division Two. These games were treated as glorified friendlies but crucially served as opportunities for Division Two teams to field their newer players whilst simultaneously allowing the Conference teams to gain confidence and experience. The success story of the season was North Down. They were a newly formed team comprising female players from Donaghadee, Ards and Bangor Rugby Clubs. Each Club already had a small but enthusiastic group of women, eager to develop their game but did not have enough numbers to form a team of their own. By joining together, it allowed them to develop a team to enter the Ulster Women’s Conference/Development League. The team also went on to reach the ReJenerate Shield Final. 2018/19 saw Pamela Stevenson take on the role of Chair of the Women’s Committee. Pamela brought her vast experience into the role encouraging a greater strategic direction for the committee which has been focusing on activities that specifically align with the IRFU ‘Women in Rugby Action Plan’. Youth Rugby (female) For 2018/19 girls youth rugby in Ulster was changed from three year age bands to U12, U14, U16 and U18.

Due to a lack of numbers, the fixtures were organised on a blitz format rather than as leagues or cups. The new format allowed girls at the start of their rugby journeys to get involved from the outset rather than having to build a full team before being able to access game time with their Clubs. Through a fantastic collective Club effort, fourteen blitzes took place over the course of the season with average attendances of over one hundred and fifty. In the absence of an official competition structure a ‘Clubs’ Club of the Year Award’ was implemented. Clubs voted for whichever Club they felt had best-displayed the five pillars of the IRFU Spirit of Rugby, those being Respect, Inclusivity, Integrity, Fun and Excellence. The result was a landslide victory for one of the season’s newcomers, Limavady CRFC. Schools Rugby (female) Three formats of the game were offered to Schools again this year with thirty one teams from twenty six Schools involved in the Participation Tag which is aimed at complete beginners. Eight teams from seven Schools were involved in the competitive Danske Bank Girls Tag Schools Cup Finals Day with Enniskillen Royal Grammar School coming out on top. The contact version of the game continued with sixteen teams from ten Schools involved in the X7s competition which was played on a four-tournament series basis. Erne Integrated were dominant and worthy victors in the Junior Competition and nearby neighbours Enniskillen Royal Grammar School took the senior trophy back to Fermanagh yet again. CLUBS COMMITTEE REPORT 2018/2019 Competitions Overview The new season started with one hundred and thirty seven teams entered in Ulster Branch adult male competitions, the same number as the previous year. This included two new teams, Ballymena Fifths and Ballyclare Fifths. Initiatives were promoted in an attempt to get more games played. As well the Regional League, the ‘Game On’ concept was trialled in certain Regional League sections after Christmas. This promoted the playing of games under a modified format whenever a team did not have sufficient numbers. While the number of games that took place under ‘Game On’ was relatively small, four matches after Christmas, there was much enthusiasm for the concept from those that took part. The trial of the ‘Game On’ concept was being assessed as the season came to a close, with any learning derived from the trial used to enhance bottom tier competition arrangements. In terms of key playing metrics, the overall number of games played showed an increase and the level of postponed games was also down on the previous season. The 2018/19 season, by contrast, saw a 27% increase in the number of cancellations. In the context of a 40% reduction in cancellations over the last two seasons this increase in was disappointing. However, a significant number of these cancellations were by a relatively small number of Clubs. The Competitions

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