Ulster Rugby Annual Report

has become the mainstay at loose-head prop and has been a complete revelation for the senior team, starting in five of the seven European games. Robert Baloucoune and Michael Lowry provide huge potential and incredible excitement every time they get the ball, combining for over twenty five starts this season, a phenomenal achievement. Angus Kernohan and James Hume also acquired significant experience, showing they are long-term future prospects for the Senior Ulster team. One of the stand-out performances of the season however, was from Marcus Rea on debut against Leinster in the final League game at Kingspan where he was awarded Man of the Match, a huge confidence booster for him. This all highlights the excellent work headed up by Kieran Campbell within the Academy and gives satisfaction to the work carried out three years ago to identify what was required to get to the next level. This season sees the curtain come down on two of Ulster’s long-term servants. It is hard to put into words what Rory Best has brought to Ulster Rugby over the years or to think of anyone who has had a more profound impact in the professional era than Rory. With well over two hundred caps for Ulster and one hundred and sixteen for Ireland (hopefully more to come in the World Cup in Japan) he has helped Ireland win the Six Nations on four occasions, including two Grand Slams, one as captain. He led Ireland to their first ever victory over New Zealand, was a member of the British and Irish Lions Squad on two tours and was honoured with an OBE in 2017 for services to rugby. A genuine legend of the game and a real family man, we will hopefully see more of Rory around Kingspan Stadium in the years ahead, at least as a supporter! We also see the retirement of Darren Cave. Due to become a Dad in July, he has given everything to the cause since his debut back in 2007. Darren, in his last match for Ulster in Glasgow, took his appearances to two hundred and twenty nine, to draw level with Andrew Trimble as Ulster’s joint most capped players. While he represented Ireland on eleven occasions, many would rightly argue he should have had more. Captaining Ulster to victory in the final regular season game against Leinster this season epitomised what he has brought time and time again over the years. Both will be greatly missed and we wish them and others departing for new challenges the very best. It is now firmly up to the new crop of talent in our relatively young squad to take over the mantle and lead Ulster to silverware in the years ahead. ULSTER SOCITY OF RUGBY FOOTBALL REFEREES It is with regret that the Society records the demise of our Honorary Life member Tom Mercer. The Society is grateful to our representatives Mark Orr on Branch Committee, Simon McDowell on Rugby Committee, Teddy Hall on Clubs Committee, Michael Cairnduff on Youth Committee and Eamonn Whealan on Women’s Committee. The society is pleased to acknowledge the support of Jill McCullough, Lesley McGaughey, Laura-Jane O’Neill, Pamela Wilkes and Paul Whitten who have been outstanding as per usual in their support of our duties.

solitary draw at home to the ever-improving and very dangerous Treviso. This gave the team great confidence going into the quarter-final of Europe against local rivals and kingpins of European Rugby for the last few years, Leinster. At a packed Aviva stadium with not a seat to be had, it had memories of the famous day back in ’99. What ensued was a game played at an intensity that Leinster openly stated they hadn’t faced all year. Unfortunately, while many felt we deserved the win, Leinster held on for a 21-18 victory. No sooner was the game over than attention quickly switched back to the Pro14. With Leinster runaway leaders of the Conference, we knew that if we got an away victory to either Glasgow or Edinburgh and a home win in the final game against Leinster (three incredibly tough fixtures to close the campaign) we would finish in second place and get a home quarter-final. While Glasgow were simply too strong on the day, the team gave a hugely commanding performance against Edinburgh, never letting them into the game and came away with an outstanding victory. With a couple of other results going our way, it meant that we had already secured a quarter-final at home against Connacht even before the Leinster match. However, with a very young side representing Ulster at Kingspan, we overturned Leinster in a thrilling encounter, 14-13 to finish the regular season on a real high. Connacht, now a serious force to be reckoned with, came to Kingspan Stadium looking for a quarter- final upset, while Ulster was keen to make amends for the earlier defeat at home during the season. A commanding performance from Ulster was delivered against a very dangerous and battling Connacht side, running out victorious 21-13, the small margin not telling the true story of a dominant display from Ulster. Unfortunately, the semi-final away to Glasgow two weeks later was where it all ended in bitter disappointment. A combination of Ulster failing to fire a shot and Glasgow playing their best rugby of the season led to a totally one-sided affair, Ulster losing out 50-20. While it was a bitter pill to swallow, the squad reflected more on a very positive season rather than dwelling on their disappointing performance in Glasgow. The building blocks have been put in place now for a step up in performance next season. With the demise of the B&I Cup, our shadow team played in a new competition named the Celtic Cup, involving the four Irish Provinces and the four Welsh Regions. In the inaugural season, all teams played six matches with a final to determine the overall winner. An age restriction was put in place to make this very much a development tool for young players and for Academy coaching and support staff to gain valuable experience on a week-to-week basis, with all six matches being played in a row. After a slow start with losses against Leinster and Scarlets, a very strong finish saw the team win four on the bounce against Dragons, Ospreys, Cardiff and Connacht. It gave the coaching staff the opportunity to see many of the next generation of talent performing on a regular basis against quality opposition. All in all, it was a successful first outing and will be the template moving forward. Our Academy continues to thrive with eight players gaining Senior experience this season. Eric O’Sullivan

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