Ulster Rugby Annual Report

down to Stephen is open to debate, but there can certainly be no doubt about the commitment he showed to fulfilling the requirements of his Presidency. We can only guess about how many functions and meetings he attended, and how much time he spent in the service of the Ulster Branch during 2018/19. For all his efforts on our behalf, we thank him and his wife Heather and wish them both a period of relaxation. The other Officers of the Branch were likewise committed. Our thanks are therefore recorded to Gary Leslie, Philip Gregg, Michael Boyd and Greg Irwin, and to all of our Committee Chairs. Jonny Petrie has been with us for only seven months, but he certainly hit the ground running. He has immersed himself in every nook and cranny of the organisation. His preparedness to attend so many Committee meetings and to watch so much Domestic rugby has been received with great enthusiasm from the rank and file. I am therefore pleased to offer our best wishes to Jonny and Siobhan and trust that they will be happy in Ulster. Paul Terrington, Chair of the Management Committee, has kept up the pressure to drive us forward and to ensure that we strive to be the best that we can be. While we still have some way to go, the combination of Paul and Jonny is likely to get us there sooner than might otherwise have been the case. Once again our IRFU representatives, John Robinson, John McKibbin, Davy Millar and Gerry Drennan worked tirelessly on behalf of the Branch. John Robinson has moved onto the Presidential ladder and we wish him well for the next three years. Gerry is stepping down after some thirteen years in post. While we offer our appreciation to all four, I would particularly thank Gerry for his contribution over such a long time. I could not complete this report without offering my thanks to Maeve Bogie, who stepped down last month. One of the most organised an efficient people I have ever met, she has been a huge help to me over my last three years in post, not least because of her presence on match nights. I wish Maeve a very happy retirement. Finally, as in previous years, I offer my sincere thanks to Lesley McGaughey for her help throughout the year and especially for her assistance with the Annual Report. Without her, while this report may have been completed, it is most unlikely that it would have been completed on time. I am pleased to present to you the Annual Report of the Ulster Branch for 2018/19. Denis Gardiner Honorary Secretary

R Baloucoune played on a number of occasions for the Ireland Men’s Sevens team, while A Baxter, C Boles and B Hogan were involved with the Women’s Sevens side. The Ulster age-grade players who represented Ireland at various levels during the season were B Carson, R Crothers, N Doak, O Egan, C McKee, G Saunderson, T Stewart, D Gaskin, P McAlpine, B Moxham, C Rankin, M Sands, E McIlroy, C McMenamin, A Sexton, L Finlay, E McIlroy, B Power and P Campbell. K McCormill, L Kinghan and K Hetherington were capped in the U18 Women’s Sevens. D Whitten, C Boomer, A Clarke and R Bell played for the Ireland Students, while C Smith was the only Ulsterman to play in the Ireland Club XV. Our congratulations go to all of those listed above. The Branch Committee was also pleased to recognise the following appointments: Ian McIlrath President of the IRFU John Robinson incoming Junior Vice President of the IRFU Kieran Campbell Ireland U20 Assistant Coach Alan McGonigle Ireland U19 Team Manager John McKinney Ireland U18 Schools Team Manager Michael Black Ireland U18 Clubs & Schools Team Manager Stanley McDowell Ireland Sevens (Men), Ireland Sevens (Women) Much, indeed most, of the foregoing report is the work of a number of contributors, both staff members and volunteers. My chief task has been to edit and collate. That inevitably means that some portions of the reports originally submitted have been omitted, simply due to pressure of space. I have endeavoured to include what I felt was the most important information. If I have left out anything that should have been reproduced, I can only apologise. My thanks go to all of those who produced reports, and for ensuring that they were all submitted on time Stephen Elliott’s year as President was much less fraught than that of his immediate predecessor. How much of the on-field success, which saw qualification for the knock-out stages of both competitions, was Assistant Coach James Topping Ireland Sevens (Men) Team Manager THANKS

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