Ulster Rugby v Southern Kings

Welcome back to Kingspan Stadium, the home of Ulster Rugby, where the Ulster squad return to action in the Guinness PRO14 for the first time in over a month. South African side, Southern Kings are

the opposition this time around and the Southern Hemisphere men will be eager to record their first win in the competition. Meanwhile, a win for Ulster would see them narrow the gap on Scarlets and Leinster who hold the top spots in Conference B. It was a high scoring game the last time the two sides met with Ulster winning out 43 – 36. The free-flowing nature of the last encounter, where no less than twelve tries where scored, bodes well for this evening as we look forward to another thrilling encounter. We also look forward to the first of our new Kingspan Kicking Challenges. Make sure you grab one of our giant red hands and you could be taking up the challenge for a chance to win £1000! We are known for our warm welcome and I am sure that Southern Kings and their travelling supporters will experience nothing less having made the long journey to join us here in Belfast. Finally, on behalf of Kingspan, I would like to wish the Ulster Rugby squad and

management team the very best of luck. To Ulster’s committed fans, enjoy the game, lead the way and help ensure that this is an evening to remember at Kingspan Stadium.

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CONTENTS

PRESIDENT’S WELCOME GUINNESS PRO14 WELCOME INTERVIEW: DWAYNE PEEL

3 5 8

TONIGHT'S MASCOTS 11 GUINNESS PRO14 MATCH PREVIEW 12 Q&A WITH JACOB STOCKDALE 13 INTERVIEW: DARREN CAVE 16 VOLUNTEER PROFILE 18 URSC NEWS 20

ACADEMY PROFILE: MATTHEW DALTON

23 24 26 30 32 35 36 39 42 46 49 52 53 54 56 60 61 62 63 64 41

INTERVIEW: JOHNNY McPHILLIPS

ULSTER SQUAD PROFILES

ULSTER TEAM

PULL OUT POSTER

SOUTHERN KINGS TEAM SOUTHERN KINGS SQUAD PROFILES 10 THINGS TO KNOW GIRLS SCHOOLS' RUGBY GUEST ARTICLE: ROD NAWN SUBWAY HALF TIME TEAMS WHAT'S ON

6 NATIONS UPDATE

IN PICS: ULSTER V LA ROCHELLE

OUR CLUB NEWS

SONI COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS AWARD ULSTER RUGBY VALUES

STADIUM MAP

STADIUM INFORMATION

THANK YOU

2017/18 FIXTURES

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We extend a special welcome to the Southern Kings officers, management, supporters and players this evening. We hope you all have a very enjoyable experience here in Ulster. When we visited Port Elizabeth back in early November we managed a narrow win (36-43) in an exciting, high scoring game in the Isaac Wolfson Stadium, located in a township on the outskirts of the city. This proved to be a very interesting time for many of our touring party who had never experienced anything or anywhere like this before. I think I can safely say the trip was an uplifting experience which will be remembered by us all. Some of us were lucky enough to be in Paris last weekend to witness the magnificent drop goal from Johnny Sexton in injury time after 40+ phases of excellent ball retention to give Ireland the 13-15 away win. We look forward to another good Ireland performance at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin tomorrow when we meet Italy. Since our last game here at Kingspan Stadium we have parted company with our Director of Rugby Les Kiss by mutual agreement. We thank Les for his commitment to Ulster and wish him, his wife Julie and their family well in the future. We congratulate the Ulster A team, sponsored by CD Group, on having qualified for the playoff stages of the British & Irish Cup where they will have an away quarter final tie against English side Bedford Blues on Easter Saturday 31st March. The Ulster Bank sponsored All Ireland League is progressing well with Ballynahinch leading the way in Division 1B and Banbridge close behind in 3rd position, while Malone are on top in Division 2A and Rainey Old Boys are second in Division 2B. The competition is heating up in the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup as we are down to the last eight, with the quarter-finals due to be played next Saturday 17th February, while fixtures in the subsidiary schools competitions also continue over the coming weeks. In High Schools' rugby, we congratulate Sperrin Integrated College, Magherafelt, who secured the inaugural U18 Cup thanks to a final win over Carndonagh Community School. Once again, we thank all our sponsors and loyal supporters, and we look forward to another enjoyable rugby experience here at Kingspan Stadium. SUFTUM! Graffin Parke President IRFU (Ulster Branch) As President of the IRFU Ulster Branch, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to Kingspan Stadium for tonight’s Guinness PRO14 Round 14 game against our friends from Port Elizabeth, South Africa, the Southern Kings. PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

IRFU ULSTER BRANCH 2017/18 OFFICERS Graffin Parke President Stephen Elliott Senior Vice President Gary Leslie Junior Vice President Denis Gardiner Honorary Secretary Michael Boyd Honorary Treasurer Greg Irwin Competitions Secretary EXECUTIVE TEAM Shane Logan Chief Executive Barry Willis Acting Domestic Rugby Manager Audrey Robinson Financial Controller Fiona Hampton Head of Sales & Marketing

Bryn Cunningham Operations Director

Kingspan Stadium, 134 Mount Merrion Avenue Belfast, BT6 0FT T +44 (0)28 9049 3222 ulsterrugby.com

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So much has happened since I last penned my welcome notes and there is no better starting point than congratulating our teams for their tremendous impact in European competition. Yes, six clubs can look forward to knock-out rugby in the Champions and Challenge Cups, but out on the pitch all of our clubs showed a shared spirit and ambition when it came how they want to play the game. Overall, our clubs won more games against opponents from the other leagues for the second season in a row and that should be a real point of pride for everyone involved. It’s brilliant to see our champions Scarlets earn a home quarter-final in the Champions Cup alongside Leinster and Munster – it’s only the second time we’ve had three teams win home quarter-finals so that makes for some exciting days ahead for those fans. Ospreys, Glasgow Warriors and Benetton also had their moments during the pool stages much like Dragons who came so close to reaching the quarter-finals in the Challenge Cup. Well done to Edinburgh, Cardiff Blues and Connacht for navigating their pools in such fantastic style – best of luck to all of them come April. On the Championship front, we’ve see the Southern Kings and Toyota Cheetahs play out the first-ever South African derbies in the Guinness PRO14 in their blistering summer sun. Both teams will now embark on three-game tours up north with the Cheetahs fighting to maintain third place in Conference A as they aim to reach the Guinness PRO14 Final Series in their first season. Speaking of the Final Series, we are delighted to welcome on board two new supporters for the business end of the season. ROS Nutrition and the Times Ireland & Sunday Times have joined us as Official Partners to the Guinness PRO14 Final Series and we’re excited to see how they activate these partnerships to connect with all our fans across the Championship. The expansion of the Final Series comes as direct result of the addition of the Cheetahs and the Kings and for the first-time ever six teams will have the chance to compete for the Guinness PRO14 trophy. Plus, there’s the addition of a Play-Off game for the seventh Champions Cup place so there are a lot of tasty fixtures ahead to look forward to. Of course, the Guinness PRO14 Final on May 26 is the ultimate celebration of the very best that our Championship has to offer and ticket sales are still going strong. Dublin’s Aviva Stadium provided a fitting setting (and a record attendance) last season and we know it will do so again this year. The Final is no longer an occasion for fans of the Finalists, it’s an incredible occasion for rugby supporters from all over the world and no matter where you’re coming from you can rely on Gullivers Sports Travel to arrange tickets, hotels and flights as our Official Supporter Travel Partner for the Guinness PRO14 Final Series – see www.gulliverstravel.co.uk. We also have a host of ticket options available to cater for every kind of match- day experience so make sure to log on to www.ticketmaster.ie where prices start at €7 for children and €35 for adults.. Martin Anayi Chief Executive Officer

DWAYNE PEEL ON THE SEARCH FOR CONSISTENCY

Having joined Ulster from Bristol Rugby last summer, Dwayne Peel was part of the new coaching ticket that led Ulster into the 2017/18 season. A season which it’s fair to say, has offered mixed results on the scoreboard, but one in which Peel insists the Ulstermen have made improvements. “I think, above all, we’ve worked really hard. We’d a new setup this year and we’ve worked hard on certain structures which we’ve started to see coming through in games. It has taken us a while and obviously, we have had mixed results. The Christmas period for us with the two losses against Connacht and Leinster were disappointing, beyond that I think there’s been some good patches in games and it’s about us finding consistency. “To go into the last round of Champions Cup still alive and top of the pool was great. It was a tough group with La Rochelle, Wasps and Harlequins so it was great to put ourselves in that position but unfortunately, if we’re honest, it was an average performance over in Coventry. I think the biggest thing for us is that we continue to work on what’s left of the season now and focus on the big run in for PRO14.” With January done and dusted, Ulster now faces another important block of games as the PRO14 heads towards the final straight. According to Peel, it’s business as usual, whether competing in one or two competitions simultaneously.

While Southern Kings have yet to win a match in the PRO14 competition, as a South African side they still pose a strong physical threat and have great pace, something which Ulster know a little about having faced them in November. “From the November game and the games we’ve seen of the (Southern) Kings, they’re prepared to throw the ball around and they can be dangerous given space and time, so we have to respect that. It’s obviously difficult coming into a new competition but I think they’re performing well in long periods of games and we need to be on the money tonight. We can’t give them cheap possession because if we give them cheap possession they’ve got the ability to hurt you because they’ve got good pace in the team.” The competition for PRO14 playoff places is fierce and with just a few points difference separating 3rd placed Ulster and Edinburgh in 4th. Peel is acutely aware of the importance of defeating Southern Kings tonight. “This block of games is crucial for the remainder of the season. We’ve got 3 home games in this period and a trip down to Scarlets as well. It’s really important to get off to a good start but it’s also really important we speak of consistency. If we have any ambition of going further in the competition, we have to have that going forward. It’s exciting we’re giving ourselves a chance, we’re in the mix and it’s in our hands how we approach it and how we do.” Professional sport is a fast paced industry and it is not unusual for coaches to move on. Ulster Rugby last week said farewell to Director of Rugby Les Kiss, who had given Peel the opportunity to coach at Ulster. “From a personal point of view, I’ve got massive admiration for Les. I think he is a great guy and I was lucky enough for him to give me an opportunity to come here so from my perspective I can’t speak highly enough of him. He’s a good man and he had Ulster Rugby at heart and worked tirelessly daily to improve the place so I’m sad to see him go, but this is the business of professional sport and these things happen. “For us, it’s a case of having to prepare well for the next game and that’s how Les wanted it as well. He had great support for us doing what we are here to do - and that’s the attitude we’ve taken. There’s been no down time, we’ve just moved on and prepped the team well because of the challenge ahead.”

INTERVIEW: DWAYNE PEEL “We didn’t prepare any differently for the European games than we did for the PRO14 so having the focus entirely on the PRO14 doesn’t affect anything as such; we just keep going as is. I think consistency on the field comes from the level of consistency in preparation. We constantly speak about performing well in training and that giving you the confidence to go into the game. As we have tried all year, we’re aiming to keep that level of consistency so when it

comes to matches we’re ready and prepared. “First and foremost after Wasps it was important to have a bit of a time away really, to recharge the batteries and get back into it fully. The boys have been working hard on generic stuff, like skill work, which is massively important to us, then there are some things that we’ve worked on and tried to put into place for the forthcoming games. Obviously, we’re under no illusions - February is a big month for us, it’s massive in terms of the games, and we all recognise the importance of putting ourselves in a good position, so it’s all systems go.”

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The GUINNESS word and associated logos are trade marks © Guinness & Co.2015.

TONIGHT’S MASCOTS

TONIGHT'S MASCOTS

SAM RICKARD (8) Sam is from Armagh where he attends St. Patrick’s Primary School. He enjoys horse riding and golf as well as watching rugby with his rugby-mad family. Sam is excited to be a mascot tonight and cannot wait to meet the players. His favourite player is Rory Best as he captains Ireland. When he is older, Sam would like to be a master builder.

OWEN COLLINGS (10) Owen is from Belfast. He attends Gilnahirk Primary School and plays Mini Rugby for CTYMS. Owen also enjoys cycling, playing guitar and reading. Owen can’t wait to be a mascot tonight to see what Kingspan Stadium looks like from the middle of the pitch with a full crowd. Charles Piutau is Owen's favourite player. When older, Owen would like to be an Ulster Rugby player or a doctor.

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GUINNESS PRO14 MATCH PREVIEW

ULSTER V SOUTHERN KINGS FRIDAY 9TH FEBRARY 2018, KO 19.35 KINGSPAN STADIUM, BELFAST

CURRENT STANDINGS 3 7

LAST TIME 36 43 04.11.17 ISAAC WOLFSON STADIUM

HEAD TO HEAD

ULSTER RUGBY FORM GUIDE WIN

SOUTHERN KINGS FORM GUIDE

1 1

1 0 1 0

PLAYED

WINS

DRAW LOST

WIN

DRAW LOST

0 0

LOSSES

LAST 3 MATCHES

LAST 3 MATCHES

DRAWS

THIS SEASON

26 19 15 0 213 3608 1283 1601 1823 331 79

44 26 20 0 332 6006 1771 2476 1555 218 57

TRIES

CONVERSIONS

PENALTIES

DROP GOALS

TOTAL POINTS

LAST 3 MATCHES

21.01.18 WASPS 26 ULSTER 7 13.01.18 ULSTER 20 LA ROCHELLE 13 06.01.18 LEINSTER 38 ULSTER 7 LAST 3 MATCHES

METRES GAINED

20.01.18 TOYOTA CHEETAHS 45 SOUTHERN KINGS 24 13.01.18 SOUTHERN KINGS 21 TOYOTA CHEETAHS 45 05.01.18 EDINBURGH 37 SOUTHERN KINGS 7

CARRIES

PASSES MADE

TACKLES MADE

TACKLES MISSED

GUINNESS PRO14 MATCH PREVIEW TURNOVERS WON

187 146 7 0

190 107

TURNOVERS CONCEDED

PENALTIES CONCEDED

4 0

YELLOW CARDS

RED CARDS

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ITALIAN FOOD / CHINESE FOOD MOVIE / THEATRE STAR WARS / INDIANA JONES EUROPE / AMERICA HIKE / BIKE BUNGEE JUMP / SKY DIVE UP EARLY / LIE IN SUPER MARIO / SONIC PLAYSTATION / X BOX IRON MAN / CAPTAIN AMERICA SUPERMAN / BATMAN X FACTOR / STRICTLY COME DANCING DOG / CAT Super power: Be able to turn myself completely metal WHICH TEAMMATE WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO SHARE A ROOM WITH ON AWAY TRIPS AND WHY? Sean Reidy – he always has good movies TELL US SOMETHING WE DON’T ALREADY KNOW ABOUT YOURSELF? I can play the guitar, ukulele and the banjo QUICKFIRE WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME? Fight Club HOW WOULD YOUR TEAMMATES DESCRIBE YOU IN THREE WORDS? Silly. Fun. Energetic. TEAM MATE MOST LIKELY TO MAKE YOU LAUGH? Alan O’Connor WHAT SONG MAKES YOU WANT TO DANCE? Fresh Eyes by Andy Grammer WHAT ACHIEVEMENT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OFF? Playing for Ireland SPORTING HERO YOU MOST ADMIRE? Roger Federer IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO USE A TIME MACHINE, WHAT YEAR WOULD YOU TRAVEL TO AND WHY? (PAST OR FUTURE) Back to the 60s to hear Johnny Cash play live – I love him! IF YOU BECAME AN AVENGER WHAT WOULD YOUR SUPERHERO NAME BE AND WHAT SUPER POWER WOULD YOU HAVE? Name: Metallica Q&A WITH JACOB STOCKDALE ANSWERS FAN QUESTIONS

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We know when we are mentally and physically well but sometimes we need a little extra support. Here are five simple steps to practice every day:

Connect

Connect Connect with the people around you: family, friends, colleagues and neighbours at home, work, school or in your local community. Think of these relationships as the cornerstones of your life and spend time developing them. Building these connections will support and enrich you every day.

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Be active Go for a walk or run, cycle, play a game, garden or dance. Exercising makes you feel good. Most importantly, discover a physical activity that you enjoy; one that suits your level of mobility and fitness.

Take notice

Take notice Stop, pause, or take a moment to look around you. What can you see, feel, smell or even taste? Look for beautiful, new, unusual or extraordinary things in your everyday life and think about how that makes you feel.

Keep learning

Keep learning Don’t be afraid to try something new, rediscover an old hobby or sign up for a course. Take on a different responsibility, fix a bike, learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food. Set a challenge you will enjoy. Learning new things will make you more confident, as well as being fun to do. Give Do something nice for a friend or stranger, thank someone, smile, volunteer your time or consider joining a community group. Look out as well as in. Seeing yourself and your happiness linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and will create connections with the people around you.

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ONWARDS AND UPWARDS FOR CAVE

With an impressive 204 caps for Ulster under his belt and another busy block of PRO14 games ahead, Darren Cave takes time to reflect on the season’s mixed offerings, and remains adamant that Ulster can still challenge for silverware.

“There have been lots of highs and lots of lows (this season). We’re probably playing a bit more inconsistently than we would have liked. Obviously getting so close to the quarter finals (of the Champions Cup) and then losing that way to Wasps in Round 6 was very disappointing, but onwards and upwards.

just the way it is because I absolutely love the club. I love winning for the club and when we lose it absolutely guts me but after 10 years you just get used to it. There’s no point dwelling on it. We’d love to be in the European quarter finals but we’re not. There’s no point sitting talking about it. We’re still in a position in the PRO14 whereby, yes, we’ve got work to do, but we can still challenge for it.” Cave became just the sixth player to make 200 appearances for Ulster against Connacht in December, and although the result might not have befitted the occasion, his strong performance awarded him a place on the team in each game since – an achievement which perhaps stands testament to his competitive nature and commitment to hard work. “The competition for places is pretty hot, particularly in the backs. I believe you don’t get into professional rugby without being a competitive person and once you get there everyone else is competitive too. Everybody wants to play and contribute as much as they can, which unfortunately means that sometimes you’ve got to sit and watch from the sidelines, which is tough. “But that’s just one of the challenges of being a professional rugby player. You’ve just got to

INTERVIEW: DARREN CAVE We’d like to be a bit higher up in our conference but we’re still sitting in third. We’ll work towards the win each week and hopefully end up in the top 3 and have a play-off at the end of the year.” Another product of the Ulster Academy system, Cave joined the squad ahead of the 2008 / 2009

season so he is a familiar face among fans. His experience on the field and grounding in Ulster Rugby values have gifted him with a firm grip on reality and stirring attitude in the face of disappointment. “Disappointment and defeat are just part and parcel of the professional game. I look back at this season, at my career – there have been so many highs but there have also been lots of lows. For somebody like me, someone who was brought up an Ulster fan - it’s in our family, it’s in the blood – it means that my emotions and my feelings towards Ulster are more extreme. If we win the highs are ridiculously high and when we lose the lows are ridiculously low, and that’s

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channel it and make sure that you are primed to come on if you’re on the bench waiting. Or, if you’re not involved at all and just watching the game then you’ve got to make sure the next time you get an opportunity to train you train as hard as you can, contribute as much to the group and hopefully that’s recognised by the coaches and you’ll get your opportunity.” Southern Kings joined the PRO14 competition at the start of the season and have yet to win a match in the competition. They did however show strong signs of what they were capable during their last meeting with the Ulstermen in November 2017, something which Cave is aware of. “I don’t really like when you hear stats like ‘this team have never won here’, ‘this team have never won there’. All records are made to be broken. Southern Kings have played a lot of good rugby and yes, they haven’t won, but we know from being over there how dangerous they are and we know what they’re capable of. But we also know that when we focus on ourselves and we get our stuff right we’re a very good team as well and we can put teams under pressure. Hopefully tonight we’ll do that to them and come out on the right end of the score line.” With all attention now fixed on the PRO14, Cave is intent on showing the real challenge that Ulster Rugby can offer in the back end of the season. “The focus for us is just probably doing basics well. You change and tweak little bits and bobs week to week depending on who you are playing but the core of your game, the way you want to play and the parts of the game that add up to make you the team that you are, they don’t change. For us we just want a little bit more accuracy all over the park, try and get us some gain line, try and get us some quick ball and we’ve got loads of backs that can do a load of damage. “Personally I just want to play as much as I can and contribute as much as I can to an Ulster team that ultimately is successful. I think it’s going to be a big ask from where we are but it still can be done. I’ve never been part of a team that’s won a league but that’s absolutely what I want and the more I can contribute to it the better, so everyday that’s my ultimate goal and we’ll work back from there.”

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VOLUNTEER PROFILE: GRAHAM JEWHURST

Volunteers play a huge part in the growth and development of rugby in Ulster, performing a variety of roles both at home games and in the various rugby clubs throughout the Province. Here we catch up with Graham Jewhurst, who freely gives up his time to provide rugby commentry for visually impaired supporters at Kingspan Stadium.

rugby became more of a business, volunteering clings on to a bit of what rugby has traditionally been about, and still is at club level. This means putting something into Ulster Rugby selflessly, which combined with the work of other volunteers hopefully enhances the experience of other supporters and perhaps even the players, and that’s a good feeling. What has been the highlight of your volunteering? Personally, it’s allowed me to try something I would never have thought of trying or had the opportunity to try before. I’ve now been inspired to pursue commentary further in a more professional capacity. What advice would you give someone who wants to start volunteering? Just go for it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. How did you get involved in volunteering? I saw an advert on the Ulster Rugby Facebook page and applied through there. Do you have to come from a rugby background or need rugby knowledge to volunteer with a rugby club? No, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved without prior rugby experience. However, one of my joys is that I get to harness my depth of rugby knowledge, garnered over 25 years of playing, to give back to the game. Having hung up my boots, my rugby involvement could easily have been limited to cheering from the side-lines, so there are plenty of volunteering options for the rugby guru too!

What does your volunteering involve? Providing commentary for all home matches, including distributing headsets prior to game and interviewing players at half time. When did you first begin volunteering with Ulster Rugby? November 2016. Have you had a previous volunteering role elsewhere? No. What inspired you to get involved? A love of rugby and unfulfilled ambition to commentate. What attracted you to the role? A realisation of the difference the service could make to supporters. What skills or qualities are required for your volunteering role? Passion, enthusiasm, quick thinking and in-depth Because, as of yet, no-one has offered to pay me! I’ve talked to some of the users of the service and it really makes a difference. How often do you volunteer? Every home match. What do you enjoy most about volunteering? The buzz of the big matches. Through it I’ve got to know a great bunch of other volunteers, particularly my fellow commentators, who are brilliant. Why would you encourage others to get involved? Ulster Rugby has traditionally had a special family feel to it. As professionalism has come in and knowledge of the game. Why do you volunteer?

ULSTER RUGBY VOLUNTEER PROFILE

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ULSTER RUGBY VOLUNTEER PROFILE

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ULSTER RUGBY SUPPORTERS CLUB (URSC) NEWS

URSC MEMBERSHIP 2017/18

The URSC Player of Month for both November and December was John Cooney PLAYER OF THE MONTH Les was a regular attendee at URSC events and very supportive of the club. We wish both Les and wife Julie the very best in the future. LES KISS

THANKS TO THE 925 MEMBERS WHO HAVE JOINED URSC SO FAR THIS SEASON. IT’S YOUR CLUB! International Tickets - one of the benefits of joining URSC members have the opportunity to win Ireland home International tickets, and if not lucky enough to win, then you could also have the opportunity to buy tickets. A list of those members who have won tickets or the opportunity to buy tickets is posted on www.ursc.co To renew or join up for the first time, go to membership.urs.co or email membership@ursc.co.uk. The final PRO14 game of the season sees Ulster take on Munster. The URSC will be running a bus to this match in Limerick at the end of April. Full details will be released in due course MUNSTER V ULSTER IN LIMERICK, 27-29 APRIL 2018 (KO TBC)

URSC NEWS

For more information on URSC, please visit membership.ursc.co or email membership@ursc.co.uk.

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ABBEY INSURANCE ULSTER ACADEMY MATTHEW DALTON

NAME Matthew Dalton DOB 16.11.1998 PREFERED POSITION Ti CURRENT CLUB

ACADEMY PROFILE

Malone RFC #redsox PREVIOUS TEAMS l Academy HONOURS Ulster U17, U18, U19, Ireland U18, U19, U20 RUGBY INFLUENCE SPORTING IDOLS Bakkies Botha and Anthony Joshua RUGBY AMBITION I hope to one day play for the British & Irish Lions A FACT NOT MANY PEOPLE WOULD KNOW ABOUT YOU I have a bit of an obsession with Adidas BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE RECEIVED Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 WORDS utgoing and stubborn STRONGEST AREA OF YOUR GAME Ball carrying and awareness AREA TO WORK ON Chop tackling and post tackle effort THING YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT RUGBY I love the competitiveness and the challenge to always strive to be a better player OTHER HOBBIES Fishing, b , MMA, golf, darts, pool, walking FAVOURITE MOVIE The Lord of the Rings trilogy PRE-GAME SONG Mobb Deep - Shook Ones and Shook Ones part 2 CHEAT MEAL Pizza PRE-MATCH SUPERSTITIONS I wear the same lucky boxers every match

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JOHNNY McPHILLIPS ON MAKING HIS FIRST START FOR ULSTER

Born and raised in Newcastle Upon Tyne, McPhillips played for England at U18 level and could just so easily have remained on English soil had it not been for the influence of his Irish-born parents and the lure of the green jersey.

“My mum's from Waterford, my dad was actually born in Tanzania but grew up here in east Belfast so there were always Irish jerseys floating around the house when I was younger. I lived all my youth in England, I was born and raised in England and educated there but I have massive family ties here. Lots of aunties and uncles on my mum's side are all in Waterford and Cork and on my Dad's side the aunties and uncles are in Dublin so we were back and forth a lot and spent a lot of Christmases in Ireland.” McPhillips joined the Ulster Academy in 2015 and excelled in his first year, during which he featured heavily for Queen’s University and the Ulster ‘A’ team. He was rewarded with a call up to the Ireland U20 squad for their Six Nations campaign and started all five matches in the 10 jersey. With such experience behind him, McPhillips is undaunted by the opportunity to pull on the starting 10 jersey tonight. “To be honest there's always pressure when you're selected. The role won't change too much, I suppose there's an element of trying to control the game from the off rather than making an impact, so a slight change in mindset but come match night it will be the same, try to do my best obviously. There's always going to be nerves but that can be a good thing if you harness them right. It shows that you're respecting what you're going out there to do. It's all about trying to take the opportunity and trying to play well.”

That will change depending on the scenario, whether the game is tight or out of reach. For me, it’s just about trying to add impact and value and energy.” McPhillips was a talented football player. He spent five seasons in the Newcastle United Football Academy and might have been following an entirely different career path were it not for a scholarship to boarding school at Sedbergh which then turned his focus to rugby. ”I probably wasn't good enough. I enjoyed that [football] when I was younger and then as I was getting older I was enjoying my rugby and a lot more and got an opportunity to play at school and that sort of took over. The football had maybe reached its limits! It was getting a bit too competitive and I probably didn't have the necessary skills and requirements for the modern day, given how competitive it is. But I enjoyed it.” McPhillips has the temperament and talent to go far with Ulster and is determined be the first choice out-half going forward. “If you ask any of the 10s it's everyone's goal to be the starter week in, week out. In terms of the mindset for the next games we focus on each game at a time. To get the best outcomes you focus on the game ahead, prepare right and hopefully deliver a good performance, build confidence and take it like that. Hopefully, as a result of all of that, you can put in good performances that give you the best possible chance to hold on to the starting shirt week after week. And that that puts you in a good position for next year regardless of who is here.” Australia back Christian Lealiifano joined Ulster on a short-term contract in August. He made his final appearance in the number 10 jersey at the Champions Cup pool match against Wasps on 21 January, but as McPhillips shares, Lealiifano’s time at Ulster has made a lasting impact on the squad as a whole.

INTERVIEW: JOHNNY McPHILLIPS The young out-half made his senior debut for Ulster against Connacht in December 2017 coming on at half time to provide the team with a much needed lift. Whether starting on coming on from the bench McPhillips insists that his focus on adding benefit is the same.

“On a personal level I take confidence from what I did and know I can come on in that environment and add value and a good input. Just add value, add input, bring what I think I can to the team.

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“When you have someone of his calibre, of his quality, it was about extracting as much as you can on and off the pitch from someone like that. He did a lot of work with me. He watched my club games and sat me down and gave me pointers and stuff, which was massively beneficial. For someone like me who is young and in an important role in the team, it was massive.” development was the opportunity to represent Ireland U20s in the World Cup. “I loved that tournament. The team we played in was absolutely great, obviously it still hurts not to go one more step and win it but it was massive and I learned an awful lot from playing with the U20s. I hadn't played a lot at 10 before that so that first Six Nations campaign was probably the first rack of games that I played at 10 at a decent level. From there it gave you the opportunity to play against the best people in the world at your age, so it was a great chance to learn and grow and develop as players. I know there's a few boys at Leinster and Munster who were in that team as well who are starting to come through now so it was massively important.” Equally important to the young out-half’s

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RODNEY AH YOU

JOHN ANDREW

RORY BEST

Prop 27.10.88 186cm 128.1kg 31 3 Prop 25.02.86 180cm 116.8kg 141 —

Hooker 26.05.93

Hooker 15.08.82 180cm 105kg

180cm 99.1kg 38 —

204 105

TOMMY BOWE

PETER BROWNE

CALLUM BLACK

Wing 22.02.84

Lock 25.10.87 200cm 115.8kg 34 — Centre 05.04.87 182cm 93kg 204 11 Flanker 05.03.85 191cm 118kg 8 SA 4

191cm 98.6kg 163 69

DAVID BUSBY

AARON CARINS

DARREN CAVE

Wing/Full Back 03.02.94

Scrum half 07.10.92

179cm 89.8kg 2 —

176cm 84.9kg 2 —

JEAN DEYSEL

MARCELL COETZEE

JOHN COONEY

Back Row 08.05.91

Scrum half 01.05.90 177cm 88kg 17 1

191cm 122kg 5 SA 28

ULSTER SQUAD PROFILES 26 CRAIG GILROY Wing/Full back 11.03.91 182cm 94kg 157 10 WIEHAHN HERBST Prop 05.07.88 177cm 120.9kg 69 — CHRIS HENRY Back Row 17.10.84 187.cm 105.5kg 178 24 ROBBIE DIACK No. 8 12.11.85 193cm 110.8kg 204 2

IAIN HENDERSON

Lock/Back Row 21.02.92 200cm 117kg 86 3

ROB HERRING

Hooker 27.04.90

182cm 106kg 135 3

www. ULSTERRUGBY .com

BRETT HERRON

ROSS KANE

LOUIS LUDIK Full back 08.10.86

Fly Half 13.11.95 183cm 89.9kg 8 —

Prop 14.10.94 179cm 113.5kg

182cm 92.4kg 69 —

19 —

ROB LYTTLE

PAUL MARSHALL

LUKE MARSHALL

Centre 28.01.97

Scrum half 26.07.85

Centre 03.03.91 180cm 98kg 111 11 Centre 06.08.92 190cm 108.8kg 73 2

ULSTER SQUAD PROFILES

174cm 86.2kg

170cm 76.0kg 203 3

13 —

KYLE McCALL

JOHNNY McPHILLIPS

STUART McCLOSKEY

Fly Half 13.04.97

Prop 02.01.92 177cm 106.7kg 45 —

180cm 88.9kg 4 —

CALEB MONTGOMERY

PETER NELSON

ALAN O’CONNOR 2nd Row 10.09.92 195cm 113.2kg 54 —

Back Row 19.06.95

Utility back 05.10.92 180cm 87kg 45 —

191cm 105kg

— —

TOMMY O'HAGAN

JACK OWENS

CALLUM PATTERSON

Prop 05.10.93 182cm 120kg

Wing/Full Back 04.10.95

Centre 10.08.92

189cm 98.6kg 1 —

181cm 93.3kg

— —

— —

MATTHEW REA Back row 21.09.93 193cm 110.8kg

JARED PAYNE

CHARLES PIUTAU

Centre/Full back 13.10.85 187cm 94kg

Utility back 31.10.91 186cm 103.5kg 39 NZ 17

13 —

78 20

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SEAN REIDY Back row 10.05.89 182cm 103kg 74 2

CLIVE ROSS Back row 14.06.89 190cm 107.2kg 58 —

DAVE SHANAHAN

Scrum half 20.06.93

174cm 77.4kg

18 —

JONNY SIMPSON

JACOB STOCKDALE

NICK TIMONEY

Prop 19.08.90 182cm 108.3kg 4 — Lock 06.11.95 198cm 115kg 36 3 Prop 12.03.91 177cm 113kg 86 —

Utility back 03.04.96 190cm 102kg 37 3

Back Row 01.08.95 193cm 110kg

ULSTER SQUAD PROFILES

— —

KIERAN TREADWELL

ANDREW TRIMBLE

SCHALK VAN DER MERWE

Prop 04.12.90 184cm 110kg 3 —

Wing 20.10.84 185cm 98kg 228 70

ANDREWWARWICK

PLAYER STATS

Keep up to date with the latest player profiles, career stats and squad news at www.ulsterrugby.com .

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15

1

CHARLES PIUTAU

ANDREW WARWICK

14

2

CRAIG GILROY

JOHN ANDREW

13

3

WIEHAHN HERBST

LUKE MARSHALL

12 ULSTER TEAM

4

STUART McCLOSKEY

ALAN O'CONNOR C

11

5

KIERAN TREADWELL

ROB LYTTLE

6

10

MATTHEW REA

JOHNNY McPHILLIPS

7

9

SEAN REIDY

JOHN COONEY

REPLACEMENTS 16 17 18 19 R HERRING K McCALL R AH YOU M DALTON

20 21 22 23

C HENRY J STEWART

8

D CAVE L LUDIK

NICK TIMONEY

TODAY’S OFFICIALS

REFEREE JOY NEVILLE IRFU 1ST COMPETITION GAME ASSISTANT REFEREES KIERAN BARRY IRFU | SHANE KIERANS IRFU TMO OLLY HODGES IRFU

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A FUTURE BUILT ON TEAMWORK At Kingspan, we value individual contributions and talents and strive to provide a culture wherein we all have the opportunity to develop every aspect of our potential.

www.kingspan.com

Working Together

ONE BALL. FOURTEEN T

TRUST. INNOVATION. PERFORMANCE.

15

1

SCHALK FERREIRA

MASIXOLE BANDA

14

2

YAW PENXE

MIKE WILLEMSE C

SOUTHERN KINGS TEAM

13

3

BERTON KLAASEN

PIETER SCHOLTZ

12

4

LUZUKO VULINDLU

STEPHAN GREEFF

11

5

BOBBY DE WEE

ANTHONY VOLMINK

6

10

MARTIN DU TOIT

ANIDISA NTSILA

7

9

MARTINUS BURGER

ROWAN GOUWS

REPLACEMENTS 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23

S COETZEE J SMITH D VD WESTHUIZEN J VAN VUUREN

E BREDENKAMP G MASIMLA B JV RENSBURG H KLAASEN

8

RUAN LERM

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TANGO BALEKILE

LUSANDA BADIYANA

MASIXOLE BANDA Full Back 11.06.88 169cm 76kg —

Hooker 07.03.96 183cm 101kg —

Flanker 01.09.96 183cm 100kg —

MARTINUS BURGER

EITAL BREDENKAMP

ALSHAUN BOCK

Back Row 01.11.93 193cm 108kg —

Flanker 28.01.93 177cm 98kg —

Wing 16.05.82 181cm 83kg —

PIETER DE KLERK

KURT COLEMAN

STEPHANUS COETZEE

Prop 21.08.89 186cm 125kg —

Fly-half 29.01.90 177cm 87kg —

Hooker 09.01.92 185cm 114kg —

MARTHIENUS DREYER

ARTHUR DE WEE

PIETER-STEYN DE WET

Prop 25.08.88 184cm 121kg —

Lock 04.02.94 198cm 105kg —

Fly-half 08.01.91 175cm 89kg —

MARTIN DU TOIT

SCHALK FERREIRA

NTABENI DUKISA Full Back 25.07.88 184cm 90kg —

Prop 09/02/1984 187cm 115kg —

Fly-half 27.06.89 183cm 85kg —

JUSTIN FORWOOD

STEPHAN GREEFF

ROWAN GOUWS

SOUTHERN KINGS SQUAD PROFILES Prop

Lock 24.12.89 197cm 114kg —

Scrum-half 06.08.95 175cm 79kg —

192cm 133kg —

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B JANSE VAN RENSBURG

HARLON KLAASEN

BERTON KLAASEN

Left Wing 13.08.93 183cm 93kg —

Fly-half — 186cm 92kg —

Centre 24.01.90 186cm 96kg —

Number 8 25.03.92 196cm 104kg — RUAAN LERM

KHAYA MAJOLA

MICHAEL MAKASE

Flanker 13.03.92 185cm 104kg —

Wing 20.01.90 184cm 92kg —

SOUTHERN KINGS SQUAD PROFILES

GODLEN MASIMLA

SIYABULELA MDAKA

LUBABALO MTYANDA

Lock 19.03.86 200cm 130kg

Flanker 14.02.88 186cm 103kg —

Scrum-half 11.08.92 176cm 82kg —

JACQUES NEL

FREDDY NGOZA

ANDISA NTSILA

Flanker 20.10.91 189cm 107kg —

Centre 17.03.93 186cm 92kg —

Number 8 07.11.93 182cm 98kg —

LUVUYO PUPUMA

PIETER SCHOLTZ

YAW PENXE

Prop 16.10.92 176cm 113kg —

Right Wing 03.04.97 181cm 89kg —

Prop 20.03.94 186cm 130kg —

VICTOR SEKEKETE

SIBUSISO SITHOLE

JOHAN SMITH

Flanker 28.01.94 196cm 105kg —

Left Wing 14.06.90 182cm 98kg —

Prop 02.12.91 182cm 112kg —

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ENTIENNE SWANEPOEL

D VAN DER WESTHUIZEN

JP SMITH

Scrum-half — 187cm 90kg —

Prop 09.03.93 190cm 124kg —

Prop — 182cm 118kg —

ALANDRE VAN ROOYEN

RUDI VAN ROOYEN

DRIES VAN SCHALKWYK

Hooker 23.08.96

Scrum-half 05.01.92 184cm 82kg —

Number 8 21.12.84 194cm 108kg —

182cm 106kg —

JURIE VAN VUUREN

CJ VELLEMAN

ANTHONY VOLMINK

Lock 07.06.93 191cm 118kg —

Flanker 24.02.95 180cm 95kg —

Left wing — 182cm 96kg —

LUZUKO VULINDLU

LINDOKUHLE WELEMU

MIKE WILLEMSE

Centre 14.11.87 184cm 100kg —

Lock 29.04.91 194cm 114kg —

Hooker — 183cm 105kg —

OLIVER ZONO

Fly-half — 167cm 75kg —

Keep up to date with the latest player profiles, career stats and squad news at www.skings.co.za PLAYER STATS

SOUTHERN KINGS SQUAD PROFILES

GET SOCIAL. FOLLOW US.

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UlsterRugby

UlsterRugbyOfficial

OfficialUlsterRugby

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10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT SOUTHERN KINGS

8 9

1

After a baptism of fire in the new competition, the Kings claimed its first points with a five-try performance in the 43-36 home defeat by Ulster. Winger Yaw Penxe is the Kings’ leading try and points scorer in the PRO14 – touching down four times and adding five points from the boot. Two of those scores came against Ulster in November. In a young and recently- recruited squad, lock forward Dries van Schalkwyk stands out, having played for South Africa.

The Kings’ principal home ground is the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth which has a capacity of 48,000.

10 THINGS TO KNOW

2 3 4 5 6

The Kings franchise was formally founded in 2009 with the view of providing Super Rugby for the Eastern Cape.

The club’s first game was in June, 2009, against the touring British and Irish Lions. They lost 20-8.

10

Super Rugby arrived in February 2013 with the Mandela Stadium cheering the side to a 22-10 victory over the western force from Australia. Relegated in its inaugural season, the Kings had to wait until 2016 for re-admission to an expanded Super Rugby. Former Ulster Director of Rugby, Alan Solomons, held the same post at the Kings, where another Ravenhill favourite, Matt Sexton, was Head Coach for a time. In April 2017, Super Rugby announced that in 2018 three clubs would be ‘cut’, and within months the Kings and the Cheetahs were welcomed into the Guinness PRO14.

7

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An unmissable line up on BT Sport Visit bt.com/sport or call 0800 201 2201

THE ASHES

CUP

WHAT'S ON

#SUFTUM

WIN TOP PRIZES THE KINGSPAN KICKING CHALLENGE ON THE PITCH FROM 7.25PM JOIN THE BANTER ON

THE BIG RED BUS ENJOY TOP TUNES FROM THE Q RADIO JEEP PUT YOUR RUGBY SKILLS TO THE TEST WITH THE RIVER ROCK PASSING CHALLENGE SING-A-LONG WITH LIVE MUSIC BY DAVID WRIGHT IN THE CLUBHOUSE BAR MEET OUR PLAYERS IN THE KUKRI SHOP, URSC TRAILOR AND OUR QUARTER CLUBHOUSE HUNGRY? THE FOOD VILLAGE, LOCATED IN THE HEART OF THE FAN ZONE, OFFERS 8 DIFFERENT STREET FOOD VENDORS THIRSTY? CHOOSE FROM A RANGE OF BARS INCLUDING: » THE BIG RED BUS BAR LOCATED IN THE FAN ZONE » THE POP UP PROSECCO BAR LOCATED IN THE CLUBHOUSE BAR » THE SCRUM BAR & LINE OUT BAR LOCATED IN MEMORIAL STAND » THE CLUBHOUSE & HEINEKEN QUARTER BAR LOCATED IN THE GRAND STAND

SHARE YOUR PICS FROM THE MATCH WITH #SUFTUM TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT AND WIN YOUR CHANCE TO FEATURE IN OUR FAN OF THE WEEK PAGES!

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UPCOMING GIRLS SCHOOLS' EVENTS

There are a number of different opportunities for girls of all levels of experience to get involved in schools rugby over the coming months.

PARTICIPATION TAG Beginners standard. Non-contact so teams can be comprised of players from any year group. Rules simplified to suit the experience level of players on the day. 7-aside minimum up to 10-a-side maximum. 3 upcoming events:

7-A-SIDE CONTACT RUGBY Suitable only for those players who are confident and competent in contact rugby. Cross-field half-pitch 7-a-side format with strict rules. Junior teams made up of players born between 1/7/2002 and 30/6/2005 (NI Yr9-11, ROI Yr1-3) and Senior teams will be comprised of players born between 1/1/1999 and 30/6/2002 (NI Yr12- 14, ROI Yr4-6). Three upcoming events: JUNIOR AND SENIOR PROVINCIAL TOURNAMENT WEDNESDAY 28th FEBRUARY 2018 Mid-Ulster Sports Arena, Cookstown, 11am - 2pm. SENIOR 7S FINAL WEDNESDAY 21st FEBRUARY 2018 Kingspan Stadium, 12 noon Top 2 senior teams only with winners awarded Danske Bank Senior Girls 7s Schools Cup JUNIOR 7S FINAL THURSDAY 22nd MARCH 2018 Mid-Ulster Sports Arena, Cookstown, 11am - 2pm Top 2 Junior teams only with winners awarded Danske Bank Junior Girls 7s Schools Cup. On the same day at the same venue there will also be a provincial tournament for all Junior and Senior team non-finalists. ACTION REQUIRED Entries for the Provincial tournament on 28th February should be sent to neal.johnston@ulsterrugby.com no later than 9am Thursday 22nd February. If you have any queries relating to Girls' Secondary Schools Rugby please contact Neal Johnston on 07767 115 764.

WEDNESDAY 7th MARCH 2018 Mid-Ulster Sports Arena, Cookstown, 11am - 2pm. THURSDAY 8th MARCH 2018 Valley Leisure Centre, Newtownabbey, 11am - 2pm. THURSDAY 8th MARCH 2018 The Peace Link, Clones, 11am - 2pm.

ACTION REQUIRED To enter a team please email neal.johnston@ulsterrugby.com by 9am Thursday 1st March 2018.

GIRLS SCHOOLS' RUGBY TAG SCHOOLS CUP Advanced Standard. Suited to experienced players and athletes from other sports. Non- contact so teams can be comprised of players from any year group. 10-a-side with strict rules. Winners awarded Danske Bank Girls Tag Schools Cup. One day event:

FRIDAY 20TH APRIL 2018 Mid-Ulster Sports Arena, Cookstown, 11am - 2pm.

ACTION REQUIRED Correspondence will be sent out in early late March/early April but if you would like to submit an entry now please do so by emailing neal. johnston@ulsterrugby.com

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GIRLS SCHOOLS' RUGBY

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Where were we, then, when last we gathered at Kingspan Stadium for what seemed another in a never-ending cycle of ‘crucial’ games for Ulster. DECISIONS NOT JUST FOR THE PITCH

as a back-rower has grown enormously, to almost mythic status – during his sad, unfortunately lengthy absence through injury. To invest so much in the shape of one player, of fine pedigree, is unrealistic and unfair: the forward unit needs to be more robust, ‘edgier’, disciplined and it must be allowed consistent selection to secure a collective purpose. The Ulster Rugby management model must be carefully examined. That a Director of Rugby must have some distance from the coaching craft. That is why Ulster is so fortunate to have the intelligence of Bryn Cunningham at its disposal. He accepts and even relishes responsibility, he has the respect of the coaching team in situ – and he knows what must be done to improve the Academy itself and the routes players may find to it. The humbling comparison with Leinster is trotted out ad nauseum, but the yawning gap in the quality and flow of our younger players and those at the RDS is real. And as this season undergoes a swift ‘service’ to salvage something for the fans, for the players and the reputation of those directly involved with the squad and the very structure of the organisation, it behoves us all to redouble support, offer real and constructive guidance and dismiss the often subverting influence of social media. Now is a time to be realistic, and for real people, real opinions, real and authentic voices to be heard. It’s been a difficult few weeks for Ulster and one player who was never difficult: to watch, to make a connection with, has decided that he’ll come back from his latest injury for one last hurrah in a few weeks and then hang up his boots. Tommy Bowe’s announcement of his imminent retirement was universally greeted with a sigh of regret allied to gratitude for a rugby life well played. A wondrous player in full, loping sight, an Ireland team with Bowe and Trimble on the flanks was a thing of real beauty! Tommy’s languid style, on and off the pitch, won him – so rightly – the admiration of a public way beyond these shores, and he’ll look back on his sporting career with real satisfaction. The loveliest of men, the most professional of players, his absence will be felt in the dressing room, but hopefully with his profile and easy manner he’ll be expertly deployed by the club which sparked his record-breaking exploits to show the very best of Ulster. And of Emyvale!

That Saturday afternoon, Europe was on our minds, could a Champions Cup win over La Rochelle hold out hopes of a ‘run’ in the tournament and cast aside, for a while, the dismal mood generated by a poor sequence of displays in the Inter-Pro contests. The win over La Rochelle demonstrated that, not far below the surface, a character and cussedness still breathes in the player pool, and all-too-briefly hopes of knockout Cup rugby in April glimmered. Wasps, realising what it possesses and to the standard to which it must be held, smashed those Ulster ambitions in Coventry in the final Pool One game. So, from leadership of the group and a potential quarter-final place, 80 minutes of quality English Premiership rugby consigned Ulster to elimination. Director of Rugby Les Kiss had borne much of the criticism for this uneven season, and the unrewarding campaigns since 2015 when he took charge. That he never ‘dodged a media bullet' will remain to his credit, but he remained convinced that he and his hand-picked coaches – Jono Gibbes, Dwayne Peel, Aaron Dundon and Niall Malone – would still see the squad fulfil its clear potential and challenge for the PRO14 title. Les Kiss resigned last week, in a quiet week of no games for his side as the Six Nations Championship beckoned. For a proud man who’d done much to fashion Ireland’s 2009 Grand Slam and who was subsequently became a key adviser to Joe Schmidt, his departure from Kingspan Stadium was as dignified as it was inevitable. Kiss should be thanked for his undoubted

GUEST ARTICLE: ROD NAWN commitment and rigour, and it now falls to Head Coach Gibbes to create an environment and mood which can fire and liberate the brilliance of Charles Piutau, Jacob Stockdale, Luke Marshall, Darren Cave and Stuart McCloskey amoung others. Gibbes is a brilliant forwards coach, he has played there with distinction and helped Leinster and

Clermont to the very heights. He must concentrate on his huge strengths in that area and be given the players he needs to give Ulster a pack to be feared. The interesting visit tonight of the PRO14 newcomers, the Southern Kings, is perhaps the sort of starting point Gibbes would have liked to begin his tenure in overall coaching charge. As fans we possibly hope for a harvest of tries – if not quite so evenly shared! – as in the reverse fixture in South Africa in the autumn. We all trundle out the truism that all games are won up front: too often with Ulster that has been only inconsistently true, and far too much has been expected of Iain Heenderson, Rory Best and Chris Henry, for instance, while Marcel Coetzee’s greatness

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