Ulster Rugby v Wasps

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CONTENTS

EPCR WELCOME

3 5 7 9

PRESIDENT’S WELCOME TONIGHT'S MASCOTS KINGSPAN WELCOME

JOHN COONEY

10 13 14 15 16 18

GIVE IT A TRY UPDATE

MATCH PREVIEW CHARLES PIUTAU

RODNEY AH YOU Q&A ULSTER U18 GIRLS ABBEY INSURANCE ULSTER ACADEMY

21

ULSTER ACADEMY & AGE-GRADE TEAM FIXTURES

22 24 26 30 32 35 36

#16THMAN

ULSTER SQUAD PROFILES

ULSTER TEAM

POSTER

WASPS TEAM

WASPS SQUAD PROFILES

WASPS TO WATCH 39 PARTNERSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT 41 PARTNERSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT 42 ROD NAWN 46 SUBWAY HALF TIME TEAMS 53 CHRIS HENRY 54 OUR CLUB NEWS 56 ULSTER RUGBY VALUES 57 WHAT'S ON 59 STADIUM MAP 60 STADIUM INFORMATION 61 FIXTURES 63 THANK YOU 64

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THE AGONY THE ECSTASY THE PRIDE THE GLORY

ChampionsCupRugby.com

#ChampionsCup

WELCOME MESSAGE FROM EPCR

EPCR WELCOME

After a busy 12 months with top-class action on the pitch and several exciting developments off it, it is a pleasure to welcome you to a brand new season of European professional club rugby.

More than one million spectators passed through the turnstiles last season in the European Rugby Champions Cup, culminating in Saracens retaining their crown with victory over ASM Clermont Auvergne at BT Murrayfield and Owen Farrell winning the inaugural Anthony Foley Memorial Trophy as the EPCR European Player of the Year. Last season brought many outstanding rugby experiences in the Champions Cup across the continent. This season, our commitment to expanding the footprint of European rugby is reflected in the landmark decision to award this season’s final to the state-of-the-art San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao, the first time that the event will be staged outside of the ‘six nations’. All clubs have qualified on merit through the Aviva Premiership, Guinness PRO12 and TOP 14 and there are significant improvements made to the qualification formats this season. The best seven European clubs from what is now the PRO14 will progress to the Champions Cup irrespective of their nationality. To be clear, this will not involve the South African clubs admitted to the Guinness PRO14 this season. However, we welcome their arrival in Northern Hemisphere rugby, as do all rugby followers. In another major change we have made, the winner of the Challenge Cup will qualify directly for the Champions Cup from this season onwards, should they not have already booked

their place via their league position. We know this will be welcomed by all. EPCR commits to maintain its focus on excellence both on and off the field in what is an ever-evolving rugby landscape both regionally and globally. We are delighted to be joined once again by Official Partners Heineken and Turkish Airlines, Official Supporter, Tissot, and Official Supplier, Gilbert. Moreover, we look forward to another season of top quality coverage from our broadcast partners BT Sport, Sky Sports, beIN SPORTS and France Télévisions, taking the premium tournaments of European club rugby to homes across the world. As well as their coverage, you can stay close to the heart of the competitions through ChampionsCupRugby.com and official social media channels, where you can play our exciting new Fantasy Rugby game as well as winning some superb prizes by selecting your Try of the Round after each matchweek during the pool stage. We invite you to tune in to another season of outstanding rugby across Europe and wish you a wonderful time culminating in a visit to our most ambitious rugby venue yet, Bilbao. Enjoy the start of the European season.

Simon Halliday EPCR Chairman

#ThisIsYourTime

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The hard fought win against Connacht in the PRO14 last Friday evening took us up to second in Conference B and gave the team great momentum going forward into tonight’s game. Along with Wasps, who reached the quarter final stage of the competition last season, Ulster is joined by La Rochelle and Harlequins in Pool 1. Against such quality opposition, a win tonight would provide us with a much desired good start. We extend a hearty Ulster welcome to all the Wasps management, players and supporters and wish them an enjoyable stay in the Province. The Ulster A team, sponsored by CD group, also begin their British & Irish Cup campaign this weekend when they meet Scarlets Premiership Select side at Rifle Park, Banbridge, on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 2.30pm). Your support would, as always, be most welcome. With the schools and age-grade inter-pro season having now been completed, we are pleased to congratulate all who took part, with a special mention for the 18 players from age-grade teams involved with National Training Squad during the summer, the 13 Ulster players currently in the Ireland U20 squad and the 12 Ulster Schools’ players selected for Ireland Schools’ Camp in early November. Six Ulster U19 players have also been selected for Ireland U19 Camp in the coming weeks. This would have been seven except that one player is currently in NZ and would not have been able to attend. After four rounds of All Ireland League games in as many weeks, the teams have a rest this weekend. With Ballynahinch and Banbridge lying second in Division 1B, Malone top of 2A with Armagh close behind, Rainey fourth in 2B and Bangor second in 2C, Ulster clubs are, in the main, performing well. This weekend most senior club games involve the various cup competitions – we have the First Trust Senior Cup quarter-finals and the first round of the Crawford and Foster Cups, as well as a full programme of fixtures in the three divisions of the Kukri Ulster Rugby Championship. We also have a full programme of schools’ friendlies and age-grade games in local leagues across the Province, so get out and support As President of the IRFU Ulster Branch, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to Kingspan Stadium for tonight’s European Champions Cup Round 1 game against English Premiership side Wasps. 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 Chris Webster Domestic Rugby Manager Audrey Robinson Financial Controller Fiona Hampton Head of Sales & Marketing Les Kiss

Director of Rugby Bryn Cunningham Operations Director

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

your team! SUFTUM! Graffin Parke President IRFU (Ulster Branch)

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TONIGHT’S MASCOTS

MASCOTS

GRACE ELWOOD (11) Grace Is from Crossgar and attends Down High School. She enjoys playing Mini Rugby and hockey. Both her sisters have been mascots before and said it was brilliant, so Grace is really excited to have the experience of being a mascot tonight and meeting all the players. Grace’s favourite player is Louis Ludik because he is great at scoring tries. When she is older, Grace would like to be an architect.

CHARLIE LIGGETT (8) Charlie is from Lurgan and attends Maralin Village Primary School. As well as rugby, Charlie loves swimming, stunt scooter and building lego. He would like to be a mascot to be able to walk out with the players and be on TV to make his Granda proud as he is also a big rugby fan. His favourite player is Rory Best as he is a very good leader. Charlie would like to be a lego engineer when he is older.

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The European Rugby Champions Cup returns to Kingspan Stadium tonight where the Ulster squad face off against travelling Premiership side Wasps. The Ulster squad will be hoping to capitalise on last week’s win against Connacht Rugby and land their fifth consecutive home win of the season. A win tonight will not only give Ulster a positive start to their European campaign, but it will also allow the team to set the record straight against Wasps, who handed them a pre-season friendly defeat in August. With an exciting match expected, please join me in extending a very warm welcome to the Wasps Rugby squad and their travelling supporters. Finally, on behalf of Kingspan, I would like to wish the Ulster Rugby squad and management team the very best of luck this evening. To Ulster’s committed fans, enjoy the game, lead the way and help ensure that this is an evening to remember at Kingspan Stadium.

JOHN COONEY

Recently crowned the Kingspan Player of the Month for his impressive performances during September, new recruit John Cooney takes the hot seat to chat rugby.

You just joined the squad in August, can you take us through your experience with Ulster so far? I’m loving life here at the moment and have settled in well. I’m living locally, only about 5 minutes away from the stadium, so it’s handy. It took a while to get set up, the first few weeks I was just staying with a friend until I found an apartment, but that’s all sorted now. It was an easy move because I already knew about half the lads coming up having either played underage with them or for Emerging Ireland so I fitted in pretty easily. Ulster and Connacht are quite similar in terms of team culture. The lads are all pretty inclusive and no one is above the team. It’s been good fun and I’ve really enjoyed it so far. If you were coming in and got injured early on I think it would be tough but I’ve had a good run of games and everything is going well so far. To date we’ve had 5 out of 6 wins in the PRO14 - how do you feel Ulster have performed so far? I think there’s still more to come from us. If we start finishing off some of those chances we’ve had, like in the last game if we’d scored earlier on it would have been a completely different game with a much better result. The coaches are great. I had Jono in Leinster for three years, I think he seems to have changed the culture and toughened us up a bit which is something we probably needed. Dwayne has been class as well. It’s been great working with him because he’s an ex-scrumhalf and knows exactly what a scrumhalf should do. He’s given me good pointers and lets me express myself and play my own game, which is something I really appreciate. They know what they’re doing and they’re putting together the bones of a very good team. All the right elements are there they just need a bit of polish. But we’re hopeful that this weekend will be even better.

It’s been reported that one of your main motivations for moving to Ulster was to get more game time. Having featured in 5 out of the 6 games so far, how does it feel to be living out your ambitions? Yeah that was one of my main reasons for wanting to come to Ulster and it’s been great to get the game time. Even small things like getting to train as the starting team each week, getting a few more reps in training makes a big difference for getting those personnel connections that bit sharper so that come game time it’s a lot easier. That was my main thing. I always believed that I had the ability to be in there starting each week, but sometimes I didn’t get the opportunity so it’s great to finally have that now. In terms of your own personal ambitions – what’s next on your to-do-list or what do you hope to achieve this season? I’d like to make the Irish squad this November but the only way to do that is to really perform for Ulster, so this Wasps game is a big one for me. It’s going to be my first European game for Ulster so first and foremost, my main goal is to perform at my best and do my best for Ulster so that I hopefully make the Irish squad and get a few more caps. Looking back at last Friday’s game against Connacht, how did it feel to play against your old team? Sore! I was sore after the game. I could barely sleep on Friday night I was so sore. It was fun thought. I think they had a big X on my head for that game so I had a few late shots on me and a lot of name calling and smack talk. It was tough. I’d still be very close with a lot of the Connacht boys, we’re great friends off the field so we went for food the night before the game. But on the pitch you completely change your friends for 80 minutes. I actually really enjoyed the game, it was sore but fun.

JOHN COONEY

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Tonight we face Wasps in the opening of the Champions Cup. What do you think Wasps will bring to the pitch? They’ve got some real quality individuals, people like Willie Le Roux and Christian Wade. They’re good at counter attack and they’re good at playing off scrap. But we’re not really looking at them as much as ourselves. We’re trying to concentrate on our game and focus on making continual improvements. We know that if we look after the ball better we should be able to put them under a lot of pressure. But they are a quality outfit and if you let them play they look very good. What can fans expect to see from the Ulstermen tonight? Hopefully more of the play we delivered during the second half against Connacht. I think our defence was incredible come the end of that game and it showed the true Ulster heart, the fighting spirit and determination to succeed. I think that’s the main thing the crowd want to see, they want to see that each player is putting in 100%, and if they see that I don’t think they could have anything to complain about or have any problems with the team. That’s what we need to get consistent at - putting our bodies on the line for the game. So I think the same again this week in that respect, throw the ball around, score a few more tries - that’s the plan! How are you enjoying life in Belfast? Yeah I’m enjoying it so far. It’s only two hours up the road from Dublin, so handy for keeping in touch with family. I used to have to drive two hours to Galway so it’s not that different really. It’s like anything though - it is what you make of it. If you come with a positive attitude it’ll be easy to settle in and you’ll have a better time whereas if you think negatively it will be more difficult.

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GIVE IT A TRY UPDATE

Over 30 girls from Ulster University, Coleraine, turned out on Wednesday 4th October to ‘Give Rugby a Try’.

Wintery weather conditions were no match for the reasons players found to boot up and get involved. Some couldn’t shake the curiosity set alight by the Women’s Rugby World Cup, so braving the elements was the least of their hurdles, while others wanted to try something new and meet new friends to join with on the journey through University life. Participants had the opportunity to undertake drills designed to hone rugby skills and establish the confidence necessary to add value on the pitch. And, despite the challenging weather, all girls enthusiastically agreed that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

GIVE IT A TRY

If you are keen to #GiveItATry or would like more information on your local club, please contact: Female Rugby Officer Neal Johnston Email neal.johnston@ulsterrugby.com Phone 07767 115 764 Female Rugby Coordinator Eliza Downey Email eliza.downey@ulsterrugby.com Phone 07719 347 823

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EUROPEAN RUGBY CHAMPIONS CUP PREVIEW

ULSTER V WASPS EUROPEAN RUGBY CHAMPIONS CUP 2017/18 POOL 1 ROUND 1 AT KINGSPAN STADIUM

CURRENT STANDINGS - -

LAST TIME 15 26 17.08.17 KINGSPAN STADIUM

EUROPEAN CUP RECORD

ULSTER FORM GUIDE

WASPS FORM GUIDE

WIN DRAW LOST

WIN DRAW LOST

6 5 1 0

6 1 5 0

PLAYED WINS LOSSES DRAWS

TOURNAMENT

TOURNAMENT

MATCH FACTS

Wasps have won five of the six meetings between the clubs (L1), however, the two have not met in Europe since the 2001/02 season. Ulster's victory against Wasps in 2001/02 was their first against Premiership opposition in Europe. Including that match, Ulster have won 13 of their last 17 games against English opposition at Kingspan Stadium (L4). Wasps have lost six of their last seven games away to Irish provinces, including two such matches last season - against Connacht (pool stage) and Leinster (quarter-final). Ulster lost their last home game in the Champions Cup, how ever, they've not lost consecutive home games in the pool stage of the competition since 2007/08 . David Humphreys - current Gloucester Director of Rugby and a European Cup winner with Ulster in 1999 - scored 37 of Ulster's 42 points in their only win against Wasps in 2001, a record for the highest individual points tally in a European Cup match (1 try, 1 conversion, 4 drop goals, 6 penalties). Ulster had the best lineout success rate in the competition last season, claiming 96% of their throw-ins. Only Leinster (31) scored more tries in the pool stage last season than Premiership runners-up Wasps (28). No player beat as many defenders in the pool stage last season as Ulster's Charles Piutau (28); the former All Black also topped this chart in 2015/16 but whilst playing for Wasps. Wasps' Ashley Johnson and Ulster's lain Henderson were two of just four players to make 50+ carries and 50+ tackles in last season's pool stage, along with Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors) and Clermont's Remi Lamerat. Tommy Bowe (28) needs just one try to move level with Dafydd James as the fourth top try scorer in European Cup history, while teammate Andrew Trimble is just two tries behind on 26.

MATCH PREVIEW

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CHARLES PIUTAU

Charles Piutau, the New Zealand born fullback and former Wasps player, shares his view on tonight’s challenge.

scoring tries at the moment – it’s great! You knew Christian Lealiifano quite well from having played before in Super Rugby – how do you think he’s settled in and what do you think he’s brought to the team? I think he’s settled in real well considering the time frame he was given and when he got here. He didn’t have much to work with but it shows his quality. I think he’s spoken about it as well, as a person he’s very collected and he’s brought that calmness and composure to the team, which he felt it needed. It’s important to get off to a winning start in the Champions Cup given that there are only 6 games in the pool and some very tough opposition? What is your take on it? I think that every game is crucial in this tournament even more so when you’re at home as you have that advantage. But it’s one step at a time. We’re putting all our effort in and hopefully the results will take care of themselves.

Tonight, we face Wasps, which is sure to be a huge game? Yeah, it’s been an exciting week and it’s a big game for us. Its the first Champions Cup game and against my old team so there’ll be a lot of familiar faces. Having played for Wasps a couple of seasons ago you know the players inside out - what do you think are their main threats on the pitch? I think they’ve got a lot of speed and their back three have got a lot of experience as well with the likes of Willie Le Roux who has a lot of international experience. You’ve also got Elliot Daly now, who has a strong left foot so there’s heaps of strike power there. And their forward pack, they’re very dominant as well, they have a lot of strong ball carriers in the likes of Ashley Johnston and Nathan Hughes. Have the coaches been asking you this week for your insights in terms of how they play or the individuals and what assets they will bring? No, not really. I’ve talked to the back three and the back line about what tendencies the Wasps players have, but the coaches have done a spot-on job in preparing us. Wasps’ have rotated their squad a bit. From an Ulster point of view, has it been difficult to gauge what type of team they will put out or do you have a fairly good idea? In all honesty, whoever comes up for them will be a strong team and they’ll be up for the challenge so whoever is in the team is it will be a great game and should be a good contest. European occasions are always special here at Kingspan Stadium with a large crowd and big atmosphere. I’m sure your looking forward to getting back out on that European stage again? Definitely. There’s always a great atmosphere and the fans, week in week out, show their support. The team is looking forward to coming out to that atmosphere and that crowd. You and Jacob Stockdale linked up well last week to deliver a fantastic try in the Connacht game – how impressed have you been with him and his performances? I’ve been really happy just to see him growing in that way. He’s playing so well and on form which definitely makes my job easier and it’s always nice to see him express himself out there. He seems to always be

CHARLES PIUTAU

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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 WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME? Remember the Titans WHICH TEAMMATE IS THE WORST DRESSER? Tommy O’Hagan TEAM MATE MOST LIKELY TO MAKE YOU LAUGH? Sean Reidy WHO IS THE SMARTEST ON THE TEAM? Iain Henderson WHAT ACHIEVEMENT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? Being happily married with five kids WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST AND WHY? My kids turning into teens IF YOU HAD A BOAT, WHAT WOULD YOU NAME IT? Normandy SPORTING HERO YOU MOST ADMIRE? Jonah Lomu - he inspired me to want to play rugby TELL US SOMETHING WE DON’T ALREADY KNOW ABOUT YOURSELF? I’m a joiner and enjoy making furniture ON YOUR BIRTHDAY, IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING YOU WANTED, WHAT WOULD YOU ORDER? Starter: BBQ Chicken Wings Main: Sirloin Steak (medium rare) and fries Dessert: Gelato ice-cream along with my wife’s chocolate cake and afghan biscuits. RODNEY AH YOU ANSWERS FAN QUESTIONS QUICKFIRE

PLAYER Q&A

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ULSTER U18 GIRLS LOSE OUT IN INTER-PRO DECIDER

The Ulster U18 Girls were unable to defend their title, as they lost out to a strong Munster squad 23-12 at Barnhall RFC last Saturday, in the third and final round of the Inter-provincial series.

Going into the final round of games, Munster lead the table on 8 points with Leinster on 6, defending champions Ulster on 5, and Connacht on 1 meaning three Provinces remained in the hunt for silverware. Ulster had a point to prove from the previous week's game against Leinster and did so in great fashion in the first half of this hard-fought game, with prop Emma Kearney crashing over for the first score of the match. Munster tried to contain the eagerness of Ulster's pack, in particular Bethany McDowell and Keelin Brady, for the remainder of the first half, with an excellent display of rugby shown by both sides during this period. However, Munster, with their mass of supporters, came out fighting in the second half. Two quick tries in the space of 15 minutes saw Munster edging closer to lifting the trophy for the first time. Even so, the defending champions refused to give up easily with captain, Grace Shrestha ensuring that Ulster kept their heads in the game until the final whistle, while Ellie Ingram and Lucinda Kinghan countered many of the threats from the Munster back three, keeping the girls in red pinned inside their own half. In the last play of the game, when they knew the match was essentially over, Ulster showed their determination to finish the game on a high with a fantastic score by Mya Alcorn, which Lisa Mullen converted.

ULSTER TEAM (1-8): Emma Kearney (Armagh RFC), Grace Shrestha (Capt) (Dungannon RFC), Ella Garland (Monaghan RFC), Megan Brodie (Virginia RFC), Caolinn McCormack (Virginia RFC), Bethany McDowell (Malone RFC), Katie Hetherington (Clogher Valley RFC), Keelin Brady (VC) (Virginia RFC) (9-15): Amber Redmond (Virginia RFC), Lisa Mullen (Virginia RFC), Lucinda Kingham (Monaghan RFC), Lucy Turkington (Dungannon RFC), Kelly McCormill (Monaghan RFC), Mya Alcorn (Letterkenny RFC), Ellie Ingram (Enniskillen RFC). REPLACEMENTS Aoife Cahill (Malone RFC), Ava Fannin (Virginia RFC), Tammy Millar (Enniskillen RFC), Sorcha McCormack (Virginia RFC), Ciara Byers (Virginia RFC), Holly Brannigan (Malone RFC), Meabh McAleavey (Armagh RFC), Ruth Gilsenan (Virginia RFC).

ULSTER U18 GIRLS

MANAGEMENT TEAM Backs Coach Zoe Templeton Forwards Coach Charlie Farrell Manager Jemma Jackson Physio Imogen Porter

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FINAL TABLE

P 3 3 3

W

D

L

BP P 1 13 3 11

MUNSTER LEINSTER

3 0 0

2 0

1

ULSTER

1

0 2

1 1

5

CONNACHT

3 0 0 3

1

RESULTS

ULSTER U18 GIRLS

Ulster 37 - 12 Connacht Sunday 24th September 2017, Virginia RFC Leinster 22 - 5 Ulster Saturday 30th September 2017, North Kildare RFC Munster 23 - 12 Ulster Saturday 7th October 2017, Barnhall RFC

TOP SCORERS AFTER FINAL ROUND

POINTS 25 Ciara Clancy (Munster) 15 Molly Fitzgerald (Leinster), Rebecca Hayes (Munster) 14 Natasja Behan (Leinster) 10 Beibhinn Parsons (Connacht), Aine Galvin (Connacht), Megan Burns (Leinster), Orla Curtin (Munster), Bethany McDowell (Ulster), Ellie Ingram (Ulster), Mya Alcorn (Ulster) TRIES 3 Molly Fitzgerald (Leinster), Rebecca Hayes (Munster) 2 Beibhinn Parsons (Connacht), Aine Galvin (Connacht), Megan Burns (Leinster), Orla Curtin (Munster), Bethany McDowell (Ulster), Ellie Ingram (Ulster), Mya Alcorn (Ulster) 1 Muireann Cawley (Connacht), Aoibheann Reilly (Connacht), Sarah Walsh (Connacht), Grace Kelly (Leinster), Ciara Carbery (Leinster), Anna Doyle (Leinster), Tess Meade (Leinster), Orla Molloy (Leinster), Bethany Sharpe (Leinster), Meadbh Scally (Leinster), Dorothy Wall (Munster), Stephanie Nunan (Munster), Muirne Wall (Munster), Lucy Turkington (Ulster), Kelly McCormill (Ulster), Amanda McQuade (Ulster), Emma Kearney (Ulster)

THE ULSTER MANAGEMENT TEAM WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL PLAYERS AND PARENTS FOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE PROGRAMME, AS WELL AS ALL THE CLUBS AND COACHES FOR THEIR SUPPORT OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS.

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ABBEY INSURANCE ULSTER ACADEMY ERIC O'SULLIVAN

NAME Eric O'Sullivan DOB 30.11.1995 PREFERED POSITION Prop PREVIOUS TEAMS Dublin University RFC

HONOURS Leinster U20s COURSE STUDYING Business Studies RUGBY INFLUENCES David Pocock SPORTING IDOLS Roger Federer, Usain Bolt RUGBY AMBITION Play for Ireland A FACT NOT MANY PEOPLE WOULD KNOW ABOUT YOU I own two pygmy goats BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE RECEIVED Keep your head down and work hard DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 WORDS Ambitious, optimistic, generous STRONGEST AREA OF YOUR GAME Ball carrying AREA TO WORK ON Strength THING YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT RUGBY Winning OTHER HOBBIES Hiking FAVOURITE MOVIE The Dark Knight PRE-GAME SONG Lose Yourself by Eminem CHEAT MEAL Pizza

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ULSTER ACADEMY & AGE-GRADE TEAM FIXTURES

ABBEY INSURANCE ULSTER RUGBY ACADEMY

18.08.2017 24.08.2017 01.09.2017

Leinster

30 - 34 10 - 22 29 - 21

Ulster

Donnybrook

3.30pm 6.30pm 5.30pm

Ulster

Ulster Club Select

Banbridge RFC Thomond Park

Munster

Ulster

DANSKE BANK ULSTER U18 SCHOOLS

28.08.2017 02.09.2017 16.09.2017 23.09.2017

Munster

10 - 9 18 - 17 16 - 12 17 - 18

Ulster

Thomond Park Campbell College

Ulster Ulster

Leinster Munster

3.00pm 1.30pm 2.30pm

RBAI

Leinster

Ulster

Donnybrook

ULSTER U18 CLUBS

09.09.2017 17.09.2017 23.09.2017

Ulster

0 - 45

Leinster

City of Armagh RFC

1.00pm 1.00pm 2.30pm

Munster

32 - 7

Ulster

Thomond Park

Ulster

8 - 14

Connacht

City of Armagh RFC

ULSTER U19

03.09.2017 09.09.2017 16.09.2017

Connacht 27 - 21

Ulster Ulster

Sportsground Donnybrook

1.00pm 2.30pm 3.30pm

Leinster

59 - 15 21 - 22

Ulster

Munster

RBAI

ULSTER U18 GIRLS

24.09.2017 30.09.2017 07.10.2017

Ulster

37 - 12 5 - 34 8 - 20

Connacht

Virginia RFC

3.00pm 1.30pm 3.00pm

Leinster Munster

Ulster Ulster

North Kildare RFC

Barnhall RFC

ULSTER AGE-GRADE TEAMS

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IN PICS: SUPPORTERS AT KINGSPAN STADIUM

#16THMAN

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OVER 823 HAVE JOINED ALREADY!

- A URSC Welcome Pack - Ballot and Prize Draw - Priority Booking for European, Away and Knockout Games - Meet the Players' Events - Discounted Away Travel to PRO14 Games - Vote for Player of the Month and Player of the Year - 'Stand Up' URSC Member Magazine ... And More!

NEW members , please go to membership.ursc.co. RENEWING members, will receive a personal invitation via email with a link to a registration form complete with their existing details. Simply confirm or edit your details as necessary. Current members who have not yet received a renewal notification, please email membership@ursc.co.uk NEXT MEET THE PLAYERS NIGHT 20 November at 7.30pm in the Premium Stand

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RODNEY AH YOU

RORY BEST

Hooker 26.05.93

Prop 27.10.88 186cm 128.1kg 24 3 Prop 25.02.86 180cm 116.8kg 131 —

Hooker 15.08.82 180cm 105kg

180cm 99.1kg 33 —

198 104

PETER BROWNE 2nd Row 25.10.87 200cm 115.8kg 33 —

TOMMY BOWE

CALLUM BLACK

Wing 22.02.84

191cm 98.6kg 155 69

DARREN CAVE

AARON CARINS

DAVID BUSBY

Centre 05.04.87 182cm 93kg 196 11

Scrum Half 07.10.92

Utility Back 03.02.94

176cm 84.9kg 1 —

179cm 89.8kg 2 —

JEAN DEYSEL

MARCELL COETZEE

JOHN COONEY

Back Row 05.03.85 191cm 118kg 4 SA 4

Flanker 08.05.91

Scrum Half 01.05.90 177cm 88kg

191cm 122kg 5 SA 28

5 1

ULSTER SQUAD 2017/18 26 Wing 11.03.91 182cm 94kg 149 10 Prop 05.07.88 177cm 120.9kg 60 — CHRIS HENRY Flanker 17.10.84 187.cm 105.5kg 170 24 ROBBIE DIACK No. 8 12.11.85 193cm 110.8kg 198 2

IAIN HENDERSON 2nd Row 21.02.92 200cm 117kg

CRAIG GILROY

77 32

ROB HERRING

WIEHAHN HERBST

Hooker 27.04.90

182cm 106kg 125 1

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ROSS KANE

BRETT HERRON Out Half 13.11.95

CHRISTIAN LEALIIFANO Out Half 24.09.87 180cm 91kg 4 AUS 19

Prop 14.10.94 179cm 113.5kg

183cm 89.9kg 8 —

11 —

ROB LYTTLE

LUKE MARSHALL

LOUIS LUDIK Full Back 08.10.86

Wing 28.01.97

Centre 03.03.91 180cm 98kg 108 11 Centre 06.08.92 190cm 108.8kg 63 1

ULSTER SQUAD 2017/18

174cm 86.2kg

182cm 92.4kg 59 —

10 —

PAUL MARSHALL

KYLE McCALL

STUART McCLOSKEY

Scrum Half 26.07.85

Prop 02.01.92 177cm 106.7kg 40 —

170cm 76.0kg 197 3

JOHNNY McPHILLIPS Out Half 13.04.97

PETER NELSON Full Back 05.10.92 180cm 87kg

ALAN O’CONNOR 2nd Row 10.09.92 195cm 113.2kg 43 —

180cm 88.9kg

— —

41 —

TOMMY O'HAGAN

JACK OWENS

CALLUM PATTERSON

Prop 05.10.93 182cm 120kg

Wing 04.10.95

Centre 10.08.92

189cm 98.6kg 1 —

181cm 93.3kg

— —

— —

MATTHEW REA

JARED PAYNE Full Back 13.10.85 187cm 94kg

CHARLES PIUTAU Full Back 31.10.91 186cm 103.5kg 27 NZ 17

No. 8 21.09.93 193cm 110.8kg 5 —

78 20

27

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A FUTURE BUILT WITH OUR PEOPLE

With over 10,000 employees worldwide Kingspan is committed to providing a safe, enterprising and exciting workplace for all employees.

www.kingspan.com

Working Together

SEAN REIDY

CLIVE ROSS

DAVE SHANAHAN

Scrum Half 20.06.93

Wing 20.10.84 185cm 98kg 221 70 Prop 19.08.90 182cm 108.3kg 4 — Back Row 10.05.89 182cm 103kg 63 2

Back Row 14.06.89 190cm 107.2kg 54 —

174cm 77.4kg

17 —

JACOB STOCKDALE

KIERAN TREADWELL 2nd Row 06.11.95 198cm 115kg 25 2

JONNY SIMPSON

Centre 03.04.96 190cm 102kg 28 2

ULSTER SQUAD 2017/18

ANDREW TRIMBLE

SCHALK VAN DER MERWE

ANDREWWARWICK

Prop 04.12.90 184cm 110kg

Prop 12.03.91 177cm 113kg 77 —

— —

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

29

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15

1

CHARLES PIUTAU

KYLE McCALL

14

2

LOUIS LUDIK

ROB HERRING

13

3

WIEHAHN HERBST

LUKE MARSHALL

12

4

STUART McCLOSKEY

KIERAN TREADWELL

ULSTER RUBGY

11

5

IAIN HENDERSON C

JACOB STOCKDALE

6

10

CHRISTIAN LEALIIFANO

ROBBIE DIACK

7

9

SEAN REIDY

JOHN COONEY

REPLACEMENTS 16 17 18 19 J ANDREW A WARWICK R AH YOU R DIACK

20 21 22 23

S REIDY P MARSHALL P NELSON L LUDIK

8

JEAN DEYSEL

Play European Fantasy Rugby now and win some fantastic prizes! Whether you are a Fantasy sport fanatic or just want to have a bit of fun, we have a game for you. Our ‘classic’ fantasy game requires you to become Head Coach of your team and manage them throughout the season, whereas our ‘daily’ fantasy game allows you to play one day at a time. . . on any matchday throughout the season! Play now and pick your team!

ChampionsCupRugby.com

Get closer to the action @ChampionsCup @EuropeanChampionsCup @EuropeanRugbyChampionsCup

1

15

MATT MULLAN

WILLIE LE ROUX

14

2

CHRISTIAN WADE

TOM CRUSE

WASPS

3

13

JAKE COOPER-WOOLLEY

ELLIOT DALY

4

12

BRENDAN MACKEN

JOE LAUNCHBURY C

5

11

JOSH BASSETT

WILL ROWLANDS

6

10

JAMES HASKELL

JIMMY GOPPERTH

7

9

THOMAS YOUNG

DAN ROBSON

REPLACEMENTS 16 17 18 19 A JOHNSON SIMON McINTYRE MARTY MOORE JAMES GASKELL

20 21 22 23

JACK WILLIS JOE SIMPSON ROB MILLER MARCUS WATSON

8

NATHAN HUGHES

TODAY’S OFFICIALS REFEREE BEN WHITEHOUSE WAL ASSISTANT REFEREES RHYS THOMAS WAL | WAYNE DAVIS WAL TMO JON MASON WAL CITING COMMISSIONER JOHN CHARLES WAL

JOSH BASSETT

GUY ARMITAGE

DANNY CIPRIANI

Wing 17.03.92 6ft 3in 98kg Eng U20

Centre 29.11.91 6ft 5in 111kg Eng U20

Fly Half 02.12.87 6ft 1in 92kg Eng

ELLIOT DALY

TOM CRUSE

JAKE COOPER-WOOLLEY

Centre 08.10.92

Prop 18.11.89

Hooker 30.03.89 5ft 10in 98kg —

6ft 0in 100kg

6ft 3in 125kg Eng Saxons

Eng / British & Irish Lions

KYLE EASTMOND

PAUL DORAN-JONES

JUAN DE JONGH

Centre 16.07.89 5ft 7in 83kg Eng

Prop 02.05.85

Centre 15.04.88 5ft 9in 87kg South Africa

6ft 2in 120kg Eng

JIMMY GOPPERTH

JAMES GASKELL 2nd Row 20.05.90 MARCUS GARRATT 2nd Row 09.11.94 WASPS SQUAD 2017/18

Fly Half 29.06.83 5ft 11in 90kg Jr All Blacks

6ft 5in 128kg —

6ft 7in 115kg Eng Saxons

CRAIG HAMPSON

JAMES HASKELL

ANTONIOHARRIS

Back Row 02.04.85

Hooker 25.02.94 5ft 10in 106kg —

Scrum Half 25.10.90 5ft 9in 83kg —

6ft 4in 117kg

Eng /British & Irish Lions

36

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BEN HARRIS

ASHLEY JOHNSON

NATHAN HUGHES

Prop 28.04.89

Back Row 16.05.86 6ft 0in 118kg South Africa

Back Row 10.06.91

6ft 4in 122kg —

6ft 5in 124kg England

WASPS SQUAD 2017/18

SAM JONES

JOE LAUNCHBURY

WILLIE LE ROUX

Utility Back 18.08.89 6ft 1in 90kg South Africa

Back Row 15.12.91 6ft 3in 112kg Eng Saxons

2nd Row 12.04.91

6ft 6in 125kg Eng

Centre 20.06.85 5ft 9in 96kg Fiji GABIRIELE LOVOBALAVU

ALEX LUNDBERG

BRENDAN MACKEN

Prop 09.12.94 6ft 0in 120kg Eng U20

Centre 19.05.91 6ft 2in 98kg Emerging Ireland

SIMON McINTYRE

ROB MILLER

MARTY MOORE

Prop 19.03.91

Prop 01.03.91 5ft 10in 123kg Ireland

Full Back 05.08.89 5ft 11in 91kg Eng Saxons

6ft 0in 119kg —

MATT MULLAN

KEARNAN MYALL

ALEX RIEDER

Prop 23.02.87

2nd Row 15.12.86

Back Row 03.09.91

6ft 0in 116kg Eng

6ft 7in 116kg Eng Saxons

6ft 3in 110kg —

37

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DAN ROBSON

WILL ROWLANDS

JOE SIMPSON

Scrum Half 05.07.88 6ft 0in 84kg England

Scrum Half 14.03.92 5ft 8in 81kg Eng Saxons

2nd Row 19.09.91

6ft 8in 120kg —

TOMMY TAYLOR

GUY THOMPSON

MATT SYMONS

Hooker 11.11.91 6ft 0in 104kg England

2nd Row 04.08.89

Back Row 23.01.87

6ft 7in 120kg —

6ft 1in 106kg —

CHRISTIAN WADE

MARCUS WATSON

THOMAS YOUNG

Wing 15.05.91 5ft 8in 86kg

Wing 27.06.91 5ft 9in 87kg Eng U20

Back Row 18.05.92 5ft 11in

104kg Wales

Eng / British & Irish Lions

WASPS SQUAD 2017/18

38

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POSITION: Utility Back WEIGHT: 90kg HEIGHT: 185cm DOB: 18.08.1989 NATIONALITY: South Africa WILLIE LE ROUX

WASPS TO WATCH

Willie Le Roux joined the club in February 2017 having signed from the Japanese side Canon Eagles. In his first season in black and gold Le Roux made 11 appearances, scoring a trying on his home debut against Gloucester. The 27-year-old fullback has won 41 caps for South Africa and was voted SARPA Players’ Player of the Year in 2013.

Le Roux has built a reputation as one of the world’s most exciting fullbacks. Acting as a world-class general at the back, possessing the ability to expertly guide his team around the field and launch devastating attacks from deep.

POSITION Wing WEIGHT 86kg HEIGHT 172cm DOB 15.05.1991 NATIONALITY English CHRISTIAN WADE

Wade started playing rugby at RGS High Wycombe before joining the Wasps youth set up as a teenager. Since then he has made a huge try-scoring impact, with notable records including finishing as the second highest try scorer in the Premiership in 2011/12, joint top try scorer in the Aviva Premiership in 2012/13 and he equaled Dominic Chapman's record for the most tries scored by an individual in a Premiership season with 17 tries during 2016/17. Wade's tries also took him past Kenny Logan (79) as Wasps' all time leading try scorer at the age of just

25. His reward was a place in the Aviva Premiership Dream Team for 2016/17, alongside fellow Wasps Elliot Daly, Joe Launchbury and Jimmy Gopperth and being named Aviva Premiership Rugby Player of the Month for March. Christian's additional representative honours include England Sevens, England U16, U18 and he was a key part of the England U20 side which won a Grand Slam Six Nations title and reached the final of the Junior World Cup, at which he finished joint top try scorer, alongside Ulster’s very own Charles Piutau.

39

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

THE ASHES

CUP

CD GROUP RENEW DEAL AS MAIN SPONSOR OF ULSTER A

CD Group, Ireland's largest automotive parts distributor, has renewed its partnership with the Ulster A team, with the new deal set to run until the summer of 2019.

seasons. During our involvement we have seen young guys come through the ranks and progressing on to play in the PRO14 and European Champions Cup. In Jacob Stockdale's case he has even pushed on and achieved international honours. The work that Kieran and his team do is something we are proud to be associated with, as it fits well with our business aim of supporting our customers and driving on for future success." Last season Ulster A advanced to the playoffs of the British & Irish Cup for the first time in five years, before falling to eventual winners Munster A at the quarter-final stage. As the competition enters its ninth year, 20 teams will once again compete in five pools of four teams, with the pool winners and the top three runners-up progressing to the knockout phase. ULSTER A'S BRITISH & IRISH CUP POOL STAGE GAMES 2017/18 ROUND 1 Ulster A v Scarlets Premiership Select, Saturday 14th October at Banbridge RFC (2.30pm) ROUND 2 Cornish Pirates v Ulster A Sunday 22nd October at Mennaye Field, Penzance (2.30pm) ROUND 3 Hartpury RFC v Ulster A Saturday 9th December at Hartpury College (2.30pm) ROUND 4 Ulster A v Hartpury RFC Saturday 16th December at Ballymena RFC (2.30pm) ROUND 5 Ulster A v Cornish Pirates 12-14th January at Shaws Bridge (TBC) ROUND 6 Scarlets Premiership Select v Ulster A Saturday 20th January at Llandovery RFC (3.00pm)

The deal will see the CD Group logo feature on the front of the Ulster A jersey and in various locations within Kingspan Stadium. With offices in Cork and Dublin as well as the company headquarters in Mallusk, the CD Group is a family run business that has been operating for more than 50 years, making deliveries to more than 350 customers across the island of Ireland every day. The Ulster A team, a mixture of Professional, Development, Academy and Club players, compete in the annual British & Irish Cup against teams from the English Championship, Welsh Regions and the other three Irish Provinces. Ulster A's 2017/18 British & Irish Cup campaign is set to kick-off this Saturday 14th October with a home tie against the Scarlets Premiership Select. Kieran Campbell, Head Coach of the Ulster A team, welcomed the announcement of the new deal: "We're delighted that CD Group have committed their support to the Ulster A team for the next two years. The Ulster A team is a critical part of the organisation, providing a platform for us to mix our best young Academy talent with some more experienced senior players in a really challenging environment. Last season we saw the likes of Jacob Stockdale, Rob Lyttle and Ross Kane feature prominently for the Ulster A team, forging a way for a place in the Ulster senior squad. We look forward to working with CD Group to ensure that even more make that step up in the near future." CD Group Managing Director, Terry Knox, commented: "We are very excited to continue our relationship with Ulster Rugby for another two

PARTNER ANNOUNCEMENT

41

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ULSTER RUGBY AND TRANSLINK HAVE TEAMED UP TO HELP YOU MAKE THE SMART MOVE TO MATCHES AT KINGSPAN STADIUM.

Ulster Rugby provides a FREE Park and Ride service to all home matches.

This service is facilitated by Translink and provided at all home matches at Kingspan Stadium during the 2017-18 season. The free and frequent Park and Ride service is available from sites at Pirrie Park and Montgomery Road. It starts 90 minutes before kick-off on match nights and ends 90 minutes after the final whistle. A special Metro bus service is also provided by Translink to make the commute to Kingspan Stadium easier for those in and around the city centre. The Metro service departs from the Europa Buscentre an hour before kick off on match nights. Passengers can purchase an Ulster Rugby Metro ticket from Translink drivers on the night. These cash-only tickets include return travel to Kingspan Stadium and are priced at just £3.50 for adults and £1.75 for children. Speaking about the match night transport, Translink's Tommy Sandford said: "We are delighted to be working with Ulster Rugby to

provide convenient transport for spectators giving them options to get to matches on time. The free Park and Ride services from both Pirrie Park and Montgomery Road offer great flexibility for fans ensuring they will arrive at matches relaxed and ready for all the action. Visit www.translink.co.uk/ ulsterrugby for full details." Fiona Hampton, Head of Sales and Marketing at Ulster Rugby commented: "It is great to have Translink on board providing transport for our fantastic supporters. We work closely with the local community in and around the stadium to ensure that our match-nights create a positive environment. The Park and Ride and Metro services work to make the commute to Kingspan Stadium easier and smoother allowing fans to focus on the game and enjoy all the additional entertainment offerings available at Kingspan Stadium".

PARTNER ANNOUNCEMENT

42

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EUROPEAN RUGBY CHAMPIONS CUP

FEEL IT ALL

Piercing through the Belfast autumn evening the floodlights at Kingspan seem magnetically calling the faithful for another big European night. THE BUZZ THAT IS JUST CHAMPION!

visitors have won four times, though the clubs have been kept apart since those ties in 2001/2. So, hostilities of a sporting kind are renewed with this first, so often crucial, tone-setting opener in the Champions Cup group stage. The clubs did meet at Kingspan in August in what was very much a ‘loosener’ for the new season and Wasps’ 26-15 win will have no bearing on tonight’s contest. Ulster’s form in the reshaped Guinness PRO14 has been more consistent than its rival's untypically erratic results in the Aviva Premiership, but few doubt that Dai Young’s squad will not be right in the heat of battle to repeat and perhaps better its runner-up finish to last season when Exeter Chiefs won a marvellous first title at Twickenham. For Ulster four consecutive wins to start the PRO14 campaign augured well, and new Head Coach Jono Gibbes and assistants Aaron Dundon and Dwayne Peel alongside Niall Malone could claim justifiable satisfaction with the way the players had responded to Director of Rugby Les Kiss’s revamped coaching team. Lions and international summers meant that the strength and depth of the squad was tested and, in the main, found more than fit for purpose. The loss in Zebre was as surprising as it was poor in performance, but last weekend’s first Inter-Pro of the season in Belfast against Connacht did much to restore confidence in the dressing room and in the support which craves success and scented that this was a season when past frustrations could well be swept away. It was far from Ulster at its best, but a dismal first 40 minutes was consigned to the bin and a gritty, Inter-Pro, down-and-dirty Inter-Pro of old followed, and the watching Joe Schmidt and his defence coach Andy Farrell will have noted that some players are particularly eager to combine the blood-and-thunder of defence with the instinct for bold attack.

The throng is drawn by the visit of one of England’s finest and twice winners, Wasps, to take on the Irish Province which was the first to triumph in what is now the Champions Cup. Both sides brim with world-class talent and each also harbours genuine ambitions in their domestic leagues but knows that affirmation is secured with success in the hothouse of Europe, and this month both league and Cup hopes offer a heady competitive mix for the players, managements and – critically – the supporters who provide a very unique electricity on these occasions. We all have our special memories of chill but warming nights as some of the biggest clubs in the game were despatched, memorably Toulouse and Stade Francais on the way to that European Cup win in 1999, and victories over Leicester are stunningly remembered. And this evening’s visitors featured in one of the most spectacular contests in the Pool stages in 2001. Remarkably that game in October remains Ulster’s only competitive win over Wasps, but what a win! It was, genuinely, a thrilling 42-19 victory earned by a team effort of great spirit, and it was the evening in which David Humphreys wrote his name emphatically into the pantheon of ‘greats’. The out-half scored no fewer than 37 of his side’s points that evening, scoring a try, adding the conversion, kicking six penalties and landing four wondrous drop goals in an individual performance which will never be forgotten by those fortunate to witness a genius at work. It’s also worth noting, a certain Tyrone Howe weighed in with a try to complete the breathtaking scoreline! But by way of warning to the home team tonight Wasps, stung by that defeat, got a measure of revenge less than two months later in the return leg in London with a ‘nip-and-tuck’ 36-32 win. In fact, in the five games in European Cup qualification since 1997 tonight’s distinguished

ROD NAWN

46

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