Ulster Rugby vs Connacht & Munster

DOUBLE ISSUE

OFFICIAL MATCH DAY PROGRAMME £3 | KINGSPAN STADIUM ULSTER FRI 27 DEC 2019, 7.35PM v CONNACHT MUNSTER FRI 3 JAN 2020, 7.35PM

FREE SPACE TO INCLUDE: • VISUAL CREATIVE • GUINNESS PRO14 TITLE TYPE AND FIXTURE • DATE & LOCATION

Welcome back to Kingspan Stadium, the home of Ulster Rugby, where the Ulster squad welcome Connacht and Munster in the festive season inter-pro derbies.

With the teams looking to consolidate their places in the play-off places, there is sure to be an edge for the players taking the field. As ever, the Connacht and Munster squads and travelling supporters are sure to receive a very warm welcome from the Kingspan Stadium faithful. The Ulstermen will be looking to put ins strong performances against the Connacht and Munster sides who have had some impressive performances of late, despite a string of injuries. The players will no doubt be greeted by a raucous atmosphere here in Kingspan Stadium. The Ulster faithful are known for providing a warm welcome and I am sure the Connacht and Munster squads and their travelling supporters will experience nothing less from their visit. 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 two more memorable evenings at Kingspan Stadium.

ISSUE INTHIS

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09

Tonight's Mascots President’s Welcome

2 3 5 6 9 11

Guinness PRO14 Welcome Interview: Jonny Petrie

Q&A: Jack McGrath

Player Focus: 2019 In Photos

14 16 19 21

Interview: David Irwin

Academy Squad

Connacht Information Connacht Squad Profiles Ulster Squad Profiles 28 Happy New Year from Ulster Rugby 32 Guess the player 35 Upcoming Fixtures 37 Ulster Schools’ Update 41 Munster Information 43 Munster Squad Profiles 46 Guest Article: Rod Nawn 50 Stand Up Membership Packages 55 URSC Update 57 Referees Profile 59 Stadium Information 60 Stadium Map 61 Competition Standings 62 Fixtures 63 Sponsors and Partners 64 24

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CONNACHT MASCOTS

NOAH TEGGART (8) FROM BANBRIDGE

ANDREW GALLOWAY (10) FROM CONLIG

Noah attends Edenderry Primary School and plays rugby for Banbridge Rugby Club. When Noah isn’t playing rugby he loves Stockcar racing. His favourite player is Iain Henderson as he presented him with a Player of the Year trophy in P1. When he grows up he would like to play rugby.

Andrew attends Ballmacash PS and plays rugby for Lisburn. When he isn’t playing rugby Andrew loves playing his Xbox. Andrew has been a season ticket holder for 5 years and can’t wait to be mascot. His favourite player is Jacob Stockdale as he is energetic and a good role model. Andrew would like to be a vet when he is older.

MUNSTER MASCOTS

CHRISTOPHER NEILLY (9) FROM PORTADOWN

OWEN O'KANE (12) FROM MAGHERAFELT

Christopher attends Bocombra Primary School and plays rugby for Portadown Rugby Club. In his spare time he loves going to youth club and watching Tottenham Hotspur. His favourite Ulster player is John Cooney as he is a great kicker and when he grows up he would like to be a professional rugby player.

Owen attends Rainey Endowed and in his spare time loves to play golf and gaelic. His favourite player is Jacob Stockdale as he thinks he is a great winger and when he is older he would like to be a professional rugby player.

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PRESIDENT'S WELCOME

With three tough inter-pro challenges sandwiched in between four European Cup fixtures, each of the Province’s squads will be tested to the max as coaches manage their resources during a demanding block of 13 games in as many weeks. While PRO14 points are hugely important, this period also provides opportunities for the greater playing squad to stake a claim for game time. On the domestic rugby scene, we are approaching the business end of the SONI Ulster Rugby Premiership and, at the time of writing, Rainey Old Boys are in pole position to claim their first ever Ulster senior league title, while in Division 2, City of Armagh are currently leading the way. The final two rounds on the weekends of 21 and 28 December are set up to provide a thrilling conclusion to the competition. On Tuesday 7 January, we will be hosting the Millar McCall Wylie Junior Cup Final here at Kingspan Stadium, as City of Armagh 2nd XV and Enniskillen will be battling it out for the silverware. I wish both teams the best of luck and I look forward to what is always a great occasion and celebration of junior rugby. To the travelling Connacht and Munster Officers, management team and playing squads – I hope you have an enjoyable, but not successful, visit to Belfast. To the Ulster supporters – you have been incredible at home and away so far this season, so I have no doubt that will continue and you will generate an incredible atmosphere at both of these games. I hope you have had an enjoyable Christmas and I would like to wish you a happy, peaceful and prosperous New Year. Here’s to a successful 2020… SUFTUM! Gary Leslie President, IRFU Ulster Branch The festive inter-pros are a hugely exciting time of year for Irish rugby supporters and I have no doubt we’ll have two great games in store at Kingspan Stadium over the two weekends.

IRFU ULSTER BRANCH 2019/20 OFFICERS Gary Leslie President Philip Gregg Senior Vice President Denis Gardiner Junior Vice President & Honorary Secretary Michael Boyd Honorary Treasurer Greg Irwin Competitions Secretary Jonny Petrie Chief Executive Officer

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

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In the Guinness PRO14 we are proud to be home to so many fierce, tribal rivalries between the biggest teams in the game, but when our hotly-contested derbies take place at this time of the season it creates an atmosphere that is just so hard to beat. The Festive Season is a time of giving and provides old friends and families the opportunity to catch up and while the latter may be true for our players, you can be sure none of them will be giving up an inch on the pitch. Once the whistle goes the colour on their back and the crest across their chest will be all that matters as they go toe-to-toe with their closest rivals, but the ramifications will spread far beyond these 80 minutes.

The Guinness PRO14 is the powerhouse that supports so many of international teams and every week someone is making national coaches sit up and take notice. Close to 300 Test-capped players take to the pitch every season in our Championship and it is a vibrant mix of young, established and superstar talent. Each season we witness Next-Gen talent emerge from our teams and make a big impression in the Guinness Six Nations and summer tours, but these guys have their work cut out to oust the star power that is already in situ. Surrounding our home-grown talent, we have players from around the Southern Hemisphere who add skill, leadership and the experience of Rugby Championship and Pacific Nations Cup to our dressing rooms. Following three testing weekends of derby action we’ll also see our teams continue to make their presence felt in Europe with Rounds 5 & 6 deciding who will earn a spot in the knock-out stages. But before all of that there are moments of great drama and exquisite rugby to play out across the UK, Ireland and Italy. Now that we’re a third of the way through the season there’s a lot at stake – can Scarlets keep up their form and pick up the right results to fly the flag for Wales in Cardiff on June 20? In Scotland, will Edinburgh continue their upward surge, or can Glasgow Warriors get title ambitions back on track? And with all four Irish provinces looking to return to the Guinness PRO14 Final Series. it sets the standard for some remarkable Festive fixtures. Don’t forget if you think you can call the result of any of our games then download the Guinness PRO14 App to play our predictor game and access lots of member only content. While you’re at it, check out the new Fantasy Game on www.pro14rugby.org – it’s had a revamp and it’s easier to play than ever before. Predicting who reaches the Guinness PRO14 Final on June 20 in Cardiff might be a tough task, but you can book the best seats at the best prices now to make sure you don’t miss out on a brilliant day of rugby in the Welsh capital. Last year saw yet another record attendance at the Guinness PRO14 Final in Glasgow, but with limited availability in 2020 be sure to visit www.pro14rugby.org/final and get booking. Enjoy the game, Martin Anayi Chief Executive Officer

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Ulster Rugby CEO Jonny Petrie reviews his first year in charge and looks ahead to our key priorities and opportunities for the rest of the season and beyond. JONNY PETRIE

had dropped. That’s not a sustainable business model for anyone, so we have needed to turn that around, and we’re consistently working hard to address that; at the same time investing in the right areas of the game and the business. There’s a huge amount of work being done around the matchday experience and how we communicate and engage with our audiences to bring people back to watch Ulster Rugby. It’s heartening to see that moving along but there is a lot more we’re committed to doing. There is a big emphasis for us to be consumer-focused in how we operate with our supporters and understand what they want, and we make sure to provide that in ways we’re already investing in. We have brand-new big screens up and are replacing the floodlights. We have also changed the operation in the bars and upgraded our ability to take contactless payments. All these small things that go together to make a matchday experience better, we now need to push that forward. There is also the performance of the team on the field within the professional game - we have a way to go in the development stages of the game, to make sure we have as many Ulster born and bred players in the senior team in the long-term too. At participation and grassroots level, there are significant challenges and we have to work to retain our existing playing numbers at the junior end of the game. We need to be innovative and place a priority on

On his first year with Ulster Rugby… It’s been a whirlwind. If you said to me a year and a half ago that I’d be living in Belfast and running Ulster Rugby, I wouldn’t have seen that coming, but I’m really pleased to be here. There’s been a lot of foundation work that we have needed to do. A lot of that is aimed at setting us up for the long-term. There has been - from an organisational perspective - a lot of restructuring and reviewing of our business priorities to set us up for the way forward and for a period of growth. It has been important in those first six months to get the right people into the right roles, making sure we’re set up appropriately and that we lay out a clear, pragmatic path forward on a number of fronts. I feel that one of the key things is that people want to see someone who is a focal point standing at the front of the organisation - representing rugby in Ulster at all levels, who cares about it, knows what they’re doing and takes that responsibility accordingly. I would like to think that people see that I’m here for the good of the club, and of the game in Ulster, and that I see a confident way forward for us. On the key priorities for the rest of the season… The context for us over the past few years - and this is common within professional sport - is that costs had risen and revenues

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but we performed above and beyond that. It set the benchmark higher for the following year and it has been hugely promising to see the squad really kick on again this year. To go four from four in the Heineken Champions Cup has been fantastic and having a strong start to the Guinness PRO14 as well has been really encouraging. There are young players coming through, getting league and European experience, and that offers a lot of hope for the future of the game. The senior performers are now starting to deliver the goods week-in, week-out, and the performance levels of the likes of Marcell Coetzee, John Cooney, Stuart McCloskey, Luke Marshall among numerous others show we have the right environment and are moving in the right direction. All we can do is keep getting better every day and who knows where the ceiling is for this province? It’s very exciting.

more accessibility to the game, which gives people the opportunity to play in a way that suits their lifestyle. While we clearly want to see new talent coming through the pathway, I’d love to see more people, adults and kids, just playing the game at a social level. On the Ulster team performance… The Ulster team performance has been hugely positive. Dan and I work closely together and it’s important that he has that support alongside him. The best thing I can do is make sure we have the right coaching group – and we absolutely do – but it’s also about making sure you do everything you can to create a professional environment to best operate in – the coaches and players need the right tools to do the job, so to speak. When I joined halfway through the season last year, we were delivering beyond expectations. Off the back of a few difficult years and Dan being new to the Province, no-one really expected us to deliver much,

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PLAYER Q&A JACKMcGRATH

When did you start playing rugby, and who was your first team? Aged 10, St Marys RFC What’s your favourite rugby memory? Chicago 2016 win over the All Blacks If you could re-live one moment from your rugby career, what would it be? (Good or bad) First Ireland cap What’s the one thing you could not live without? My car Favourite subject in school? P.E. All-time favourite movie? Revenant Best player you have played with? Isa Nacewa Best player you have played against? Michael Hooper What’s your pre-match routine? Any superstitions? Same meal every match What’s on your pre-match playlist? Radio Gaga Who has been the biggest influence on your rugby career and why? My Parents What area of your game do you want to improve most this season? Tackle Entry Tell us something not many people

would know about you? I have my HGV licence

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SONI REALRUGBY HEROES2019/2020

The categories for 2019-2020: » » Administrative Volunteer (anyone who volunteers primarily to help run the club e.g. finance, catering, treasurer) » » Youth & Mini Rugby Volunteer (anyone who volunteers within youth and mini rugby including youth disability teams) » » Women & Girls Rugby Volunteer

Celebrate the real heroes of local rugby and win £1,000 for your club! We all know the people who make a rugby club tick – the fundraisers and problem solvers, the caretakers and motivators. The people who keep the kits washed, the balls pumped, the showers running and the fun flowing. The ones who get the kids passing, the parents cheering, keep the team’s spirits up, the committee’s heads down and the sponsor’s money in. Because at the heart of Ulster Rugby are the Province’s clubs, where the people who really matter, bring the game we all love, to everyone who wants to join in. This year we are doing things a little different. With there being so many different roles that make a difference, we didn’t want anyone to be missed, so we will spotlight different categories, changing it up each year.

(anyone who volunteers within women and girls rugby across senior, youth and mini rugby)

From the three winners selected, there will be an overall winner ‘Ulster Rugby’s 2020 Volunteer of the Year’ at the Ulster Rugby Awards in May 2020. So, if you know someone in your club that you couldn’t do without, let us know. Each of the category winners will win £1,000 for their club! Enter at ulsterrugby.com/ realrugbyheroes

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New season, new team on and off the pitch Openreach is proud to join Ulster Rugby

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To find out what broadband speed is available in your area visit www.openreach.co.uk/ni

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2019 INPHOTOS

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‘THE DOC’ SIGNSHIMSELF OFF

When Munster arrives in Belfast on the first Friday of 2020, a very important member of Ulster’s rugby history of the last 40 years will say his farewell.

was to bring a new vision to his job and the ambition and enterprise of his players, Jimmy Davidson. There were characters aplenty in Ulster sides of the time, and though Irwin was very much in charge on the pitch and a model of application he could hold his own, and more, with Willie Anderson, Jimmy McCoy, Peter Russell, Ian ‘Bruno’ Brown, Trevor Ringland, Keith Crossan and that most elegant of full- backs, Philip Rainey. Nigel Carr and Phillip Matthews were friends and team-mates, their pedigrees unquestioned, but independent-minded as so many of the players were they had an undisputed ‘skipper’. The games were played hard, whether in rugby kit or post-match casual wear, the vital ingredient ‘Jimmy D’ and his players brought to that unique group of amateur talents was totally professional enjoyment. Irwin, as those who know him well will insist, is unafraid to voice an opinion, to hold team- mates and officialdom to account, but what he is to his very core is loyal: to robust but decent values, honesty, friendships made and maintained with diligence. He brings those same steadfast qualities to his work as a GP in Belfast, and from which he is slowly, gradually easing back. Today we watch players who are properly well-rewarded for their efforts, for David Irwin and the generations before and for a time afterwards dedication to the sport had to be allied to a parallel application to making a living. This is also perhaps key to the successful family he and his wife Janet, happily a rugby fanatic too, have brought up to enjoy the

He’s not one for fuss, more someone who sees merit in positive action. But just as he gave so selflessly of himself in the Ulster midfield, and in his medical capacity for successor generations, David Irwin deserves a full- throated ‘Ravenhill Roar’ of appreciation from the stands and terraces at Kingspan Stadium that evening. ‘Putting your body on the line’ is an overused phrase, but in the cause of his clubs, Province and country never has it been truer than in the case of a man whose passion for the game and his team remains undiminished. There’ll be many in the crowd as Munster, for which he has some very special memories and affection, who’ll recall a pre-professional era when Irwin was the predominant influence on the pitch and in the dressing room. As a captain he had few peers, and there are scores of former and present players – and coaches - who’ll attest to his undimmed ambition for Ulster, and who can always look to ‘The Doc’ to rally spirits. David Irwin has given far more back to the sport that it ever gave him – and it gave him much success with a fine Queen’s University side in the 1970s, with his beloved club, and then – almost incredibly – a dominance with Ulster in the 1980s which will perhaps never be matched. He made his debut against Lancashire and became a constant in teams coached by, amongst others, Harry Williams in a first ‘shift’, Cecil Watson, as wily as coach as he was craggy as a player, and then the man who

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wealth of experiences, opportunities and bonds which David has, with an undisguised relish, explored, taken and established Captaincy fitted like a glove, and in a remarkable seven successive years in the 80s Ulster went undefeated in 21 Inter-Provincials, then the most important representative competition. That 20 of those games were wins is simply astonishing in such a period of domination, and it seems somehow appropriate that the only draw in that improbably sequence was against Munster. But Dr David Irwin, on medical duty for the final time after 29 years, won’t willingly settle for a draw to open a new chapter in his life and a new year for his team. To understand even a little of the essence of the man a mere chronicle of his achievements as a player and doctor are inadequate. But it helps! Ireland’s call was answered with an A few other officials in a playing career which went on in to the early 1990s have managed to enrage this most intelligent of men, a sign perhaps that he believes most of all in a life lived fairly. Life and rugby, to be clear, should run on the same principled tracks. For eleven years he was a fixture in Ireland teams and squads, defying serious injuries to return to the green jersey, and so regarded as a player and captain that he was chosen to lead touring sides twice, only to be denied the honour by a niggling back problem. That opened the door to Willie Anderson taking on the mantle, Irwin his vice-captain, and what exploits they enjoyed! Who will ever forget that Lansdowne Road afternoon when the All Black Haka was challenged by the arm- in-arm march towards the Kiwis by an Ireland XV, Anderson, Irwin and McCoy to the fore? He’d line out for his country 25 times, and in 1983 he became a British and Irish Lion, touring New Zealand. The series was lost 4-0, impressive 1979 debut in a 19-18 defeat in the Parc des Princes, an atmospheric amphitheatre he admits is not replicated in Paris today. And, just in case you might imagine David Irwin might just possibly harbour an odd grudge, he still believes Ireland was denied a deserved victory by the referee that day.

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He remembers that Mark McCall and Matt Williams, when in charge, often asked him to say a few words. “They’ve got to be right, not just the musings of an ex-player whose own time has gone. Sometimes I felt that the group needed to be reminded what a privilege it was to wear that shirt, to play for Ulster and for those fans,” he recalls. His highlight reel starts, as it should, with that European Cup win in 1999, when Harry Williams fashioned a small core of first-time professionals and gifted part-timers into a side which left incredible memories and set the gold standard. “With Mark we won the Celtic League with David Humphreys dropping a late, late goal at the Ospreys, and with Alan Solomons we won the Celtic Cup on a wet, windy Murrayfield night,” says Irwin, but he clearly regrets there hasn’t been more silverware and thinks that there have been seasons when the squad had the potential and ability to lift trophies. He has a particular fondness for what Brian McLaughlin’s unfancied young team achieved in reaching the European Cup Final at Twickenham in 2012, but one game in a season where he felt the biggest prize was within reach, the team well-balanced and ready. “In 2014 we had Saracens at home in the quarter-final, then Jared Payne was sent off by Jerome Garces after an aerial clash with Andy Goode. Today Jared would have stayed on. The frustration was that with 14 men, in the dying minutes we were two points adrift and camped in Sarries’ ‘22’. “Then the referee called another penalty, and – like the crowd, the side, the coaches – I felt robbed. Not for myself, but for the squad that year, the best we’d assembled in years.” Irwin hopes tangible reward is not far away, and though he’s agreed to take on an occasional impartial medical side-line role hell want an Ulster win. Some of those who played with him and were in the sides he looked after as a doctor tell many a tale of the ‘edge’ ‘The Doc’ always sought for his club. Ireland centre Phil Danaher recalls an Irish Trial in Dublin where ‘the lights went out’ after collecting Irwin and, alas, not the ball!

but that doesn’t tell the story of fascinating, compelling Test matches where no quarter was asked nor given. Right up the good doctor’s street! David played in three of the Tests, and the Ireland jersey was donned right up to 1990 when he, his old comrades-in-arms Willie Anderson and Jimmy McCoy decided to retire. He doesn’t deny that it was difficult to walk away, but he’d had 11 fine years at the top of his sport and, in truth, those ‘niggles’ which once could have been ignored were beginning to interrupt his training and threaten his own high playing standards. A demanding general practice might have signalled something of a break from Ulster, but “I was asked in an ad hoc sort of way” if he could fill in as team doctor, so seamlessly his time in the dressing room and on the pitch continued! An excellent medic he believes that a player’s welfare always came first, even if a result was at stake. Yes, mend what can be mended, strap what needs strapped, but never risk further damage. David Irwin makes no ‘bones’ (sic) about the clear and obvious fact that he is an Ulster fan, that being part of the team and feeling able to bring some of his experience, some of his passion, into the side has been important for him.

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In the Ulster management there are giggles still about the game when the long-retired Irwin flattened legendary French flanker Serge Betsen. “I was rushing across the pitch to go to the aid of Bryn Cunningham, I saw Betsen, tried to swerve away from him but my medical bag sent him flying, Accidentally, of course. “I apologised to him after the match, and he believed it wasn’t deliberate. At least I think he did,” says with an amused smile slowly crossing his lips. Truly a man for all seasons he took on a dual role as manager and team doctor with Ireland Under 21s and his counsel is sought on every issue in the game, particularly now that the collision is such a concern. For someone who never avoided contact, at any speed and from any direction, his own quiet satisfaction that his children did not pursue rugby careers is persuasive. He looks around the modern, fully equipped facilities at Kingspan Stadium with a mixture of genuine thanks and yet a yearning for those big, murky nights at a sodden, chilly Ravenhill. Philip Rainey’s last-ditch touchline penalty to defeat the touring Australians, Samoa and Canada amongst many strong outfits to leave defeated. “Good wins, great players, wonderful memories in an Ulster shirt,” he says, not ruefully but with what, for Irwin, is quiet pride. He believes in what rugby does to bring people together, and he has done much to make Kingspan Stadium a truly welcoming place for fans, of course, but for former players who had not always been acknowledged fully. “They created the memories, in a way built this stadium, and they should be able to come to a game, meet up, have a ‘natter’ and a drink together.” Irwin also brought his 1983 Lions colleagues to Northern Ireland for a reunion on the Causeway Coast, and the Ulster players who dominated in Ireland for a decade regularly convene for cheery lunches and dinners. David Irwin, ‘The Doc’, is an Ulster rugby institution. He’s worn the jersey, not just the T-shirt, played for his country and the Lions

with distinction, and always kept his friends and family close. He’s not going away, but for the service he has given at Ravenhill Park, and to the welfare of team-mates and opponents alike, the regard in which he is held in the community as a doctor and as a human being is beyond measure. He’s been touched by tragedy and instantly thought of others, typical and essentially David Irwin. Nigel Carr and ‘Chipper’ Rainey knew it before all three were caught up in a border bomb on their way to an Irish World Cup training camp. Their healthy, thoughtful demeanour today, the knowing look and laughter which arises when ‘The Doc’ comes into the room, says it all. It’s only a game, and Dr David Irwin has played it, and life, the right way. Thank you.

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2019/20ABBEY INSURANCE ACADEMYSQUAD

MATTHEW AGNEW

AZUR ALLISON

GRAHAM CURTIS

MATTHEW DALTON

Year 2 Back Row 20.11.98 180cm 89kg

Year 2 Back Row 19.04.99 192cm 95kg

Year 2 Scrum Half 12.09.99 176cm 84kg

Year 3 Lock 16.11.98 197cm 105kg

JOE DUNLEAVY

AARON HALL

BRUCE HOUSTON

IWAN HUGHES

Year 3 Back Row 22.12.98 190cm 101kg

Year 4 Back Row 26.06.98 193cm 98kg

Year 2 Fly Half 16.08.99 192cm 84kg

Year 2 Back Three 06.04.99 174cm 79kg

HAYDEN HYDE

DAVID McCANN

STEWART MOORE

CONOR RANKIN

Year 1 Centre 15.09.00

Year 2 Back Row 13.06.00

Year 2 Centre 08.08.99 183cm 91kg

Year 1 Back Three 27.05.01 186cm 83kg

191cm 101kg

191cm 103kg

JACK REGAN

CALLUM REID

AARON SEXTON

TOM STEWART

Year 3 Lock 09.05.97

Year 1 Prop 06.01.99 183cm 111kg

Year 1 Back Three 24.08.00 188cm 88kg

Year 1 Hooker 11.01.01 182cm 97kg

197cm 108kg

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#ONECONSTANT WWW.GILBERTRUGBY.COM

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CONNTACHT

ONESTOWATCH COMPETITIONSOFAR

Captain

Andy Friend Jarrad Butler

Head Coach

177 TOP METRE MAKER 92 TOP TACKLER 3

CONNACHT GUINNESS PRO 14 CAMPAIGN SO FAR ROUND 1 SATURDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER SCARLETS ROUND 2 SATURDAY 5TH OCTOBER CONNACHT RUGBY ROUND 3 FRIDAY 11TH OCTOBER DRAGONS CONNACHT RUGBY ROUND 4 SATURDAY 26TH OCTOBER CONNACHT RUGBY ROUND 5 SATURDAY 2ND NOVEMBER OSPREYS TOYOTA CHEETAHS BENETTON RUGBY CONNACHT RUGBY

PETER ROBB

18 10

41

JARRAD BUTLER

5

14 38

TOP TRY SCORER

KIERAN MARMION

24 22

45 TOP POINT SCORER

10 20

CONNACHT RUGBY

CONOR FITZGERALD

ROUND 6 FRIDAY 8TH NOVEMBER CONNACHT RUGBY

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42

ROUND 7 SATURDAY 30TH NOVEMBER CONNACHT RUGBY ISUZU SOUTHERN KINGS

24 12

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2019/20 CONNACHTSQUAD

Head Coach Andy Friend Forwards Coach Jim Duffy Attack Coach Nigel Carolan Defence Coach Peter Wilkins

NIYI ADEOLOKUN

BUNDEE AKI

FINLAY BEALHAM

CAOLIN BLADE

Full Back 03.11.1990 183cm 85kg

Centre 07.04.1990 178cm 92kg

Prop 09.10.1991 185cm 110kg

Scrum Half 29.04.1994 175cm 76kg

PAUL BOYLE

DENIS BUCKLEY

MATTHEW BURKE

JARRAD BUTLER

Back Row 14.01.1997

Prop 09.08.1990

Prop 04.02.1997 180cm 114kg

Back Row 20.07.1991

191cm 105kg

178cm 105kg

185cm 106kg

JACK CARTY

ROBIN COPELAND

TOM DALY

CONOR DEAN

Fly Half 01.08.1992 180cm 88kg

Back Row 23.10.1987 196cm 110kg

Centre 31.07.1993

Fly Half 27.01.1998 185cm 90kg

191cm 101kg

*ALL INFORMATION CORRECT AT TIME OF PRINT

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SHANE DELAHUNT

ULTAN DILLANE

COLBY FAINGA'A

TOM FARRELL

Hooker 02.02.1994

Lock 09.11.1993 198cm 115kg

Back Row 31.03.1991

Centre 01.10.1993 191cm 99kg

185cm 104kg

183cm 100kg

CONOR FITZGERALD

STEPHEN FITZGERALD

CILLIAN GALLAGHER

KYLE GODWIN

Fly Half 30.09.1997 183cm 88kg

Wing 13.11.1995 188cm 86kg

Lock 23.07.1997 198cm 110kg

Centre 30.07.1992 188cm 93kg

MATT HEALEY

DAVE HEFFERNAN

DAVID HORWITZ

CONOR KENNY

Full Back 14.03.1989 183cm 91kg

Hooker 31.01.1991

Fly Half 30.09.1994 183cm 91kg

Prop 15.07.1996 188cm 130kg

185cm 100kg

STEPHEN KERINS

DARRAGH LEADER

ANGUS LLOYD

JOE MAKSYMIW

Scrum Half 01.05.1996 178cm 77kg

Wing 22.05.1993 185cm 94kg

Scrum Half 02.10.1992 175cm 80kg

Lock 20.09.1995 201cm 114kg

*ALL INFORMATION CORRECT AT TIME OF PRINT

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KIERAN MARMION

EOGHAN MASTERSON

SEAN MASTERSON

PADDY McALLISTER

Scrum Half 11.02.1992 178cm 84kg

Back Row 05.04.1993

Back Row 27.01.1998

Prop 20.07.1989 185cm 124kg

193cm 103kg

193cm 103kg

TOM McCARTNEY

EION McKEON

JONNY MURPHY

SEAN O'BRIEN

Hooker 06.09.1985

Back Row 23.06.1991

Hooker 06.02.1992

Back Row 09.12.1994 193cm 110kg

185cm 104kg

188cm 100kg

191cm 103kg

TIERNAN O'HALLORAN

JOHN PORCH

PETER ROBB

DOMINIC ROBERTSON-McCOY

Full Back 26.02.1991 188cm 94kg

Wing 04.03.1994 185cm 99kg

Centre 19.07.1994

Prop 10.11.1993 188cm 121kg

191cm 104kg

QUINN ROUX

GAVIN THORNBURY

For more information connachtrugby.ie

Lock 30.10.1990 196cm 116kg

Lock 19.10.1993 201cm 114kg

*ALL INFORMATION CORRECT AT TIME OF PRINT

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2019/20 ULSTERSQUAD

Head Coach Dan McFarland Assistant Coach Dwayne Peel Forwards Coach Roddy Grant Defence Coach Jared Payne Skills Coach Dan Soper

WILL ADDISON

JOHN ANDREW

ROBERT BALOUCOUNE

BILLY BURNS

Utility Back 20.08.1992 186cm 93kg 15 IRE 4

Hooker 26.05.1993

Wing 19.08.1997 193cm 90kg

Fly Half 13.06.1994 185cm 86kg

181cm 104kg 59 —

15 —

31 —

SAM CARTER

MARCELL COETZEE

JOHN COONEY

ANGUS CURTIS

Lock 10.09.1989 200cm 116kg 7 AUS 16

Back Row 08.05.1991 192cm 114kg 36 SA 30

Scrum Half 01.05.1990 178cm 87kg 56 IRE 8

Centre 26.03.1998 178cm 92kg

12 —

MATT FADDES

CRAIG GILROY

IAIN HENDERSON

ROB HERRING

Centre/Wing 06.11.1991 185cm 93kg 9 —

Wing 11.03.1991 183cm 92kg 176 IRE 10

Lock 21.02.1992 199cm 117kg 109 IRE 53

Hooker 27.04.1990 184cm 107kg 176 IRE 8

*ALL INFORMATION CORRECT AT TIME OF PRINT

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JAMES HUME

BILL JOHNSTON

GREG JONES

ROSS KANE

Centre 07.09.1998

Fly Half 07.02.1997 180cm 87kg 6 —

Back Row 13.01.1996

Prop 14.10.1994 180cm 118kg 44 —

187cm 98.1kg

196cm 105kg 14 —

15 —

ANGUS KERNOHAN

MICHAEL LOWRY

LOUIS LUDIK

ROB LYTTLE

Wing 02.03.1999 181cm 93kg 19 —

Fly Half 20.08.1998

Full Back 08.10.1986 182cm 90kg 102 —

Wing 28.01.1997 175cm 85kg 28 —

171cm 75.1kg 19 —

LUKE MARSHALL

ADAM McBURNEY

KYLE McCALL

ZACK McCALL

Centre 03.03.1991 181cm 97kg 134 IRE 11

Hooker 05.09.1996

Prop 02.01.1992 176cm 111kg 56 —

Hooker 10.02.1995

182cm 102kg 20 —

180cm 100kg

— —

STUART McCLOSKEY

JACK McGRATH

GARETH MILASINOVICH

MARTY MOORE

Centre 06.08.1992 193cm 111kg 115 IRE 3

Prop 11.10.1989 185cm 118kg 5 IRE 56

Prop 15.12.1992

Prop 01.03.1991 178cm 121kg 26 IRE 10

191cm 132kg

— —

*ALL INFORMATION CORRECT AT TIME OF PRINT

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JORDI MURPHY

ALAN O’CONNOR

DAVID O’CONNOR

TOMMY O’HAGAN

Back Row 22.04.1991

Lock 10.09.1992 196cm 114kg 99 —

Lock 19.05.1995 194cm 110kg 1 —

Prop 05.10.1993

188cm 105kg 23 IRE 30

182cm 120kg 2 —

ERIC O’SULLIVAN

TOM O’TOOLE

MARCUS REA

MATTHEW REA

Prop 30.11.1995 185cm 115kg 36 —

Prop 23.09.1998

Back Row 08.09.1997

Back Row 21.09.1993 194cm 112kg 37 —

185cm 120kg 34 —

188cm 105kg 1 —

SEAN REIDY

CLIVE ROSS

DAVID SHANAHAN

JONNY STEWART

Back Row 10.05.1989

Back Row 14.06.1989

Scrum Half 20.06.1993 174cm 78kg

Scrum Half 20.02.1998 174cm 77kg

182cm 103kg 116 IRE 2

193cm 109kg 73 —

51 —

12 —

JACOB STOCKDALE

NICK TIMONEY

KIERAN TREADWELL

ANDREW WARWICK

Wing 03.04.1996

Back Row 01.08.1995 189cm 111kg 55 —

Lock 06.11.1995 198cm 118kg 82 IRE 3

Prop 12.03.1991 179cm 113kg 122 —

191cm 103kg 60 IRE 25

*ALL INFORMATION CORRECT AT TIME OF PRINT

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HAPPY N FROM ULS

TOP ROW (L-R): Eric O’Sullivan, Tom O’Toole, Nick Timoney, Greg Jones, Kieran Treadwell, Sam Carter, Alan O’Connor, Matthew Rea, Clive Ross, Adam McBurney, Luke Marshall; MIDDLE ROW (L-R): David Shanahan, AndrewWarwick, Ross Kane, John Andrew, Billy Burns, Matt Faddes, Rob Lyttle, Bill Johnston, Marty Moore, Kyle McCall, Jonny Stewart, Angus Curtis; FRONT ROW (L-R): Michael Lowry, Louis Ludik, John Cooney, Craig Gilroy, Stuart McCloskey, Rob Herring, Iain Henderson (Captain), Jacob Stockdale, Jordi Murphy, Will Addison, Jack McGrath, Gareth Milasinovich, Sean Reidy;

NOT PICTURED: Marcell Coetzee

W YEAR ER RUGBY

Standout Paving for Outstanding Homes

Paving &Walling

tobermore.co.uk

GUESS THE PLAYER

I was born in Drogheda in September 1998.

I joined the Abbey Insurance Ulster Rugby Academy in 2017. I played for Ireland at U18, U19 & U20 level. I made my senior debut against Edinburgh in April 2018. I made 18 senior appearances in the 2018/19 season and earned a senior contract in the summer of 2019. I scored my first try for Ulster during our Heineken Champions Cup game against Harlequins.

THE BEST CLUBS WEAR MACRON WHY DON’T YOU?

CONTACT US FOR A QUOTATION UK COUNTRY MANAGER Andrea Palilla M: +39 347 3202669 andrea.palilla@macron.com SEE WHO ELSE HAS ALREADY CHOSEN MACRON:

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FRI 3 JAN, 7.35PM UPCOMING HOME FIXTURES ULSTER vMUNSTER

ULSTER vBATH

SAT 18 JAN, 3.15PM

SAT 22 FEB, 7.35PM ULSTER v CHEETAHS

UlsterRugby.com/BuyTickets

LIVE STATS

Available at UlsterRugby.com

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SCHOOLS' RUGBY DANSKEBANKULSTER SCHOOLS’ CUPANDBOWL

Institution, Royal School, Armagh and Wallace High School. The remaining teams will be joined by the winners and runners up of the Tier 4 Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Bowl Group competition to compete in the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Bowl competition. The final placings for the first stage of the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Bowl Group are also confirmed. Wellington College topped the group with 14 points. Our Lady & St Patricks, Knock came second with 9 points, Carrickfergus Grammar School third with 6 points, and Antrim Grammar School fourth with 1 point. Stage 2 of the Bowl Group will be played on Saturday 11th January 2020 in Round 1 knock-out games: Wellington College v Antrim GS OLSPCK v Carrickfergus GS The 2 victorious teams will then move forward to compete in the Schools’ Bowl last 16 on 25th January.

The final Group Stage Tables of the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup have been confirmed. The six Group winners, and four highest- placed runners up who have qualified for the last sixteen are Friends’ School, Bangor Grammar School, Down High School, Ballyclare High School, Cambridge House Grammar School, Sullivan Upper, Grosvenor Grammar School, Coleraine Grammar School, Belfast Royal Academy, Enniskillen Royal Grammar School. They will join the six schools who are exempted from the Group games, in the last sixteen of the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup. Those six schools are Ballymena Academy, Campbell College, Belfast, Methodist College, Belfast, Royal Belfast Academical

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MUNSTER

ONESTOWATCH COMPETITIONSOFAR

Captain

Johann van Graan Peter O'Mahony

Head Coach

328 TOP METRE MAKER 63 TOP TACKLER 3

MUNSTER GUINNESS PRO 14 CAMPAIGN SO FAR ROUND 1 SATURDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER MUNSTER RUGBY ROUND 2 SATURDAY 5TH OCTOBER ISUZU SOUTHERN KINGS ROUND 3 FRIDAY 11TH OCTOBER TOYOTA CHEETAHS MUNSTER RUGBY ROUND 4 FRIDAY 25TH OCTOBER MUNSTER RUGBY ROUND 5 SATURDAY 2ND NOVEMBER CARDIFF BLUES ROUND 6 SATURDAY 9TH NOVEMBER MUNSTER RUGBY OSPREYS MUNSTER RUGBY ROUND 7 FRIDAY 29TH NOVEMBER MUNSTER RUGBY EDINBURGH RUGBY MUNSTER RUGBY ULSTER RUGBY DRAGONS

MIKE HALEY

39

9

ARNO BOTHA

20

31

40

16

TOP TRY SCORER

ALBY MATHEWSON

28 12

47 TOP POINT SCORER

23 33

JJ HANRAHAN

22 16

16 18

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2019/20 MUNSTERSQUAD

Head Coach Johann Van Graan Team Manager Niall O'Donovan Senior Coach Stephen Larkham Defence Coach JP Ferriera Forwards Coach Graham Rowntree

STEPHEN ARCHER

SAMMY ARNOLD

DIARMUID BARRON

TADHG BEIRNE

Prop 29.01.1988 188cm 120kg

Centre 08.04.1996 183cm 95kg

Hooker 06.08.1998 183cm 98kg

Back Row 08.01.1992 198cm 113kg

TYLER BLEYENDAAL

ARNO BOTHA

JOEY CARBERY

CRAIG CASEY

Centre 31.05.1990 185cm 95kg

Back Row 26.10.1991

Fly Half 01.11.1995 183cm 85kg

Scrum Half 19.04.1999 165cm 75kg

188cm 108kg

CHRIS CLOETE

ANDREW CONWAY

GAVIN COOMBES

LIAM COOMBES

Back Row 15.02.1991

Wing 11.07.1991 180cm 90kg

Lock 11.12.1997 198cm 110kg

Wing 01.05.1997 191cm 89kg

175cm 105kg

*ALL INFORMATION CORRECT AT TIME OF PRINT

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JAMES CRONIN

NEIL CRONIN

SHANE DALY

KEITH EARLS

Prop 23.11.1990 183cm 115kg

Scrum Half 06.12.1992 173cm 83kg

Centre 19.12.1996 191cm 91kg

Universal Back 02.10.1987 178cm 86kg

CHRIS FARRELL

DAN GOGGIN

MIKE HALEY

JJ HANRAHAN

Centre 16.03.1993

Centre 10.12.1994 188cm 96kg

Full Back 28.06.1994 191cm 93kg

Centre 27.07.1992 183cm 93kg

191cm 110kg

BILLY HOLLAND

JED HOLLOWAY

DAVE KILCOYNE

JEAN KLEYN

Back Row 03.08.1985 191cm 111kg

Lock 02.11.1992 196cm 118kg

Prop 14.12.1988 183cm 110kg

Lock 26.08.1993 203cm 120kg

KEYNAN KNOX

JEREMY LOUGHMAN

RHYS MARSHALL

ALBY MATHEWSON

Prop 06.04.1999 185cm 115kg

Prop 22.07.1995 185cm 118kg

Hooker 12.10.1992

Scrum Half 13.12.1985 173cm 93kg

183cm 106kg

*ALL INFORMATION CORRECT AT TIME OF PRINT

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NICK McCARTHY

CONOR MURRAY

CALVIN NASH

KEVIN O'BYRNE

Scrum Half 25.03.1995 180cm 84kg

Scrum Half 20.04.1989 188cm 93kg

Wing 08.08.1997 178cm 90kg

Hooker 16.04.1991 180cm 105kg

LIAM O'CONNOR

SEAN O'CONNOR

TOMMY O'DONNELL

JACK O'DONOGHUE

Prop 13.07.1995 178cm 110kg

Lock 22.08.1996

Back Row 21.05.1987

Back Row 08.02.1994 191cm 109kgw

196cm 105kg

185cm 105kg

PETER O'MAHONY

DARREN O'SHEA

JACK O'SULLIVAN

CONOR OLIVER

Back Row 17.09.1989

Lock 12.12.1992 206cm 116kg

Back Row 01.10.1998

Back Row 21.09.1995

191cm 106kg

188cm 100kg

183cm 100kg

CIARAN PARKER

JOHN RYAN

NIALL SCANNELL

RORY SCANNELL

Prop 05.10.1995 188cm 120kg

Prop 02.08.1988

Hooker 08.04.1992 185cm 110kg

Centre 22.12.1993 178cm 95kg

183cm 120kg

*ALL INFORMATION CORRECT AT TIME OF PRINT

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GAME

PASS

7 GAMES 1 PASS UlsterRugby.com/GamePass

Only available until 30 December 2019

ROD NAWN

It's the midst of the Yuletide and New Year holiday season, it’s a time for unseemly indulgence, and for rugby’s faithful the gifts tumble endlessly on. NOW TUCK INTO INTER-PRO FESTIVE FARE show his old club how he has flourished up North to become, surely, an essential part of Ulster’s future and that of Ireland under Andy Farrell?

On the first big Kingspan Friday evening of what will hopefully be a rewarding 2020 Ulster takes on an old and distinguished foe in Munster. Though there may be a perception that Thomond Park’s squad is in a period of transition under Johann van Graan many would be delighted with ‘change’ if, as is the case, the shown his qualities and he’d surely love to be involved against his former club? For Munster surely Fermanagh-born Ireland centre, Chris Farrell might be forgiven if he was to impress against Ulster for whom he made his senior representative debut seven years ago? Those games, though close at hand, are still to come. It’s a cliché at this point in the calendar to afford some time and space for reflection, and Ulster’s 2019 has been one from which much can be positively taken. Though while Dan McFarland is in charge the mantra of ‘improvement, excellence, hard work and character’ is one which is judged effective not instantly or daily in terms of silverware. Players and fans can attest to the improvements in individuals’ skills and the side’s consistent address of old weaknesses and its cementing of proven qualities. In the Guinness Pro 14 Leinster strides ahead in Conference A but Ulster leads the chase and has demonstrated already in this calendar year that the RDS outfit’s standards are those within reach at Kingspan. In a competitive league losses at a restructured, Ruan Pienaar-inspired Cheetahs and nail-bitingly at Thomond Park won’t have been ‘accepted’, but home wins over Cardiff, Zebre, Scarlets were emphatic. The Champions Cup campaigns of 2018/19 and this season have also been more in keeping team sat atop Pro 14’s Conference B! Bill Johnston has arrived in Belfast and

The pre-Christmas trip to formidable Leinster was but the appetiser for a much-needed breeze of fresh air in the face, moderate rehydration and the mandatory display of clothing gifts which were, in the main, offered with affection if not always incorporating an eye for the practical and discreet! It’s that time of the year when all is just a little ‘too much’, but for Ulster’s steadfast supporters the visits on successive Fridays – if in different years! – are sporting presents to be unwrapped heartily and the contents to sate the most sophisticated rugby appetite. First up in Belfast is Connacht, on a fine Guinness Pro 14 run and sitting – like Ulster is in its division – second in Conference B. Five wins, and reverses only at Scarlets in August and against Leinster last month, indicate that Head Coach Andy Friend has reshaped the club without losing the character which brought it a Pro 14 title a few short seasons ago. Handily placed too in the Champions Cup group and following a pre-festive win over Gloucester this is a team of real substance, viewing the next few years with genuine optimism. Ulster Head Coach Dan McFarland spent the greater part of his playing and coaching career in Galway, fondly recalls his time there, but he’s made it clear that one of the Christmas presents he most desires is a win over his former club. The post-Christmas trip to Kingspan Stadium is one cheerfully embraced, whether short or long, and on this last weekend of 2019 it is Connacht which offers its tasty best as the second course of an Inter-Provincial triple-header. John Cooney was arguably Ulster’s best performer of the last few seasons, modest and professional though he is, he too would like to

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with the standards expected of a club of Ulster’s standing, and currently that remarkable captain Iain Henderson has stirringly led his troops to ‘four-from-four’ – and, perhaps crucially, a try-bonus has already been harvested in that second-half demolition of Harlequins at The Stoop a fortnight ago. To come in the New Year, the new decade, is an important trip to Stade Michelin where Clermont Auvergne will seek revenge for Ulster’s predominantly comprehensive win in Belfast in November. But those supporters who can remember the ‘Noughties’ when a win away in France – a success away anywhere! – became a true psychological ‘block’ will travel and watch in genuine hope. A mean and aggressive defence, allied to a an astonishingly prolific attack on the counter and from the set-piece, means Ulster is no longer a ‘whipping boy’ for anyone. But – unlike the electorate – Europe can wait. McFarland has admitted negotiating the intense Inter-Provincial programme immediately before and after Christmas, then the trip to Leinster, means he must harness his playing resources cleverly. He’ll have some injuries to factor in, and he’ll hope the Ireland player management scheme won’t affect his plans to field a potentially winning side over the next fortnight. He’s as intelligent as those carefully-chosen words pre- and post-match indicate, and he’ll not overtly rage at the hand he’s dealt with injuries – even by the IRFU! – and he is acutely aware of his obligation to an Ulster fanbase he regards, seriously, as a bulwark to the positive ambition he clearly has for Ulster. His management and coaching team are perhaps the most harmonious in years, and it’s ‘his’. Dwayne Peel is an attack coach with a playing pedigree quickly being matched by his talents on the training paddock and in the team room. Roddy Grant was one of the most coveted forward coaches, and he chose Ulster: McFarland knew him well from his time at Glasgow and with Scotland and, in harness with an imaginative new Ulster Rugby CEO in Jonny Petrie – like Grant, McFarland, Peel and that most understated but forensic of analysts, Niall Malone – an international player Kingspan overflows with all the right administrative and coaching talents. Add skills coach Dan Soper to the ‘team’ and McFarland leads a formidable management. Soper was well-known in Ulster club and Schools rugby but his instant impact with senior players has been exceptional.

Forwards look even more comfortable and aware with ball-in-hand, imaginative in their processes but essentially responsible to themselves and to the team. Soper, like Peel, Grant and Malone, may scorn the limelight but their Head Coach – personally and professionally – trust and has regard for all hie lieutenants. This is a key change in previous seasons when it was clear there were some differences in approach in the coaching box, though to the credit of all they were not proclaimed. This group is a good ‘mix’, and with a cerebral boss in McFarland – though don’t underestimate his understanding of the gritty side of the game! – this expertise is used well, the individual coaches’ gifts employed accurately, and their own ambitions given positive encouragement. So, ‘Team Ulster’ appears a unit of unprecedented inclusiveness on and off the pitch, but the reality for the fans this holiday is that the green shirts of Connacht will be stout, relentless opposition. Then, in the wake of the New Year celebrations, there is the little matter of Munster, and what a game that could be! Ulster could, perhaps should, have won in Thomond Park in early November, and Luke Marshall, playing like the international centre he was before long-term injury, says the loss in Limerick grates with him. If he’s unleashed at Kingspan next Friday, his physical and creative make-up will be worth admission alone! Cooney versus Murray? Ulster fans have already made up their minds on that match-up at scrum-half! But it’s a big week for Ulster, but the recent ‘back catalogue’ is more than encouraging, indeed it inspires belief and conviction. The management and the players are at a critical stage of their season, for Ulster and for Ireland, though it’s their club which takes primacy this next month, be assured. The supports has been steadfast, invariably vocal and loyal, and now it becomes that much- vaunted ‘16th Man’, Spirits will be high this Christmas-tide, they might even be consumed in typical moderation, so the home dressing room will appreciate that unique ‘Roar’ of approval and encouragement. Hopefully Christmas was fully enjoyed, the New Year embraced with a smile, now translate all that good cheer towards the action on the Kingspan sward. Happy New Year, everyone!

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