Ulster Rugby v Racing 92

PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

m 0;_-Ѵ= o= &Ѵv|;u !†]0‹ķ ‰o†Ѵ7 Ѵbh; |o ‰;Ѵ1ol; ;ˆ;u‹om; |o bm]vr-m "|-7b†l =ou |_bv -[;umoomĽv ;bm;h;m Champions Cup match against Racing 92 from Paris. We -u; 7;Ѵb]_|;7 |o _-ˆ; |_; !-1bm] u;vb7;m| -1h‹ ou;mŒ;ম and his fellow Directors and guests with us, and to them, |_; rѴ-‹;uvķ v|-@ -m7 v†rrou|;uvķ ‰; ;Š|;m7 - ‰-ul &Ѵv|;u welcome. We hope that you enjoy your stay in Belfast.

IRFU ULSTER BRANCH 2018/19 OFFICERS "|;r_;m ѴѴbo‚ President Gary Leslie Senior Vice President Philip Gregg Junior Vice President Denis Gardiner Honorary Secretary Michael Boyd Honorary Treasurer Greg Irwin olr;ঞঞomv ";1u;|-u‹ EXECUTIVE TEAM Jonny Petrie _b;= Š;1†ঞˆ; L1;u Dan McFarland Head Coach Bryn Cunningham r;u-ঞomv bu;1|ou Chris Webster ;-7 o= !†]0‹ ;ˆ;Ѵorl;m| Audrey Robinson Head of Finance & r;u-ঞomv Fiona Hampton ;-7 o= "-Ѵ;v ş -uh;ঞm]

This is our first home match of the New Year and, since the win over Munster in our Christmas outing, we have suffered two defeats at the hands of our inter-provincial rivals Connacht and Leinster. This is an important match for both teams as victory for our visitors would clinch qualification for the knock-out stages and for Ulster a win is vital so that we go to Leicester next week with a very real prospect of progressing from the group. Those of us who travelled to Paris had the unique experience of enjoying the atmosphere in Racing’s magnificent stadium. Conditions will be very different today and we hope that with the vocal support of the Kingspan Stadium crowd, the Paris result will be reversed. Today is special for another reason as we have with us many of the players and staff from the Ulster squad of 1998/1999, which won the European Cup for the first and so far only time by beating Colomiers in Lansdowne Road on 30th January 1999. Who will ever forget the two victories over Toulouse or the semi-final win over Stade Francais at a packed Ravenhill before the invasion of Dublin when the city turned red?!

to all who have made the effort to join us today and we hope that you enjoy the hospitality and take the opportunity to renew old friendships. On the domestic front, the All Ireland League has had a break in competition and during that time Ballynahinch clinched the SONI Ulster Premiership with a winner-takes-all win over Malone. Congratulations to them. The Millar McCall Wylie Junior Cup final was played last week at Kingspan Stadium when Dromore overcame Ballynahinch 2nd XV to secure the trophy for the first time since 1939. This was a magnificent display of running rugby with both sides contributing to what was a great advertisement for the domestic game in Ulster. Well done Dromore. The schools’ competitions are now well underway and I send best wishes to all those taking part. My thanks to the committees and all those involved in making sure things run smoothly. Let us hope that the weather continues to be kind. Once again I wish to thank you, the loyal fans, for your continued support. If the team are to triumph today, they need that vocal encouragement from the 16th man! Enjoy the game and the Kingspan Stadium experience! Stephen Elliott President, IRFU Ulster Branch

We celebrate that success and pay tribute to all those

bm]vr-m "|-7b†lķ ƐƒƓ o†m| ;uubom ˆ;m†; Belfast, BT6 0FT T +44 (0)28 9049 3222 ulsterrugby.com

who contributed to one of the proudest moments in Ulster Rugby history. A sincere thank you

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