Ulster Rugby - Annual Report 2017-18

difficult issue of the season, for supporters, players and management, and, of-course, for the individuals themselves, was the trial of Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding. At the end of the proceedings, they were unanimously acquitted on all charges. At that point, there is no question that opinion became divided on what should have happened next. Some felt that as they were not guilty, they should have been retained, having already served a year’s suspension. Others wanted them to stay in Ulster, but accepted that doing so would be extremely difficult. The remainder believed they should have been summarily dismissed. Ultimately, the IRFU revoked their contracts, much to the dismay of many supporters, and of the playing group. As there are only four professional Rugby teams in Ireland, all under the control of the IRFU, the termination of their contracts effectively meant that in order to continue their careers, they were required to do so outside Irish Rugby. This has been a high price for all involved. Wherever they end up, we thank Paddy and Stuart for their contribution to Ulster, and wish them every success in the next phase of their careers. Ulster U18 Schools For the first time since Darren Cave played for them in 2005, Ulster Schools emerged as Inter Provincial Champions. While their exploits are recorded in greater detail later in this report, it is pertinent to note that as Connacht no longer play at this level, our boys had to play home and away against the other two provinces. Although they started off with a single point defeat in Munster, they won their next two, at home to Leinster, also by a single point, before gaining revenge over Munster in another tight match, winning by four points. The final match, against Leinster in Dublin, was another very close affair, the Ulster boys showing great grit and determination to come on top, once again, by just a single point. Our congratulations are recorded to all those players, coaches and back-up staff involved in this tremendous achievement. Disability Rugby The Ulster Branch can be proud of the part it has played in the development and support of Disability rugby. Since the formation of the Newforge Taggers in 2006, the sport has grown and last season there were nine teams in Ulster. The Ulster Disability Advisory Group, with the support of the Ulster Branch Spirit Officer, met four times during the season. The Branch received a number of letters from members of the group requesting the introduction of Mixed Ability rugby. This matter was referred to the IRFU, is under consideration, and we await their decision. Governance For a number of reasons, the Bye Laws of the Branch need to be reviewed and updated. This time last year I reported that we were waiting on the outcome of the review of the governance of the IRFU. Regrettably, while progress has undoubtedly been made, the completion of that process would appear to be still some way off. We have therefore commissioned a review of a part of the Bye Laws, and while this is a step in the right direction, it does not go far enough. I fear that we cannot wait much longer and that it may become

Andrew Trimble Another stalwart of Ulster, Andrew Trimble decided to join Tommy in retirement. Since making his debut for the province in 2005, the former Coleraine AI player went on to play for Ulster on 229 occasions, and retires as the current all-time most capped player. He also played 70 times for Ireland and was a member of the World Cup squads in both 2007 and 2011. Although forced to sit out the 2015 World Cup due to injury, he returned to the Ireland team and played in the historic first ever win over the All Blacks in Chicago. Robbie Diack Having moved from South Africa to join Ulster in 2008, Robbie has decided that the time is right to return home. During his ten years in Ulster he became the first overseas player to win 200 caps, and leaves with a total of 206. Only five players have worn the white on more occasions. Having qualified on residency, his efforts were recognised and rewarded by Ireland with two caps in 2014. Ulster has been incredibly well served by all of the players mentioned above, and they all leave with our very best wishes for their futures. Discipline A number of disturbing incidents in age-grade matches have been reported to the Branch over the last couple of seasons. These have mainly centred around the verbal abuse of referees. In one case the referee of a mini game was subjected to such an assault from the coach of the opposition U8 team. There have also been serious cases of physical assault, involving supporters and coaches, both during and after matches, including a particularly unsavoury incident at the end of an U14 game. We cannot expect young players to respect the values of our game when adult spectators and coaches, from whom they should be learning, behave in this manner. This poor behaviour, while more prevalent at Youth level, is not exclusive to age-grade matches. An extremely vile case of referee abuse at the home of a Championship Club last season was understandably regarded as disgusting by the USRFR. It must be borne in mind that referees are volunteers, and for them to be subjected to any abuse is simply unacceptable. It is of paramount importance that our Clubs become more actively involved in helping to stamp out such behaviour, whether by targeted induction, better education, more effective policing or more comprehensive investigation, and that punitive sanctions are imposed on those identified as responsible. I accept that volunteers, both at adult and age grade level, are hard to find, but that is no reason for Clubs to turn a blind eye to such activity. Clubs are responsible for the behaviour of their own officials and spectators. They are also expected to provide a safe environment for visiting players, referees, officials and spectators. The Trial In my introduction, I wrote that 2017/18 had been a difficult year. Some poor performances on the pitch led to uncertainty within the coaching set-up, causing understandable concern. However, the most

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