Ulster Rugby vs Barbarians

This is the first time Ulster has played the Barbarians. There was a match in 1957 but that was against an Ulster Invitation XV so a piece of history is being made tonight. It is also the second time the Barbarians have been at Kingspan Stadium this season, having played Fiji here back in November. The Barbarians' great reputation for playing entertaining rugby is unequalled and with no competition pressures on the Ulster team tonight, we should be in for a great game. Three weeks ago, the Ulster team put in a tremendous performance to defeat our old rivals Leinster and give Ulster greats Ruan Pienaar and Roger Wilson a fitting send-off. Apart from Ruan and Roger, we also say good-bye to a number of players who will not be with us next season. Angus Lloyd, Dan Tuohy and Sam Windsor left us during the current season, as did assistant coach Joe Barakat. To them and to Franco van der Merwe, Ricky Lutton, Stevie Mulholland, John Donnan, Conor Joyce, Mark Best, Lorcan Dow, Johnny Murphy and Callum Patterson we offer our thanks and appreciation for all their efforts, and wish them well in the future. Two other great Ulstermen are also leaving at the end of the season - Neil Doak and Allen Clarke. These two stalwarts have made very significant contributions to Ulster Rugby, both as players and more lately as coaches. They deserve our thanks for all their efforts over so many years and they have our best wishes for the future. Congratulations go to the Ulster Junior team who won the inter- provincial title with three wins out of three against the other provinces over the past month – a great achievement. At the recent 2017 Northern Ireland Tourism Awards, the award for ‘Best Event or Festival Experience’ went to Ulster Rugby for its staging of the memorable European Champions Cup tie against Clermont Auvergne last December at Kingspan Stadium. We beat off stiff competition from the likes of the Belfast Christmas Market and the Balmoral Show. Our congratulations go to Event Co-ordinator Anita Bayne and the Ulster Rugby staff who were involved for this great achievement. Finally, I want to thank our fans for the tremendous support they have given the team throughout the season. I know it has been a slightly disappointing season in that we did not make the knockout stages of the European Champions Cup or the Guinness PRO12 play-offs but the support the team has received during the season has been superb. So, once more, let us get behind the Ulster team tonight and, again, a big It gives me great pleasure as President of the IRFU Ulster Branch to welcome everyone to Kingspan Stadium for this unique match between Ulster and the Barbarians. In particular, I extend a warm welcome to the Barbarian’s President Micky Steele-Bodger and to their players and officials. PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

IRFU ULSTER BRANCH 2016/17 OFFICERS John McKibbin President Graffin Parke Senior Vice President Stephen Elliott 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

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

thank you to all our supporters. Stand Up For The Ulster Men! John McKibbin President IRFU (Ulster Branch)

3

www. ULSTERRUGBY .com