Ulster Rugby v Munster

BRYN CUNNINGHAM PROFESSIONAL OPERATIONS UPDATE

BRYN CUNNINGHAM In terms of player movement, can you give us a quick update on where Ulster is at the moment and how do you hope to shape the squad going forward? We are delighted to have recently secured some key players on longer term deals to give us Can you give us an insight into what your role entails on a weekly basis? It’s a bit of a cliché, but no two weeks are the same. My diary is my lifeline with on-site meetings across the organisation, such as; Professional Game Board, Departmental, Operational, Senior Executive, individual staff, professional game sponsors and players; to off-site meetings such as; IRFU, agents, prospective players and other strands associated with Ulster Rugby. My core roles are: the succession plan of the player roster, assessing with the Director of Rugby and coaches our player retention and recruitment aims, negotiation of all playing and coaching contracts, Academy functionality and how it feeds into the senior squad and looking after the overall budget of the professional game. A big focus of my time at present is looking at the strategy of the organisation over the next 3-5-year period, which will hopefully kick in formally within the next few months. continuity and retain a strong base committed to the future of Ulster Rugby. In a landscape where the English and French markets still dominate financially, it’s encouraging to see a number of our players commit their futures with us. I’m a bit of a traditionalist at heart and having been a ‘one-club-man’ myself for 13 years, I strongly believe that a sense of loyalty can still exist in the modern era. There are some intangibles, more important than short-term monetary gain, that I try to impress on certain players when, ultimately, they reflect on their careers down the line. I’m also in constant communication with the IRFU and respective agents on national contracts, which are critical to our budget forecasting. In terms of recruitment, we have already added Marty Moore and Jordi Murphy to our roster, which will provide us with greater strength in our front- line squad.

Over the last couple of seasons, we’ve highlighted what we need coming through the Academy, in terms of position, type of player and character. We have some grizzly, uncompromising forwards coming through over the next 3-5 years who could provide the backbone of our team and reinforce some of the traditions of what Ulster Rugby was built on decades ago. When you add in some of the talent in the backs and pace in the outside channels only entering our Academy now, I am very optimistic about the future. Getting the right blend of leadership, hardness, competitiveness and talent will be key to rejuvenating Ulster, staying true to our roots but evolving at the pace required to win trophies. What do you look for when recruiting overseas players like Charles Piutau? There are a number of things and the criteria is never identical across positions. Taking Charles as an example, the aim was to find someone who had a rounded game, so he could play across a number of positions. This was key for two reasons. Firstly, we don’t want to prevent young talent in the system not having a chance to break through and secondly, with injuries such a massive part of the game now, having the ability to shift players around is vital. Critically, the player had to have a serious X-factor to their play, as those types of players are often the difference between winning and losing tight games. The right character is also essential, that the player would fit into our culture and thrive, become a leader and have the ability to mentor younger players. In this instance, I believe we achieved everything we were after with Charles. However, a player can still tick all the criteria you are after but be ravaged by injury and there is very little you can do about it. In Marcell Coetzee’s case, the damage he does at ruck time and his explosive ball-carrying ability were key attributes we were after but his unfortunate injury before arriving with us and the further injuries he has sustained means we have only seen very small glimpses of the huge contribution he offers.

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