Ulster Rugby vs Llanelli Scarlets

LEADING THE FIELD

Welcome to Kingspan Stadium, the home of Ulster Rugby for an exciting Friday evening Guinness PRO12 clash against Scarlets.

On behalf of Kingspan I would like to welcome the Scarlets team, who got the upper hand over the Ulster men with a one point victory when they last met here in February. We have an exciting game ahead and our Ulster team will be hoping to build on the momentum of their most recent wins against both Benetton Treviso and Newport Gwent Dragons respectively. I would like to wish the squad and management of Ulster Rugby every success this evening. To you the fans, I hope you enjoy the game, stand up for the Ulster men and help to create another memorable experience in Kingspan Stadium.

Pat Freeman Divisional Managing Director

CONTENTS

PRESIDENT’S WELCOME 3 GUINNESS PRO12 WELCOME 4 TONIGHT’S MACOTS 7 ROB HERRING 8 RORY BEST Q&A 13 CENTRA SUMMER CAMPS 17 NEVIN SPENCE TRIBUTE 19 ULSTER A UPDATE 22 ULSTER SQUAD 24 ULSTER TEAM 28 SCARLETS TEAM 33 SCARLETS SQUAD 34 OPPOSITION VIEW 39 NIALL MALONE INTERVIEW 40 TRAVEL PACKAGE 45 CENTRA HALF TIME RUGBY 47 STANDOUT PRO12 PLAYERS 48 URSC CLUB NEWS 51 OURCLUB NEWS 53 ULSTER RUGBY VALUES 55 STADIUM INFORMATION 57 MATCH PREVIEW 58 FIXTURES 59 THANK YOU 60

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PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

IRFU ULSTER BRANCH 2016/17 OFFICERS John McKibbin President Graf n 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

Tonight’s opponents are Welsh side Scarlets and I extend a warm welcome to their team, coaches, Directors and supporters. Following on from the opening game bonus point win over Dragons, the Ulster team earned a good away win over a much improving Treviso side last weekend. This was an excellent result in very challenging conditions, given the temperature of 32 degrees and high humidity. It was also good to see young Hughes Insurance Academy players such as Ross Kane, Rob Lyttle and Jacob Stockdale step up to the higher level and perform so well. The Age-grade Inter-provincials are now well underway. The Academy side and the Schools U18 XV have had difficult starts to their inter-provincial competitions. The Schools XV play their final game against Leinster Schools tomorrow at Pirrie Park, KO 1.00pm. The U18 Clubs XV have lost their first two games against Connacht and Munster, both very narrowly, and these were two games the Ulster side could and should have won with a bit of luck. Their last game is against Leinster in Dublin tomorrow. However, the U19s have done very well with two wins over Leinster and Munster in their two outings to date and will go for the Inter-pro title against Connacht tomorrow. The game is at Osborne Park, KO 3.00pm, and I would encourage as many as possible to go along and support the U19s and /or the Schools U18s. Best of luck to all the Ulster sides playing this weekend. Our domestic club competitions are now underway and I wish all clubs and teams a successful and, more importantly, an enjoyable season. Finally, I hope everyone enjoys the game tonight as well as the facilities at Kingspan Stadium, and remember - “Stand Up For It gives me great pleasure as President of the IRFU Ulster Branch to welcome everyone to Kingspan Stadium for this evening’s Round 3 match in the Guinness PRO12. PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

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

The Ulstermen”. John McKibbin President IRFU (Ulster Branch)

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Managing Director, PRO12 Rugby Welcome

After waiting all summer to get back into the fast- paced action of the Guinness PRO12, the first two Championship rounds have delivered with the type of excitement that the fans, players and coaches were hoping for. Already we have seen some thrilling rugby – including some upset away wins – which has set the bar high as all of our clubs have their sights fixed on reaching our third ‘Destination Final’ in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on May 27. Since tickets were made available last month, sales have been very strong as fans have availed of our Early Bird rates on Ticketmaster.ie where you can save up to 20 per cent if you buy before January 2, 2017 – which is all part of our ‘Fans First’ philosophy. Ensuring that fans of all our clubs get the opportunity to see the great rugby that the Guinness PRO12 has to o‰er, I was thrilled to see the successful debut of the new 4G surface at Scotstoun Stadium last weekend as Glasgow Warriors and Leinster Rugby produced a thriller. In the past, severe weather has forced games in Glasgow to be called o‰, but now with their new pitch, not only will fans feel confident that fixtures will go ahead, the crisp playing surface will produce plenty of positive play. In last weekend’s game between two of our former champions, our fans in the stadium and watching live on Sky Sports saw 58 points scored in a game where o‰-loads flowed and searing line breaks caught the eye. Every try-scorer on the day was a current international player and in a season which will end with a British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Tommy Seymour’s four tries will certainly make head coach Warren Gatland take notice. Of course it’s not just coaches like Warren Gatland or Gregor Townsend at Glasgow Warriors who will be beaming at Tommy Seymour’s performance, any of you who have selected the Scotland winger in your Guinness PRO12 Fantasy Rugby teams will be very pleased with the six tries he has scored in the first two rounds! If you haven’t signed up to our new Guinness PRO12 Fantasy Rugby team then be so be sure to do so and play against your friends as there are some great prizes to be won. Finally, it’s great that we have had such an exciting start to the Championship season to celebrate Guinness continuing their title sponsorship for another four years. This is fantastic for the Championship and it’s a relationship that enables us to constantly improve the Guinness PRO12 alongside our other existing partners Specsavers and Rhino Rugby. Enjoy the game, Martin Anayi

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TONIGHT’S MASCOTS

MASCOTS

REUBEN CLARKE (8) Reuben is from Islandmagee and attends St. Nicholas Primary School in Carrickfergus. He plays mini rugby at Carrick RFC and also enjoys football, swimming and attending Cubs. His favourite player is Paddy Jackson, because he’s a great kicker. When Reuben grows up he would like to be a rugby player and a doctor.

DAVID LAMBE (9) David is from Monaghan and attends St. Mary’s Boys School. He plays rugby at school and also enjoys football, swimming and hurling. David’s favourite player is Tommy Bowe because he is really good and from the same county! When he grows up David would like to play rugby for Ulster.

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ROB HERRING CELEBRATING 100 APPEARANCES FOR ULSTER

Describe your first appearance for Ulster? My first appearance was against Glasgow Warriors in 2012. I remember being so nervous I wasn’t able to eat much the whole day leading up to the game. It was my first season for Ulster and when Mark Anscombe told me I would start the first game it was such a surreal experience. The game went by so quickly and most of it was a blur to be honest. What are your top five moments in an Ulster jersey? I would have to say… 1. Ospreys at Kingspan Stadium in 2015 - my first league game running the boys out as captain. A moment I will cherish forever. 2. Treviso at Ravenhill in 2013 - my first European start and first European Man of the Match Award. 3. Connacht at Kingspan Stadium in 2015 - I had 4. Oyonnax at Kingspan Stadium in 2016 - my first time captaining Ulster in a European game. I was fortunate enough to score a try in the first five minutes and we ended up with a massive 56-3 bonus point win. 5. Leinster at Kingspan Stadium in 2016 - my birthday was a few days before this game and my fiancé, Nicola, had organised for my dad to come over on a surprise visit. To have him in the stands while we put 30 points on Leinster was such a special moment for me. The toughest game you have played in and why? I guess the toughest games I’ve been involved in are the games where we come off the pitch knowing that we have underachieved. A few games come to mind but Leinster in the semi- finals last season stands out. We were in a situation in the run in to the semis where we really had to scrap for a playoff spot. We managed to win 5 out of 6 games to secure a spot in the

semi-finals and were in incredible form. Going into the semi we really felt it was our time to go and win the PRO12. To then go and fall short against Leinster again really did hurt and was tough to swallow, but is definitely an emotion that drives this team everyday to be better this season. The toughest opponent you have faced and why? There are a few hookers who stand out - Guilhem Guirado, Schalk Brits, Olivier Azam or Tom Youngs. But my toughest opponent would have to be George Smith - simply because of the way he knocked me out in the Irish Wolfhounds’ game against the Barbarians. I took a switch pass off Conor Murray and tried to run over George - that was the last thing I remembered until I came back round in the medical room. What has changed from cap 1 to cap 100? years, been involved in some unbelievable games for Ulster, travelled Europe, improved as a rugby player, got engaged and embraced the Ulster Rugby culture. So there have been quite a few changes but they have all been for the better and I like to think I’ve grown as a person over that time. Achieving 100 caps as must be a great honour? Getting to 100 caps for Ulster is extremely humbling. It’s a Province that I love playing for and I never take the opportunity of pulling the jersey on for granted. To be able to run out as captain on this occasion is a massive honour and it will be a very proud moment, one I will never forget. We have such a good vibe amongst the squad this season and I genuinely can’t wait to get out there again with the boys. My mother, Gael, is over for tonight’s game and will be there supporting with Nicola, so I just want to give a shout out to them for all the support, through the highs and lows, over the years. They have been such rocks for me. I’ve been fortunate to have some incredible experiences on and off the field since I joined Ulster. I’ve made lifelong friends over the

ROB HERRING 12 family and friends over for this game and it was so incredible having them all over to experience an inter-pro and support me at Kingspan.

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“GETTING TO 100 CAPS FOR ULSTER IS EXTREMELY HUMBLING. IT’S A PROVINCE THAT I LOVE PLAYING FOR AND I NEVER TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY OF PULLING THE JERSEY ON FOR GRANTED”

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GROUP BOOKINGS NOW AVAILABLE!

PRICES Hughes Insurance Family Stand (seated) Memorial End Stand (seated) Family Terrace Memorial End Terrace

Adult £20 £20 £15 £15

Junior From £13 From £13 From £10 From £10

Student £17 £17 £13 £13

Please note the following: Group bookings are available for groups of 10 or more and are subject to availability. If you wish to add any juniors to an adult group booking, they will not contribute towards your required 10 minimum and will be charged at the match-by-match rate for the chosen area of the stadium. Adult group bookings are only available for Guinness PRO12 fixtures against Scottish, Welsh and Italian opposition. For further information please contact the Ulster Rugby Ticket Office on 028 9049 3222 (option 2) or complete a group booking enquiry form on www.ulsterrugby.com.

BOOK NOW! CONTACT THE TICKET OFFICE ON 02890 493 222 (OPTION 2)

RORY BEST Q&A

NICK NAME? Mocky FAVOURITE SUBJECT AT SCHOOL? Geography IF YOU COULD BE A PROFESSIONAL IN ANOTHER SPORT, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Football MOST EXCITING THING YOU HAVE DONE? Bidding at auction for an animal for the first time FAVOURITE HOLIDAY DESTINATION? Maldives - we spent our honeymoon there MOST EXPENSIVE ITEM YOU HAVE BOUGHT? A 20,000 litre shark tank! HOW DO YOU RELAX ON YOUR DOWN TIME? Farming, family and golf FAVOURITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME? Old School IF A FILM WAS MADE ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY YOU? Vin Diesel - obviously IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESSERT ISLAND, WHICH PLAYER WOULD YOU LEAST LIKE TO BE STRANDED WITH? Paul Marshall DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS? Yes, a dog called Jackson and approximately 120 Aberdeen Angus cattle all with various names WHAT ARE YOUR LEAST AND MOST FAVOURITE TRAINING ELEMENTS? Least – Weights, Most – Rugby Skills WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT PLAYING FOR ULSTER? Playing alongside Luke Marshall IF YOU WEREN’T A PROFESSIONAL RUGBY PLAYER, WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING AS A PROFESSION? Farming

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT RORY FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER @RORYBEST2

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ULSTER RUGBY VISITOR EXPERIENCE

TOUR OF KINGSPAN STADIUM AND THE NEVIN SPENCE CENTRE

Ever wonder what goes on in the stadium when there’s not a match on? Take a behind the scenes tour of Kingspan Stadium and see the players’ gym, match day changing

rooms and ice baths. Sit pitch side in the dugouts and find out some facts from our tour guides.

Visit The Nevin Spence Centre and learn about the history of rugby in Ulster starting in 1854. Explore our digital archive and find out more about schools and club rugby around the province. Meet some of our legends and pick your own DreamTeam.Think you could make Les Kiss’s squad? Try our kicking and tackling challenges!

ENTRY

EXIT

NO

ENTRY

The centre is open Monday to Friday with selected Saturdays and is fully accessible. Visits must be booked in advance. Individual, education and group rates available. Please see our website for details.

ULSTERRUGBY.COM/TOURS CALL 02890 493 222 OR EMAIL TOURS@ULSTERRUGBY.COM

CENTRA SUMMER CAMPS 2016

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The GUINNESS word and associated logos are trade marks © Guinness & Co.2015.

NEVIN SPENCE 26TH APRIL 1990 – 15TH SEPTEMBER 2012 #ALWAYSWITHUS

ONE OF 25 OFFICIAL GUINNESS PRO12 BALLS TO ENTER GO TO FACEBOOK.COM/RHINORUGBY WIN

BRITISH & IRISH CUP 2016/17

The Ulster A team, sponsored by CD Group, will once again compete in the British & Irish Cup, which will feature 32 teams: 12 from the English RFU Championship, 12 from the Welsh Principality Premiership, 4 Irish provinces and the top 4 finishers of Premier 1 in Scotland. The draw for the 2016/17 British & Irish Cup has taken place, and Ulster A are in Pool One alongside Jersey Reds, London Scottish and Cardiff Blues Premiership Select as the cross- border competition enters its eighth year. The Ulster A team will enter the competition under the guidance of Kieran Campbell, Head of the Hughes Insurance Ulster Rugby Academy, and former Ulster and Ireland captain Willie Anderson, who joined Ulster Rugby in the role of Elite Player Development Officer in July. The Ulster A team have already have one outing this year, a thrilling 48-38 victory over Canada A at Kingspan Stadium on 26th August, and Anderson was relatively pleased with what he saw that night: “The first half was excellent. We started the game with a full A team, the guys were well up for it and we got some fantastic scores to go in 29-5 up at the break. At half-time we had to relinquish some players who were joining the senior squad for the game against Northampton later in the evening so that probably gave Canada an opportunity to creep back into the game, which they did and they went up 38-36 with ten minutes to go. But for our boys to finish out the game the way they did was great to see and it probably told us a lot more about them than if they had cruised through it.”

The Ulster A team will be made up of a mixture of senior and Academy players, all hoping to put their hand up for a place in the senior squad. “Hopefully we will have a few weeks with a settled group to prepare for the opening round game, and I would expect everyone involved to be making the most of the opportunity. It has been a few years since we have qualified for the quarter- final stages, so we will certainly be aiming to put that right this year.” While Anderson will be key to the preparation of the forward’s technical and tactical play, he will also be hoping to have a positive influence on another aspect of the team: “I will be working closely with the forward units and Kieran on the tactical plays, but I think its also vitally important that we encourage that raw passion for wearing the Ulster jersey and I know that’s something Les (Kiss) is also very clear on. We’re looking for winners so we want to create that environment where these guys will give everything for the jersey and the men standing beside them, to never give up for the full 80 minutes.” Ulster A will begin its British & Irish Cup campaign on Saturday 15 October at home to Jersey Reds. For more information on the CD Group,

ULSTER A

Ireland’s largest automotive parts distributor, visit www.cd-group.com or @CD_Group on Twitter.

ULSTER A V JERSEY REDS Saturday 15th October, Time TBC LONDON SCOTTISH V ULSTER A Saturday 22nd October, 3.00pm ULSTER A V BLUES PREMIERSHIP SELECT 09/10/11 December, Time TBC BLUES PREMIERSHIP SELECT V ULSTER A 16/17/18 December, Time TBC ULSTER A V LONDON SCOTTISH 13/14/15 January, Time TBC JERSEY REDS V ULSTER A Saturday 21 January, 2.00pm BRITISH & IRISH CUP 2016/17 FIXTURES

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Alex Thompson

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MARK BEST

JOHN ANDREW

RODNEY AH YOU

Centre 01.04.94 182cm 94kg

Hooker 26.05.93 181cm 101kg

Prop 27.10.88

187cm 129kg

— —

16 —

1 3

TOMMY BOWE

CALLUM BLACK

RORY BEST

Wing 22.02.84 190cm 100kg 136 67 Flanker 08.05.91 191cm 112kg — SA 28 Back Row 27.01.95 190cm 108kg 1 —

Prop 25.02.86 180cm 116kg 109 — Centre 05.04.87 184cm 95kg 180 11

Hooker 15.08.82

178cm 106kg 184 97

MARCELL COETZEE

DARREN CAVE

PETER BROWNE 2nd Row 25.10.87 201cm 116kg

15 —

LORCAN DOW

JOHN DONNAN 2nd Row 16.02.93 197cm 115kg

ROBBIE DIACK

No. 8 12.11.85 195cm 110kg 177 2

— —

ULSTER SQUAD 2016/17 24 CRAIG GILROY Wing 11.03.91 183cm 90kg 133 8 WIEHAHN HERBST Prop 07.05.88 180cm 120kg 39 — IAIN HENDERSON 2nd Row 21.02.92 199cm 117kg 58 23 ROB HERRING Hooker 27.04.90 185cm 102kg 99 1

CHRIS HENRY

No. 7 17.10.84

191cm 105kg 150 24

BRETT HERRON

Fly half 13.11.95 184cm 92kg 2 —

www. ULSTERRUGBY .com

CONOR JOYCE

PADDY JACKSON

ROSS KANE

Back Row 05.07.93

Out half 05.01.92 180cm 87kg 105 16

Prop 26.02.86 182cm 114kg 52 — Prop 14.10.94 180.5cm 116kg 2 —

192cm 106kg 4 —

ANGUS LLOYD

RICKY LUTTON

LOUIS LUDIK Full back 10.08.86 182cm 92kg

Scrum half 02.10.92 175cm 80kg

ULSTER SQUAD 2016/17

— —

41 —

PAUL MARSHALL

LUKE MARSHALL

ROB LYTTLE

Centre 03.03.91 181cm 97kg 84 8 Centre 06.08.92 193cm 113kg 44 1

Scrum half 26.07.85 172cm 80kg 175 3

Prop 01.02.92 177cm 111kg 27 — Centre 03.03.91 181cm 97kg 2 — Back Row 07.04.90 193cm 108kg 2 —

KYLE McCALL

STUART McCLOSKEY

JOHNNY McPHILLIPS

Out half 13.04.97 179cm 80kg

— —

STEPHEN MULHOLLAND

JONNY MURPHY

PETER NELSON Full back 05.10.92 180cm 88kg

Hooker 02.06.92

178cm 106kg 1 —

31 —

STUART OLDING

ALAN O’CONNOR 2nd Row 10.09.92 197cm 114kg 26 —

JARED PAYNE Full back 13.10.85 186cm 97kg

Centre 11.03.93 178cm 93kg 50 4

68 16

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Should’ve gone to Specsavers

Official partner of the Guinness PRO12 referees

©2015 Specsavers. All rights reserved.

MATTHEW REA 2nd Row 21.09.93 193cm 110kg

RUAN PIENAAR

CHARLES PIUTAU

Scrum half 10.03.84 187cm 90kg 120 SA 88

Utility back 31.10.91 183cm 102kg 1 NZ 16

— —

CLIVE ROSS

DAVE SHANAHAN

SEAN REIDY

Back Row 14.06.89 193cm 105kg

Scrum half 20.06.93 174cm 90kg 8 —

Back Row 05.10.89

ULSTER SQUAD 2016/17

182cm 105kg 33 1

31 —

JOHNNY SIMPSON

JACOB STOCKDALE

KIERAN TREADWELL 2nd Row 11.06.95 198cm 121kg 1 —

Prop 19.08.90 184cm 110kg

Wing 04.03.96 195cm 96kg 8 —

— —

DAN TUOHY 2nd Row 18.06.85 197cm 115kg 134 11

FRANCO VAN DER MERWE 2nd Row 15.03.83 198cm 117kg 55 SA 1

ANDREW TRIMBLE

Wing 20.10.84 185cm 97kg 206 66 Prop 12.03.91 179cm 110kg 49 —

ANDY WARWICK

ROGER WILSON

SAM WINDSOR

Fly half 07.12.87 185cm 94 kg 2 —

No. 8 21.09.81 190cm 106kg 209 1

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15

1

CALLUM BLACK

CHARLES PIUTAU

14

2

ROB HERRING (C)

CRAIG GILROY

13

3

RODNEY AH YOU

STUART OLDING

12

4

PETER BROWNE

STUART McCLOSKEY

ULSTER RUBGY

11

5

LOUIS LUDIK

ALAN O’CONNOR

6

10

CLIVE ROSS

PADDY JACKSON

7

9

SEAN REIDY

RUAN PIENAAR

REPLACEMENTS 16 17 18 19 J ANDREW A WARWICK R KANE F VD MERWE

20 21 22 23

I HENDERSON A LLOYD L MARSHALL R LYTTLE

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ROBBIE DIACK

TODAY’S OFFICIALS

REFEREE BEN WHITEHOUSE WRU 27TH COMPETITION GAME ASSISTANT REFEREE’S CAMMY RUDKIN SRU | SHANE KIERANS IRFU CITING COMMISSIONER EDDIE WALSH IRFU TMO CHARLES SAMSON SRU

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PIENAAR RUAN PIENA R

RUAN

15

1

WYN JONES

ALED THOMAS

14

2

LIAM WILLIAMS

KEN OWENS (C)

SCARLETS

13

3

WERNER KRUGER

JONATHAN DAVIES

12

4

JAKE BALL

HADLEIGH PARKES

11

5

DAVID BULBRING

STEFFAN EVANS

6

10

LEWIS RAWLINS

RHYS PATCHELL

7

9

JAMES DAVIES

GARETH DAVIES

REPLACEMENTS 16 17 18 19 R ELIAS L GARRETT P EDWARDS T BEIRNE

20 21 22 23

W BOYDE A DAVIES S WILLIAMS S HUGHES

8

JOHN BARCLAY

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JOHN BARCLAY

JAKE BALL

MORGAN ALLEN

Back Row 24.09.86 190cm 105

Lock 21.06.91 197cm 124

Back Row 12.03.90 188cm 116

TADHG BEIRNE

RYNIER BERNARDO

DAVID BULBRING

Lock 08.01.92 198cm 107

Lock 27.08.91 199cm 112

Lock 12.09.89 198cm 113

WILL BOYDE

ALED DAVIES

JACK CONDY

Back row 15.12.94 183cm 101kg

Scrum half 19.07.92 176cm 88kg

Back Row 01.12.94 188cm 114kg

SCARLETS

JAMES DAVIES

GARETH DAVIES

JONATHAN DAVIES

Flanker 25.10.90 183cm 102kg

Scrum half 18.08.90 178cm 88kg

Centre 05.04.88 186cm 104kg

PETER EDWARDS

RYAN ELIAS

TAYLOR DAVIES

Prop 12.08.80 178cm 118kg

Hooker 07.01.95 187cm 110kg

Hooker 30.07.95 185cm 108kg

ROB EVANS

DYLAN EVANS

JONATHAN EVANS

Prop 14.04.92 186cm 118kg

Prop 25.01.89 184cm 118kg

Scrum half 25.07.92 181cm 85kg

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RHYS FAWCETT

SHAUN EVANS

STEFF EVANS

Prop 09.10.96 185cm 116 kg

Winger 01.09.94 182cm 95 kg

Back Row 14.09.96 183cm 97 kg

DAFYDD HUGHES

STEFFAN HUGHES

JOSH HELPS

Lock 22.12.94 197cm 115 kg —

Hooker 08.01.96 178cm 101 kg —

Centre 17.02.94 180cm 95 kg —

SCARLETS

WYN JONES

WERNER KRUGER

DAN JONES

Prop 26.02.92 184cm 120 kg

Fly half 07.01.96 183cm 88 kg

Prop 23.01.85 191cm 117kg

BILLY McBRYDE

JOSH MACLEOD

SAMSON LEE

Centre 24.10.96 178cm 94 kg

Back Row 27.10.96 189cm 110 kg

Prop 30.11.92 180cm 120 kg

GARETH OWEN

JOHNNY McNICHOLL

IOAN NICHOLAS

Centre 03.04.98 185cm 84 kg

Fullback 05.11.88 183cm 95 kg

Winger 24.09.90 185cm 96 kg

KEN OWENS

HADLEIGH PARKES

MATTHEW OWEN

Centre 15.11.96 195cm 102 kg

Hooker 03.01.87 184cm 97 kg

Centre 05.10.87

187cm 100 kg

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TOM PHILLIPS

EMYR PHILLIPS

RHYS PATCHELL

Back Row 13.02.96 193cm 110 kg

Fly half 17.05.93 191cm 92 kg

Hooker 22.02.87 183cm 108 kg

TOM PRICE

DECLAN SMITH

LEWIS RAWLINS

Lock 22.01.93 203cm 117 kg

Scrum half 14/09.97 175cm 85 kg

Lock 13.04.90 198cm 115 kg

SCARLETS

RICHARD SMITH

LLEW SMITH

AARON SHINGLER

Winger 08.11.87 188cm 101 kg

Fly half 24.11.99

Back row 07.08.87

197cm 108 kg

— —

WILL TAYLOR

DTH VAN DER MERWE

ALED THOMAS

Prop 04.03.91

Winger 28.04.86 183cm 98 kg

Fly half 02.01.85 183cm 90 kg

187cm 122 kg

LIAM WILLIAMS

SCOTT WILLIAMS

TOM WILLIAMS

Centre 10.10.90 185cm 99 kg

Winger 02.04.91 183cm 86 kg

Fullback 09.04.91 185cm 88 kg

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CAPTAIN KEN OWENS SAYS THERE IS NO PANIC AFTER LOSING START

CLUB STATS Location Llanelli, Wales Founded 2003 Ground Parc y Scarlets Capacity 14,800 Last Game Edinburgh Rugby (A) 20 - 9 (L) Friday 9th Sep 2016, 19:35 Next Game Connacht Rugby (A) Sat 24th Sep 2016, 19:35 Recent Form L L L

Captain Ken Owens says the Scarlets will not be hitting the panic button after losing their opening two games of the Guinness PRO12 season. The Welsh region face unbeaten Ulster tonight following defeats by Edinburgh and Munster. Owens is frustrated by the poor start, and acknowledged Ulster will be a tough challenge on their home ground: “Kingspan is probably the last place you want to be going when you’ve lost two on the bounce,” he said. “There’s always going to be pressure but we’re not hitting the panic button yet. It’s the second game into the season and we could win the next 20 and we finish top!” Scarlets’ disappointing start follows a summer when they recruited Wales and Lions centre Jonathan Davies and Blues fly- half Rhys Patchell. They were the top-placed Welsh region in the PRO12 last season, and are Wales’ only representatives in the European Rugby Champions’ Cup this term, but have scored only one try in two league matches. Coach Wayne Pivac says much of the early-season damage is self-inflicted: “We’re our own worst enemies, we’re hurting ourselves at the moment more than the opposition are. They’re taking advantage of our mistakes and we’re zero from two as a result. Some of the statistics were in our favour - better than the stats when we were winning matches last season. So I’m disappointed that we’re not converting opportunities two weeks in a row.”

OPPOSITION

STAFF Coach Wayne Pivac Captain Ken Owens

CONTACT Parc y Scarlets Pemberton Retail Park Llanelli Carmarthenshire Tel +44 1554 783 900 TICKET OFFICE Tel +44 1554 783 900 www.scarlets.co.uk

@scarlets_rugby OfficialScarlets scarlets_rugby

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Q1 How did you and the other coaches utilise video analysis during pre-season training? All the rugby sessions are captured using two cameras on high tripods, so we can get the best view of training from two different angles. The footage is then coded and transferred onto computers for all the coaches and players. Each coach reviews the video footage and presents selected clips to the players to highlight strengths and weaknesses of our play. The coaches and players also have “one to one” meetings where the video footage is reviewed, analysed and talked through. The players also have access to an app that lets them view training from the comfort of their own homes. Last season we played 29 matches. We scored 84 tries and conceded 44. We won 18 matches and lost 11. In its simplest terms all the analysis we do is intended to help us to win more matches and score more tries. We collate lots of data of individual stats such as passes, kicks, rucks, tackles, possession, territory etc. but ultimately as long as we score more points than the opposition we have been successful. During preseason the video analysis work helps individual players and units within the team to assess how they are improving and how effective new tactics are working before the important matches start. Q2. What key areas do you look at during training? How do the guys use this footage to develop? The analysis is divided into team play and individual skills. The team play analysis focuses on aspects like lineouts, scrums, backline attack, team defence and restarts. The individual analysis looks very closely at things like body angles, foot placement, balance, tackle technique, kicking etc. At the end of each season the coaches meet to reflect on all aspects of our training play. Pre-season is the only time of the year that we can address certain areas without the pressure of an important game at the weekend. This pre-season we have highlighted the handling skills of all of our squad and also the need to have powerful carries through contact among many other skills. NIALL MALONE Q&A VIDEO ANAYLAST

Q3. What is the process of video analysing a game and how is footage broken down for coaching and off-pitch sessions? During our matches all the coaches receive a live feed of the TV pictures which allows them to watch replays of any part of the game. These replays can help the coaches make decisions on how the match is developing. This information can be passed on to the players at half time or via radio link to the staff on the touchline at other appropriate times during the match. After the match the broadcasters give us three different camera angles and at Kingspan Stadium we film a fourth view from the back of the Hughes Insurance Family Stand. The four different cameras give a comprehensive view of everything that happens during the match. On Monday morning the coaches present a review of the match using statistics and video evidence. Following the team meeting the players go to separate unit meetings (forwards & backs) where Allen Clarke and Neil Doak show more clips relating to their specific unit skills.

NIALL MALONE

By lunch time on Monday we hope to have fininshed reviewing our previous match and then begin previewing the next opposition. Q4. How has analysis and technology developed since you started coaching? This is my fifth year as an analyst at Ulster Rugby. During that time the technology has improved and is unrecognisable from five years ago. Unfortunately, the hardware and software that we need can be very expensive but we feel that it is important to make these investments in order

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for the Ulster team to keep improving and being successful. The software we, and all professional rugby teams use is called ‘SportsCode’. This software allows us edit our training and matches very quickly. During a live match the team stats such as lineouts and scrums are coded. After the match the analysts work through the night to generate all the individual codes. In the morning the match is fully coded and the information is sent to an app so that the players can watch the game and check their own personal contributions.

Q5. What would you say is the most enjoyable aspect of your role and what is the most challenging aspect? The most challenging parts of the role are mining through the mountain of data that we create, attempting to find the important pieces of information that will help us to be more successful. Without doubt the most satisfying aspect is when I can see that a piece of high quality analysis has identified a weakness in the opposition which clearly helped the team to win a match. In the past we have identified specific opposition players that we can target. A good example happened when we played Montpellier in the European Cup in 2014. They had a short right winger who was 5”10, so we devised a play where we kicked the ball to his wing and 6”5 Robbie Diack was hidden on the touchline so he could contest the ball in the air. Robbie caught the ball and scored the first try of the match that we ended up winning 27-16!

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GUINNESS PRO12 STAND OUT PLAYERS SO FAR

While the Ospreys, Cardiff Blues, Ulster and Glasgow are the four sides who still boast 100 percent records, let’s look at the success of some of the individuals involved according to official stats partner, Opta...

MOST METRES Scarlets full-back Liam Williams has been one of the shining lights in a poor couple of matches for his region with 241 metres run ahead of Ospreys full-back Dan Evans (192). Newport Gwent Dragons Hallam Amos notched up an impressive 164 metres in the 11-6 victory over Zebre last Friday with his tally achieved in just one match.

CLEAN BREAKS Scotland wing Tommy Seymour has been the standout attacking performer in terms of end product with his four-try display against Leinster. So it’s no surprise to find him at the top of the clean break category with 10, three ahead of Ulster rising star Jacob Stockdale. The top Welsh player is Ospreys full-back Dan Evans with five clean breaks, one ahead of regional team-mate Ben John and Cardiff Blues scrum-half Tomos Williams, who has enjoyed a productive start to the season.

LIAM WILLIAMS

241 192 177 176 164 164

DAN EVANS

PRO12 STATS JACOB STOCKDALE TOMMY SEYMOUR

HALLAM AMOS JEFF HASSLER

TOMMY SEYMOUR JACOB STOCKDALE TOMOS WILLIAMS LEONARDO SARTO DAN EVANS

10

7 5 4 4 4 4

DAN FISH

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MOST CARRIES Bundee Aki, Ed Jackson, Tyler Ardron and Stuart Olding have been driving forces in the opening matches with 29 carries. The quartet are just one carry ahead of Liam Williams and Ospreys outside-half Sam Davies who has been taking the ball to the gainline in the opening two games.

BEN JOHN

RUAN PIENAAR

DEFENDERS BEATEN Seymour is again way clear in this section with his impressive haul of 14 defenders beaten in the first two matches five more than Connacht wing Matt Healy.

BUNDEE AKI ED JACKSON

29 29 29 29 28 28 27 27 26 26 24 23

TOMMY SEYMOUR

14

TYLER ARDRON STUART OLDING LIAM WILLIAMS

MATT HEALY

9 9 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7

LEONARDO SARTO

BUNDEE AKI SAM JOHNSON

SAM DAVIES DAN LEAVY

DAN EVANS BEN JOHN

OLLY CRACKNELL

JOSH NAVIDI JONNY GRAY CLIVE ROSS

NIYI ADEOLOKUN LIAM WILLIAMS STEFFAN EVANS TYLER ARDRON

JOSH VAN DER FLIER

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MOST PASSES This category is the domain of the number nines and the amount of passes (210) South African scrum-half Ruan Pienaar has made shows how dominant Ulster have been in their opening couple of victories against the Dragons and Treviso.

POINTS It’s no surprise Sam Davies tops the points scoring tally after his dynamic displays against Zebre and Connacht. Davies only leads by a point from Glasgow wing Tommy Seymour who has a total made up of six tries.

SAM DAVIES

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RUAN PIENAAR LUKE MCGRATH HENRY PYRGOS GARETH DAVIES TOMOS WILLIAMS

210 155 146 131 126

TOMMY SEYMOUR DUNCAN WEIR RUAN PIENAAR JOEY CARBERY

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PRO12 STATS

21 21

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TRIES Seymour has enjoyed a successful start to the season after picking up a couple of tries in the opening victory over Connacht, Seymour crossed for a remarkable quartet in the defeat of Leinster. Ulster’s Ruan Pienaar, Rob Herring and youngster Rob Lyttle are tied on two tries a-piece.

MOST OFFLOADS Cardiff Blues centre Rey Lee-Lo was an attacking inspiration against Munster in the victory in Cork last Friday with a couple of creative offloads helping set up tries for Tom James and Dan Fish. Stuart Olding comes in a close second with four offloads.

TOMMY SEYMOUR SAM PARRY TOM JAMES TIM SWINSON PAT HOWARD JOEY CARBERY

6 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

REY LEE-LO

5 4 4 3 3 3

STUART OLDING MARCO BARBINI

GARETH ANSCOMBE TOMOS WILLIAMS

BUNDEE AKI

RHYS WEBB BEN JOHN

RUAN PIENAAR ROB HERRING ROBERT LYTTLE

MOST TACKLES Dragons captain Lewis Evans has been at the heart of their defensive effort over the last two weeks with 32 tackles to top the charts alongside Munster man Billy Holland.

MOST TURNOVERS This is a surprise leader with Scarlets loose- head prop Wyn Jones topping the tally with five. So while the Scarlets scrum is struggling, Jones has made an impression in the loose.

LEWIS EVANS BILLY HOLLAND

32 32 30 29 27 27 27 27 27 26 25

JOSH VAN DER FLIER

JONNY GRAY

WYN JONES DAN LEAVY CLIVE ROSS

5 4 4 4 3 3 3 3

TOMMY O’DONNELL JACK O’DONOGHUE MARCO LAZZARONI MAXIME MBANDA SEAN REIDY

MARCO BARBINI JOSH NAVIDI PHIL BURLEIGH

ED JACKSON

JACK O’DONOGHUE

SIMONE FAVARO

JUSTIN TIPURIC

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BIG BALLOT Each year the URSC makes a Jack Kyle Bursary Award (currently worth £2500) to one of Ulster’s promising youngsters from the Hughes Insurance Ulster Rugby Academy - internationals Craig Gilroy, Iain Henderson & Stuart Olding are but 3 of the players who have benefited from our Bursary in the past. Last year it was scrum half Dave Shanahan. The Jack Kyle Bursary is largely funded by URSC’s annual “Big Ballot” - where fans buy ballot tickets in the hope of winning prizes donated by local sponsors. Among the Big Ballot prizes this year are: > Use of Heineken Box (up to 12 people) at Belfast Giants match of choice, courtesy of Heineken Overnight hotel stay with breakfast, transport to an Ulster game and pair of grandstand tickets, courtesy of Bank of Ireland. > Darren Cave Ulster Rugby Kitbag courtesy of Darren Cave Darren Cave IRFU Kitbag courtesy of Darren Cave Signed Rory McIlroy golf cap Signed Justin Rose golf cap Superman T-Shirt signed by Carl Frampton Andrew Trimble Hanna print courtesy of Hanna Fine Prints Voucher for Molly Brown’s Kitchen & Bar Voucher for Ryan’s Bar & Restaurant Jennie Hales c/o BodyGen 12- 1 to 1 sessions and Nutrition and Diet Session courtesy of Jennie Hales/ BodyGen Stevie Love “Last Stand @ Ravenhill” courtesy of Love Images NI £30 Voucher for Silhouette Boutique DATES FOR YOUR DIARY The next Meet the Players evening will be held on Monday 24th October at 7.30pm in the H3 lounge at Kingspan Stadium and will be a European Review and Autumn International Preview > > > > > > > > > > >

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TRAVEL Next up will be a trip to Connacht on Friday 7th October. Details to follow.

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ULSTER RUGBY VALUES

We are proud that a night at Kingspan Stadium watching the Ulster Rugby team play is a safe, enjoyable, inclusive experience for people of any age. We have a number of traditions that we believe make our stadium one of the best places in Europe to watch live rugby. Here are our Ulster Rugby values and we ask all our fans to support them throughout the season: WE ARE PASSIONATE IN OUR SUPPORT OF THE ULSTER TEAM. WE ARE SILENT DURING KICKS AT GOAL BY BOTH TEAMS. WE RESPECT THE MATCH OFFICIALS’ DECISIONS. WE DRINK RESPONSIBLY. WE ARE MINDFUL OF OUR LANGUAGE, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE ARE CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE NEAR US. WE DO NOT TOLERATE SECTARIAN, HOMOPHOBIC OR DEROGATORY LANGUAGE. WE RESPECT THE OPPOSITION PLAYERS, SUPPORTERS, MANAGEMENT AND OFFICIALS If you are attending a match at Kingspan Stadium and do have an issue, please contact your nearest steward. Following a game, you can email any observations, complaints or issues to standup@ulsterrugby.com

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KINGSPAN STADIUM INFORMATION

Ulster Rugby is appealing to supporters to be mindful of local residents and to avoid parking in the immediate vicinity of the Kingspan Stadium grounds on match day. Supporters are encouraged to make use of the complimentary Park’n’Ride facilities on Ulster Rugby match days located at Pirrie Park on the Ravenhill Road side of the ground, and along Montgomery Road, on the Mount Merrion side of the ground. There is ample parking at both locations and they are just a short distance from the ground. Supporters can either walk or take advantage of the free buses that run to and from the parking areas and the ground from 90 minutes prior to kick off until 90 minutes after the final whistle. If required, the PSNI will also close the two main approaches to the ground, Onslow Parade and Mount Merrion Avenue at peak times of entrance and egress to and from the ground. For more information please contact our Ticket Office on 028 9049 3222 Smoking is not permitted within any building, structure or the stadium bowl. This restriction also applies to electronic cigarettes. The permitted smoking areas are the open spaces to the rear of the Grandstand, Premium Stand, Memorial End Stand and in the Food Village. Stewards have been instructed to speak to supporters whose actions do not comply with the above values and to ask them to desist. Where supporters choose to ignore this advice and warning and continue to act in an unacceptable manner removal from the stadium and the issue of a banning order may result. SMOKING POLICY

ENTRY ONTO THE PITCH IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN We would like to remind all fans that entry onto the pitch before, during or after the match is now illegal. The pitch, as with other areas of the ground is monitored by CCTV. BEHAVIOUR IN THE GROUND Please respect others before, during and after the match by behaving in a reasonable and responsible manner. If you are concerned about the behaviour of others in the ground, please report your concerns to a steward, so appropriate action can be taken. For those spectators who like to relax and enjoy a drink before, during or after the match a taxi service is provided. A specially arranged taxi service has been organised for Ulster Rugby patrons on match nights courtesy of Fonacab. The taxi rank (located in front of head office) will operate as soon after the match as crowd movement permits. You do not need to order a taxi as this service runs continuously from 40 minutes after the final whistle. Persons requiring a taxi are asked to queue within the ground and not on Mt Merrion Avenue. TAXI INFORMATION

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