Ulster Rugby vs Llanelli Scarlets

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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