Ulster Rugby Annual Report 2015 - 2016

The Forster Cup was won by a strong Malone Fourths side who overcame a tenacious Enniskillen Seconds and C.I.Y.M.S. Thirds beat Dungannon Fourths in the Plate final. In the last Domestic match of the season at the Kingspan Stadium, Ballymoney Fourths, captained by their youthful Clubs Committee representative John Waide, won the McCambley Cup. In a tremendous game of rugby they beat Malone Fifths by 22-17. While obviously lacking the pace and power on view at an Ulster match, the commitment, enthusiasm and effort of all thirty six players were a credit to their clubs and it is very gratifying that the teams at the “bottom” end of our competition structure can put on such an enjoyable and entertaining match. In the final of the Butler Shield Carrickfergus Fourths completed a great season for the East Antrim club by coming out on top by seven points against Belfast Harlequins. The Ravenhill Cup was won by Ballymoney Fourths. As recorded above, many of our finals are held at the Kingspan Stadium. The arrangements for these games are the responsibility of the stadium management team and thanks are due to David Boyd, Anita Bayne and their staff for the superb organisation of these events. Clubs Committee As usual, the Clubs Committee meetings were very well attended and many issues were discussed and debated over the course of the season. Ulster Branch President Bobby Stewart chaired the meetings in a very business- like manner, while Ross Workman’s minutes were again of the high standard to which we have become accustomed over the years. Competitions Management Committee As was the case last season, the C.M.C. met twenty one times. As expected, a great deal of the business was transacted during March and April. The attendance records prove the dedication and commitment of the members and their preparedness to give up so much of their own time is much appreciated. Denis Gardiner Denis Gardiner is stepping down as Competitions Honorary Secretary after 10 years in post. He has shown tremendous commitment and dedication to his role of organising and managing competitions at all levels in Ulster. He has given tremendous service to Ulster Rugby and has gained the respect and trust of all clubs. Being a glutton for punishment, Denis is now taking over another challenging role as Honorary Secretary of the Ulster Branch and we wish him well in this new role. WOMENS RUGBY IN ULSTER As in previous years, female rugby continues to develop within Ulster though this season has had a number of challenges. As a result of the ending of funding from DCAL the number of dedicated female rugby officers dropped from 3 to 1 at the beginning of the season which had a direct impact on the number of clubs and schools that could be supported. As the game has grown at adult

and youth level, the amount of administration required to run competitions etc. has also grown. Unfortunately the Women’s Committee still suffers from a lack of willing volunteers, with a lot of the work falling to a small number of committed individuals. For the game to grow further and fulfil its potential this is an area that all stakeholders within the women’s game must help to support. Girls Rugby In Schools rugby the Danske Bank Girls’ Tag Schools Cup again proved to be popular with 48 teams from 38 schools participating. Enniskillen Collegiate defeated Ballyclare High School 9 tries to 6 in the Final held at Kingspan Stadium. This year, as part of a global trial by World Rugby, the IRFU launched Gx7s – a half pitch contact 7s programme. In Ulster this proved to be a popular addition to the schools calendar with 27 teams from 19 schools participating. As a result 4 Ulster Schools qualified for the IRFU National 7s Day at the Aviva Stadium (Enniskillen Collegiate, Kilkeel High School, Magh Ene College Bundoran and Monaghan Collegiate). Enniskillen Collegiate reached the final of the main competition only to be beaten by a golden try in extra time, whilst Monaghan Collegiate won the plate competition. In Youth rugby, as a direct result of additional funding from DCAL, 12 clubs (Armagh, Ballyclare, Ballynahinch, Cooke, City of Derry, Clogher Valley, Donaghadee, Dungannon, Enniskillen, Limavady, Malone and Randalstown) were supported with the development of specific U12 girls’ teams. All 12 clubs attended a blitz in Cookstown at the end of March and it is hoped that the majority of these players will progress into their respective U13 teams next season. At U15 level, 4 clubs were involved in a league at the start of the season with a further 3 clubs able to develop to a stage post-Christmas where they joined these teams to play a series of friendlies. Work is continuing to develop and grow the game at this level. At U18 level 5 teams were involved in a very competitive league structure. Virginia won the league and a combined team from Clogher Valley/Armagh won the cup. Monaghan defeated Enniskillen in the U18 Bowl Competition. It was pleasing to note that 4 of the 5 teams played a minimum of 9 competitive games throughout the season. It is pleasing to report that the end of season youth blitz at Armagh RFC was the biggest to date with over 250 girls at U12, U15 and U18 taking part on the day. The growth of the game was also reflected in the fact that Female Youth rugby was included for a second year at the prestigious Carrick 7s. Girls Representative Rugby In terms of representative rugby, the U18s had an excellent unofficial Inter-provincial series again this year and showed further improvement from the year before despite losing key positional players. The numbers and standard of players coming through for U18 screenings is increasing year on year. It was pleasing to see Brittany Hogan represent Ireland at the Girls U18 7s Tournament in Belgium.

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