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ULSTER U19 SQUAD 2016/17
In preparation for the Inter-Provincial series of
games the Ulster U19 squad had two games.
The first saw a squad of 26 players travel to the
Oratory School, Reading, for a game against an
experienced Irish Exiles U20 squad. This game was
well contested with all available players getting a
run out in the course of the match which the U19
team won by 33-10. This trip proved to be useful
in terms of the players and management bonding
both on and off the pitch.
Next up was a visit to Banbridge RFC, where the
Ulster U19 squad took on an U18 team from the
Italian Academy. The standard of opposition was
something of an unknown quality and the Ulster
U19 management team used the game, once
again, as an opportunity to play an extended squad
of players which helped them make objective
decisions regarding their final selections for the
Inter-Provincial games. The Ulster U19 team won
this game against the Italian Academy team by
34-0.
The first Inter-Provincial game was played against
Leinster at RBAI playing fields at Osborne Park in
early September. The game was played on great
pitch conditions and was very evenly contested
with a very good Leinster team well in contention
throughout. That was until the final play of the
game, with the score at 15-15, when a moment
of magic from James Hume saw him take on the
Leinster defence from the half way line and finish
with a fine try in the corner. James converted the
try to secure the deserved 23-15 win for the Ulster
U19 team.
The following week, the Ulster team set of for Cork
to take on the Munster U19 team at Cork Institute
of Technology. Three of the team had been in the
U20/Academy squad the previous evening but
arrived safely in Cork the night before the match
none the worse for their experiences in Limerick.
The game against Munster saw the U19 team 6-5
down at half time. However, there was enough
belief in the squad that they had the ability to turn
that deficit around. So it proved to be with the
Ulster U19 team emerging as 15-13 winners after a
somewhat nervous 14 minutes of added time in the
second half!
The third and final Inter-Provincial game the
following week saw the team return to the RBAI
grounds, where they would face a very spirited
and dogged Connacht U19 team. The simple fact
was that victory in this game would secure the U19
Inter-Provincial Championship for the Ulster team.
70 minutes later, and with a 66-7 victory secured,
the U19 Inter-Provincial Championship deservedly
returned to Ulster for the first time in three seasons.
The team management would like to congratulate
all the players involved with the U19 squad
throughout the season. Their hard work, on and off
the pitch, was rewarded with a fully deserved Inter-
Provincial Championship. We welcome the team on
to the pitch at half time to present their trophy to the
President of IRFU (Ulster Branch) John McKibbin.
ULSTER U19 SQUAD
CELEBRATING INTER-PROVINCIAL SUCCESS...