www.
ulster
rugby.com
1
ULSTER
RUGBY
PRESIDENT’S
WELCOME
IRFU
ULSTER BRANCH
Kingspan Stadium,
85 Ravenhill Park,
Belfast, BT6 0DG
T
//
+44 (0)28 9049 3222
ulsterrugby.com
OFFICERS
John Kinnear
// President
Bobby Stewart
// Senior Vice President
John McKibbin
// Junior Vice President
John McKibbin
// Honorary Secretary
Michael Boyd
// Honorary Treasurer
Denis Gardiner
// Competitions Secretary
EXECUTIVE TEAM
Shane Logan
// Chief Executive
Chris Webster
// Domestic Rugby Manager
Audrey Robinson
// Financial Controller
Fiona Hampton
// Head of Sales & Marketing
I would like to welcome in particular
our friends from Newport; directors,
players, supporters and coaches.
The Welsh region come to Belfast
having lost narrowly to Newcastle
Falcons in the Rugby Challenge
Cup at Rodney Parade. However,
the scale of the task that Ulster will
face this evening was illustrated a
week earlier when the men of Gwent
defeated Stade Francais in Paris.
That was without doubt one of the
results of the season for any PRO12
team so far and Ulster will have to be
at their very best if they are to get a
win this evening.
Last weekend we experienced the
highs and lows of the new Rugby
Champions Cup. The atmosphere
was electric as we welcomed the
reigning European Champions,
Toulon. While we didn’t get the result
that we wanted we can take heart
from a spirited Ulster performance.
Mathematically, the team can
still make it out of the group and
we know that they will be doing
everything possible to defy the odds
and to qualify for the knock-out
stages.
This week it was announced
that Bryn Cunningham has been
appointed Ulster’s new Team
Manager. I would like to offer him my
sincere congratulations. For 13 years
Bryn was one of the most reliable
members of the Ulster team and
I have no doubt that he will do as
good a job as a manager as he did
as a player.
Finally, congratulations to Bangor,
CIYMS and Clogher Valley on
picking up superb wins in the
opening round of the Ulster Bank All
Ireland Junior Cup last weekend and
I wish them well in their upcoming
quarter final matches. A mention too,
for Portadown, who put in a great
performance away to last season’s
cup winners, Enniscorthy.
I hope that you enjoy the game.
Good luck to Ulster and Stand up for
the Ulstermen!
Yours in Rugby,
John Kinnear
//
President
IRFU (Ulster Branch)
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all here
to this Guinness PRO12 match between Ulster and
Newport Gwent Dragons.
