Ulster Rugby vs Edinburgh

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3 www.ULSTERRUGBY.com
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
Kingspan Stadium,
134 Mount Merrion Avenue
Belfast, BT6 0FT
T +44 (0)28 9049 3222
In the Guinness PRO12, the Ulster team are currently in 6th place
but with a game in hand. Recent performances in the league have
been mixed and it will be important that the team get back to form
in order to ensure that we make the play-offs. A good performance
in tonight’s game against Edinburgh will be crucial in order to kick
start the second half of the season for the Ulster team.
Tonight also sees the long awaited Ulster debut of Springbok
Marcell Coetzee. Marcell has been getting over a serious knee
injury and I am sure the Ulster supporters will make him feel very
welcome when he takes to the pitch.
Ulster did not have the best of runs in this season’s European
Champions Cup and regrettably failed to make the quarter-final
stages. Whilst injuries have had a major bearing on Ulster's
performance in Europe, it is essential that the Ulster team start
performing well in Europe again, particularly in the away games.
The Ulster A team, sponsored by CD Group are to be
congratulated on their recent performances which have seen
them qualify for the B&I Cup quarter-finals for the first time in five
seasons. In the quarter-final, they will face the Munster A team in
Cork on 12th March and we wish them well for this game.
On the domestic front, the Danske Bank Schools’ Cup has now
reached the quarter-final stage which will see Campbell College
play Royal Belfast Academical Institution; Friends' School play
Belfast Royal Academy; Royal School Armagh play Methodist
College Belfast and Wallace High School play Ballymena Academy.
Good luck to all these teams.
Finally, I hope everyone enjoys the game tonight as well as the
facilities at Kingspan Stadium and remember - “Stand Up For The
Ulster Men”.
John McKibbin
President IRFU (Ulster Branch)
It gives me great pleasure as President of the IRFU
Ulster Branch to welcome everyone to Kingspan
Stadium for tonight’s round 14 match in the Guinness
PRO12 Championship. In particular, I am very pleased
to welcome the Edinburgh team along with their officials
and supporters.
PRESIDENT’S WELCOME PRESIDENT’S WELCOME