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ULSTER BRANCH
Kingspan Stadium,
85 Ravenhill Park,
Belfast, BT6 0DG
T
//
+44 (0)28 9049 3222
ulsterrugby
.com
John Kinnear
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/
President
Bobby Stewart
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Senior Vice President
John McKibbin
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Junior Vice President
John McKibbin
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Honorary Secretary
Michael Boyd
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Honorary Treasurer
Denis Gardiner
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Competitions Secretary
Shane Logan
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Chief Executive
Chris Webster
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Domestic Rugby Manager
Audrey Robinson
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Financial Controller
Fiona Hampton
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ead of Sales & Marketing
PRESIDENT’S
WELCOME
I would like to welcome in particular
the directors, players, supporters and
coaches from Toulon.
There can be few greater tests for
Ulster than the visit of the reigning
European champions. The Toulon
side is packed full of international
stars. Giteau, Bastareaud, O’Connor,
Habana, Williams, Hayman and
Fernandez Lobbe are just some of
the household names that we will see
this afternoon.
Toulon started their Champions Cup
campaign with a victory over Scarlets
while Ulster lost narrowly to Leicester
Tigers. While it was a disappointing
first half at Welford Road, the second
period of 40 minutes showed the
character that exists in this Ulster
side. They scored two excellent tries
and secured what could be, a vital
losing bonus point.
This week, Ireland Head Coach,
Joe Schmidt, announced his squad
for the Autumn internationals.
Congratulations to Jared Payne who
has been included for the first time.
No doubt he will make as big an
impact on the international scene as
he has done here at Ulster. Well done
too to Rory Best, Robbie Diack, Chris
Henry, Tommy Bowe, Craig Gilroy
and Stuart Olding on their call ups.
While all eyes will be on Kingspan
Stadium today, Ulster Rugby’s
commitment to growing this fantastic
game at grassroots level was
displayed this week in Londonderry/
Derry. A new satellite club in Creggan
Estate has been established in
conjunction with City of Derry Rugby
Club. This is a great example of how
DCAL funding has allowed us to grow
the game in non-traditional areas
and I want to wish everyone involved
every success.
This afternoon, Rory Best will play
his 50th European game. I want to
offer my sincere congratulations to
Rory on this landmark achievement.
He has been and continues to be a
fantastic servant to Ulster and Irish
Rugby.
This afternoon will be a wonderful
occasion. We might be playing a
team of well known rugby names,
but our team is full of players from
here, who grew up here and who are
incredibly proud to wear the Ulster
shirt. Your support will be vital if we
are to get a result this afternoon
and I would encourage you to stand
up, shout loudly and support your
Ulstermen like never before.
Yours in Rugby.
John Kinnear
//
President
IRFU (Ulster Branch)
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all
to Kingspan Stadium for this Champions Cup
match against Toulon.