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Announcing the award, the organising committee
commented on what had been a fantastic event
organised by Ulster Rugby, who had ensured that there
was something for all the family to enjoy with plenty
of pre-match entertainment, adding that the large
contingent of travelling French supporters had added to
the occasion, enjoying the best of our local hospitality.
Our congratulations go to Events Co-ordinator Anita
Bayne who accepted the award on behalf of Ulster
Rugby.
Governance
While we await the outcome of the IRFU Governance
Review, progress has been made towards the
establishment of an Ulster Rugby Charitable Foundation
to include the appropriate parts of the current
organisation.
THE PROFESSIONAL GAME
In terms of results, the 2016/17 Season has been the
proverbial rollercoaster ride.
Off the pitch, our defence coach, Joe Barakat, left us
mid-season to join up with the Western Force. He was
a larger than life character and we wish him well, albeit
in an uncertain future in Super Rugby as it continues to
struggle with its own structures.
On the pitch, we started very strongly, winning our first
five league matches and sitting top of the table, but
the away defeat to Connacht in Round Six contributed
to the loss of momentum going into Europe, in which
we had been drawn in a very tough Pool. While we
achieved a memorable Kingspan win over Clermont and
another against Exeter, the home and away losses to
Bordeaux-Begles were damaging and culminated in a
disappointing European Campaign.
The excitement of Marcell Coetzee togging out for
Ulster was severely tempered by a long-term injury
he sustained before arriving, resulting in him missing
our entire European Cup campaign. Once we saw the
impact he made with his debut against Edinburgh,
(unfortunately for only four matches before another
injury would side-line him for 3-4 months), the impact
he would have made on our European campaign could
have been substantial. Such are the fine lines between
success and failure. Indeed, like last year, injuries to key
players have played a significant role this season.
In the Pro 12 some key losses around the Christmas
period left us with a lot of ground to make up in our
quest for top four qualification. Six league wins on the
bounce saw momentum shift back in our favour. A draw
against Cardiff and narrow loss away to Munster meant
the penultimate game of the regular season away to
the Ospreys was crucial in deciding our Semi-final fate.
Although we were well on top in the second half, we
failed to get the points on the board and thus, despite
an excellent victory over Leinster in our final match,
finished a disappointing fifth in the league.
The continued improvement and added resources to
our ‘A’ team paid off. For the first time, they contested a
quarter-final. Unfortunately, away to Munster they didn’t
produce on the day, but at least progress had been
made with our second team, suggesting that slowly but
surely, we are acquiring better depth to our squad.
A major change to the Academy came in the form of
Willie Anderson, a great stalwart of Ulster and Irish
rugby joining the ranks as forwards coach. A big
part of this recruitment was based, not just on his
experience and knowledge of the game, but to engrain
the traditional ethos into our younger players about what
it is about playing for Ulster, looking to create a harder
edge to the next generation of forwards coming through
our pathway. After a relatively barren period over the
last six years, it looks as though we have some quality
indigenous forwards coming through. They should all
benefit greatly from his counsel, hopefully contributing
to many Ulster and Ireland successes in the future.
Unfortunately, as with the Senior team, injuries to some
of our key starters saw our Ireland U20 representation
reduced during the Six Nations. However, it was
heartening to see that nine of the twenty three man
starting squad for the Ireland U19 matches against
France in April were from Ulster, auguring well for the
future.
At the end of the season we say good-bye to stalwarts
of Ulster rugby, head coach, Neil Doak, and forwards
coach, Allen Clarke. ‘Doaky’ has been involved in
Ulster Rugby, either as a player or coach for over twenty
years. He has contributed hugely to the game in Ulster
and Ireland, both on and off the field. Held in very
high regard across the island of Ireland, his technical
expertise as a backs attack coach and knowledge of
the game cannot be underestimated. Renowned for
his work-rate and attention to detail, ‘Clarky’ has been
a long servant of both Ulster and Irish rugby. Spending
significant time developing the underage structures
throughout Ireland in National and Provincial roles, Allen
moved to the assistant coach role with Ulster in 2014,
having had a stint in this position some ten years ago.
That forensic ability has resulted in him being offered the
forwards coach role at the Ospreys for next season.
We wish both every success for the future. Their
successors come in the form of the hugely experienced
and successful Jono Gibbes, arriving from Clermont,
and the younger, more inexperienced but highly exciting
Dwayne Peel, coming from Bristol. Ulster Rugby is
optimistic about what these two new coaches will bring
to the playing group for the next two seasons.
Finally, a special mention must be given to Rory Best,
who not only captained the Irish team admirably but
also became only its fifth Centurion, a remarkable feat.
We also congratulate him, along with Iain Henderson
and Jared Payne, on their inclusion on the British
and Irish Lions Squad to New Zealand. It is quite an
achievement to have three players from Ulster selected
for such a prestigious team who will shortly embark on
their exciting tour against the best team on the planet!
THE DOMESTIC GAME
Domestic Rugby
The 2016/17 season has yet again been a busy year
for the Domestic Game. As reported in previous years
certain areas such as age grade and female rugby are
growing, whilst others, most notably the adult male
game, continue to face challenges. It has been pleasing
to see such willingness amongst clubs, schools,
committees and staff to identify these challenges and
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