Ulster Rugby vs Leicester Tigers

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3 ULSTERRUGBY
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
PRESIDENT’S
WELCOME
I would particularly like to welcome
the President Paul Dodge, wife Julie,
Chief Executive Simon Cohen, board
members, players and supporters
from Leicester. We are delighted to
be hosting you this evening and you
are very welcome in Belfast.
The Tigers have a rich history of
success and this most famous of
clubs has produced some of the
greatest players to have ever taken to
the rugby field. That tradition exists
to this day and with squad members
like Ben Youngs, Geoff Parling,
Matthew Tait and Tom Croft, Ulster
will have to be at their very best if
they are to get the result.
It has been a hugely unfortunate
season so far for Ulster with injuries.
With players like Andrew Trimble,
Ruan Pienaar, Chris Henry, Luke
Marshall, Dan Tuohy and Nick
Williams all either out or having been
out, the team has struggled in this
season’s European Champions
Cup. The news got even worse this
week when we learned that Paddy
Jackson and Stuart Olding will be on
the sidelines for up to 12 weeks with
elbow injuries and that Louis Ludik
won’t play until late February with a
broken rib.
However, one thing that can’t be
taken away is pride. Last weekend we
saw a side depleted by injury and by
squad rotation, go to the home of the
two-time European Champions and
put in a heroic effort. Yes, they may
have conceded 60 points but to have
a backline with three scrumhalves
competing against Bastareaud,
Mitchell and Habana and still score
four tries, was nothing short of
remarkable.
Such qualities will have to be on
display again this evening and I want
to wish Ulster good luck – especially
Iain Henderson who we welcome
back into the team after a long lay off.
Since we have last played the 2015
Danske Bank Schools’ Cup has
begun in earnest. Best wishes to
every schoolboy taking part in this
season’s competition.
Finally, if you are free on Saturday
31st January, why not head to
Portadown RFC where Bangor will
take on Dundalk in the All Ireland
Junior Cup Final? It should be a
fantastic match – good luck to
Bangor and hopefully they will be
celebrating this time next week.
As always thank you for your support
and Stand up for the Ulstermen.
Yours in Rugby,
John Kinnear // President
IRFU (Ulster Branch)
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you here to
Kingspan Stadium for this European Rugby Champions
Cup match against Leicester Tigers.