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how far the squad had come on. The game could and
should have been won but was lost 17-11 but there were
a lot of positives to take into the next game. The game
against the U17 Schools side was played at Rainey
OBRFC and from the kick-off both side were totally
committed and intent on moving the ball. As the game
progressed, the U18 Club side proved too strong for the
Schools side and produced some good play to win by
39-0.
The first Inter-provincial games was against Connacht
at Rainey OBRFC. The Ulster side were clearly on top
throughout but failed to take their chances. Ulster led
8-5 at half-time but gave away two second half tries and
lost 8-15. This was a very disappointing result in a game
that Ulster should have won.
The second game was against Leinster, again in Rainey.
Undoubtedly this was the best performance to date by
the Ulster U18 Clubs XV. This was a highly skilful and
competitive game with the Ulster side taking a half-
time lead of 15-14. Leinster scored two early tries in the
second half to lead 28-15. However, Ulster fought back
and scored two converted tries to lead 29-18 going
into the last two minutes. Unfortunately a late Leinster
penalty saw them run out winners by 29-31. This was an
outstanding and competitive performance by the Ulster
side who deserved great credit for the way they played.
The final game was against Munster at CBC Cork.
While Ulster competed well, they could not reproduce
the heroics of the previous match and lost the game by
7-27.
Whilst it is disappointing that the team lost their 3
Inter-provincial games, there are very clear signs of the
improvement in the Ulster U18 Club side’s skill levels
and performances. The new development structure
introduced last season is clearly working and this
seasons players are well positioned to challenge for
representative selection at U19 and U20 levels. Thanks
are due to Rainey OBRFC and the Meadowbank
Stadium for the use of their excellent facilities.
ULSTER U18 SCHOOLS XV
Head Coach
Alex Codling
Assistant Coach
Daniel Soper
Assistant Coach
David Dougherty
Assistant Coach
Bryan Young
Manager
Richard Clinghan
Video Analysis
Johnny Gillespie
Strength & Conditioning
Amy Davis
Physio
George Dennison
Doctor
Phil McClelland
For the 2015 season Newforge continued to be the
training base along with the U20 and U19. As part
of the squad selection process, a match was played
against a Ballymena Barbarians team at Easter which
was won 15-7 by the Ulster Schools squad. Following
this, approximately 50 players formed the initial summer
training squad.
Training commenced at the end of June with sessions
on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the
summer. The variation and streamlining of training times
from previous years was appreciated by the players. A
total of 36 training sessions or matches took place in
preparation for the Inter-provincial series.
The team had two warm games. In the first, a 38 player
squad travelled to Ashbourne RFC to play Connacht
U18s. The Ulster squad performed well, even with the
large number of changes to accommodate the squad
number, and ran out winners by 29-16. A 26 player
squad then travelled to take part in a tournament at
Kings’ School, Macclesfield winning all four of their 20
minute matches: Denstone College (20-5); Bristol GS
(20-0); St Joseph’s Ipswich (15-0); Warwick School (20
-5).
The Inter-provincial series unfortunately did not have
Connacht participating at Schools level. This was due
to the fact that Connacht had a combined Schools and
Club squad and were playing in the Under 18 Club
series of games.
The first Inter-provincial game was against Leinster
at Belfast Harlequins RFC. In a hard fought and
competitive match, where both defences came out on
top, Leinster just shaded the game, winning by 12-9.
This was a disappointing result but the Ulster team
performed well.
The second game against Munster Schools was played
at CBC Cork. Again, in a well contested game, Ulster
were unlucky to lose narrowly 18-24. This was a match
that should have been won and the lesson learned was
that you have to take your chances.
Whilst the two defeats in the Inter-provincial games were
disappointing, it does not take away from the high level
of commitment displayed by the players throughout the
period from Easter to September. The team performed
well in their games and could easily have won both
games with a little bit of luck. The coaching and
management team were pleased with the performances
and development of the players involved. The team
management would also like to acknowledge the co-
operation of a number of schools and clubs for the use
of their grounds and the high levels of cooperation and
support given by their staff. Club facilities used were
at Ballymena RFC, Belfast Harlequins RFC and the
University of Ulster at Jordanstown.
ULSTER WOMEN’S XV
Head Coach
Philip Doyle
Assistant Coach
Jarrett Truscott
Manager
Kerry Spence
Team Co-ordinator
Stacey-Lea Kennedy
Strength & Conditioning
Paul Heasley
& Stewart Walker
Physio
Andrew Creaney
Resources Co-ordinator
Andy Weir
Another new line-up behind the scenes for the Women’s
team this season led to a period of adjustment for
players and coaches alike. Building on the foundations
laid by Jonny Gillespie last year Philip Doyle, Jarret
Truscott and Kerry Spence worked on developing the
‘team ethic’ on and off the pitch. With the new coaches
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