Ulster Rugby v Ospreys

OFFICIAL MATCH DAY PROGRAMME £3

FRI 27 SEP, 7.35PM KINGSPAN STADIUM

vOSPREYS

Welcome back to Kingspan Stadium, home of Ulster Rugby, where today the Ulster squad welcome Ospreys for the opening round of the Guinness PRO14. Ulster will look to put their best foot forward and get the competitive season off to a winning start. Following on from a promising season under Head Coach Dan McFarland, the Ulstermen will look to put in a strong performance against the Ospreys, who will be disappointed to have missed out on the PRO14 play-offs last season and will undoubtedly look to lay down a marker this evening. With a number of Ulstermen representing the Province on the global stage, this fixture provides some of the squad’s rising stars an opportunity to stake their claim for greater involvement throughout the season. We’ve a brilliant team and a fantastic set of supporters, Friday night rugby in Kingspan Stadium is a celebration of that. Let’s make sure to provide a warm welcome for visiting fans and turn up the volume for the Ulster team when they take to the pitch. Finally, on behalf of Kingspan, I would like to wish the Ulster Rugby squad and management team the very best of luck. To Ulster’s committed fans, enjoy the game, lead the way and help ensure that this is an evening to remember at Kingspan Stadium.

ISSUE INTHIS

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14

Tonight's Mascots President’s Welcome

2 3 5 8

Guinness PRO14 Welcome CEO Update: Jonny Petrie

Q&A: Louis Ludik

13 14 16 17 19 21

Interview: Sam Carter Women's Club Rugby

Ulster Women & U18 Girls Update

Academy Squad Ulster A Update

Squad Photo

24 26 30 32 37 42 45 47 50 53 55 56 57 58 59 60 31

Ulster Squad Profiles

Ulster Team Ospreys Team

Ospreys Squad Profiles Ulster Men in Japan Guest Article: Rod Nawn

Referees Update

Stand Up Membership Packages Interview: Michael Lowry Half-Time Rugby Teams Senior Cup Semi-Final Draw

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URSC Update

Stadium Information Competition Standings

Fixtures

Sponsors And Partners

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TONIGHT'S MASCOTS

THOMAS NORMAN (12) FROM BELFAST

LOCHLIN MAGOWAN (9) FROM BANGOR

Thomas attends Grosvenor Grammar School and enjoys playing cricket. His favourite player is Robert Baloucoune as he is very exciting to watch. When he is older he would like to play sport professionally.

Lochlin attends Campbell College Junior School. He plays rugby for Donaghadee and also loves playing football, running and farming. His favourite player is Rory Best and when he is older he would like to be a footballer.

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PRESIDENT'S WELCOME

After an extended pre-season, the season finally begins in earnest with our first Guinness PRO14 game. It has been a long summer for both our loyal Ulster supporters and the playing squad who have endured an additional four week of the lung bursting experience of pre-season training. We welcome our summer signings Sam Carter, Jack McGrath, Matt Faddes, Bill Johnston, David O’Connor and Gareth Milasinovich to Ulster Rugby and I hope that they enjoy their time with us. With Ulster and Ospreys both finding ourselves in Conference A this year, this evening’s game takes on an extra level of significance, with each trying to set down an early marker and get valuable points on the board. The Rugby World Cup started last weekend and I am sure that you all, like me, are enjoying a superb tournament and that the early alarm clocks have been set to watch the television coverage. I specifically want to congratulate our own representatives, Rory, Iain and Jacob on their contributions to date, and hopefully more Ulster men will join them in Japan before the end of the tournament. On the domestic front, the club competitions are well under way and I wish all the teams every success in their respective competitions. Tomorrow, there is a full programme of club fixtures and I would urge you to get out and support your local teams. The Ulster Women and U18 Girls, sponsored by Deloitte, completed their Inter-provincial campaigns last week, with the U18 Girls falling just short of the Series title at the final hurdle. Thank you to both sets of players and management for the efforts throughout the campaign, and for being great ambassadors of the female game. The Ulster A team have continued their excellent form in the Celtic Cup, losing just once in the opening five rounds, and hopefully by the time you’re reading this, they will have made if five wins from six. To the travelling Ospreys Officers, management team and playing squad – I hope you have an enjoyable, but not successful, visit to Belfast. To the Ulster supporters – let’s set the tone for another fantastic season of our unique match night atmospheres at Kingspan Stadium, and hopefully cheer the Ulster men on to an opening round win. SUFTUM! Gary Leslie President, IRFU Ulster Branch On behalf of Ulster Rugby, I would like to welcome everyone to Kingspan Stadium for this evening’s 2019/20 season opener versus Ospreys.

IRFU ULSTER BRANCH 2019/20 OFFICERS Gary Leslie President Philip Gregg Senior Vice President Denis Gardiner Junior Vice President & Honorary Secretary Michael Boyd Honorary Treasurer Greg Irwin Competitions Secretary Jonny Petrie Chief Executive Officer

Kingspan Stadium, 134 Mount Merrion Avenue Belfast, BT6 0FT T +44 (0)28 9049 3222 ulsterrugby.com

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The GUINNESS word and associated logos are trade marks © Guinness & Co.2015.

It’s been 125 days since Leinster Rugby won their sixth title in Glasgow and now the Guinness PRO14 is primed for another exciting season as rugby becomes the headline act across the globe for the next six weeks. Of course, the Rugby World Cup will help us grow the game of rugby even further and it’s great to know the Guinness PRO14 will be a rich part of the fabric out in Japan. We’ve got 116 players from the Championship representing 10 countries – Canada, Fiji, Ireland, Italy, Namibia, Scotland, Tonga, USA, Wales & Samoa. The fields of the Guinness PRO14 will also be ripe with fresh ‘Next-Gen’ talent who will be the stars of the 2023 Rugby World Cup with many players making their bow over the next few weeks that will rise to become household names.

Across the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cups close to 60 players appeared for the very first time in our Championship and who have gone on to become key international players – names like Hamish Watson, Carlo Canna, Garry Ringrose, Tadhg Beirne, Sam Johnson and Owen Watkin. Even a key figure in England’s current squad, Sam Underhill, first came to prominence in our Championship. This weekend there is a lot to be excited about. For the first time ever, the Guinness PRO14 season kicks off on South African soil when the Toyota Cheetahs host Glasgow Warriors in Bloemfontein. It’s the Currie Cup champions against last season’s beaten Guinness PRO14 finalists and it promises to be a real exhibition of running rugby. The Cheetahs have added so much flair since joining the competition in 2017 and we’ve watched with great pride as they captured the Currie Cup earlier this month. Ruan Pienaar will be a familiar face to fans across the Guinness PRO14 and his presence should give the Cheetahs a new edge in tight games this season. We also have teams kicking off their campaigns in Belfast, Limerick, Port Elizabeth, Treviso, Llanelli and Edinburgh with every game shown live in the UK on Premier Sports with Super Sport, eir Sport, TG4, S4C & DAZN ensuring fans in South Africa, Ireland, Wales and Italy get their fill of Guinness PRO14 action. Across the summer lots of hard work has gone on to keep raising the standards of the Guinness PRO14 and our Elite Referee Manager, Greg Garner, has been busier than most. For the next six rounds every refereeing appointment is neutral as Greg has made sure that neutrality, capability and experience combine to put our best foot forward. This weekend we’ll have over 350 appearances worth of experience shared across our seven referees, five of whom have held the whistle at international level. We have invested right across the tournament, too, thanks to sponsors like Guinness, Big Red Cloud and Ronseal, and our suppliers Gilbert and Macron who all play fantastic roles in supporting our Championship. This weekend marks the beginning of the 152-game trek towards the Guinness PRO14 Final at Cardiff City Stadium on June 20. The competition to wrestle the trophy away from Leinster looks more competitive than ever but your journey to Cardiff City Stadium doesn’t even require you to make a tackle. Last year saw yet another record attendance at the Guinness PRO14 Final, but with limited availability in 2020 be sure to visit www.pro14rugby.org/final to take advantage of early bird prices and get the best seats before they’re gone! Enjoy the game, Martin Anayi Chief Executive Officer

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JONNY It has felt like something of a long off-season break this year with the World Cup being in play, but at the same time, the Guinness PRO14 Championship kick-off has come upon us pretty quickly. PETRIE CEOUPDATE

It’s great to get everyone back to competitive rugby, and I’m looking forward to seeing the team perform in front of our home crowd here at Kingspan Stadium. The summer has been a very useful period for me; providing a natural break to be able to take stock after a very busy first season at the helm here at the club. I have hugely enjoyed my time so far and continue to feel very proud at having this opportunity, but at the same time, it is also important to recognise the work that we still have to do across all aspects of the sport in the Province. Under the guidance of Dan, the professional team made huge strides last year and delivered perhaps beyond expectations going into the campaign – making the semi-finals of the PRO14 and coming within a whisker of getting to the same stage in Europe was a great achievement with a new coaching team and a young playing group. Having done that though, we rightly have to set the benchmark higher now, and keep ourselves moving forward; every other team will have improved and we need to keep getting better at a quicker rate.

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I’m really pleased with the way that the professional group is developing. We have recruited really well, with more Irish talent coming into the setup, and with a few ‘blow-ins’ adding international experience and an extra dimension to our group which will stand us in good stead during a season in which the World Cup provides some disruption. This, combined with the outstanding talent that we have coming through the system and now pushing through into the senior team, means that we are in good shape now, and for the future. When you have young players who, at 20 or 21 years old, are playing very well and already have significant competitive game time under their belts, then that is a good place for us to be. The performances of the Ulster A team recently also point to the depth of quality that we are developing in the Province – it’s great to see. However, we also need to be prepared to be patient. We are far from being the finished article and we need to work hard every day to keep ourselves going in the right direction. It is right that we place major investment in our professional and development set-ups such that we can make ourselves competitive now, and also long into the future – that’s exactly what we’re doing. It’s important to recognise that our responsibilities extend well beyond the professional game though, and there is a huge amount of work underway as to how we continue to work to ensure the health and improvement of the domestic game. I have enjoyed being able to get out and about and spend time listening to the issues and challenges that our clubs and schools have, and it’s now crucial that we act to protect the future of the amateur game at all levels; providing greater opportunity for people to get involved in rugby in ways

that fit their lifestyle; providing quality experiences for anyone who plays the game; helping clubs develop in a sustainable way and working to grow our volunteer base. On that last point, it has been just fantastic for me to see at first hand quite how much work is undertaken by volunteers to support and sustain our game. That is something we need to foster and protect. Here at the stadium as well, we need to ensure that we are looking after our supporters and partners, and that includes investing in the match-day experience and the facilities that we offer. We want this to be the place to be in Ulster on a Friday night, and we are making the right improvements to make it feel that way. We have replaced our big screens so that they are full HD quality; our floodlights will be upgraded in January to LED quality, with a major increase to the lux levels; our corporate offering will be improved; our bars will be better organised with more payment options to reduce queues and speed up transactions and the brass band underestimate that. I want this to be a club and a sport of which the whole Province is proud and that may take some time, but it’s important that people feel that it is in the hands of people who genuinely care, and who are passionate about making it everything that it can be. That begins tonight against tough opposition in the Ospreys and it will be a challenge to come out on top. Momentum is key for us, and hopefully we can get off to a good start in the competition. Your support is a huge part of that – time to SUFTUM. Jonny have even learned some new tunes… So, there is work to do and we don’t

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New season, new team on and off the pitch Openreach is proud to join Ulster Rugby

To find out what broadband speed is available in your area visit www.openreach.co.uk/ni

PLAYER Q&A LOUISLUDIK

When did you start playing rugby, and who was your first team? 2007. My first team was the Lions, in Johannesburg. What’s your favourite rugby memory? Being called up to the South African national team. If you could re-live one moment from your rugby career, what would it be? (Good or bad) Winning the Currie Cup. What’s the one thing you could not live without? My wife. Favourite subject in school? Technical drawing. All time favourite movie? Wedding Crashers. Best player you have played with? Charles Piutau. Best player you have played against? Dan Carter. What’s your pre-match routine? Any superstitions? Visualise my roles often. What’s on your pre-match playlist? Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Linkin Park. Who has been the biggest influence on your rugby career and why? My wife – she pushes me to believe in myself . What area of your game do you want to improve most this season? Kicking game. Tell us something not many people would know about you? I enjoy listening to Justin Bieber’s music!

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SAM CARTER

New Ulster lock Sam Carter is raring to go for his first competitive outing in white and red – but perhaps only the most eagle-eyed rugby follower will be aware that this evening’s game will be the Australian’s third appearance at Kingspan Stadium. AUSSIELOCK ISREADY FORNEWCHALLENGE

had already been done and I just popped up!” Modesty aside, Carter’s noteworthy debut will do his chances of first-team selection no harm whatsoever in a strong second row panel where he will be competing for game- time with the likes of Ireland internationals Iain Henderson and Kieran Treadwell, and the O’Connor brothers, Alan and the newly- recruited David. “If I can do that for the next 25 games I’ll be very lucky, but I’m just focusing on doing my job and doing my best for the team,” he insists. Carter comes to Ulster after eight seasons in Super Rugby with the Brumbies, where he amassed 122 caps and was named club co-captain in 2017 alongside former Ulster loanee Christian Leali’ifano. Both Leali’ifano and another Brumbies star with an Ulster connection – Henry Speight, who enjoyed a successful loan spell at Kingspan Stadium in the first half of the 2018/19 season – were instrumental in encouraging Carter to take up the new challenge overseas. While the New South Wales native has already noted significant differences between Northern and Southern Hemisphere rugby, he is confident that rugby at Ulster will suit his style of play.

Carter made an explosive debut for the Province three weeks ago in the 50-19 pre- season defeat of Glasgow Warriors, coming on as a half-time replacement and marking an impressive performance with a well- worked try off a pass from Matty Rea. However, the 16-times-capped Wallaby first ran out on the Kingspan Stadium turf back in November 2016, representing the Barbarians against Fiji alongside the likes of All Blacks Luke Whitelock and Andy Ellis, fellow Ulster new recruit Matt Faddes, and former fan favourites Tommy Bowe and Ruan Pienaar. The 30-year-old thoroughly enjoyed his first appearance in Ulster colours, but is markedly modest in the assessment of his performance. “I played here once before back in 2016,” he begins, “but to get back out here on a really nice day was great. In the second half we played a good bit of footy, and it was great to play in front of the Ulster crowd for the first time.” “I got a bit lucky in the second half, I was in the right place at the right time. All the work

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“It’s very physical over here, very set-piece orientated,” he explains. “It’s all about field position and tactical kicking, but they can play some expansive rugby as well, especially when we get a good tempo at the breakdown, so I’m just excited to be involved and to see what it brings.” “I’ll just play my style of game. Good work- rate, physicality and a strong set-piece. If I can bring that to Ulster in my role within the team we’ll do well, I think.” The six-foot-six lock is happy with his pre- season preparations, despite the relative lack of time for rest and recovery, with the Brumbies’ 2018/19 campaign only coming to a close at the end of June with a Super Cup semi-final defeat to Argentinian outfit, the Jaguares. “I’ve never really done a season into a pre-season into a season before,” he says, “but I got a little bit of a break in late July and came back and slotted weaknesses of tonight’s opponents, but Ulster fans can be assured he will have his homework done in time for kick-off – and he knows just what to expect in terms of atmosphere when the Friday night lights are lit to herald the start of the new season. “I haven’t seen too much of Ospreys yet but over the next week I’ll get a bit of footage in and check out what they’re about, and hopefully come up with a way to get a good result on Friday night.” “I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Friday night experience at Ulster,” he concludes. “There’s a real buzz about the town and the supporters really get behind it, so I’m looking forward to playing in front of a big crowd at Kingspan Stadium on Friday.” nicely into Ulster pre-season. We had a couple of trial games and now it’s time to play, I guess.” At the time of our interview Carter admitted that he hadn’t yet had time to fully familiarise himself with the strengths and

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WOMEN’S CLUBRUGBY SEASONKICKSOFF

Deloitte, who currently sponsor the Ulster Women’s and U18 Girls teams, have also committed their support to the domestic game as title sponsors of Ulster Rugby’s Women’s Premiership and Championship for the next two years. The Deloitte Ulster Women’s Championship began last Sunday 22nd September, with four ties played. The fixture between Queen’s University 2nd XV and Ballyshannon was a particularly interesting one, with the students entering a new development team this season, and Ballyshannon also returning to the Championship after putting a lot of work in to develop women’s rugby in the area. The women’s club rugby season kicked off last Sunday, with 16 teams in action in the Deloitte Ulster Women’s Premiership and Championship over the first two weekends.

This coming Sunday, 29th September, will see six teams in action in the opening round of the Deloitte Ulster Women’s Premiership. With Malone earning promotion to the All Ireland League, the Premiership is set to be a hugely competitive league with several teams aiming for the title. Included in those are Queen’s University and Dungannon, who were promoted from the Championship last season, and City of Derry who will be aiming to build on their campaign last season which took them to the Junior Cup final. Fixtures will generally be played on Sundays, however, in a new initiative, there will be two ‘Super Saturdays’, which will aim to drive increase awareness and visibility of the women’s game. For full fixture listings, visit ulsterrugby.com/domesticfixtures.

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ULSTERWOMEN&U18GIRLS INTER-PROROUND-UP

In a highly entertaining game, the Ulster girls were threatening to get around the corner on a number of occasions in the first half. They were met with some committed defence from Munster’s Chisom Ugwueru before her Ireland U18 Sevens team-mate Mya Alcorn ran in a spectacular intercept try for Ulster. Ugwueru had already opened the scoring at that stage and Emma Connolly converted her own try for a 12-7 Munster lead at half time. After failing to win any of their group stage games, but flourishing in the knockout stages, the Munster’s girls completed a remarkable turnaround in fortune with a strong second half performance sealing the Inter-Provincial Series, as Connolly scored a penalty and converted the three second half tries from Ugwueru, Eilis Cahill and Meabh McElligott.

For the Ulster Women, their campaign finished with a 12-39 defeat to Munster in the 3rd / 4th place play-off at Energia Park, Donnybrook. The Munster Women built up a commanding lead and, despite second-half tries from Diane Ramsay and Maeve Liston, held on to record a comfortable win. Earlier that day, in MU Barnhall RFC, the Ulster U18 Girls were taking on Munster in the final of the U18 Inter-Provincial Series. The Ulster Girls were aiming to secure a first Series title since they won the inaugural competition in 2016, and would have been high on confidence following a superb semi-final victory over Connacht. The Ulster Women’s and U18 Girls squads, sponsored by Deloitte, completed their Inter-Provincial Series campaigns last Saturday.

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Abbey InsuranceBrokersLimited isauthorisedandregulatedbytheFinancialConductAuthority

2019/20ABBEY INSURANCE ACADEMYSQUAD

MATTHEW AGNEW

AZUR ALLISON

GRAHAM CURTIS

MATTHEW DALTON

Year 2 Back Row 20.11.98 180cm 89kg

Year 2 Back Row 19.04.99 192cm 95kg

Year 2 Scrum Half 12.09.99 176cm 84kg

Year 3 Lock 16.11.98 197cm 105kg

JOE DUNLEAVY

AARON HALL

BRUCE HOUSTON

IWAN HUGHES

Year 3 Back Row 22.12.98 190cm 101kg

Year 4 Back Row 26.06.98 193cm 98kg

Year 2 Fly Half 16.08.99 192cm 84kg

Year 2 Back Three 06.04.99 174cm 79kg

HAYDEN HYDE

DAVID McCANN

STEWART MOORE

CONOR RANKIN

Year 1 Centre 15.09.00

Year 2 Back Row 13.06.00

Year 2 Centre 08.08.99 183cm 91kg

Year 1 Back Three 27.05.01 186cm 83kg

191cm 101kg

191cm 103kg

JACK REGAN

CALLUM REID

AARON SEXTON

TOM STEWART

Year 3 Lock 09.05.97

Year 1 Prop 06.01.99 183cm 111kg

Year 1 Back Three 24.08.00 188cm 88kg

Year 1 Hooker 11.01.01 182cm 97kg

197cm 108kg

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Standout Paving for Outstanding Homes

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ULSTERA ULSTERACONTINUE FINECELTICCUPFORM

ULSTER A’S CELTIC CUP 2019/20 FIXTURES & RESULTS SCARLETS 32 ULSTER A 35 Saturday 24th August 2.30pm at Llandovery RFC ULSTER A 32 CARDIFF BLUES 5 Saturday 31st August 7.30pm at Malone RFC ULSTER A 33 CONNACHT 13 Friday 6th September 4.00pm at Ballymena RFC LEINSTER 55 ULSTER A 24 Saturday 14th September, 3.00pm at Energia Park, Donnybrook DRAGONS 31 ULSTER A 43 The final round of games will see Ulster host Munster at Shaw’s Bridge next Friday evening. Following the completion of the Round 7 fixtures, the top two placed teams will advance to the Celtic Cup final on Saturday 12th October. Winning ways returned at Ystrad Mynach last weekend as Adair notched a hat-trick during a ten-try thriller, which saw Ulster recover from a 12-17 deficit to win 31-43 over Dragons. Earlier this evening, Ulster A hosted Ospreys A at Malone RFC, the result of which was not known at the time of going to print.

With just two rounds remaining in the Celtic Cup, Ulster A currently sit in second place of the standings, thanks to four bonus point wins in their opening five games. Under the guidance of coaches Kieran Campbell and Willie Anderson, the young Ulster A team made a dream start to this season’s campaign by securing a dramatic last-gasp victory over last year’s finalists, Scarlets. In a sun-kissed Llandovery RFC, it was prop Peter Cooper who touched down in the 83rd minute to clinch all five points. They backed up that win with an emphatic 32-5 victory over Cardiff Blues at Malone RFC a week later, with the tries coming from Ross Adair, Azur Allison, Conor Rankin and Hayden Hyde. Another home victory followed with a 33-13 win over Connacht to make it three on the bounce, and a maximum fifteen points in the bank. In front of a sizeable crowd at Eaton Park, David McCann, Rankin, Adair and Cooper (2) all crossed the whitewash. The sole defeat came in Round 4 away to defending champions Leinster. However, the Ulster men did come away with a losing try bonus point.

Saturday 21st September 2.30pm at Ystrad Mynach ULSTER A V OSPREYS Friday 27th September 5.00pm at Malone RFC ULSTER A V MUNSTER Friday 4th October 5.00pm at Shaw’s Bridge CELTIC CUP FINAL Saturday 12th October

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201 ULSTER RU

TOP ROW (L-R): Eric O’Sullivan, Tom O’Toole, Nick Timoney, Greg Jones, Kieran Treadwell, Sam Carter, Alan O’Connor, Matthew Rea, Clive Ross, Adam McBurney, Luke Marshall; MIDDLE ROW (L-R): David Shanahan, AndrewWarwick, Ross Kane, John Andrew, Billy Burns, Matt Faddes, Rob Lyttle, Bill Johnston, Marty Moore, Kyle McCall, Jonny Stewart, Angus Curtis; FRONT ROW (L-R): Michael Lowry, Louis Ludik, John Cooney, Craig Gilroy, Stuart McCloskey, Rob Herring, Iain Henderson (Captain), Jacob Stockdale, Jordi Murphy, Will Addison, Jack McGrath, Gareth Milasinovich, Sean Reidy; NOT PICTURED: Marcell Coetzee

/20 BY SQUAD

2019/20 ULSTERSQUAD

Head Coach Dan McFarland Assistant Coach Dwayne Peel Forwards Coach Roddy Grant Defence Coach Jared Payne Skills Coach Dan Soper Operations Director Bryn Cunningham

WILL ADDISON

JOHN ANDREW

ROBERT BALOUCOUNE

BILLY BURNS

Utility Back 20.08.1992 186cm 93kg 11 IRE 4

Hooker 26.05.1993

Wing 19.08.1997 193cm 90kg

Fly Half 13.06.1994 185cm 86kg 24 —

181cm 104kg 56 —

13 —

SAM CARTER

MARCELL COETZEE

JOHN COONEY

ANGUS CURTIS

Lock 10.09.1989 200cm 116kg — AUS 16

Back Row 08.05.1991 192cm 114kg 28 SA 30

Scrum Half 01.05.1990 178cm 87kg 45 IRE 8

Centre 26.03.1998 178cm 92kg 7 —

MATT FADDES

CRAIG GILROY

IAIN HENDERSON

ROB HERRING

Centre/Wing 06.11.1991 185cm 93kg

Wing 11.03.1991 183cm 92kg 168 IRE 10

Lock 21.02.1992 199cm 117kg 105 IRE 49

Hooker 27.04.1990 184cm 107kg 166 IRE 8

— —

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JAMES HUME

BILL JOHNSTON

GREG JONES

ROSS KANE

Centre 07.09.1998

Fly Half 07.02.1997 180cm 87kg

Back Row 13.01.1996

Prop 14.10.1994 180cm 118kg 39 —

187cm 98.1kg 11 —

196cm 105kg 11 —

— —

ANGUS KERNOHAN

MICHAEL LOWRY

LOUIS LUDIK

ROB LYTTLE

Wing 02.03.1999 181cm 93kg 18 —

Fly Half 20.08.1998

Full Back 08.10.1986 182cm 90kg 92 —

Wing 28.01.1997 175cm 85kg 23 —

171cm 75.1kg

17 —

LUKE MARSHALL

ADAM McBURNEY

KYLE McCALL

ZACK McCALL

Centre 03.03.1991 181cm 97kg 124 IRE 11

Hooker 05.09.1996

Prop 02.01.1992 176cm 111kg 52 —

Hooker 10.02.1995

182cm 102kg

180cm 100kg

13 —

— —

STUART McCLOSKEY

JACK McGRATH

GARETH MILASINOVICH

MARTY MOORE

Centre 06.08.1992 193cm 111kg 108 IRE 3

Prop 11.10.1989 185cm 118kg — IRE 56

Prop 15.12.1992

Prop 01.03.1991 178cm 121kg 20 IRE 10

191cm 132kg

— —

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JORDI MURPHY

ALAN O’CONNOR

DAVID O’CONNOR

TOMMY TO O’HAGAN

Back Row 22.04.1991

Lock 10.09.1992 196cm 114kg 88 —

Lock 19.05.1995 194cm 110kg

Prop 05.10.1993

188cm 105kg 18 IRE 29

182cm 120kg 2 —

— —

ERIC O’SULLIVAN

TOM O’TOOLE

MARCUS REA

MATTHEW REA

Prop 30.11.1995 185cm 115kg 26 —

Prop 23.09.1998

Back Row 08.09.1997

Back Row 21.09.1993 194cm 112kg 27 —

185cm 120kg 23 —

188cm 105kg 1 —

SEAN REIDY

CLIVE ROSS

DAVID SHANAHAN

JONNY STEWART

Back Row 10.05.1989

Back Row 14.06.1989

Scrum Half 20.06.1993 174cm 78kg 44 —

Scrum Half 20.02.1998 174cm 77kg

182cm 103kg 105 IRE 2

193cm 109kg

71 —

12 —

JACOB STOCKDALE

NICK TIMONEY

KIERAN TREADWELL

ANDREW WARWICK

Wing 03.04.1996

Back Row 01.08.1995 189cm 111kg 50 —

Lock 06.11.1995 198cm 118kg 72 IRE 3

Prop 12.03.1991 179cm 113kg 120 —

191cm 103kg 55 IRE 22

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TEAM

1

ULSTER

JACK McGRATH

2

ROB HERRING (C)

15 14 13 12 11 10

MATT FADDES

3 4 KIERAN

TOM O’TOOLE

CRAIG GILROY

TREADWELL

LUKE MARSHALL

5 6 7 8

SAM CARTER

JAMES HUME

MATTHEW REA

ROB LYTTLE

JORDI MURPHY

BILLY BURNS

SEAN REIDY

9

JOHN COONEY

TODAY’S OFFICIALS REFEREE MARIUS MITREA FIR ASSISTANT REFEREES SEAN GALLAGHER IRFU ANDREA PIARDI FIR TMO STEFANO PENNE FIR

REPLACEMENTS 16 17 18 19 J ANDREW E O’SULLIVAN R KANE A O’CONNOR

G JONES D SHANAHAN M LOWRY L LUDIK

20 21 22 23

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TEAM

1

OSPREYS

RHODRI JONES

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

SAM PARRY

15 14 13 12 11 10

DAN EVANS

TOM BOTHA

LUKE MORGAN

LLOYD ASHLEY

CORY ALLEN

JAMES KING

SCOTT WILLIAMS

DAN LYDIATE (C)

KEELAN GILES

OLLY CRACKNELL

LUKE PRICE

GARETH EVANS

9

MATTHEW AUBREY

REPLACEMENTS 16 17 18 19 S OTTEN G THOMAS G GAJION S CROSS

D BAKER R MORGAN-WILLIAMS C EVANS T THOMAS-WHEELER

20 21 22 23

2019/20 OSPREYS

Head Coach Allen Clarke Backs Coach Matt Sherratt Forwards Coach Carl Hogg

CORY ALLEN

GARETH ANSCOMBE

LLOYD ASHLEY

MATTHEW AUBREY

Centre 11.02.1993

Flyhalf 10.05.1991 183cm 80kg

Lock 02.02.1991 195cm 114kg

Scrumhalf 04.06.1997 168cm 85kg

193cm 102kg

DAN BAKER

ADAM BEARD

TOM BOTHA

OLLY CRACKNELL

Back Row 05.07.1992 188cm 114kg

Lock 07.01.1996 203cm 117kg

Prop 31.08.1990 179cm 110kg

Back Row 26.05.1994

191cm 110kg

SAM CROSS

ALED DAVIES

BRADLEY DAVIES

HANNO DIRKSEN

Back Row 26.08.1992 190cm 97kg

Scrumhalf 19.07.1992 176cm 86kg

Lock 09.01.1987 198cm 122kg

Wing 31.03.1991 183cm 97kg

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DAN EVANS

GARETH EVANS

GHEORGHE GAJION

KEELAN GILES

Fullback 15.11.1988 183cm 93kg

Back Row 19.09.1991 192cm 99kg

Prop 13.11.1992 190cm 133kg

Prop 29.01.1998 173cm 77kg

WILL GRIFFITHS

JAMES HOOK

ALUNWYN JONES

RHODRI JONES

Lock 25.12.1998 188cm 90kg

Centre 27.06.1985 183cm 96kg

Lock 19.09.1985 198cm 118kg

Prop 23.12.1991 191cm 116kg

WILL JONES

JAMES KING

DEWI LAKE

DAN LYDIATE

Back Row 12.03.1998 181cm 97kg

Back Row 24.07.1990 193cm 107kg

Hooker 16.05.1999 185cm 110kg

Back Row 18.12.1987 194cm 115kg

REUBEN MORGAN-WILLIAMS

MORGAN MORRIS

HARRI MORGAN

LUKE MORGAN

Scrumhalf 03.02.1998 178cm 84kg

Back Row 28.08.1998 182cm 83kg

Scrumhalf 16.03.2000 186cm 90kg

Wing 16.05.1992 175cm 81kg

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10 YEAR WOODSTAIN

2

22 10 50

50 10 10 22

DECKING RESCUE PAINT 1

HIGH PERFORMANCE WOOD FILLER 3

DECKING PROTECTOR

SHED & FENCE PRESERVER

4

5

10

GARDEN PAINT

DECKING STAIN

6

7

FENCE LIFE PLUS+

8

22

22

DOES EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS ON THE TIN

GEORGE NORTH

SCOTT OTTEN

SAM PARRY

IFAN PHILLIPS

Wing 13.04.1992

Hooker 19.07.1994

Hooker 17.12.1991 186cm 114kg

Hooker 29.01.1996

193cm 109kg

182cm 103kg

181cm 105kg

LUKE PRICE

NICKY SMITH

GARETH THOMAS

TIAAN THOMAS-WHEELER

Flyhalf 26.09.1995 178cm 86kg

Prop 07.04.1994 183cm 113kg

Prop 02.08.1993 188cm 118kg

Centre 19.11.1999 189cm 98kg

JUSTIN TIPURIC

GUIDO VOLPI

OWEN WATKIN

KIERAN WILLIAMS

Back Row 06.08.1989 188cm 102kg

Back Row 22.08.1995 193cm 110kg

Centre 12.10.1996

Centre 12.05.1997 178cm 79kg

188cm 100kg

SCOTT WILLIAMS

TOM WILLIAMS

For more information ospreysrugby.com

Centre 10.10.1990

Wing 30.07.1996

185cm 100kg

191cm 100kg

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THE BEST CLUBS WEAR MACRON WHY DON’T YOU?

CONTACT US FOR A QUOTATION UK COUNTRY MANAGER Andrea Palilla M: +39 347 3202669 andrea.palilla@macron.com SEE WHO ELSE HAS ALREADY CHOSEN MACRON:

www.macron.com

RUGBYWORLDCUP ULSTERMEN INJAPAN

Photography © Irish Rugby / INPHO

“I thought he (Best) had an absolutely sterling performance and he silenced all of his critics out there. You don’t quite understand what Rory adds to the squad. He has been absolutely incredible and I think today you got a small insight into what he can bring.” Ireland’s next game will be against the hosts, Japan, tomorrow morning (8.15am UK/Irish time), before completing their pool stage fixtures against Russia and Samoa on Thursday 3rd and Saturday 12th October respectively.

Ireland opened their Rugby World Cup campaign with a superb 27-3 victory over Celtic neighbours Scotland in Yokohama last Saturday. James Ryan, Rory Best, Tadhg Furlong and Andrew Conway all touched down in the bonus point win, with 37-year-old skipper Best becoming the fourth oldest try scorer in World Cup history. Best’s Ulster teammates Iain Henderson and Jacob Stockdale also featured prominently in the victory, and afterwards, Henderson was full of praise for his captain:

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6WDGLXP 7 ours from £5.50

Book an all-access tour of Kingspan Stadium • Get a fully guided tour of the home of Ulster Rugby and see the working environment of a professional sports team • Take a look around the world class gym and training facilities • Sit in the Ulster Rugby team changing rooms and immerse yourself in a Virtual Reality team-talk from Rory Best* • Walk in the footsteps of legends down the famous players tunnel • Test your rugby skills with the interactive challenges in The Nevin Spence Centre

UlsterRugby.com/Tours

* Subject to availability

ROD NAWN

With World Cup fever set aside for the evening, Ulster fans can help inspire a winning start to a new Guinness PRO14 campaign which can set the raucous tone in the chase for honours. EXPECTANTULSTER RELISHOPENING

The lengthy preparation has meant the eye- catching recruits have had time to ‘bed in’, and those such as Matt Faddes, Sam Carter, Bill Johnston and props Jack McGrath and Gareth Milasinovich promise to be refreshing, gifted influences alongside the established Kingspan Stadium favourites. There’s competition in every position, something every coach desires, and what augurs well for the future of the club and the international side is that of the 44 players in the senior squad to date, 41 are Irish-qualified. And one of that number will be straining to announce that he’s back to full fitness and ready to bring his prolific try-scoring habit back to competitive rugby. Craig Gilroy’s eleven-month absence through injury has been frustrating for him, coaches and supporters alike, but in the back-to-back warm-up games with Glasgow Warriors this month he showed that his instinct for the opposition line, and his jinking, almost mischievous running, are unimpaired. His competitive streak is a ‘given’ and Gilroy quite properly aims to make his Ulster performances draw the international spotlight on him again. It has to be a signal of the scoring potential at Kingspan Stadium that Rob Lyttle and Robert Baloucoune are amongst credible

This Friday evening, Ulster’s faithful will pack Kingspan Stadium’s stands and terraces with some confidence for the long season ahead, though the visiting Ospreys will be determined to set down a ‘marker’ of their own. Both squads have had protracted pre- seasons due to the autumn World Cup schedule, and players available for the league are physically in prime condition. Both Head Coaches are intelligent realists, and Ulster’s Dan McFarland and the Ospreys’ Allen Clarke have spent the summer well, mixing strenuous fitness sessions with productive time on the pitch and both acutely aware of the need for players to get periods of rest. For Clarke, this is the season when his imprint on the Welsh side is most obvious, and in the latter stages of last year’s PRO14 there were clear signs that the man who was such an integral part of the coaching set-up in Ulster for so long was seeing his team more than just hint at a return to the club’s glory days. McFarland has admitted that his first full pre-season in charge of Ulster has proved really positive, and he’s convinced the squad is in much better physical and mental shape for the long drive towards what he and all supporters hope will be challenges in the league and in Europe which can be convincing and tangibly rewarding.

candidates vying for inclusion. Jacob Stockdale, take note!

Like Iain Henderson, Ulster’s captain this season, Stockdale is currently focusing on

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NIGHT

a tight-head prop may be signed as cover next week for the two-match trip to South Africa, the longer-term prospects in the front row are, for once, reassuring. McGrath, Eric O’Sullivan, Kyle McCall and the resilient and versatile Andrew Warwick will all be ‘in the mix. Nick Timoney misses out tonight with a hand injury, and Marcel Coetzee’s latest ‘knock’ just as he was recalled by the Springboks means McFarland can deploy, if he chooses, the battle-hardened Sean Reidy, Clive Ross and Jordi Murphy with some of the excellent products from the Academy. Kieran Treadwell, the brothers Alan and David O’Connor are second-row options, while siblings Matty and Marcus Rea offered shafts of real, top-class light in the latter stages of last season. So, it’s certain that there’ll be an energy and a real urge to make an instant competitive stamp on the PRO14, but Ulster know the Welsh opposition will have similar aspirations and is a formidable obstacle on ‘opening night’. But a Kingspan Stadium crowd in full voice, an Ulster team readied for the long haul – that demands one, winning conclusion.

the World Cup, and the Ospreys have a large contingent with Wales, but you won’t hear complaints from McFarland or from Clarke. That their clubs supply Ireland and Wales respectively with the captaincy says something about the ethos in their camps, and the indomitable Rory Best and Alun Wyn Jones are models of application for Ulster and Ospreys generations to come. These coaches instinctively adapt to circumstances and will have full faith in the players who figure in this evening’s ‘opener’ under the Friday night lights. Their belief is certainly justified by the quality of their squads. Clarke himself has recruited well but the mainstay of his starting XV tonight is a core of familiar and decorated names. Flanker Dan Lydiate has had a storied career with Wales, and full-back Dan Evans possesses a wide range of skills, centres Scott Williams and Cory Allen and wingers Luke Morgan and Keelan Giles have all been prominent in the pre-season wins over Hartbury and then in Edinburgh last weekend. Ulster, like the opponents this evening, is a team fancied strongly, and with some conviction by the cognoscenti, to pose an effective threat to the recent dominance of Leinster, Glasgow and, fitfully, Munster. Billy Burns and the wonderfully-composed John Cooney have formed a reliable half- back pairing which has still to flourish fully, and the arrival of Johnston and the youthful challenge from Michael Lowry can only serve to ‘push’ performance. In midfield and at full-back the galaxy of talent on Ulster’s books is the envy of many in the competition: Luke Marshall, Stuart McCloskey, James Hume, Faddes and Louis Ludik are obvious candidates for consideration. Again, the queue to press claims is a long and impressive one. Rob Herring’s credentials at hooker are surely proven, and John Andrew’s athletic and powerful presence is growing. Though

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USRFR ULSTERSOCIETYOFRUGBY FOOTBALLREFEREESUPDATE

Whilst most people involved in rugby at a domestic level enjoyed a summer break away from the game, several of our referees were on duty at various competitions at home and across Europe. A summary of these appointments is as follows: JUNE RUGBY EUROPE TROPHY: LITHUANIA V HOLLAND in Panevezys Referee Johnny Erskine Assistant Referees Chris Lough & Peter Martin IRFU NATIONAL REFEREE PANEL

It is pleasing to report that there are currently 19 Ulster referees on the panel. These are: CONTRACTED Chris Busby

RUGBY EUROPE CHAMPIONSHIP: GERMANY V PORTUGAL in Frankfurt Assistant Referees Johnny Erskine & Mark Patton JULY FISU EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY GAMES SEVENS in Naples Referee Chris Lough AUGUST RUGBY EUROPE U18 SEVENS in Gdansk Referee Chris Lough RUGBY TOWN SEVENS in Colorado Referee Chris Lough SOUTH AFRICA V ARGENTINA IN A WORLD CUP WARM-UP GAME in Pretoria TMO Simon McDowell UNDER 18 IRFU FESTIVAL in Limerick Referee Robbie McGreer RUGBY EUROPE GIRLS U18 SEVENS in Jarocin, Poland Referee Grainne Crabtree More recently, three USRFR members have been involved as referees in the Celtic Cup competition - Stuart Gaffikin, Johnny Erskine and Chris Busby have been refereeing in the early rounds.

Johnny Erskine Stuart Gaffikin LEVEL 1 Dan Carson Peter Martin Mark Patton Jonathan Peak Oisin Quinn LEVEL 2 Stuart Douglas Richard Kerr Chris Lough Henry Richmond Jonny Wilson LEVEL 3 Keane Davison * Lee Evans Grainne Crabtree Robbie McGreer * Andrew Mitchell * Rob Watson

*Denotes first year on the National Panel

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MEMBERSHIP NEW 'STANDUP' MEMBERSHIPSLAUNCHED

Ulster Rugby has launched three new 'Stand Up' Membership packages for the 2019/20 season, which will allow supporters of all ages, at home and abroad, to keep in touch with the latest team news, plus get access to priority booking periods, exclusive gifts, competitions plus much more. Below are the details of the three membership options, and the benefits of each.

STAND UP ADULT

STAND UP JUNIOR AGED 11 AND UNDER »

£30

£20

AGED 17+ »

Membership gift box Membership card

Membership gift box Membership card

» »

» » »

Free adult ticket to a PRO14 Category B fixture at Kingspan Stadium* First access to the Official Digital Match Programme before every home fixture Priority purchase for tickets to home pool matches in the Heineken Champions Cup » Priority Booking Period for home Heineken Champions Cup knockout stages » Priority purchase for tickets to selected home games in the Guinness PRO14 Priority Booking Period for home knock out matches in the Guinness PRO14 Priority purchase for away match tickets when available to Ulster Rugby » » » »

Birthday card

Free junior ticket to a PRO14 Category B fixture at Kingspan Stadium* Access to exclusive discounts from partners Access to Stand Up members only competitions

»

»

STAND UP TEEN

£25

AGED 12-16 »

Membership gift box Membership card

» » »

Birthday card

First access to the Official Digital Match Programme before every home fixture Free junior ticket to a PRO14 Category B fixture at Kingspan Stadium* Access to exclusive discounts from partners Access to Stand Up members only competitions

»

»

Priority purchase for 2019/20 Season Tickets Access to exclusive discounts from partners

»

»

»

*Terms and conditions apply. Postage costs will be applied.

BUY ONLINE For more information, and to purchase, visit ulsterrugby.com/memberships or call the Ulster Rugby Ticket Office on (028) 9049 3222 Option 2.

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ULSTER v

FRI 25 OCT, 7.35PM

UlsterRugby.com /BuyTickets

Versatile Ulster back Michael Lowry enjoyed a spectacular debut season at Kingspan Stadium last term, but as the 2019/20 campaign draws ever closer, the incumbent Abbey Insurance Academy Player of the Year is convinced both he and the team can improve on last season’s achievements. MICHAEL LOWRY “WE’RE INABETTERPLACE THISYEARTHANLASTYEAR”

you’re seeing in back-field, and vice-versa. If you’re at ten, you know what 15 struggles with,” he says. “Both positions involve a lot of kicking and catching, and a lot of times ten will be in the back-field as well, so I’m going for a bit of both. In the Glasgow game I played at 15 in the first half and ten in the second, and for me it’s good to have both as it gives me more opportunities to get on the pitch.” The youngster goes on to elaborate with his thoughts on the double-header of pre- season warm-up games against Glasgow Warriors, which ended in a comprehensive 50-19 victory in Belfast, before a narrow 36- 33 defeat at Scotstoun a week later. While the games were, in essence, friendlies designed to allow both sides to give their extended squads valuable game-time, Lowry insists the significance of both the performances and the results should not be underestimated. “We got through a lot of work in pre-season, and it showed in the Glasgow games that we’re fit enough now to go into the PRO14,” he says. “So we can take a lot out of those two games. Some of our attack play was excellent and I think we’re in a better place this year than last year going by our warm- up games. Putting 50 points in on the first

The 21-year-old clocked up 17 senior caps in 2018/19, including starting berths at full-back in both the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final against Leinster and the Guinness PRO14 semi-final at Glasgow, and insists he has put his pre-season time to good use as he vies to ramp up his appearance count this term. He explains: “We have these sessions that we go through in pre-season where we’ve all got our own individual focus, so for me it has been some upper body work in the gym and more kicking and high ball work.” “Going from last year I didn’t really know what to work on, but now we know after the first season what is going to help me going forward. I’ve been lucky to get through pre- season with no injuries, just a bit of soreness – but I think we need that bit of soreness before we go into games.” “It was good to work on that for nine weeks or so in pre-season, and now I hope to put it into practice in games.” Lowry, equally at home at out-half as he is at full-back, feels that his versatility can only help advance his career at the Province. “Ten and 15 have similar skillsets, so when you’re playing 15 you can put into ten what

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week was excellent, and then we obviously scored a lot of points in the second game as well.” “There’s a few things we need to tidy up but it’ll definitely come and we’re looking a lot sharper in terms of our set-plays and our edge attack.” Turning his attention to this evening’s opponents Ospreys, Lowry is looking forward to what he expects will be a challenging game. The sole meeting between the sides last season, which saw Lowry donning the number ten shirt for the first time in his senior career, finished as an 8-0 victory for the visitors at Morganstone Brewery Field with a Stuart McCloskey try and a John Cooney penalty the only scores, but the former RBAI schoolboy expects a much more free-flowing game this time round. One intriguing feature of the match will be how Allen Clarke’s side fare with many of their biggest names away on Rugby World Cup duty – influential forwards Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric, Adam Beard and Nicky Smith, and backs George North, Owen Watkin and Aled Davies are all currently in Japan with Warren Gatland’s squad, while Ulster are bereft of only Iain Henderson and Jacob Stockdale. Lowry, however, refuses to read too much into player absence, insisting the visitors’ strength in depth will make for a highly competitive match-up. “Ospreys are always a difficult side and they’re quite confrontational at times,” he concludes. “They’ve got some big players and they like to hold players up, they’ve got a good kicking game and they have good counter-attacking players so it’ll be an interesting game. Obviously, weather- dependent, hopefully it’ll be a nice open game as well.”

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