The 2017–18 season was

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...

's 24th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and

Jono Gibbes Jonathan Brian Gibbes (born 22 January 1977) is a rugby union former player and coach. He is a former New Zealand rugby union player who captained , the Chiefs and the Māori All Blacks, and appeared in various All Blacks teams. He is the form ...

' only season as head coach.

Rory Best Rory David Best (born 15 August 1982) is an Irish former rugby union player from Northern Ireland and was the captain of the Ireland national team from 2016 to 2019. He played hooker for Ulster and was registered for Banbridge RFC, having pr ...

was captain. They competed in the inaugural

Pro14 The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...

(successor competition to the Pro12) and the

European Rugby Champions Cup The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...

Events

Personnel changes

After the departure of

Neil Doak Neil George Doak (born 21 June 1972) is a Northern Irish former cricketer and rugby union player. He currently works as a rugby union coach, and has served as attack and backs coach with English club side Worcester Warriors, and Georgia during t ...

joined Ulster as head coach, with

Dwayne Peel Dwayne John Peel (born 31 August 1981) is a Welsh rugby union coach and former player. He was the most capped scrum-half for the Wales national rugby union team with 76 caps, until his record was surpassed by Mike Phillips on 16 March 2013. Yo ...

joining him as assistant coach, replacing Allen Clarke, who had left to join the coaching staff at

Ospreys The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

. Aaron Dundon joined as scrum coach, with

Niall Malone Niall Gareth Malone (born 30 April 1971 in Leeds, England) is a former rugby union player who played out-half for Leicester, Worcester, Ulster and Ireland. Having worked as an elite player development officer with Ulster's academy and as skills c ...

remaining as skills coach. Out-half

Paddy Jackson David Patrick Lindsay James "Paddy" Jackson (born 5 January 1992) is a professional rugby union player from Northern Ireland who plays for Gallagher Premiership side London Irish. He primarily plays at fly-half and previously played for Irish p ...

and centre

Stuart Olding Stuart Olding (born 11 March 1993) is a rugby union rugby player. He plays at centre and fullback. Olding played for Ulster from 2011 until 2018 when his contract was revoked. At international level, he has played for the Ireland U-20 and Irela ...

were charged with rape and suspended from playing pending trial (both would be acquitted, but have their contracts revoked). Australian out-half

Christian Lealiifano Christian Leali'ifano (born 24 September 1987), is an Australian professional rugby player. He is of Samoan heritage, and his surname is spelled Leali'ifano when using Samoan diacritics. He currently plays for Moana Pasifika in the Super Rugb ...

was signed on a five-month loan to cover.

was restored to the captaincy. The IRFU had blocked South African scrum-half

Ruan Pienaar Ruan Pienaar (born 10 March 1984) is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays either as a scrum-half or as a fly-half for the in the Currie Cup. Pienaar is the son of former Springbok fullback Gysie Pienaar. Ruan ...

extending his contract as part of their restrictions on foreign players, and he left for

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

. John Cooney was signed from

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...

to replace him. Other new arrivals were two South Africans, prop

Schalk van der Merwe Schalk van der Merwe (16 April 1961 – 24 January 2016) was a professional tennis player from South Africa. His best performance in a Grand Slam tournament was a third-round appearance at the 1982 US Open, where he had wins over Derek Tarr a ...

, signed from the

Southern Kings The Southern Kings were a South African professional rugby union team that competed in Super Rugby and Pro14. They were based in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape province and played their home matches at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. They wer ...

, and loose forward

Jean Deysel Jean Roy Deysel (born 5 March 1985 in Virginia, Free State, South Africa) is a former professional rugby union player who most recently played for Ulster in the Pro14. Deysel signed a two-year contract to join Japanese side Toyota Verblitz at ...

, signed from the

Sharks Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorp ...

. Back row forward Roger Wilson retired, lock Conor Joyce and centre Mark Best moved to

Jersey Reds Jersey Reds is a rugby club based in Jersey, Channel Islands that currently competes at the RFU Championship, which is the second tier of English professional rugby. Until season 2022/23, the professional arm of Jersey Reds was part of Jers ...

, hooker

Johnny Murphy John Joseph Murphy (July 14, 1908 – January 14, 1970) was an All-Star American right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball (1932, 1934–43, 1946–47) who later became a front office executive in the game. Yankees' relief ace After ...

went to

Rotherham Titans Rotherham Rugby Union Football Club, or Rotherham Titans is a professional rugby union team from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, currently playing in the fourth tier of the English rugby union league system, following their relegation from the Nat ...

, and lock John Donnan, flankers Lorcan Dow and Stephen Mullholand, and prop Ricky Lutton were released. Players joining the academy this year were out-half

Michael Lowry Michael Lowry (born 13 March 1953) is an Irish Independent politician who has served as a Teachta Dála (TD) since 1987, currently for the Tipperary constituency. He previously served as Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications from 1 ...

and centre James Hume, from

RBAI The Royal Belfast Academical Institution is an independent grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. With the support of Belfast's leading reformers and democrats, it opened its doors in 1814. Until 1849, when it was superseded by what today is ...

's three-time Schools' Cup-winning team; prop Tom O'Toole from

Campbell College Campbell College located in Belfast, Northern Ireland and founded in 1894 comprises a preparatory school department (junior age) and a senior Northern Ireland 'Voluntary Grammar' school, the latter meaning, in terms of provision of education, a ...

; lock/back row Matthew Dalton, from

BRA A bra, short for brassiere or brassière (, or ; ), is a form-fitting undergarment that is primarily used to support and cover breasts. It can serve a range of other practical and aesthetic purposes, including enhancing or reducing the appear ...

, hooker Alexander Clarke (son of former Ulster hooker and assistant coach Allen Clarke), from

Ballymena Academy Ballymena Academy is a mixed gender grammar school in the market town of Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1828 as a small provincial school for children in the town and surrounding agricultural hinterland. Admissi ...

; flanker Joe Dunleavy, from City of Derry R.F.C.; lock John McCusker, from Rainey Old Boys R.F.C.; lock

Jack Regan John Vincent Regan (12 September 1912 – 11 August 1988) was an Australian rules footballer who represented Collingwood in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1930s and 1940s. Playing career Recruited from Northcote, Regan str ...

; flanker Greg Jones and prop Eric O'Sullivan.Michael Sadlier, "Ulster recruit school stars for Academy fast-tracking", ''Belfast Telegraph'', 29 July 2017 Wing

Robert Baloucoune Robert Baloucoune (born 19 August 1997) is an Irish rugby union player who plays on the wing for United Rugby Championship and European Champions Cup side Ulster, and internationally for Ireland Early career Baloucoune was born in Enniskille ...

and scrum-half Graham Curtis joined later in the season.Gareth Fullerton
"Ulster Rugby Academy names 19-man squad for new season"
Belfast Live, 25 July 2018

Season

After a poor run of form, with eighteen tries conceded in four matches over the Christmas period,Ulster Rugby: Who did what 2017-18
The Front Row Union, 25 June 2018 Director of Rugby

Les Kiss Les Kiss (born 9 December 1964) is an Australian professional rugby union coach who is the head coach of London Irish in the Gallagher Premiership. He is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the Brisbane Rugby League and ...

left in January, with Gibbes assuming all coaching responsibility of the team for the remainder of the season. Ulster finished third in Pool 1 of the Champions Cup, failing to qualify for the knockout stage. They finished fourth of seven in Conference B of the

, failing to qualify for the playoffs, and having to beat

in a playoff to qualify for next season's Champions Cup. Gibbes cut short his contract at the end of the season. Former Ireland captain

Brian O'Driscoll Brian Gerard O'Driscoll (born 21 January 1979) is an Irish former professional rugby union player. He played at outside centre for the Irish provincial team Leinster and for Ireland. He captained Ireland from 2003 until 2012, and captained the ...

described the province as "a bit of a basket case", facing "Administration issues, senior players retiring, the well documented court case, now no number 10 to build the team around, no coach next year, struggling for Champions Cup rugby next season." Academy flanker

Nick Timoney Nick Timoney (born 1 August 1995) is an Irish rugby union player, who plays in the back row for Ulster and Ireland. He is regarded as a "hybrid" player, an athletic forward with the pace of a back.Craig Gilroy Craig Gilroy (born 11 March 1991) is an Irish rugby union player who wing for Ulster, and is a former Ireland international. he was Ulster's player of the year in 2014–15, and was named in the Pro12 Dream Team twice. Born in Bangor, County D ...

was the team's leading try scorer with eleven. Lock Alan O'Connor was leading tackler with 226. John Cooney was Ulster's Player of the Year. This was fullback

Charles Piutau Salesi Tu'ipulotu "Charles" Piutau (born 31 October 1991) is a New Zealand rugby union player. He plays in the fullback (and occasionally wing) position for England club Bristol Bears in the Premiership, and formerly for New Zealand's national ...

's last season with Ulster: he moved to

Bristol Bears Bristol Bears (officially Bristol Rugby Club or Bristol Rugby) are a professional rugby union club based in Bristol, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded as Bristol Football Club in 18 ...

at the end of the season. Wings

Tommy Bowe Thomas John Bowe (born 22 February 1984) is an Irish former rugby union player from County Monaghan, Ireland. He played on the wing for Ulster, Ireland and the British & Irish Lions. In March 2012, after four years with Ospreys in Swansea, Wa ...

and

Andrew Trimble Andrew Trimble (born 20 October 1984) is a former Irish rugby union player who played for Ulster and represented Ireland at international level. Club career He attended Coleraine Academical Institution, where he competed in the Ulster Schools ...

and flanker Chris Henry retired. Centre

Jared Payne Jared Benjamin Payne (born 13 October 1985) is a retired rugby union centre who played for Ulster and the Ireland national team. He was a member of the 2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, but did not play a test match. Since his ...

also retired as a player, and was appointed defence coach.

Staff

Squad

Senior squad

Players In

* John Cooney from

from

Brumbies The ACT Brumbies (known from 2005–2022 as simply the Brumbies) is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), The team competes in Super Rugby and named for the brumby, feral horses whi ...

from

Promoted from academy

* David Busby"Ulster Announce Academy Squad For 2017/18"
Irish Rugby, 28 July 2017 * Aaron Cairns * Ross Kane *

Rob Lyttle Rob Lyttle (born 28 January 1997) is an Irish rugby union player who plays wing for Ulster. Born in Donaghcloney, County Down, he played mini rugby at Dromore RFC as a child. He attended Royal Belfast Academical Institution, where he appeared in ...

* Tommy O'Hagan * Jack Owens

Players Out

* Mark Best to

* John Donnan ''released'' * Lorcan Dow ''released'' * Conor Joyce to

to Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi *

Angus Lloyd Angus Lloyd was a British businessman and fashion designer. In 1963, Lloyd and his business partner, Henri Strzelecki, founded the Henri Lloyd clothing line in Manchester. Under Lloyd and Strzelecki, the company became known for its pioneering u ...

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

* Ricky Lutton ''released'' * Stephen Mulholland ''released'' *

Jonny Murphy Jonny Murphy (born 6 February 1992) is a former professional rugby union player from Northern Ireland, who played hooker for Ulster (2015-17), Rotherham Titans (2017-18) and Connacht (2018-22). Early life Murphy was born in Belfast in 1992. ...

* Johnny Simpson ''released'' *

Franco van der Merwe Franco van der Merwe (born 15 March 1983 in Paarl) is a South African rugby union footballer. His regular playing position is lock, although he can also operate as a flanker. Previous clubs include Irish side Ulster in the Pro12, London Irish i ...

Cardiff Blues Cardiff Rugby ( cy, Rygbi Caerdydd) are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and in European Professional Club Rugby competitions. Based in Cardiff, the team play at Cardiff Arms ...

* Roger Wilson ''retired'' * Internationally capped players in bold * Players qualified to play for on dual nationality or residency grounds* * Irish Provinces are currently limited to four non-Irish eligible (NIE) players and one non-Irish qualified player (NIQ or "Project Player").

Academy squad

Players in

from

* James Hume from

* Tom O'Toole from

* Eric O'Sullivan from

Dublin University The University of Dublin ( ga, Ollscoil Átha Cliath), corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a university located in Dublin, Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dubl ...

from

Portora Royal School Portora Royal School located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, was one of the public schools founded by the royal charter in 1608, by James I, making it one of the oldest schools in Ireland at the time of its closure. Origina ...

/Enniskillen RFC * Greg Jones from

University College Dublin R.F.C. University College Dublin Rugby Football Club is based in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and plays in Division 1A of the All-Ireland League (rugby union), All-Ireland League. They play their home games at UCD Bowl. The club was founded in ...

* Matthew Dalton, from

from

* Graham Curtis from Hilton College * Alexander Clarke from

* Joe Dunleavy from City of Derry R.F.C. * John McCusker from Rainey Old Boys R.F.C.

Players out

* Michael Lagan * Craig Trenier * Alex Thompson * Conall Boomer * Andy McGrath

Ulster 'A'

The following players, other than players from the senior squad and academy, appeared for Ulster 'A' this season.

European Rugby Champions Cup

Pro14

Play-off for the 7th Champions Cup place

The South African teams cannot compete in the European Rugby Champions Cup. The top three eligible teams in each conference automatically qualify for following year's Champions Cup. The fourth ranked eligible team in each conference meet in a play-off match with the winner taking the seventh Champions Cup place.

had home advantage against

by virtue of finishing with the greater number of points accumulated during the PRO14 regular league (62, as opposed to Ospreys’ 44). The match was played on Sunday 20 May, at the Kingspan Stadium.

End of season awards

John Cooney was the competition's top scorer with 175 points, and was named at scrum-half on the Pro14 Dream Team.

Friendlies

Ulster A

British and Irish Cup

Pool 5

Quarter-final

Home attendance

Ulster Rugby Awards

The Heineken Ulster Rugby Awards ceremony was held at the La Mon Hotel and Country Club, Castlereagh, on 10 May 2018. Winners were:"Cooney scoops three awards at Heineken Ulster Rugby Awards Dinner"
Ulster Rugby, 10 May 2018 *Ulster Player of the Year: John Cooney (nominees:

Nick Timoney Nick Timoney (born 1 August 1995) is an Irish rugby union player, who plays in the back row for Ulster and Ireland. He is regarded as a "hybrid" player, an athletic forward with the pace of a back.Stuart McCloskey Stuart McCloskey (born 6 August 1992) is an Irish professional rugby union player who plays centre for Ulster Rugby, and has six caps for Ireland. He has been Ulster's player of the year twice, and has twice been named on the Pro14 Dream Team. H ...

) *Ulster Rugby Personality of the Year: Paul Marshall *Young Player of the Year:

Jacob Stockdale Jacob Stockdale (born 3 April 1996) is an Irish professional rugby union player who currently plays for Ulster and for Ireland. He plays on the wing or at fullback. He holds the record for tries scored in a single Six Nations Championship, scori ...

) *Academy Player of the Year:

Nick Timoney Nick Timoney (born 1 August 1995) is an Irish rugby union player, who plays in the back row for Ulster and Ireland. He is regarded as a "hybrid" player, an athletic forward with the pace of a back.Tom O'Toole, Angus Curtis) *Ulster A Player of the Year: Tom O'Toole (nominees: Clive Ross, Matthew Agnew) *Community Rugby Champions: Patrick Baird,

Malone RFC Malone RFC (Malone Rugby Football Club) is a rugby union club based in Belfast, in Northern Ireland. It is currently in the Division 1B of the All-Ireland League. The club is affiliated with the Ulster Branch, itself part of the Irish Rugby ...

; Noel Brown,

Cooke RFC Cooke Rugby Football Club, which was founded in 1910, is the oldest junior rugby club in Belfast, Northern Ireland. They currently field 3 Senior Men's teams, the 1st XV playing in Qualifying 1, and a successful Women's team, which competes in the ...

(nominees: Clem Bassett,

Ballynahinch RFC Ballynahinch Rugby Club is an Irish rugby union club based in the County Down town of Ballynahinch in Northern Ireland. Founded in 1954, the club is affiliated to the Ulster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union. The first team currently pl ...

; Liam Foley,

Bangor RFC Bangor Rugby Football Club (Welsh: Clwb Rygbi Bangor) is a Welsh rugby union team based in Bangor, North Wales. Bangor RFC is a founding member of the Welsh Rugby Union. The club fields a Seniors, Youth, Juniors and Ladies teams. History Bangor ...

) *Referee of the Year:

Chris Busby Chris Busby may refer to: * Christopher Busby, British scientist * Chris Busby (referee) {{hndis, Busby, Chris ...

*Women's Player of the Year:

Larissa Muldoon Larissa Muldoon (born 11 March 1991), from Ballybofey, Co Donegal, is a rugby union player for Railway Union, Ulster rugby and the Irish Rugby Football Union. Her first sport was ladies gaelic football which she played for Donegal at Under-14 ...

Railway Union RFC Railway Union Sports Club is a multi-sports club based in Sandymount, Dublin 4, Ireland. The club was founded in 1904 and was originally known as the Railway and Steam Packet Athletic and Social Union. The club organises teams in various sports ...

(nominees: Beth Cregan,

; Brittany Hogan,

) *U18 Girls Player of the Year: Bethany McDowell,

(nominees: Kelly McCormill, Monaghan RFC; Lucinda Kinghan, Monaghan RFC) *Youth Player of the Year: Conor McMenamin, Letterkenny RFC (nominees: Seif Eldin Abd El Gawad, Carrickfergus RFC; Charlie Clarke, Rainey Old Boys R.F.C.) *Schools' Player of the Year: Aaron Sexton,

Bangor Grammar School (Maintain justice) , established = 1856 , type = Voluntary grammar school , religious_affiliation = Interdenominational , head_label = Principal , head = E P Huddleson , r_head_label = Chaplains , r_head = Nig ...

(nominees: John McKee,

;

Nathan Doak Nathan Doak (born 17 December 2001) is an Irish rugby union player who plays scrum-half for Ulster in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The son of the former Ulster scrum-half and head coach Neil Doak, he wa ...

, Wallace High School) *Dorrington B Faulkner Award: Mark Orr *Club Player of the Year: Matthew Agnew,

Ballymena RFC Ballymena Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the town of Ballymena, Northern Ireland, playing in Division 2A of the All-Ireland League. It is affiliated to the Ulster branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union. The club fields fiv ...

(nominees: Andrew Morrison,

Banbridge RFC Banbridge RFC (Banbridge Rugby Football Club) is a rugby union club based in Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland, in the province of Ulster. It currently plays in Division 1B of the Energia All-Ireland League after gaining promotion in 201 ...

; Peter Cromie,

) *Club of the Year:

City of Armagh RFC The City of Armagh Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Armagh, Northern Ireland, playing in Division 1A of the All-Ireland League (rugby union), All-Ireland League. Honours *Ulster Senior League (rugby union), Ulster Senior Leagu ...

(nominees:

, Grosvenor RFC) *Special Recognition Award: Norman Pollock

Season reviews

Ulster Rugby: Who did what 2017-18
The Front Row Union, 25 June 2018

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulster 2017-18 2017–18 in Irish rugby union 2017–18 Pro14 by team 2017–18 European Rugby Champions Cup by team