The 2018-19 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 25th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and

Dan McFarland Dan McFarland (born 10 April 1972) is an English rugby union coach and former player. He has been head coach of Ulster Rugby since 2018. He played loosehead prop for Richmond, Stade Français and Connacht, retiring in 2006. He was forwards co ...

's first 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

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 ...

, making the semi-finals, 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 ...

, making the quarter-finals.

Events

Personnel changes

After the resignation of

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 ...

, Dan McFarland was announced as Ulster's new head coach on 30 April 2018. Initially he was to serve his notice as

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

's forwards coach and join Ulster in January 2019, with

Simon Easterby Simon Easterby (born 21 July 1975 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire) is an Irish former rugby union player. He is currently the defence coach for the Irish national team. Early life Easterby's father is English and his mother Irish. He is the you ...

to act as interim head coach until then. But in August, an agreement was reached with Scotland for McFarland to join Ulster before the new season.

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 ...

, who retired as a player at the end of last season, became the new defence coach.

Banbridge Banbridge ( , ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road (Northern Ireland), A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the River Bann in 1712. It is situated in the Civil parishes in Ireland, c ...

head coach Dan Soper joined as skills coach. Shane Logan stepped down as Chief Executive in September 2018, with Jonny Petrie appointed as his successor. There were significant changes to the playing squad. Aside from Jared Payne, 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 ...

, scrum-half Paul Marshall, and loose forwards Peter Browne,

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 ...

and Chris Henry also retired. Also departing were 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 ...

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 ...

, props

Callum Black Callum Black (born 25 February 1986) is an American-born Irish former rugby union player for Worcester Warriors in the English Premiership. He plays as a loosehead prop. Black was born in Washington, D.C. in the United States, and raised in En ...

Worcester Warriors Worcester Warriors Rugby Football Club is a professional rugby union club, based in Worcester, England, that is currently in Administration (law), administration and which has been suspended and will be relegated from Premiership Rugby, the top ...

Rodney Ah You Rodney Ah You (born 27 October 1988) is a New Zealand born Irish rugby union player. Ah You's primary position is as a prop, and he can play at both tighthead and loosehead. He currently plays for French side Rugby Club Vannes in the Rugby Pro D ...

Newcastle Falcons Newcastle Falcons is a rugby union team that play in Premiership Rugby, England's highest division of rugby union. The club was established in 1877 as the Gosforth Football Club. Around 1882 the club merged with the Northumberland Football Cl ...

and Wiehahn Herbst to the

Bulls Bulls may refer to: *The plural of bull, an adult male bovine *Bulls, New Zealand, a small town in the Rangitikei District Sports *Bucking bull, used in the sport of bull riding *Bulls (rugby union), a South African rugby union franchise operated ...

, out-half Brett Herron 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 ...

, and centre Callum Patterson to the

Cornish Pirates The Cornish Pirates ( kw, An Vorladron Gernewek) are a professional rugby union team who play in the Championship, the second level of the English rugby union pyramid, and are the premier Cornish rugby club. Formerly known as Penzance & Newlyn ...

. Scrum-half Aaron Cairns, flanker

Robbie Diack Robbie Diack (born 12 November 1985 in Johannesburg, South Africa) is a South African born, Irish former rugby union player who last played for Ulster in the Pro14. He played in the back row mainly as a number eight. Career He signed for Ulster ...

and 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 ...

were released. 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 ...

, whose contracts were terminated in the fallout from their trial and acquittal for rape, signed for

Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ca, Perpinyà ; es, Perpiñán ; it, Perpignano ) is the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the ...

and

Brive Brive-la-Gaillarde (; Limousin dialect of oc, Briva la Galharda) is a commune of France. It is a sub-prefecture and the largest city of the Corrèze department. It has around 46,000 inhabitants, while the population of the agglomeration was 75 ...

respectively.

remained captain. Ulster were in need of an experienced out-half after the end of

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 ...

's loan period and Jackson's departure. In June they attempted to sign South African out-half

Elton Jantjies Elton Thomas Jantjies (born 1 August 1990) is a South African professional rugby union player for the South Africa national team, the in the Japan Rugby Football Union and the in the Currie Cup. Jantjies made his professional debut with the L ...

, but were blocked by the

IRFU The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) ( ga, Cumann Rugbaí na hÉireann) is the body managing rugby union in the island of Ireland (both Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland). The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ...

, who insisted they needed to sign an Irish-qualified player.

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

Joey Carbery Joseph Carbery (born 1 November 1995) is an Irish rugby union player who plays for Munster in the United Rugby Championship and European Rugby Champions Cup and for the Ireland national team. He plays primarily as a fly-half, but can also p ...

and

Ross Byrne Ross Byrne is an Irish rugby union player. He plays as fly-half. Byrne currently plays for Irish provincial team Leinster. On 24 October 2018, Byrne was named in the Ireland squad for the November Internationals. In November 2022 Byrne kicked ...

were talked about, but Carbery opted to sign for

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 ...

and Byrne stayed at Leinster. On 18 July, Billy Burns, who qualified for Ireland through his Irish grandfather, was signed from

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

.Gerry Thornley
"Sibling rivalry driving younger Ulster Burns to aim for next level"
''The Irish Times'', 20 January 2020 Other new arrivals were prop Marty Moore, signed from

Wasps A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. T ...

; flanker

Jordi Murphy Jordi Murphy (born 22 April 1991) is an Irish international rugby player. He plays for provincial and United Rugby Championship side Ulster as a loose forward, and also plays for the Ireland national rugby union team. Early life Murphy was bo ...

, from

; utility back

Will Addison William Joseph Addison (born 20 August 1992) is an English-born Irish rugby union player who plays as a utility back for Ulster in the United Rugby Championship and European Rugby Champions Cup, and internationally for Ireland. A product of ...

, from

Sale Sharks Sale Sharks is a professional rugby union club from Greater Manchester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. Originally founded in 1861 as Sale Football Club, now a distinct amateur club, they adopted the n ...

; wing

Henry Speight Ratu Henry Vao'ofu Speight (born 24 March 1988) is a Fiji-born Australian professional rugby union player. He currently plays for the French club Biarritz. Speight was previously with the Brumbies and Queensland Reds in Super Rugby, and has re ...

, from the

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 ...

; and, in a short-term loan deal, lock

Ian Nagle Ian William Nagle (born 17 October 1988) is a retired Irish rugby union player, who last played for Italian United Rugby Championship side Zebre. Nagle began his career with home province Munster, before stints abroad with English sides Newcast ...

, from

. Academy players who made their debut for the senior team this season were prop Eric O'Sullivan, wings

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

Angus Kernohan Angus Kernohan (born 2 March 1999) is an Irish rugby union player playing for RFU Championship side Ealing Trailfinders. He plays as a winger, but can also play at centre. Early life Born in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, Kernohan attended Ball ...

, centre James Hume, fullback

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 flanker Marcus Rea. Former academy prop Tommy O'Hagan also made his senior debut. Seven players joined the academy this season: back row forward Matthew Agnew, from

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 ...

; out-half Bruce Houston, centre Stewart Moore, and back-rower Azur Allison, 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 ...

; back rower

David McCann Dave or David McCann may refer to: * David McCann (cyclist) (born 1973), Irish racing cyclist * Dave McCann (Canadian football) (1889–1959), Canadian Football League player, official, coach, and executive * Dave McCann (sportscaster), evening ...

, 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 ...

; outside back Iwan Hughes, from

;Gareth Fullerton
"Ulster Rugby Academy names 19-man squad for new season"
Belfast Live, 25 July 2018 and wing

, from

."Kernohan awarded academy spot"
Ulster Rugby, 5 September 2018, archived 2 April 2019

Season

In the Pro14, Ulster finished second in Conference B, qualifying for the playoffs and next season's Champions Cup. They defeated

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 ...

in the quarter-final, but lost to

Glasgow Warriors Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and became t ...

in the semi-final. Ulster led the league in defence. Scrum-half John Cooney and centre

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 ...

made the Pro14 Dream Team. They finished second in Pool 4 of the Champions Cup, making the quarter-finals, where they lost to

. Wing

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 ...

was named on the longlist for EPCR European Player of the Year. John Cooney was leading scorer with 142 points. Hooker

Rob Herring Rob Herring is an English former professional motocross racer and current film industry stuntman. Herring began his racing career in South Africa after his father emigrated there from the United Kingdom. He returned to the U.K. at the age of 17 a ...

was leading try scorer with eight. 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.Marcell Coetzee Marcell Cornelius Coetzee (born 8 May 1991) is a South African rugby football, rugby union player who plays for South African side the Blue Bulls. He plays as a Flanker (rugby union), flanker. South Africa Coetzee made his debut in Super Rugb ...

with 301. Stuart McCloskey was Ulster's Player of the Year. Captain and hooker Rory Best and centre

Darren Cave Darren Cave (born 5 April 1987) is a retired professional rugby union player who played centre for Ulster in the Pro14 and European Rugby Champions Cup. A real attacking talent, Cave was another young player who has come up through the Ulster Ac ...

retired at the end of the season.

Staff

Squad

Senior squad

Players In

from

* Alan Bennie from

Lansdowne Lansdowne or Lansdown may refer to: People * Lansdown Guilding (1797–1831), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines naturalist and engraver *Fenwick Lansdowne (1937–2008), Canadian wildlife artist * George Granville, 1st Baron Lansdowne (1666–1735) ...

* Billy Burns from

* Caleb Montgomery from

* Marty Moore from

from

''(loan deal)'' *

from

''(short-term deal)'' * Alexander Thompson from

Terenure Terenure (), originally called ''Roundtown'', is an affluent, middle class suburb of Dublin in Ireland. It is located in the city's D6W postcode area. Location and transport Terenure lies primarily in the administrative area of Dublin City ...

Promoted from academy

* Angus Curtis * Greg Jones * Adam McBurney * Tom O'Toole * Johnny Stewart *

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.Rodney Ah You Rodney Ah You (born 27 October 1988) is a New Zealand born Irish rugby union player. Ah You's primary position is as a prop, and he can play at both tighthead and loosehead. He currently plays for French side Rugby Club Vannes in the Rugby Pro D ...

''retired'' * Peter Browne ''retired'' * Aaron Cairns to

Ballynahinch Ballynahinch may refer to: Northern Ireland * Ballynahinch, County Armagh, a townland *Ballynahinch, County Down, a town Republic of Ireland *Ballynahinch (barony), in County Galway *Ballynahinch, County Galway, a townland in County Galway * Bally ...

''retired'' *

''released'' * Brett Herron to

* Chris Henry ''retired'' *

* Paul Marshall ''retired'' *

* Callum Patterson to

''retired'' *

''released'' * 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

* Stewart Moore from

from

. * Bruce Houston from

* Azur Allison from

* Matthew Agnew from

* Iwan Hughes, from

Players out

* Peter Cooper * Alexander Clarke * John McCusker * Rory Butler

Ulster 'A'

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

European Rugby Champions Cup

Pool 4

Quarter-final

Pro14

Quarter-final

Semi-final

End of season awards

Inside centre

and scrum-half John Cooney were named the Pro14 Dream Team.

Friendlies

Ulster 'A'

Celtic Cup

Cara Cup

Home attendance

Ulster Rugby Awards

The Heineken Ulster Rugby Awards ceremony was held at the

Crowne Plaza Hotel Crowne Plaza is a British multinational chain of full service, upscale hotels headquartered in the United Kingdom. It caters to business travelers and the meetings and conventions market. It forms part of the InterContinental Hotels Group family ...

, Belfast, on 9 May 2019. Winners were:Darren Fullerton
"2019 Ulster Rugby Awards: Retiring captain Rory Best is named Heineken Personality of the Year"
Belfast Live, 9 May 2019 *Player of the Year:

*Personality of the Year:

*Young Player of the Year: Eric O'Sullivan *Rugby Writers Player of the Year:

Marcell Coetzee Marcell Cornelius Coetzee (born 8 May 1991) is a South African rugby football, rugby union player who plays for South African side the Blue Bulls. He plays as a Flanker (rugby union), flanker. South Africa Coetzee made his debut in Super Rugb ...

*Supporters Club Player of the Year:

*Academy Player of the Year:

*Ulster A Player of the Year: Aaron Sexton *Women's Player of the Year: Claire McLaughlin,

Old Belvedere R.F.C. Old Belvedere R.F.C. is a senior Irish Rugby Football Union, Irish rugby union club based on Anglesea Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Old Belvedere was originally founded in 1918–19 by former pupils of Belvedere Colleg ...

*Youth Player of the Year: Matthew Sands,

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 ...

*Boys' Schools Player of the Year:

Tom Stewart Thomas Stewart may refer to: Politicians and nobility * Thomas A. Stewart (politician) (1849–1920), member of the Wisconsin State Assembly * Thomas E. Stewart (1824–1904), U.S. Representative from New York *Thomas Joseph Stewart (1848–1926), ...

Belfast Royal Academy The Belfast Royal Academy (commonly shortened to ) is the oldest school in the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a co-educational, non-denominational voluntary grammar school in north Belfast. The Academy is one of 8 schools in Northern ...

*Girls' Schools Player of the Year: Zara Flack,

Enniskillen Royal Grammar School Enniskillen Royal Grammar School, located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, is an academically selective, co-educational, non-denominational voluntary grammar school. The school opened its doors on 1 September 2016. Two former ...

*Real Rugby Heroes Award (adult category): Victor Kearney, Donegal Town RFC *Real Rugby Heroes Award (youth category): Heather Thornton, Rainey Old Boys R.F.C. *Dorrington B. Faulkner Award: Barney McGonigle *Club Player of the Year: Ross Adair,

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 ...

*Referee of the Year: Peter Martin *Club of the Year:

Queen's University RFC Queen's University Belfast Rugby Football Club is the rugby union team of Queen's University Belfast, currently playing in Division 2A of the All-Ireland League. Founded in 1869, it is the most successful and oldest continuous rugby union clu ...

*U18 Girls Player of the Year: Kelly McCormill,

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 ...

Season reviews

"Ulster’s progression in 2019"
The Front Row Union, 8 May 2019
"Making an impact at Ulster Rugby"
The Front Row Union, 23 May 2019
Ulster Men: Who did what 2018-19
The From Row Union, 18 July 2019
"Dan McFarland: Season Review"
Ulster Rugby, 6 June 2019
"Ulster continue to make strides"
United Rugby, 12 June 2019

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulster 2018-19 2018–19 in Irish rugby union 2018–19 Pro14 by team 2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup by team