The 2020-21 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 27th 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 third season as head coach.

Iain Henderson William Iain Henderson (born 21 February 1992) is an Irish professional rugby union player who plays lock for Ulster, Ireland, and the British and Irish Lions. He has been the captain of Ulster since the 2019, and first captained Ireland in 2021 ...

was captain. They competed in the Pro14, the Pro14 Rainbow Cup, 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 ...

and the

European Rugby Challenge Cup The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception ...

. The Pro14 season was shortened by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, with the two South African teams unable to compete and the playoffs reduced to a final between the winners of the two conferences. Ulster finished second in Conference A, qualifying for next season's Champion's Cup. Scrum-half John Cooney was the league's leading scorer with 115 points. Number eight

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 ...

was joint top try scorer with nine, and was named Players' Player of the Season. Ulster led the league in lineouts and scrums.URC Team Statistics
retrieved 28 May 2022 Cooney and Coetzee made the Pro14 Dream Team, as did 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 loosehead prop

Eric O'Sullivan Eric O'Sullivan (born 30 November 1995) is an Irish rugby union player who plays loosehead prop for United Rugby Championship and European Rugby Champions Cup side Ulster and internationally for Ireland. Born in Dublin, O'Sullivan attended Temp ...

. The pool stage of the Champions Cup was reduced to two matches by the pandemic. Ulster lost both and failed to progress to the knockout stage, but were entered into the Challenge Cup, making the semi-finals where they lost to

Leicester Tigers Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its hom ...

. The Pro14 regular season was followed by the Pro14 Rainbow Cup, played between the winners of a European pool and the winners of a pool containing the four ex-

Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...

South African teams. Ulster finished tenth of twelve in the European pool, and led the competition in scrums. John Cooney was Ulster's leading scorer with 174 points. Marcell Coetzee was leading try scorer with nine. Lock Alan O'Connor was leading tackler with 242, and was named Ulster's Player of the Year. This was Coetzee's last season with Ulster: he left in April to join 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 ...

. Attack coach Dwayne Peel left at the end of the season to become head coach of Scarlets.

Events

Personnel changes

New arrivals were scrum-half

Alby Mathewson Albert Samuel "Alby" Mathewson (born 13 December 1985) is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays as a scrum-half. Early life and education Mathewson was born in Hastings, New Zealand. He first attended Havelock North High School but switch ...

, formerly of

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 out-half

Ian Madigan Ian Madigan (born 21 March 1989) is an Irish professional rugby union player for Ulster. His primary position is at fly-half, although he can also play at centre and full-back. Club career Madigan made his senior debut for Leinster in a Celtic L ...

from

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 ...

, although due to the delays caused by Covid-19, both had actually made their debuts and the end of the previous season. Academy centre

Stewart Moore Stewart Moore (born 8 August 1999) is an Irish rugby union player who plays centre for Ulster. Ulster coach Dan McFarland describes him as "a lovely balanced runner who can cause defences problems"."https://web.archive.org/web/20200131224912/https://www.ulsterrugby.com/2020/01/rea-and-moore-recommit-to-ulster/"
Ulster Rugby, 28 January 2020 Hooker

Bradley Roberts Bradley Roberts is a rugby union player who plays as a hooker for United Rugby Championship side Dragons RFC. He was called up to play international rugby for Wales in 2021. Roberts was born in Durban, South Africa where he attended Durban Prep ...

was signed from Rainey Old Boys as short-term injury cover, and ended up being kept on permanently. Wing

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 ...

departed for Ealing Trailfinders, hooker Zack McCall, prop Tommy O'Hagan and flanker Clive Ross were released. Five new players joined the academy, including three from Wallace High School - flanker Reuben Crothers, centre Ben Carson and scrum-half

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 ...

- as well as Down High School scrum-half Lewis Finlay and Ireland Sevens lock

Cormac Izuchukwu Cormac Izuchukwu (born 28 January 2000) is an Irish rugby union player who plays lock for Ulster in the United Rugby Championship. He was born in London to an Irish mother and Nigerian father. He moved to Offaly when he was 7 where he and his ...

Pre-season

Due to the mid-season break during the 2019–20 season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020–21 season started later than usual. The two South African teams, the Cheetahs and Southern Kings, would not take part. The EPCR agreed a new format for the

2020–21 European Rugby Champions Cup The 2020–21 European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the seventh season of the European Rugby Champions Cup, the annual club rugby union competition run by European Professional Club Rugby (E ...

in response to COVID-19: the top eight eligible teams from the Pro14, the

Gallagher Premiership Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition. The Premiership has consisted of thirteen clubs since 2021, and is the ...

and

Top 14 The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the French National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism o ...

competed in a 24-team tournament divided into two pools of twelve teams, with each team playing four games in the pool stage - two at home and two away.

First block

The Pro14 season started on 2 October. Ulster started the season with five straight victories.

Autumn internationals

The

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

team for the

Autumn Nations Cup The Autumn Nations Cup was a rugby union competition held in November and December 2020 in place of the usual Autumn internationals series typically held in the same period each year, as many teams were avoiding extended travel due to the COVID- ...

was announced on 5 November, and included five Ulster players, Iain Henderson, Rob Herring, Billy Burns, Stuart McCloskey and Jacob Stockdale. Burns made his international debut against Wales. Eric O'Sullivan was called up during the tournament, and made his debut against Georgia. The Pro14 season continuted during the tournament, and Ulster played three games, winning them all.

Second block

Ulster lost their first two games in the Champions Cup, at home against Toulouse and away to Gloucester. After the first two rounds, the EPCR took the decision to temporarily suspend rounds 3 and 4, and later confirmed that rounds 3 and 4 would not take place. Ulster were eliminated from the Champions Cup and joined the

Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...

in the round of 16. In the Pro14, they won their next two matches, but lost a third, away to Leinster. It was announced in December 2020 that the 2020–21 Pro14 season would conclude after 16 rounds, with the winners of each conference advancing straight to the final on 27 March 2021. Four South African

teams - the

Lions The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...

, Sharks and

Stormers The Stormers (known for sponsorship reasons as the DHL Stormers) is a South African professional rugby union team based in Cape Town in the Western Cape that competes in the United Rugby Championship, a trans-hemispheric competition that also ...

- would then be introduced in the

Rainbow Cup Rainbow cup (German: ''Regenbogenschüsselchen'', Czech: ''duhovka'' from ''duha'' - rainbow) is a term for Celtic gold and silver coins found in areas once dominated by the La Tène culture The La Tène culture (; ) was a European Iron Age ...

Six Nations break

The Ireland squad for the

2021 Six Nations Championship The 2021 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 22nd Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, ...

was announced on 25 January, and included Iain Henderson, Rob Herring, Tom O'Toole, Billy Burns and Stuart McCloskey, with Jacob Stockdale added to the squad later. Ulster played five Pro14 matches during the tournament, winning four and losing once, at home to Leinster. They finished second in Conference A, missing out on the final.

Third block

Having been eliminated from the Champions Cup, Ulster joined the Challenge Cup in the round of sixteen. After strong performances in away wins against Harlequins and Northampton Saints, Ulster faced a semi-final away to

. They controlled the game in the first half, but after John Cooney departed with a head injury, Ulster's performance fell away, and a masterclass by England fly-half George Ford won the tie for Leicester. Leading try-scorer Marcell Coetzee left in April. He had announced his intention to go home to South Africa and join the

, but after he sustained a season-ending injury in March, the club agreed to release him from his contract early. Ulster's poor performance in the second half of the Challenge Cup semi-final followed them into the Rainbow Cup, and they finished tenth of twelve in the European pool.

Post-season

Ulster led the Pro14 in offloads with 130, tackle success at 90%, lineout success at 92%, scrums won at 97% and kicks retained with 11, and were second in points scored, tries, metres gained, defenders beaten, clean breaks and turnovers won. Scrum-half John Cooney was the league's leading points scorer with 115, and led the league in try assists with 13 and clean breaks with 22. Cooney, Fullback

, number 8

and loosehead prop

were named in the Pro14 Dream Team. Coetzee was named Players' Player of the Year, and was joint top try scorer, alongside

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 ...

's Scott Penny and

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 ...

Alex Wootton Alex Wootton (born 7 July 1994) is an Irish rugby union player for Connacht in the United Rugby Championship and European Rugby Champions Cup. He plays primarily as a wing, but can also play as a fullback. Early life Wootton was born in Prest ...

. Academy players

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 ...

, Callum Reid and

Aaron Sexton Aaron Sexton (born 24 August 2000) is an Irish rugby union player who plays Wing (rugby union), wing or Fullback (rugby union), fullback for Ulster Rugby, Ulster in the United Rugby Championship Sexton is also a track sprinter, winning the 2018 ...

all made their senior debuts this season.Ulster 2020-21 - Who Did What?
The Front Row Union, 12 August 2021 Billy Burns and

made their international debuts with

."Henderson Leads The Winners At Ulster Rugby Awards"
IrishRugby.ie, 7 June 2021 At the Ulster Rugby Awards, Alan O'Connor was named Player of the Year, with

Personality of the Year, John Cooney Supporters' Club Player of the Year,

Staff

Squad

Senior squad

Players in

from Rainey Old Boys, initially as short-term injury cover, later permanent.

Promoted from academy

Stewart Moore Stewart Moore (born 8 August 1999) is an Irish rugby union player who plays centre for Ulster. Ulster coach Dan McFarland describes him as "a lovely balanced runner who can cause defences problems".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 ...

to Ealing Trailfinders * Zack McCall ''released'' * Tommy O'Hagan ''released'' * Clive Ross ''released'' * Johnny Stewart to Utrechtse Studenten Rugby Society

Academy squad

Players in

from Wallace High School *

from Ireland Sevens. * Ben Carson from Wallace High School * Reuben Crothers from Wallace High School * Lewis Finlay from Down High School

Players out

Matthew Dalton Matthew Dalton (born 16 November 1998) is an Irish rugby union player. He formerly played for Newcastle Falcons (2021-23) and Pro14 and European Rugby Champions Cup side Ulster. He plays primarily as a lock, but can also play as a flanker, and ...

to Utah Warriors * Jack Regan ''released'' * Matthew Agnew * Joe Dunleavy * Aaron Hall * Graham Curtis * Jack Regan to Dunedin Sharks

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 B

European Rugby Challenge Cup

Round of 16

Quarter-final

Semi-final

Pro14

Pro14 Rainbow Cup

Ulster 'A'

Home attendance

Awards

The Heineken Ulster Rugby Awards ceremony was held online on 7 June 2021. Winners were:Gareth Fullerton
"Ulster Rugby annual awards nominees announced ahead of online ceremony"
Belfast Live, 4 June 2021 *Heineken Ulster Rugby Personality of the Year:

*Bank of Ireland Player of the Year: Alan O'Connor (nominees: John Cooney,

Marty Moore Marty Moore (born March 19, 1971) is a former professional American football player who played linebacker for eight seasons for the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns. Moore was the first Mr. Irrelevant ever to play in a Super Bowl (Supe ...

) *Ulster Rugby Supporters' Club Player of the Year: John Cooney (nominees:

) *Rugby Writers' 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.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 ...

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 ...

) *Openreach Young Player of the Year: James Hume (nominees:

Ethan McIlroy Ethan McIlroy (born 10 August 2000) is an Irish rugby union player who plays wing or fullback for Ulster in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. He attended Methodist College Belfast, playing fullback in the Meth ...

)

Season reviews

Ulster 2020-21 - Who Did What?
The Front Row Union, 12 August 2021
Don’t Cry In Front Of The Mexicans: Ulster’s 2020-21 Season (And How They Must Keep Twirling, Twirling, Twirling Towards Freedom in 2021-22)
Digging Like a Demented Mole, 28 June 2021
"The Ulster depth chart: A World Cup winner and the thrilling back three"
The42, 17 September 2021

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulster

2020-21 The hyphen-minus is the most commonly used type of hyphen, widely used in digital documents. It is the only character that looks like a minus sign or a dash in many character sets such as ASCII or on most keyboards, so it is also used as such. ...

2020–21 in Irish rugby union 2020–21 Pro14 by team 2020–21 European Rugby Champions Cup by team