Ethan McIlroy (born 10 August 2000) is an Irish

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player who plays

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...

or fullback for

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 ...

in the

United Rugby Championship 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 ...

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 ...

. He attended

Methodist College Belfast God with us , established = 1865 , type = Voluntary grammar , religion = Interdenominational , principal = Jenny Lendrum , chair_label = Chairwoman , chair = Revd. Dr Janet Unsworth , founder ...

, playing fullback in the Methody team that defeated

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 ...

45–17 in the

Ulster Schools' Cup The Ulster Schools' Challenge Cup is an annual competition involving schools affiliated to the Ulster Rugby, Ulster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union. The Schools' Cup has the distinction of being the world's second-oldest rugby competitio ...

final in 2019. He made his debut for Ulster against

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 ...

in December 2019, while still in the province's sub-academy. He made two starts for Ireland in the 2020 Six Nations Under 20s Championship. He was named Ulster "A" Player of the Year in the 2020 Ulster Rugby Awards. He signed an academy contract for the 2020–21 season, and, alongside

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 ...

, was awarded the

Jack Kyle John Wilson Kyle, (10 February 1926 – 27 November 2014), commonly referred to as Jack Kyle or Jackie Kyle, was a rugby union player who played for Ireland, the British and Irish Lions and the Barbarians during the 1940s and 1950s. Kyle is bes ...

Bursary by the Ulster Rugby Supporters Club. That season he made 14 senior appearances, including seven starts, and scored two tries. He signed a development contract ahead of the 2021–22 season, during which, mainly playing on the wing, he made 22 appearances including 21 starts, and scored five tries, including two in Ulster's Champions Cup round of 16 defeat to

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

. Rugby Pass named him as one of the URC's breakout stars of the season,"URC breakout stars of the season"
Rugby Pass, 28 April 2022 and he won Ulster's Young Player of the Year award. He was selected for the

Emerging Ireland Emerging Ireland is an Irish rugby union team that represents Ireland in the World Rugby Nations Cup. History 2013 Tbilisi Cup The team was created to offer Tier 1 level opposition for Tier 2 sides in the IRB Tbilisi Cup, held in Tbilisi, Georgia ...

squad for the

Toyota Challenge The Toyota Challenge is a rugby union competition hosted in South Africa by the Cheetahs, a team sponsored by Toyota SA. The first tournament took place at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein between 13 November and 26 November 2021. In 2021, ...

in South Africa in September 2022."Emerging Ireland Squad Named For Toyota Challenge In Bloemfontein"
Irish Rugby, 14 September 2022

References

External links

Ulster Rugby profileUnited Rugby Championship profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:McIlroy, Ethan 2000 births Living people Irish rugby union players Ulster Rugby players Rugby union wings Rugby union fullbacks