|
1995–96 Ulster Rugby Season
The 1995–96 season was Ulster Rugby's first season under professionalism. Brian Bloomfield was in his second season as coach. 35-year-old Malone RFC centre Bill Harbinson, who first played for Ulster in 1986, was captain, in his final season before retirement from the game. They played six representative matches, defeating Griqualand West, New Zealand Federation U23 and New South Wales, and losing to a Côte Basque Select XV, the Combined Services and Edinburgh District. They finished second behind Leinster in the IRFU Interprovincial Championship. They were one of three Irish provinces entered into the inaugural Heineken Cup, losing both their pool matches against Cardiff and Bègles-Bordeaux. Background On 26 August, rugby union was declared open to professionalism. At this stage the Irish provinces were still representative teams, not professional clubs. Many involved in the game were concerned that domestic clubs could not afford to pay players, who could be lost to pro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ravenhill Stadium
Ravenhill Stadium (known as the Kingspan Stadium for sponsorship reasons until June 2025) is a rugby stadium located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home of Ulster Rugby. With the opening of a new stand for the 2014 Heineken Cup quarter-final against Saracens F.C., Saracens on 5 April 2014, the capacity of the stadium is now 18,196. The stadium is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union. History Ravenhill Stadium opened in 1923. It features an ornate arch at the entrance that was erected as a war memorial for those players killed in World War I and World War II. Prior to 1923, both Ulster and Ireland played games at the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society grounds in Belfast. Ravenhill has been the annual venue for the Ulster Schools Cup final since 1924, which is traditionally contested on St Patrick's Day. The stadium is traditionally the venue for the Ulster Towns Cup, played on Easter Monday. Ravenhill has hosted 18 international matches, including pool games in both ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Irish Rugby Football Union
The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) () 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 ground at Aviva Stadium, where adult men's Ireland national rugby union team, Irish rugby union international matches are played. In addition, the Union also owns the Ravenhill Stadium in Belfast, Thomond Park in Limerick and a number of grounds in provincial areas that have been rented to clubs. History Initially, there were two unions: the Irish Football Union, which had jurisdiction over clubs in Leinster, Munster and parts of Ulster and was founded in December 1874, and the Northern Football Union of Ireland, which controlled the Belfast area and was founded in January 1875. The IRFU was formed in 1879 as an amalgamation of these two organisations and branches of the new IRFU were formed in Leinster, Munster and Ulster. The Connacht Branch was formed in 1900. The IR ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rugby League
Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playing field, field measuring wide and long with H-shaped posts at both ends. It is one of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two major codes of rugby football, the other being rugby union. It originated in 1895 in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, as the result of a History of rugby league#The schism in England, split from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) over the issue of payments to players.Tony Collins, ''Rugby League in Twentieth Century Britain'' (2006), p.3 The rules of the game governed by the new Rugby Football League, Northern Rugby Football Union progressively changed from those of the RFU with the specific aim of producing a faster and more entertaining game to appeal to paying spectators, on whose income the new ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1995 Rugby World Cup
The 1995 Rugby World Cup (), was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country. The World Cup was the first major sporting event to take place in South Africa following the end of apartheid. It was also the first World Cup in which South Africa was allowed to compete; the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB, now World Rugby) had only readmitted South Africa to international rugby in 1992, following negotiations to end apartheid. The World Cup was also the last major event of rugby union's amateur era; two months after the tournament, the IRFB opened the sport to professionalism. In the final, held at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 24 June, South Africa defeated New Zealand 15–12, with Joel Stransky scoring a drop goal in extra time to win the match. Following South Africa's victory, Nelson Mandela, the President of South Africa, wearing a Springboks rugby shirt and cap, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby () is one of the professional provincial rugby union, rugby teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union, IRFU's Munster Branch, which is responsible for rugby union throughout the Irish province of Munster. The team motto is "To the brave and faithful, nothing is impossible." This is derived from the motto of the MacCarthy Mor dynasty, MacCarthy clan – "Forti et Fideli nihil difficile". Their main home ground is Thomond Park, Limerick, though some games are played at Musgrave Park, Cork, Musgrave Park, Cork (city), Cork. History Foundation and early years Munster was officially founded in 1879, at the same time as Leinster Rugby, Leinster and Ulster Rugby, Ulster, with Connacht Rugby, Connacht being founded ten years later in 1889. The first interprovincial matches between Leinster, Ulster and Munster, however, were held in 1875. The foun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom Kiernan
Thomas Joseph Kiernan (7 January 1939 – 3 February 2022) was an Ireland international rugby union player. He won 54 caps for Ireland as a full-back between 1960 and 1973 and captained his country 24 times. At the time of his retirement he was Ireland's most-capped player, most experienced captain, and record scorer in internationals with 158 points. He captained the 1968 British Lions tour to South Africa, playing in all four internationals against South Africa. His nephew, Mike Kiernan, also played for Ireland and the Lions. Kiernan was also the Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ... team coach for their famous victory over the All Blacks in 1978. He received the IRB Distinguished Service Award in 2001. He died on 3 February 2022, at the age of 83. Re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Denis McBride (rugby Union)
(William) Denis McBride is a retired Irish rugby union player. He played as an openside wing-forward and earned 32 caps for the Irish national team between 1988 and 1997. He played for the Ireland national rugby sevens team The Ireland national rugby sevens team competed in several international rugby sevens competitions. The team was governed by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU). In May 2025 the IRFU dismantled the programme at the end of the 2024/25 season, i ... at the 1993 Rugby World Cup Sevens, where Ireland reached the semifinals. He played his club rugby for Malone RFC, Malone and provincial rugby for Ulster Rugby, Ulster. He grew up in Merville Garden Village, Whitehouse, County Antrim in a flat above the shops with his parents and brother Ken and attended Belfast High School. He studied Mechanical Engineering at Queen's University of Belfast and is a Chartered Engineer and a governor of Belfast High School. References {{DEFAULTSORT:McBride, Denis Iris ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paddy Johns
Patrick Stephen Johns, known as Paddy Johns (born 19 February 1968, in Portadown) was an Irish rugby union player from 1990 to 2000. He played mainly as a lock and occasionally in the back-row. He won 59 caps, scoring 4 tries and 20 points. He had his international debut, on 27 October 1990 against Argentina, in Dublin, in a match won 20–18, and his final appearance came on 11 November 2000, with Japan, in a win of 78–9, again in Dublin. He played at the 1995 Rugby World Cup and the 1999 Rugby World Cup. He also played for the Ireland national rugby sevens team at the inaugural 1993 Rugby World Cup Sevens, where Ireland reached the semi-finals, its best ever finish in a Rugby World Cup Sevens. He studied dentistry at Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Humphreys (rugby Union)
David Humphreys MBE (born 10 September 1971) is an Irish former rugby union player. He played 72 times for Ireland, scoring 560 points, including 6 tries, and at the time of his international retirement was Ireland's most capped out-half. He played his club rugby for London Irish and Ulster, winning the 1998-99 Heineken Cup, the 2004 Celtic Cup and the 2005–06 Celtic League with the latter. Since retiring as a player he has served as director of rugby for Ulster and Gloucester, as a performance consultant with the Georgian Rugby Union, and Director of Performance Operations with the England and Wales Cricket Board. Since June 2024 he has been Performance Director of the IRFU. Playing career Early career Humphreys started playing rugby while at Ballymena Academy,Jonathan Bradley, ''The Last Amateurs: The Incredible Story of Ulster Rugby's 1999 European Champions'', The Blackstaff Press, 2018 and represented Ireland Schools, captaining them to the Triple Crown in 1990. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maurice Field
Maurice Field (born Greenisland, County Antrim, 24 February 1964)Karl Johnston, "Maurice's Field of Dreams", ''Irish Press'', 11 February 1994 is a former Irish rugby union international player who played as a centre for North of Ireland, Malone, Ulster and Ireland. He was educated at Belfast High School, and started his club rugby career at North of Ireland. He played for Ulster under-20 in 1983, and Ulster under-23 in 1984. He moved clubs to Malone in 1988, and was first selected for the senior Ulster team in September 1989, becoming a regular for the provincial side. He was one of the first players to sign a full-time contract with Ulster when the game went professional. He was part of the Ulster squad that won the 1998–99 Heineken Cup, although he was unavailable for the final. He was selected in the provisional Ireland squad for the 1991 Rugby World Cup, but did not make his international debut until 1994, against England, at the age of 30.Hugh Farrelly"'You put on j ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jeremy Davidson (rugby Union)
Jeremy William Davidson (born 28 April 1974) is a rugby union coach and former player who played as a lock for Ulster, London Irish and Castres, and at international level for Ireland and the British & Irish Lions. Playing career Davidson played lock. He attended Methodist College Belfast. He played club rugby for Dungannon, Ulster, London Irish and Castres Olympique. At international level he represented Ireland with 32 caps. On the 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa, he won 3 Test caps and was voted players' player of the tour. Davidson captained Ulster and London Irish. His playing career ended at age 27 after aggravating a long-running knee injury whilst fishing. Coaching career Following a spell as director of rugby at Dungannon RFC, Davidson moved on to coach Castres. In June 2009 he became part of the coaching team at Ulster. As of 2017 he was coaching French team Aurillac. He then coached Brive until 2022 with whom he won promotion to the top tier of French Rugb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Allen Clarke (rugby Union)
Allen Clarke (born 29 July 1967) is an Irish rugby union coach and former player. He is the current head coach of the Seattle Seawolves of Major League Rugby (MLR). He is the former head coach of Welsh professional side the Ospreys in the Pro14, having previously been the team's forwards coach. Playing career During his playing career, Clarke was a hooker. He was capped at international level by , playing for the senior team eight times from 1995 to 1998. Clarke spent the much of his professional playing career with his native province of Ulster and played in the 1999 Heineken Cup Final victory against Colomiers, the first ever European title for an Irish side. He also spent several seasons with Northampton Saints in England across two spells, having studied at the university in the town and later worked as a teacher there. Clarke was forced to retire due to injury in 2001. Coaching After his retirement from playing Clarke became a part of the Ulster coaching system, helpi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
