The 1999–2000 season was

Ulster Rugby Ulster Rugby is one of the four professional provincial rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the Irish regional pool of the United Rugby Championship and in the European Rugby Champions Cup, each of which they have won ...

's fifth season under professionalism, and Harry Williams's second season as head coach. They competed in the

Heineken Cup The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Investec 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

IRFU Interprovincial Championship The IRFU Interprovincial Championship was a rugby union competition between the four provinces of Ireland – Ulster, Leinster, Munster and Connacht – and, for a brief period the Irish Exiles, run by the Irish Rugby Football Union. History Or ...

. Ahead of the new season, Williams signed

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 ...

Simon Best Simon Best (born 11 February 1978) is an Irish former rugby union player. He played for Ulster and was club captain in Ulster's 2005–06 Celtic League winning season. Best missed the final game of Ulster's successful campaign in 2005/06 due ...

, Niall Malone,

Tyrone Howe Tyrone Gyle Howe (born 2 April 1971, Newtownards, Northern Ireland) is a former rugby player who played on the wing for University of St Andrews RFC, Ulster, Ireland and the British & Irish Lions. Howe was brought up in Dromore, attended Banb ...

, Spencer Bromley and Riaz Fredericks to full-time contracts.

Mark McCall Mark Conn McCall (born 29 November 1967) is an Irish professional rugby union coach and former player, who is the current director of rugby of Premiership Rugby club Saracens. Arriving as an assistant in 2009 and taking charge of the first-team ...

retired as a player, and was appointed assistant coach.Gerry Thornley
"Ulster bid to continue their roll by recruiting heavily"
''Irish Times'', 31 July 1999 In the Heineken Cup, Ulster finished bottom of their pool. They came second in the Interprovincial Championship, qualifying for next season's Heineken Cup. Tony McWhirter was Ulster's Player of the Year. Plans for a

Celtic League The Celtic League is a pan-Celtic organization, founded in 1961, that aims to promote modern Celtic identity and culture in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall and the Isle of Man – referred to as the Celtic nations; it places pa ...

, featuring the Irish provinces alongside teams from Scotland and Wales, were mooted. This would give the provinces a 12-game league schedule, alongside six Interpros and at least six Heineken Cup matches, and mean contracted players would no longer be available for their All-Ireland League clubs, but play exclusively for their provinces. This plan would not materialise for another few seasons.

Player transfers

Players in

from

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

* Spencer Bromley from Harlequins * Riaz Fredericks from Hong Kong sevens team *

from Newbury *

from

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...

* Niall Malone from

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

* Dion O'Cuinneagain from Sale *

Joeli Veitayaki Joeli Veitayaki (born 12 January 1967 in Matuku, Fiji) is a Fijian former rugby union player. His usual position was Prop. He debut for against the New Zealand Maori in Christchurch on 4 June 1994. He played at the 1999 and 2003 Rugby World Cup ...

from Northland

Players out

(retired) * Stan McDowell (out of contract) * Andy Park (out of contract)

Squad

Season record

1999–2000 Heineken Cup

Pool 3

1999–2000 IRFU Interprovincial Championship

Home attendance

Friendlies

Ulster Rugby Awards

The Ulster Rugby Awards ceremony was held on 18 May 2000 at the La Mon House Hotel. Winners were:Jim Stokes, "Humphreys is 'Mr Personality'", ''Belfast Telegraph'', 19 May 2000 *Bank of Ireland Ulster player of the year: Tony McWhirter *Guinness personality of the year: David Humphreys *Reneault schools player of the year:

Matt McCullough Matt McCullough (born 9 September 1981) is a former Irish rugby union player, who played in the second row for Ulster and Ireland McCullough was educated at Ballymena Academy, captaining the school's 1st XV to the 2000 Ulster Schools' Cup final ...

*Calor Gas youth player of the year: Martin Miller, Coleraine *First Trust club of the year:

Ballymena R.F.C. 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 five ...

*Coach of the year:

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

*Dorrie B. Faulkner Award: Jack Lewis,

Civil Service Rugby Club Civil Service NI Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Maynard Sinclair Pavilion of Belfast, Northern Ireland. The club was formed in the autumn of 1922 by staff of the newly established Northern Ireland Civil Service. After some ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulster 1999-2000 1999–2000 in Irish rugby union 1999–2000 Heineken Cup