The 2016–17 season was
Ulster
Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
's 23rd season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and the third under Director of Rugby
Les Kiss
Les Kiss (born 9 December 1964) is an Australian former rugby league coach and player and professional rugby union coach who is the current head coach of Super Rugby Pacific side the Queensland Reds. Prior to this he was head coach of London I ...
and head coach
Neil Doak
Neil George Doak (born 21 June 1972) is a Northern Irish former cricketer and rugby union player. He is currently head coach of the Ireland U20 rugby union team.
He has served as attack and backs coach with English club side Worcester Warrior ...
. They completed in the
European Rugby Champions 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 pr ...
and the final season of the
Pro12
The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. For sponsorship reasons the league is known as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in ...
before it became the Pro14 with the addition of two teams from South Africa.
Ulster announced in August 2016 that
Rory Best would vacate the captaincy of the province. The captain was replaced in his role by
Andrew Trimble, the team's record try-scorer, and
Rob Herring, who took on the role in Best's absence the previous season. Scrum-half
Ruan Pienaar was going into his last season with Ulster, after the
IRFU blocked him from extending his contract.
New arrivals were South African number 8
Marcell Coetzee
Marcell Cornelius Coetzee (born 8 May 1991) is a South African professional rugby union player who is the captain for South African side the in the United Rugby Championship. He plays as a flanker.
South Africa
Coetzee made his debut in Sup ...
from the
Sharks
Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...
, fullback
Charles Piutau 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. Th ...
, prop
Rodney Ah You from
Connacht
Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
, lock
Kieran Treadwell from
Harlequins, out-half
Brett Herron from
Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
, scrum-half
Angus Lloyd from
Trinity
The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...
, and prop
Anton Peikrishvili from
Brive. Back row forward
Nick Williams left for
Cardiff Blues
Cardiff Rugby () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams.
Based in Cardiff, the team play at Cardiff Arms Park. Originally formed in 1876, from 2003 to 2021 the first team was known as the Cardiff Blues before rebranding back ...
, centre
Sammy Arnold for
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 ...
, wing
Rory Scholes for
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, and lock
Dan Tuohy for
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
. Out-half
Ian Humphreys retired, and
Willie Faloon, Paul Jackson,
Ruaidhri Murphy, Bronson Ross, Paul Rowley, Frank Taggart and
Sam Windsor were released. Academy players who made their debuts this season included flanker
Nick Timoney and wing
Rob Lyttle.
Assistant coach
Joe Barakat
Joe Barakat (born 23 February 1963) is an Australian rugby union Coach. He has just returned home from two years in Japan as a forwards and defense coach for the NTT Communications Shining Arcs in Tokyo, Japan after an extensive national and int ...
left in December to join
Western Force
The Western Force is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia, currently competing in Super Rugby, Super Rugby Pacific. They previously played in Super Rugby from 2006 until they were axed from the competitio ...
. In early 2017 it was revealed that head coach
Neil Doak
Neil George Doak (born 21 June 1972) is a Northern Irish former cricketer and rugby union player. He is currently head coach of the Ireland U20 rugby union team.
He has served as attack and backs coach with English club side Worcester Warrior ...
and assistant coach
Allen Clarke would not have their contracts renewed at the end of the season. Doak's replacement would be
Jono Gibbes, with Clarke to be succeeded by
Dwayne Peel
Dwayne John Peel (born 31 August 1981) is a Welsh rugby union coach and former player. He was the most capped scrum-half for the Wales national rugby union team with 76 caps, until his record was surpassed by Mike Phillips on 16 March 2013.
Yo ...
.
In the Pro12, Ulster finished fifth, qualifying for next season's Champions Cup but missing out on the playoffs. Flanker
Sean Reidy
Sean Reidy (born 10 May 1989) is a New Zealand-born Irish rugby union player who played Flanker (rugby union), flanker for Ulster Rugby from 2014 to 2022, and has two caps for Ireland national rugby union team, Ireland.
Born in Auckland, New Ze ...
led the league in tackles with 263. Ulster led the league in discipline and scrums. At the end of the season, Charles Piutau was named Players' Player of the Season, and he and scrum-half
Ruan Pienaar made the Pro12 Dream Team. Pienaar's try against
Glasgow Warriors
The 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 beca ...
was named Try of the Season. They finished bottom of Pool 5 in the Champions Cup, winning two and losing four. 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 Lyon OU; in the Top 14, in France. He primarily plays at fly-half and previously played for Irish provin ...
was leading scorer with 162 points, with Ruan Pienaar contributing 100 points. Charles Piutau and wing
Jacob Stockdale were joint leading try scorers with nine each. Sean Reidy was leading tackler with 329.
At the end of the season, Ruan Pienaar departed for
Montpellier
Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...
, and flanker
Roger Wilson retired with a record 221 appearances. Charles Piutau was Ulster's Player of the Season.
Staff
Squad
Senior squad
Players In
*
Charles Piutau 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. Th ...
*
Rodney Ah You from
Connacht
Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
*
Kieran Treadwell from
Harlequins
*
Marcell Coetzee
Marcell Cornelius Coetzee (born 8 May 1991) is a South African professional rugby union player who is the captain for South African side the in the United Rugby Championship. He plays as a flanker.
South Africa
Coetzee made his debut in Sup ...
from
Sharks
Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...
*
Brett Herron from
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is a professional rugby union club in Bath, Somerset, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. Founded in 1865 as Bath Football Club, since 1894 the club has played at the Recreation Ground, Bath, Rec ...
*
Angus Lloyd from
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 of the Unive ...
*
Callum Patterson from
Ballymena
Ballymena ( ; from , meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 31,205 people at the 2021 United Kingdom census, making it the List of localities in Northern Ireland by population, seven ...
*
Anton Peikrishvili from
CA Brive
Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin, also referred to as CA Brive, Brive () or CAB, is a French professional rugby union club based in Brive-la-Gaillarde, in the Corrèze, Corrèze department.
Brive is a historical member of French rugby un ...
*
Matty Rea from
Ballymena RFC
Ballymena Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the town of Ballymena, Northern Ireland, playing in 2024–25 All-Ireland League (rugby union)#Division 2A, Division 2A of the All-Ireland League (rugby union), All-Ireland League. It is ...
[Adam McKendry]
"Ulster Rugby squad 2016/17"
Belfast Live, 24 November 2016
*
Jonny Simpson from
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 ...
Promoted from academy
*
Jacob Stockdale[Jonathan Bradley, "Clarke sure starlets can help to prop up Ulster", ''Belfast Telegraph'', 6 September 2016]
*
David Shanahan
*
Johnny McPhillips
*
John Donnan
*
Lorcan Dow
*
Mark Best
Players Out
*
Nick Williams to
Cardiff Blues
Cardiff Rugby () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams.
Based in Cardiff, the team play at Cardiff Arms Park. Originally formed in 1876, from 2003 to 2021 the first team was known as the Cardiff Blues before rebranding back ...
*
Sammy Arnold to
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 ...
*
Rory Scholes to
Edinburgh Rugby
Edinburgh Rugby (formerly Edinburgh Reivers, Edinburgh Gunners) is one of the two professional rugby union teams from Scotland. The club competes in the United Rugby Championship, along with the Glasgow Warriors, its oldest rival. Edinburgh play ...
*
Ian Humphreys ''retired''
*
Dan Tuohy to
Bristol Rugby
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 ...
*
Willie Faloon ''released''
*
Paul Jackson ''released''
*
Ruaidhri Murphy ''released''
*
Anton Peikrishvili to
Cardiff Blues
Cardiff Rugby () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams.
Based in Cardiff, the team play at Cardiff Arms Park. Originally formed in 1876, from 2003 to 2021 the first team was known as the Cardiff Blues before rebranding back ...
*
Bronson Ross ''released''
*
Paul Rowley ''released''
*
Lewis Stevenson to
Exeter Chiefs
Exeter Chiefs (officially Exeter Rugby Club) is an England, English professional rugby union club based in Exeter, Devon. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
The club was founded in 1871 and since 2006 has played i ...
*
Frank Taggart ''released''
*
Sam Windsor ''released''
* 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
*
Marcus Rea
Marcus Rea (born 8 September 1997) is an Irish rugby union player who plays in the back row for Ulster in the United Rugby Championship and European Rugby Champions Cup.
He was captain at Ballymena Academy, and captained the Ulster under-19 te ...
from
Ballymena Academy
Ballymena Academy is a mixed gender, voluntary Grammar schools in the United Kingdom, 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 tow ...
[Jonathan Bradley, "Eight prospects will be aiming to flourish after joining Academy", ''Belfast Telegraph'', 6 September 2016]
*
Adam McBurney from
Ballymena R.F.C.
*
Tommy O'Hagan
*
Aaron Hall from
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 ...
*
Johnny Stewart from
Wallace High School
*
Aaron Cairns from
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 ...
* Zack McCall
* Conall Boomer
* Rory Butler
Players out
* Jake Byrne
* Liam Free
* Conor Young
Season record
European Rugby Champions Cup
Pro12
End of season awards
Charles Piutau was named Players' Player of the Season, and the left winger on the Pro12 Dream Team.
Home attendance
Friendlies
Ulster 'A'
The following players, other than players from the senior squad and academy, appeared for Ulster 'A' this season.
British and Irish Cup
Pool 1
Quarter-finals
Ulster Women
2016-17 Women's Interprovincial Series
Ulster Rugby Awards
The Heineken Ulster Rugby Awards ceremony was held at
Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School, Belfast, on 6 May 2017. Winners were:
"Departing Duo Receive Ulster Rugby Awards"
Irish Rugby, 7 May 2017
*Bank of Ireland Ulster Player of the Year: Charles Piutau
*Heineken Ulster Rugby Personality of the Year: Ruan Pienaar
*BT Young Player of the Year: Jacob Stockdale
*Rugby Writers Player of the Year: Sean Reidy
Sean Reidy (born 10 May 1989) is a New Zealand-born Irish rugby union player who played Flanker (rugby union), flanker for Ulster Rugby from 2014 to 2022, and has two caps for Ireland national rugby union team, Ireland.
Born in Auckland, New Ze ...
*Ulster Rugby Supporters Club Player of the Year: Ruan Pienaar
*Abbey Insurance Academy Player of the Year: Ross Kane
Roger Wilson was given a special award for retiring as the province's most capped player, with 221 appearances. Honours caps were awarded for appearance milestones to Tommy Bowe
Thomas John Bowe (born 22 February 1984) is an Irish television presenter and former rugby union player from County Monaghan, Ireland. He played on the wing for Ulster, Ospreys, Ireland and the British & Irish Lions.
After his playing career ...
(150), Chris Henry (150), Luke Marshall (100) and Rob Herring (100).
The Danske Bank Schools Player of the Year was won by Michael Lowry of RBAI, beating nominees James Hume James Hume may refer to:
* James Hume (architect) (1798–1868), architect in Sydney, Australia
* James Hume (cricketer) (1858–1909), Scottish-born New Zealand cricketer
* James Hume (magistrate) (1808–1862), British magistrate and political co ...
(RBAI) and 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".[Ballymena Academy
Ballymena Academy is a mixed gender, voluntary Grammar schools in the United Kingdom, 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 tow ...]
).
Season reviews
Ulster Rugby: Who did what 2016 – 2017
The Front Row Union, 17 May 2017
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulster
2016-17
2016–17 in Irish rugby union
2016–17 Pro12 by team
2016–17 European Rugby Champions Cup by team