A list of players who have appeared for

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 ...

since

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

was declared open to professionalism on 26 August 1995.

Current players

Jacob Boyd

Loosehead prop. Son of former Ulster prop

Clem Boyd A list of players who have appeared for Ulster Rugby since rugby union was declared open to professionalism on 26 August 1995. Current players Jacob Boyd Loosehead prop. Son of former Ulster prop Clem Boyd. Captained RBAI to the Ulster Schools' ...

. Captained RBAI to the Ulster Schools' Cup in 2023, and was Boys' Schools Player of the Year in the 2023 Ulster Rugby Awards. Joined the Ulster academy in 2023."Ulster Rugby Academy 2023/24 squad confirmed"
Ulster Rugby, 29 June 2023 Made 4 appearances for Ireland under-20 in the 2024 under-20 Six Nations, and 2 in the 2024 under-20 World Championships. Made his senior debut for Ulster against Benetton in February 2025."Match Report , Benetton Rugby 34-19 Ulster Rugby"
Ulster Rugby, 15 February 2025 :''Correct as of 15 February 2025''

Ben Carson

Born 24 February 2002. Centre. Attended Wallace High School, Lisburn. Joined the Ulster academy in 2020.Gareth Fullerton
"Ulster Rugby Academy squad confirmed for 2020/21 season"
Belfast Live, 12 May 2020 4 caps in the 2021 u20 6 Nations. 2 caps in the 2022 u20 6 Nations. Played for

Banbridge Banbridge ( ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the Bann in 1712. It is in the civil parish of Seapatrick and the historic barony of Iveagh Upper ...

and Ballynahinch in the All-Ireland League. Signed a development contract in 2023."Ulster secure young prospects to new deals"
Ulster Rugby, 12 April 2023 Made his senior Ulster debut from the bench away to

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 ...

in November 2023."Connacht 22–20 Ulster: We're 'gutted' but they deserved win – McFarland"
BBC Sport, 5 November 2023 Signed a three-year contract in December 2024. :''Correct as of 28 March 2025''

Wilhelm de Klerk

Centre, born in South Africa, 16 August 2004. Moved to Ireland with his family as a child. Played minis in Malahide RFC, Attended St Andrew's College and St Michael's College. Played for the Ireland u-20s under Richie Murphy. Joined the Ulster academy in 2024. Made his senior debut in December 2024 from the bench against

. :''Correct as of 19 April 2025''

Joe Hopes

Born 16 March 2004. Lock. Attended Campbell College. Ulster boys' schools player of the year 2022. Joined the Ulster academy in 2022.Gareth Fullerton
"Ulster Rugby announce Academy squad including five new arrivals"
Belfast Live, 20 July 2022 Made one appearance for Ireland U20 at the

2023 Six Nations Under 20s Championship The 2023 Six Nations Under 20s Championship was the 16th Six Nations Under 20s Championship, the annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship for players under 20 years of age. Ireland retained the championship, their fifth, winning all f ...

, and one at the

2023 World Rugby U20 Championship The 2023 World Rugby U20 Championship was the 13th edition of the premier age-grade rugby union competition. The tournament is hosted in South Africa for the second time, previously being held in 2012. The 2023 under 20 competition (alongside ...

. Made his senior debut from the bench away to Connacht in November 2023. Made five appearances for Ireland U20 at the

2024 Six Nations Under 20s Championship The 2024 Six Nations Under 20s Championship was the 17th Six Nations Under 20s Championship, the annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship for players under 20 years of age. Ireland were the reigning champions, having won the title in b ...

. Signed a development contract with Ulster in January 2025.Adam McKendry
"Ulster tie down three 'exciting prospects' to new deals as former lock makes return"
''Belfast Telegraph'', 16 January 2025 :''Correct as of 15 March 2024''

James Humphreys

Born 4 November 2001. Out-half. Son of David Humphreys. Attended

Dean Close School Dean Close School is a co-educational private boarding and day school (for pupils aged 3–18) in the public school tradition, located in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The school opened in 1886 and is divided into pre-prep, prepa ...

in Cheltenham. Played scrum-half at school. Studied geography at Queen's University. Two caps for Ireland in the 2021 under-20 Six Nations. Played for Ulster A 2020–21. Joined the Ulster academy from

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

academy in 2021."Ulster Rugby Academy squad for 2021/22 season confirmed"
Ulster Rugby, 12 August 2021 Played for Queen's University and

in the All-Ireland League. Signed a development contract in 2024."Ulster men for 2024/25 season are named"
Ulster Rugby, 13 June 2024 Made his senior debut from the bench, scoring two conversions, against 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 ...

in October 2024. Upgraded to a senior contract in January 2025. :''Correct as of 14 December 2024''

Charlie Irvine

Lock. Born 28 January 2003. Attended Wallace High School, studying medicine at Queen's University while playing for their rugby club in the AIL. Played for Ireland u-20s. Played for Ulster 'A' in 2022. joined Ulster Academy in 2023. Made his senior debut against the

in October 2024. Signed a development contract with Ulster in January 2025. :''Correct as of 5 October 2024''

James McCormick

Born 8 January 2002. Hooker. Attended Dalriada School, where he was coached by former Ulster and Ireland prop Bryan Young. Joined the Ulster academy in 2020."Ulster Rugby Academy squad confirmed for 2020/21 season"
Belfast Live, 12 May 2020 Played for City of Armagh in the All-Ireland League. 5 caps at the 2022 u20 Six Nations, and 4 in the 2022 summer u20 internationals. Signed a development contract in 2023. Made his senior debut 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 ...

in September 2024. :''Correct as of 11 January 2025''

Rory McGuire

Tighthead prop, born 26 August 2002. Grew up in

Winnetka, Illinois Winnetka () is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, north of downtown Chicago. The population was 12,475 as of the 2020 census. The village is one of the wealthiest places in the United States in terms of household income. It was ...

, before attending

Blackrock College Blackrock College () is a voluntary day and boarding Catholic secondary school for boys aged 13–18, in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. It was founded by French missionary Jules Leman in 1860 as a school and later became al ...

in County Dublin. Selected for Leinster and Ireland at age-grade level. Part of Richie Murphy's 2022 Grand Slam-winning Ireland under-20 team. Studied mechanical engineering at

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

, and played for UCD's rugby team in the AIL. Joined the

Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...

academy in 2022. Made eight appearances for the Leinster senior team, before joining Ulster in 2025. :''Correct as of 14 May 2025''

Conor McKee

Born Belfast, 20 March 2001. Scrum-half. Attended

Sullivan Upper School Sullivan Upper School is a mixed non- denominational voluntary grammar school in Holywood, Northern Ireland, and has approximately 1,100 enrolled pupils. The school motto is ', Irish for "with the gentle hand foremost". History Sullivan Lo ...

, where he was leading scorer in 2019. Represented Ireland in three matches the 2021 under-20 Six Nations. Joined the Ulster academy in 2021. Played for Queen's University and Ballynahinch in the All-Ireland League. Signed a development contract in 2023, and a senior contract in 2024. He started Ulster's friendly against

Queensland Reds The Queensland Reds is the rugby union team based in Brisbane for the Australian state of Queensland that competes in the Southern Hemisphere's Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996, they were a representative team selected from the rugby union ...

in February 2025, and made his competitive debut in a home win against

Scarlets The Scarlets () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams and are based in Llanelli, Wales. Their home ground is the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the United Rugby Championship and in European Professional Club Rugby c ...

in March. :''Correct as of 1 March 2025''

Lorcan McLoughlin

Born 3 March 2002. Back row. Irish-qualified through his father. Educated at

Sherborne School Sherborne School is a full-boarding school for boys aged 13 to 18 located beside Sherborne Abbey in the Dorset town of Sherborne. The school has been in continuous operation on the same site for over 1,300 years. It was founded in 705 AD by Ald ...

in Dorset. Recruited to the IQ Rugby programme by

Kevin Maggs Kevin Michael Maggs (born 3 June 1974) is a former professional rugby union player who played as a centre. He is currently a scout for the IRFU Ireland national rugby union team. He previously played for Bristol, Bath, Ulster and Rotherham Tit ...

, joining the Ulster sub-academy. 3 caps in Grand Slam-winning 2022 u20 6 Nations campaign, and 4 in the 2022 u20 Summer Series, leading the competition for carries. Studied business and economics at Queen's University, and was part of the Queen's side that won the

Ulster Senior Cup The Ulster Senior Cup is a knock-out competition for senior rugby union teams in the province of Ulster. It is administered by Ulster Rugby. The most successful club is Queen's University RFC, Queen's University with 24 wins. The current holder ...

in 2022. Joined the Ulster academy in 2022. Made his senior Ulster debut from the bench against the

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

in November 2023. Signed a development contract in 2024,"McNabney, Wilson and McLoughlin to continue their development at Ulster"
Ulster Rugby, 3 April 2024 upgraded to a senior contract the following season."Ulster Rugby confirm Senior Men’s squad for 2025/26"
Ulster Rugby, 22 May 2025 :''Correct as of 6 January 2025''

James McNabney

Born Ballymena, 28 February 2003. Back row. Attended

Cambridge House Grammar School Cambridge House Grammar School is a mixed grammar school in the County Antrim town of Ballymena, Northern Ireland, within the North Eastern Education and Library Board, North Eastern Region of the Education Authority. General The school is loc ...

. Played for Ulster A 2021–22. 4 caps in Grand Slam-winning 2022 u20 6 nations campaign, and 2 in the 2022 u20 Summer Series. Joined the Ulster academy in 2022. Made 5 appearances for Ireland U20 in the

and 3 in the

. Played for City of Armagh in the All-Ireland League. Made three appearances for Ulster 2023–24 including one in the Champions Cup. Signed a development contract in 2024. Called up as a training panellist for Ireland's

2025 Six Nations Championship The 2025 Men's Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Men's Six Nations for sponsorship reasons and branded as M6N) was a rugby union competition that took place from late January to mid-March 2025, featuring the men's national teams of E ...

squad. Upgraded to a senior contract in 2025. :''Correct as of 16 May 2025''

Jack Murphy

Out-half, born Bray, 15 July 2004. Son of head coach Richie Murphy. Attended Presentation College, Bray, and played club rugby for Clontarf. Represented Ireland and u-20 level. Offered a position in the Ulster academy in 2023, but opted to stay in the

sub-academy. Joined the Ulster academy in 2024. Played club rugby for Queen's University. Went on the

Emerging Ireland Emerging Ireland is an Irish international rugby union team that represents Irish Rugby Football Union, Ireland in selected matches, tours and competitions. Composed of Ireland qualified players only, mostly uncapped or at the beginning of their c ...

tour to 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, f ...

in 2024. Made his senior Ulster debut against

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 ...

in December 2024, and his first start the following week against

. He scored a try and was named player of the match in the home win against

Stormers The Stormers (known for sponsorship reasons as the DHL Stormers) and the academic team 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 tra ...

in March 2025. Upgraded to a senior contract in 2025. :''Correct as of 16 May 2025''

Bryan O'Connor

Prop. Born 23 October 1998, Crosshaven, Cork. Played for

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) () is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork (city), Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of three Queen's Universit ...

and was part of the

sub-academy. Played for Munster A in the

2017–18 British and Irish Cup The 2017–18 British and Irish Cup is the ninth and final season of the annual rugby union competition for second tier, semi-professional clubs from Britain and Ireland. Munster A are the defending champions having won the 2016–17 final agai ...

, and Ireland u-20 at the 2018 u-20 World Championship. Spent seven months at

London Irish London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club that most recently competed in the Premiership Rugby, Premiership, the top division of rugby union in England. The club also participated in the European Rugby Champions Cup, European Champion ...

before returning UCC. Joined

in 2021, then

Bedford Blues Bedford Blues are a semi-professional rugby union club in the town of Bedford, England, currently playing in the RFU Championship. History Foundation and 19th century Bedford RUFC was founded in 1886 after an amalgamation between Bedford Rove ...

in 2023. Signed for Ulster in October 2024. Made his debut from the bench against Benetton in February 2025. :''Correct as of 26 April 2025''

Former players

Active players in bold. Flags indicate internationally capped players.

A

Ross Adair ,

Will Addison William Joseph Addison (born 20 August 1992) is an English-born Irish rugby union player who plays as a utility back for Premiership Rugby club Sale Sharks, and has represented Ireland internationally. A product of the Sale Sharks academy, Add ...

John Afoa Ioane Fitu "John" Afoa (born 16 September 1983) is a New Zealand professional rugby union player. His position of choice is at prop. Afoa currently plays for the Crusaders in Super Rugby. Personal life Afoa was a student at Auckland's Papakura ...

, Rodney Ah You , Michael Allen , T. J. Anderson , Ricky Andrew ,

Niall Annett Niall Annett (born 7 May 1991) is an Irish professional rugby union player who plays for Bath, having previously played for Worcester Warriors and Ulster Rugby. His favoured position is hooker. In the 2011 junior Rugby Championships, Annett capta ...

, Sammy Arnold

David Allen

Back row. From Australia, but Irish-qualified. Attended Cranbrook School, Sydney, where he captained the first XV. Studied commerce at

Sydney University The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

while playing for Easts. Signed professional contract with Ulster in 2001. Made one start and one substitute appearance in 2001–02, but had to retire from the game with a neck injury. Took a job with

JPMorgan Chase JPMorgan Chase & Co. (stylized as JPMorganChase) is an American multinational financial services, finance corporation headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. It is List of largest banks in the United States, the largest ba ...

in London, becoming head of research in 2009. Did a PhD in quantitative finance at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. Returned to Australia, where he continued to work in finance while coaching the colts at Easts. Became club president in 2021. Not to be confused with the English back row forward David Allen.

Azur Allison

Born 19 April 1999. Back row. He was educated at

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 ...

, captained the Ireland under-19 team in 2018, and joined the Ulster Academy ahead of the 2018–19 season. He made his senior competitive debut for Ulster against

in the

2018–19 Pro14 The 2018–19 Pro14 (also known as the '' Guinness Pro14'' for sponsorship reasons) is the eighteenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It was the second season to be referred to as the '' ...

on 20 December 2019, coming on as a replacement. in a 54–42 defeat. Allison has played for both

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 ...

and

Malone Malone () is an Irish surname. From the Irish "''Mael Eóin''", the name means a servant or a disciple of Saint John. People * Gilla Críst Ua Máel Eóin (died 1127), historian and Abbot of Clonmacnoise, Ó Maoil Eoin * Adrian Malone (1937 ...

, rejoining Ballymena in 2021. He was no longer in the Ulster academy ahead of the 2022–23 season.

B

Tim Barker ,

Mark Bartholomeusz Mark Bartholomeusz (born 30 June 1977) is a retired Australian professional rugby union footballer. He played in the positions of fullback, flyhalf, inside centre, outside centre and wing. Career Mark Bartholomuesz started his rugby career at ...

, Jonny Bell , Mark Best ,

Neil Best Neil Best (born 3 April 1979 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a former rugby union footballer, who attended Wellington College Belfast and played his school rugby there until he left in 1997 after upper sixth. The last professional team he pla ...

Rory Best Rory David Best (born 15 August 1982) is an Irish former rugby union player who was the captain of the Ireland national team from 2016 to 2019. He played hooker for Ulster and was registered for Banbridge RFC. Best earned 124 caps for Irelan ...

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 ...

, Ali Birch , Callum Black , Mark Blair ,

Isaac Boss Isaac Boss (born 9 April 1980, in Tokoroa, New Zealand) is a New Zealand–born Irish rugby union former player. His grandmother was born in Glenarm, County Antrim, thereby qualifying him to play for Ireland. He played scrum-half or ful ...

BJ Botha Brendon James Botha, better known as BJ Botha (born 4 January 1980) is a South African former rugby union player. He played as a prop. He is now a housemaster and rugby coach at CBC Monkstown . Professional career Sharks Botha played in the ...

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 ...

, Frank Bradshaw Ryan , Nigel Brady ,

Robby Brink Robbie Brink (born 21 July 1971) is a South African rugby union player who played for the South Africa national rugby union team. He played as a flanker. Career Brink played for the schools team at the 1989 Craven Week tournament and after sc ...

, Warren Brosnihan , Peter Browne , Billy Burns , David Busby

Corrie Barrett

Prop. Born 13 June 1998. His father Brian was an Ireland u21 international."Exciting Irish prop Corrie Barrett joins Blues", Bedford Blues, 9 February 2021
/ref> Attended

Royal Belfast Academical Institution The Royal Belfast Academical Institution is an independent grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. With the support of Belfast's leading reformers and democrats, it opened its doors in 1814. Until 1849, when it was superseded by what today ...

, with whom he won the

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

in 2016. Played for Ulster u19 and Ulster 'A', and appeared for the senior team from the bench in a friendly against

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

in 2018. Spent some time in New Zealand as part of the

Otago Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...

youth setup, before returning to Ireland to play for

, Garryowen and Munster 'A', and was part of the Ireland Club XV that won the Dalriada Cup in 2020. Joined

in 2021, and moved to

Doncaster Knights Doncaster Knights Rugby Football Club ''(formerly, Doncaster RFC)'' are a professional rugby union club representing the city of Doncaster, England. The club play in the 2nd division of English rugby, the RFU Championship. Being the most prom ...

in 2023. Signed for Ulster one a one-year contract after a successful pre-season trial in 2024. Made his senior competitive debut against

in September 2024. He left Ulster at the end of the season."Eight players set to leave Ulster at the end of the season"
''Belfast Telegraph'', 22 April 2025

Stephen Bell

Born 21 April 1975. Scrum-half, played for

and

Dungannon Dungannon (, ) is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the second-largest town in the county (after Omagh) and had a population of 16,282 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2021 Census. The Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Counci ...

. Made one substitute appearance for Ulster in 1995–96; one Heineken Cup and three Interpro starts in 1996–97; two starts and one substitute appearances in the Heineken Cup, two starts in the Interpros and one in a friendly in 1997–98; five starts and one substitute appearances in the 1998–99 Heineken Cup, three starts and one sub in the interpros, and one start and one sub in representative matches; four starts and one sub in the Heineken Cup and four starts and one sub in the interpros in 1999–2000; and one substitute appearance in the Heineken Cup, four substitute appearances in the interpros, and one start and one substitute appearance in friendlies in 2000–01. Played for Ireland A. Part of the Dungannon team that won the All-Ireland League in 2001. Went on to play for

, where he was captain. Became a fitness instructor. In 1998 he walked the length of Ireland barefoot in 22 days, from

Castletownbere Castletownbere (), or Castletown Berehaven, is a port town in County Cork, Ireland. It is on the Beara Peninsula by Berehaven Harbour. A regionally important fishing port, the town also serves as a commercial and retail hub for the local hinterl ...

, County Cork, to his hometown of

Ballintoy Ballintoy () is a small village, townland (of 274 acres) and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is alongside the B15 coast road, north-east of Coleraine, west of Ballycastle and between it and Bushmills. It is in the histori ...

, County Antrim, to raise money for the Northern Ireland Forest School Association.

Simon Booth

loosehead prop. Played for Ulster from 1993 to 1996. Represented Ulster in all four matches in the 1994 Interprovincial Championship, representative matches against the Scottish Saltires, the Basque Country, the South of Scotland and Glasgow District in 1994, one appearance from the bench against Leinster in the 1995 Interprovincial Championship, and a start in a representative match against Combined Services in November 1995.

Clem Boyd

Born 8 November 1973. Prop. Attended RBAI, studied Mechanical Engineering at Edinburgh University and played for Edinburgh Currie RFC. Represented Ireland at under-21 level. Selected for Ulster in an Interpro against Leinster in 1996. Went professional with Bedford in 1996, then to Bath in 1999. Returned to Belfast in 2000 to look after his sick father, and was approached to join the Ulster squad. Played club rugby with Belfast Harlequins. Made two starts and three substitute appearances for Ulster in the 2000–01 Heineken Cup, one start and one substitute appearance in the Interprovincial Championship, and started three friendlies the same season. The following season he made three substitute appearances in the Heineken Cup, three starts and four substitute appearances in the Celtic League, and started three friendlies. Played for Ireland A. He retired from professional rugby in 2003 due to a heart condition. Since retiring he has coached Bangor and Instonians. Son

Jacob Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...

joined the Ulster academy in 2023.

Spencer Bromley

Born 12 December 1969, Manchester. Wing/centre. Represented England at under-21 and A level. Played for Harlequins 1997–98, Beziers 1998–99. Joined Ulster in 1999, playing his club rugby with Belfast Harlequins. Made four starts in the Heineken Cup, four in the Interprovincial Championship (scoring four tries), and started a friendly against an Ireland XV. Released in 2000 following an IRFU ruling on foreign players, and joined Worcester.Richard Bullick, "Ulster sign Springboks", ''News Letter'', 23 June 2000

Gary Brown

Born 23 February 1974, Portadown. Back row. Attended Royal School Armagh, played for Ulster and Ireland Schools, and Portadown. Played for Celtic Warriors XV, a combined Ulster-Scottish Borders team, in a friendly against Ulster in December 2002."Ulster arrange Christmas friendly"
BBC Sport, 19 December 2002 Offered a development contract with Ulster in 2003 but turned it down due to work commitments to his land surveying business. Moved to Belfast Harlequins in 2004, put his business on hold, trained with Ulster in the off-season, and accepted a development contract. Made his debut in a pre-season friendly against the Dragons, and got game time in the regular season as a result of injuries to Andy Ward,

Neil McMillan Neil McMillan (born 15 May 1981) is an Irish rugby union flanker. McMillan was educated at Belfast Royal Academy, and at the age of fifteen was part of the BRA Schools' Cup winning team in 1997. He was selected for Ireland's Under-19, Under ...

and Roger Wilson. Made 1 start and 3 substitute appearances in 2004–05. No longer in squad in 2005–06.

C

Ryan Caldwell ,

Kieran Campbell Kieran Campbell (born 6 July 1979) is a former Irish rugby union scrumhalf and current Director of rugby at Coleraine grammar school. He is the former manager of Ulster Rugby's academy and former head coach of the Ireland under-20 team. Born ...

, Sam Carter ,

Darren Cave Darren Cave (born 5 April 1987) is a retired professional Irish rugby union player who played centre for Ulster, sharing the province's appearance record with Andrew Trimble and Rob Herring with 229, and won eleven caps for Ireland. Early care ...

, Allen Clarke ,

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 ...

, Ryan Constable ,

Tom Court Tom Court (born 6 November 1980) is an Australian-born former rugby union footballer. He most recently played for London Irish as a loosehead prop (rugby union), loosehead prop. He primarily played at tighthead in his early career at Ulster Rugb ...

, Mark Crick , Bryn Cunningham , Jan Cunningham

Aaron Cairns

Born 7 October 1992. Scrum-half. Represented Ireland Sevens. Played for Ballynahinch. Joined Ulster academy in 2016. Appeared from the bench, scoring a try, against Edinburgh in November 2016. Promoted to senior squad in 2017. Made one senior appearance against Leinster in October 2017. No longer in Ulster's squad the following season.

Darryl Callaghan

Out-half, played for Dungannon and Ballynahinch. Appeared for Ulster in a representative match against Combined Services in November 1995.Jim Stokes, "Ulster backs against wall", ''Belfast Telegraph'', 14 November 1995 Played for Celtic Warriors XV, a combined Ulster-Scottish Borders team, in a friendly against Ulster in December 2002.

John Campbell

Prop. Signed from Terenure 2000. Made two substitute appearances in 2000–01, and one substitute appearance in 2001–02.

Jarlath Carey

Born 23 April 1977. Prop. Played for Belfast Harlequins, then Rotherham Titans. Signed by Ulster 2007."Ulster Rugby Introduce New Recruits"
Irish Rugby, 2 July 2007 Made one appearance from the bench against Portugal in November 2008."Ulster 62–6 Portugal"
BBC Sport, 11 November 2008 Released 2009."Province-by-province guide", ''Irish Independent'', 3 September 2009

Scott Carroll

Wing, played for Malone. Started one friendly against Richmond in August 1997.

Colin Christie

Wing, played for NIFC. Appeared for Ulster in a friendly against Ballymena in September 1995.

Chris Cochrane

Wing, born Ballymoney, 18 December 1988. He was educated at

Coleraine Academical Institution Coleraine Academical Institution (CAI and styled locally as Coleraine Inst) was a voluntary grammar school for boys in Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Coleraine Academical Institution occupied a site on the Castlerock Road, ...

, leaving in 2007."Cochrane Attends Cai Session Ahead Of Danske Bank Schools' Cup Semi"
Ulster Rugby, 5 March 2014 He was selected in the Ireland squad for the

2008 IRB Junior World Championship The 2008 IRB Junior World Championship was the first annual international rugby union competition for Under 20 national teams. All players who were twenty years of age or under on 1 January 2008 were eligible for selection. This competition repl ...

. While in the Ulster Rugby academy, he made his first appearance for the senior provincial side in a friendly against

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 ...

in 2008, and his competitive debut, scoring a try, against

in 2011. He was awarded a development contract with Ulster ahead of the 2012–13 season. He retired prior to the 2014–15 season, having made nine appearances and scored two tries.

Niall Conlon

Prop. Born 10 October 1983. Joined senior squad from academy in 2006."Success Stories"
Ulster Rugby, archived 23 November 2006 Appeared for Ulster 'A'. Released 2008. Worked in finance in London after leaving the game, before becoming a full-time artist during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Bruce Cornelius

New Zealand-born back row forward, played for Instonians. Appeared for Ulster in a representative match against the Scottish Saltires in 1994, and in representative matches against Côte Basque Select XV, New Zealand Federation Under-23 and Combined Services and a friendly against Ballymena in 1995.

Sheldon Coulter

Born 1 February 1977. centre/wing/fullback, played for Ballymena. Made two starts in the Heineken Cup, two in the Interprovincial Championship and two in friendlies in 1996–97; 1 start in the Heineken Cup and friendly in 1997–98; started all nine matches in Ulster's victorious 1998–99 Heineken Cup campaign in 1998–99, as well as one start and two substitute appearances in the Interprovincial Championship and one start and two substitute appearances in representative matches the same season; made two substitute appearances in the Heineken Cup, one start in the Interprovincial Championship, and one start and two substitute appearances in 2000–01; two starts and one sub in the Heineken Cup, 4 starts and 1 sub in the Celtic League, 1 start and 1 sub in the Interpros, and 2 starts and 1 sub in friendlies in 2001–02; and 2 starts and 2 subs in the Heineken Cup, and 3 starts and 1 sub in the Celtic League in 2002–03. Released in 2003. Joined Portadown as player/coach in 2004.

Simon Crawford

Lock, played for NIFC. Appeared for Ulster in a friendly against Ballymena in September 1995."Ulster ease home", ''Belfast Telegraph'', 7 September 1995

Jerry Cronin

Born Mallow, Cork, 8 April 1984. Prop. His father Billy played for Munster. Played for Mallow, UCC. Studied structural engineering, and a job opportunity brought him to Belfast. Joined Ballynahinch, with whom he won the All-Ireland Senior Cup, in 2009, as well as the Ulster Senior League and Ulster Senior Cup. Signed by Ulster as injury cover in 2010. Made 11 appearances, and was signed to a senior contract the following season. In 2011–12 he made seven appearances. Moved to Doncaster Knights in 2012.

Reuben Crothers

Born 28 January 2002. Back row. Attended Wallace High School, Lisburn, studied law at Queen's University, and played club rugby for Ballynahinch. Joined the Ulster academy in 2020. Captained the Ireland under-20s to a Grand Slam in the under-20 Six Nations in 2022, and made four appearances in the 2022 under-20 summer internationals. Signed a development contract with Ulster in 2023. Made 5 appearances, scoring a try, for Ulster in 2023–24. He retired at the end of the 2024-25 season.

Angus Curtis

Centre/out-half, born 26 March 1998 in

Harare Harare ( ), formerly Salisbury, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of , a population of 1,849,600 as of the 2022 Zimbabwe census, 2022 census and an estimated 2,487,209 people in its metrop ...

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

. Curtis' father is

David Curtis David Curtis may refer to: *David Curtis (rugby union) David Michael Curtis (born 10 April 1965) is a former Zimbabwean-born Irish rugby union international. He also played some first-class cricket while at Oxford University. Career Curtis wa ...

, who won 13 caps for

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

between 1991 and 1992, including several at the

1991 Rugby World Cup The 1991 Rugby World Cup () was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France: at the time, the five European countries who participated in the Six Nations Championship, Five Na ...

, before returning to Zimbabwe, where he currently runs the Stables Winery. Curtis' grandfather,

Arthur Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...

, also won 3 caps for Ireland in 1950. Curtis first began playing rugby while at primary school in Zimbabwe, before earning a scholarship to play cricket and rugby for Hilton College (South Africa), Hilton College in South Africa when he was 13, and only decided to focus on rugby in his final year at school, having become involved with the Sharks (Currie Cup), Sharks under-18's side. He moved to Ireland in January 2017, joining the Ulster Academy and studying for a degree in economics with finance at Queens University Belfast. He was selected for Ireland in the 2018 Six Nations Under 20s Championship, playing at inside centre. He made his senior debut for Ulster in their 36–15 win against Scottish side

in round 17 of the 2017–18 Pro14 on 21 April 2018. He signed a development contract to join the senior squad for the 2018–19 season, which was upgraded to a full senior contract in June 2019. Since then he struggled with injuries. He missed much of the 2018–19 season with a number of injuries, returning to action during the early part of the 2019–20 Ulster Rugby season, 2019–20 season, before sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in December 2019 which kept him out for over sixteen months. He returned to action during the Pro14 Rainbow Cup in 2021. He made his first European Rugby Champions Cup, Champions Cup start against ASM Clermont Auvergne, Clermont in January 2022. He retired on medical advice in January 2024 following a series of concussions, having made 24 appearances and scored two tries.

Graham Curtis

Scrum-half, born Zimbabwe, September 1999. Son of former Ireland international

. Joined the Ulster academy in January 2018, following his brother Angus Curtis, Angus who made his debut for Ulster in 2018. He never played for the Ulster senior team, but represented Ireland Sevens at the World Rugby Sevens Series in Los Angeles and Vancouver in 2019–20. He was no longer listed in Ulster's squad after the 2019–20 season.Jonathan Bradley
"Ulster trio staying at Kingspan as senior and Academy squad lists released for 20/21 season"
''Belfast Telegraph'', 12 May 2020 In December 2021 he was playing for Queen's University in the All-Ireland League.

D

Adam D'Arcy , Simon Danielli , Jeremy Davidson (rugby union), Jeremy Davidson , Kieron Dawson , Carlo Del Fava , Rob Dewey , Jean Deysel , Robbie Diack , Neil Doak , Sean Doyle

Jonathan Davis

Wing. Made two starts in the 1998 Interprovincial Championship, and one in the representative match against Glasgow District in August 1998.

Crawford Dobbin

Wing, played for NIFC. Appeared for Ulster off the bench in a friendly against Ballymena in September 1995.

John Donnan

Born 16 February 1993. Lock. Represented Ireland in the under-20 World Championship in 2013. Studied Mechanical Engineering at Queen's University. Joined Ulster academy 2014. Promoted to senior squad 2016.Adam McKendry
"Ulster Rugby squad 2016/17"
Belfast Live, 24 November 2016 Played for Ulster A in the British and Irish Cup in 2016–18. Released 2018. Played for Ballynahinch in the All-Ireland League. In 2022 he joined the Dubai Exiles.

Lorcan Dow

Born 27 January 1995. Back row. Represented Ireland under-20. Joined Ulster academy in 2014. One appearance in the Pro12 in 2015–16. Also played for Ulster A in the British and Irish Cup in 2015–17. Went on to play for Richmond and Esher.

Stuart Duncan

Back row forward, played for Malone. Made one representative start in 1992–93. Started both Heineken Cup matches and all four Interpros, as well as one representative start, and one representative substitute appearance, in 1995–96. In 1996–97 he started all four Heineken Cup matches and all three Interpros, as well as the friendly against Australia. In 1997–98 he had one friendly start. In 1998–99 he made four substitute appearances in the victorious Heineken Cup campaign, two substitute appearances in the Interprovincial Championship, and one start and one sub in representative matches.

E

Paul Emerick , David Erskine (rugby union), David Erskine , Dave Ewers

Mark Edwards

Born 2 July 1974. Scrum half. Made two starts and one substitute appearance in the Heineken Cup, one start in the Interprovincial Championship, and one start in a friendly against an Ireland XV in 1999–2000.

F

Matt Faddes , Willie Faloon , Chris Farrell , Campbell Feather , Stephen Ferris , Maurice Field , Declan Fitzpatrick , Justin Fitzpatrick , James French (rugby union), James French

Riaz Fredericks

Born 13 July 1973, South Africa. Centre. Signed from the Hong Kong sevens team 1999.Gerry Thornley
"Ulster bid to continue their roll by recruiting heavily"
''Irish Times'', 31 July 1999 Made two starts in the Heineken Cup, 1 start and three substitute appearances in the Interprovincial Championship, and 1 start in a friendly, in 1999–2000. Released at the end of the season.Jonathan McConnell

ESPN Scrum, 23 June 2000

Brad Free

Born 10 June 1971. Scrum half. Born in Queenland, Australia, to an Irish mother. Played for Saracens, and represented Ireland A in 1997, but had a serious ankle injury in that match. After recovering from injury, played for Bective Rangers and was an unused substitute for Leinster before sustaining a neck injury. Signed by Ulster in 2000. Started all six Heineken Cup matches, scoring 1 try, all six Interpro matches, scoring 1 try, and two friendlies in 2000–01. Made 2 starts and 2 substitute appearances, scoring 1 try, in 2001–02. Emigrated to the US in 2002."Kempson finally signs"
BBC Sport, 25 January 2002

Rowan Frost

Born 9 June 1975. Lock. Born in England, brought up in New Zealand. Signed from Connacht 2003."Ulster sign Connacht duo"
BBC Sport, 23 April 2003 Made 16 starts and 9 substitute appearances, scoring two tries, in 2003–04. In 2004–05 he made 9 starts and 14 substitute appearances, scoring 1 try. In 2005–06 he made 2 starts and 9 substitute appearances. Moved to Montauban in 2006,"Transfer Ins And Outs"
Irish Rugby, 30 June 2006 sent four season with them in the Top14, and one at Blagnac in Federale 1.

G

Craig Gilroy

Keith Gallick

Back row forward, played for City of Derry. Started all six Heineken Cup matches and one Interpro in 1997–98.

Conor Gaston

Born 5 August 1990. Wing. Joined Ulster academy in 2009. Made two starts and one substitute appearance in 2010–11 season, and one start and one substitute appearance in 2011–12. Moved to London Irish in 2012. Has since played for Aurillac, Verona Rugby, Ciencias Rugby Sevilla and Vienne.

H

Sam Harding (rugby union), Sam Harding , Justin Harrison , Chris Henry (rugby union), Chris Henry , Wiehahn Herbst , Brett Herron , Tamaiti Horua , Bruce Houston , Tyrone Howe , David Humphreys , Ian Humphreys , Hayden Hyde

Aaron Hall

Back row, born Ballynahinch, 26 June 1998. He was educated at Ballyclare Secondary School, played club rugby for Ballynahinch R.F.C., Ballynahinch, and was selected at age-grade level for Ulster. In 2015 he won the Ulster Youth Player of the Year Award. He joined the Ulster academy ahead of the 2016–17 Ulster Rugby season, 2016–17 season. He made his senior competitive debut the following season, starting in a 23–22 win against Benetton Rugby, Benetton in the 2017–18 Pro14, Pro14 on 24 November 2017. He played for Ulster 'A' in the

, and the 2018–19 Celtic Cup, 2018–19 and 2019–20 Celtic Cup. He remained in the academy for a fourth year in 2019–20 Ulster Rugby season, 2019–20, but was no longer listed in the academy squad the following season. He joined Ballyclare RFC ahead of the 2020–21 season, having previously played for them at youth level.

Kieran Hallett

Born 2 June 1985. Out-half. Represented Ireland at under-21 level. Signed from Bedford Blues 2007. Made one appearance from the bench against Newport Gwent Dragons in October 2007. Went on to play for Plymouth Albion, Nottingham and Cornish Pirates.

Neil Hanna

Born 7 January 1981. Hooker. Signed from Rotherham Titans 2007, but missed the whole of his first season with a knee injury. Started against Portugal in September 2008, and made one appearance from the bench against Scarlets in the Celtic League in May 2009. Released 2009.

Bill Harbinson

Centre. Attended Banbridge Academy. Played for

. First selected for Ulster for a tour of Italy in 1986, and made his debut against Italy B. Moved to

in 1987, but still turned out for Malone on occasion. Called up for 1988 Ireland rugby union tour of France, Ireland tour to France in May 1988, playing against the Cote Basque Select XV in Biarritz. Returned to Malone in 1989. Captained Ulster in 1995–96, starting both Heineken Cup matches, all four interpros, four representative matches and one friendly, before retiring.

Mike Haslett

Back row. Born 14 July 1978. Played for Dungannon and captained Cambridge University. Made one appearance for Ulster off the bench against Swansea in August 2001. Signed for London Irish after a six-week trial in 2002.

Henry Head

Born 30 March 1980. Lock. Played for England schools. Played club rugby for Ballymena. Played two pre-season friendlies for Ulster against London Irish and Rotherham in 2005, earning a development contract. Made one appearance from the bench against Ospreys in November 2005. Released in 2006, and joined Rotherham Titans, joining former Ballymena coach André Bester.

Michael Heaney

Scrum-half, born Belfast 5 November 1990. Educated at Methodist College Belfast. Joined the Ulster academy in 2009. Played for Doncaster Knights 2011–12, making nine appearances and scoring five tries. Promoted from academy to full Ulster squad 2012. Appeared for

at the 2013 Tbilisi Cup. Played for Ulster for three seasons, making 28 appearances and scoring one try. Rejoined Doncaster Knights in 2015, playing there three seasons, making 80 appearances and scoring 11 tries. Then moved to Worcester Warriots for three seasons, making 38 appearances and scoring two tries.

Grant Henderson

Born 7 February 1978. Fullback. Signed from Natal 2000. Made 4 starts in the Heineken Cup, 6 in the Interprovincial Championship, and 2 in friendlies in 2000–01. Returned to South Africa, signing for SWD Eagles, in 2001."Ulster announce bulk of squad"
ESPN, 19 March 2001

Kenton Hillman

Scrum-half, played for Instonians. Represented Ulster in a friendly against London Irish in August 1996, and in one match in the 1997 Interprovincial Championship.

I

Rab Irwin

Robert "Rab" Irwin, born 20 November 1963. Prop, played for Ballymena. In 1997–98 he made 4 starts in the Heineken Cup, 1 substitute appearance in the Interprovincial Championship, and 1 substitute appearance in a friendly. In 1998–99 he started 7 of the nine matches of the victorious Heineken Cup campaign, including the final, as well as 1 start and 1 substitute appearance in the Interprovincial Championship, and 1 start and 2 substitute appearance in representative matches. In 1999–2000 he started one match in the Interprovincial Championship, and came off the bench in friendly against an Ireland XV.

J

Paddy Jackson , Paddy Johns , Bill Johnston (rugby union), Bill Johnston

Andrew Jackson

Prop. Came off the bench against the Spanish Barbarians in June 1998."No pain but gain for Coulter class", ''Belfast Telegraph'', 8 June 1998

Michael Jackson

Born 16 January 1974. Centre, played for Blackrock. Made three starts in the Heineken Cup, scoring one try, and one start in a friendly in 1997–98.

Paul Jackson

Born 24 June 1989. Hooker. Joined academy 2014. Promoted from Academy 2015. Played for Ulster A in the British and Irish Cup, and made one senior appearance in 2015–16.

Lewis Johnston

Prop. Played for Ballynahinch. Came off the bench in one match of the 1999 Interprovincial Championship.

Greg Jones

Back row, born 3 January 1996, in Sandycove, Dublin, where he attended St. Andrew's College, Dublin, St. Andrew's College. He represented

up to 'A' level, and was part of the Ireland under-20s team that beat New Zealand national under-20 rugby union team, New Zealand at the 2016 World Rugby Under 20 Championship. He joined the Ulster academy from University College Dublin R.F.C., University College Dublin in the summer of 2017. He made his senior Ulster debut on 24 November 2017 in round 9 of the 2017–18 Pro14, featuring off the bench in the province's 23–22 win against Italian side Benetton Rugby, Benetton. He signed a senior contract ahead of the 2018–19 season. He left Ulster at the end of the 2023–24 season, having made 44 appearances and scored five tries.

Conor Joyce

Born 5 July 1993. Back row. Joined Ulster academy 2011. Made his senior debut off the bench against Leinster in December 2011."Leinster move clear at top"
Sky Sports, 26 December 2011 Made one appearance in 2012–13, and two in 2013–14. Promoted to senior squad 2014.David Kelly

''Irish Independent'', 23 August 2013 Moved to Jersey Reds in 2017, and later played for Doncaster.

K

Ross Kane , Aidan Kearney (rugby union), Aidan Kearney , Mick Kearney , Robbi Kempson , Angus Kernohan , Steven Kitshoff , Andi Kyriacou

Mark Kettyle

Born 12 December 1984. Fullback. Played for Ulster 2006–08.

L

Adam Larkin , Scott LaValla , Christian Leali'ifano , Gary Leslie , Angus Lloyd (rugby union), Angus Lloyd , Gary Longwell , Louis Ludik , Ricky Lutton

Stuart Laing

Born 5 July 1976. Out-half/fullback, played for Instonians and Portadown. Scotland 'A' international. Played one representative match against Glasgow District in 1994. Moved to Scotland for a couple of seasons, where he represented the Exiles in the District Championship and played for Scotland A. Returned to Ulster and started all three Interpros (scoring 1 try, 4 conversions and 11 penalties), a representative match against Australia (scoring 2 conversions and 2 penalties), and three friendlies (scoring 7 conversions and 1 penalty) in 1996. Started all 6 Heineken Cup matches (scoring 4 conversions, 18 penalties and one drop-goal), all three Interpros (scoring 3 conversions, 5 penalties and one drop-goal) and one friendly in 1997.

Michael Lightbody

Lock. Made one appearance off the bench against the Spanish Barbarians in June 1998.

M

Adam Macklin , Ian Madigan ,

, Seamus Mallon (rugby union), Seamus Mallon , Niall Malone , Luke Marshall , Paul Marshall (rugby union), Paul Marshall , Simon Mason (rugby union), Simon Mason , Alby Mathewson , Andy Maxwell (rugby union, born 1981), Andy Maxwell , Paddy McAllister , Denis McBride (rugby union), Denis McBride , Adam McBurney , Mark McCall , Ronan McCormack , Mark McCrea , Matt McCullough , Greg McGrath , Jack McGrath (rugby union), Jack McGrath , Paul McKenzie (rugby union), Paul McKenzie ,

, Johnny McPhillips , Tony McWhirter , Gareth Milasinovich , Eric Miller (rugby union), Eric Miller , Caleb Montgomery , Declan Moore (rugby union), Declan Moore , Rod Moore (rugby union), Rod Moore , Johann Muller (rugby union), Johann Muller , Jonny Murphy , Jordi Murphy , Ruaidhrí Murphy , Matt Mustchin

Dean Macartney

Born 5 May 1969. Back row forward, played for Ballymena. Represented Ulster 1991–99. Original captain of the team that went on the win the Heineken Cup in 1999, season shortened by injury.

Richard Mackey

Loosehead prop Richard Mackey (born 23 November 1969) started his rugby career with his home town club Dromore."Back to where it all began for Richard", ''Ulster Star'', 19 July 2002 He moved to

in 1989, eventually becoming club captain. He was first selected for Ulster in November 1994 in a representative match against the South of Scotland. He started both Heineken Cup matches, all four Interprovincial matches, five out of six representative matches and one friendly in 1995–96; all four Heineken Cup matches, all three Interprovincial matches, a representative match against Australia and three friendlies in 1996–97; and three out of six Heineken Cup matches, all three Interpros and one friendly in 1997–98. Internationally, he played for Ireland Wolfhounds, Ireland 'A'. In 2000 he moved to

, with whom he won the All-Ireland League in 2001. He returned to Dromore in 2002 as player-coach.

Andrew Matchett

Born 25 May 1969. Played scrum-half for Portadown, Ballymena, Bedford, Belfast Harlequins, and Ulster, with whom he won the 1998–99 Heineken Cup. Educated at Edenderry Primary School, where he was introduced to mini-rugby, then Killicomaine Junior High School and Portadown College. Played for Ulster and Ireland at schools and under-21 level."Ulster debut for Andrew", ''The Portadown Times'', 7 September 1990 Joined Portadown Rugby Club, where his father Marshall was president.Jim Stokes, "Andy caps it with big debut", ''Belfast Telegraph'', 3 September 1990 He was first selected for Ulster in 1990. After being an unused substitute against Yorkshire on 1 September, he made his representative debut against Spain on 4 September, while a Business Studies student at the University of Ulster. After Portadown failed to gain promotion to the All-Ireland League, he moved to AIL club Ballymena in 1991. In March 1997 he signed a short-term contract with Bedford in Division 2 of the Courage League. After they were promoted to Division 1 he was offered a full-time contract for the following season, but turned it down. In the summer of 1997 he was selected for an 1997 Ireland A rugby union tour of Oceania, Ireland Development tour to New Zealand and Western Samoa. He was selected a number of times on the bench for Ireland A, without being capped."Insuring Ulster's big day"
''The Irish Times'', 27 January 1999 He captained Ulster against the Spanish Barbarians in San Sebastian in June 1998. He was part of Ulster's 1998–99 Heineken Cup-winning team, while holding a day job in insurance. The final was his 60th Ulster cap. Joined Belfast Harlequins in 1999. He retired from senior rugby in 2003, but in 2005 was recalled to the Harlequins first team due to injuries at scrum-half, and helped them to the All-Ireland League final, which they lost to Shannon. In 2005 he organised, and appeared in, an Ulster European Cup Reunion XV to against Clogher Valley in the first match on their new pitch. Represented the Irish Rugby Legends at the World Rugby Legends Festival in South Africa in 2006.

Kyle McCall

Prop, born 2 January 1992. Attended Wallace High School, nominated for Ulster Schools Player of the Year in May 2010. Joined the Ulster academy before the 2010–11 season. Made his senior debut for Ulster in 2013 in an away win against

. Joined the senior squad in 2014. Released in 2021, having made 86 appearances and scored two tries for Ulster. Played club rugby for Ballynahinch until 2024, when he retired due to injury.

Chris McCarey

Born 11 January 1979. Back row forward. Played for Ulster 2000–01.

Graeme McCluskey

Wing, played for Portadown. Started one representative game in 1993–94, one interpro and one representative in 1994–95, 3 representative games in 1995–96, and one interpro in 1997–98.

Neil McCluskey

Born 9 March 1974. Wing, played for Queens. Made one start and one substitute appearance in the Heineken Cup in 1996–97, and started one representative match in 1998–99.

Mike McComish

Back row, born Belfast, 7 December 1983. Educated at Campbell College. Played club rugby for Ballymena. Played for Rotherham Titans (2006–08), making 37 appearances and scoring 11 tries, and Otley R.U.F.C., Otley (2008–09), making 22 appearances. Joined

in 2009 and played there for two seasons, making 36 appearances and scoring two tries. Joined Ulster in 2011, played there for four seasons, making 46 appearances and scoring two tries. Released in 2015.

Neil McComb

Lock, born 15 July 1983. Educated at Campbell College, and captained them to victory over Methodist College in the

final in 2002. Promoted from the Ulster academy to the senior squad in 2010.Micheal McGeary, "New deals for Ulster quartet", ''Belfast Telegraph'', 13 January 2010 Left Ulster in 2015, having made 43 appearances and scored one try. Went on to play club rugby for Belfast Harlequins.

Gareth McCullough

Wing. Came off the bench, and scored a try, against the Spanish Barbarians in June 1998.

Stan McDowell

Born 10 February 1971. Utility back (centre, fullback, wing), played for Dungannon. Made one representative appearance from the bench in 1992–93; one representative sub in 1993–94; one representative start and two subs in 1993–94; one interpro sub in 1994–95; started one representative match and one friendly in 1995–96; make two starts in the Heineken Cup and two in the interpros in 1997–98; started one match and appeared twice from the bench in the 1998–99 Heineken Cup campaign, and started two interpros and three representative matches that season. Later coached the Ireland women's sevens team.

Blane McIlroy

Scrum-half, born 4 December 1991. Attended Methodist College Belfast, and played club rugby for Ballynahinch and Ballymena. Joined the Ulster academy 2010. Made two appearances from the bench in 2011–12. Was charged with, and acquitted of, exposure as part of the trial that saw fellow Ulster players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding acquitted of rape in 2018.

David McIlwaine

Born 9 May 1989. Wing. Did not play rugby at school, but played for Larne Rugby Club from 5 to 18, where he was spotted by Neil Doak. Played age-grade rugby for Ulster, and club rugby for Queen's University. Joined the Ulster academy 2010, made 1 start and 2 substitute appearances in the Heineken Cup and 1 start and three substitute appearances in the Celtic League in the 2010–11 season. Moved to Doncaster Knights for a season, then to Bristol Bears. Returned to Ulster 2013. Made 1 substitute appearance in the Heineken Cup, and three starts and four substitute appearance in the Celtic League in 2013–14 season. Moved to Yorkshire Carnegie in 2014. Signed for Doncaster Knights for a second time in 2016.

Kevin McKee

Back row forward, played for Instonians. Made one representative start in 1992–93, one in 1993–94, one in 1994–95, five in 1995–96, one friendly substitute appearance in 1997–98, and one representative start in 1998–99.

James McKinney

Born 3 January 1991. Out-half. Joined the Ulster academy in 2009, promoted to senior squad 2011. Made 1 start and 1 substitute appearance in 2011–12. Moved to Rotherham Titans in 2012. Returned to Ulster in 2013.David Kelly
"Fortunes in hands of foreign legion"
''Irish Independent'', 5 August 2013 Made four starts and six substitute appearances in the Pro12 in the 2013–14 season. Returned to Rotherham Titans in 2014, then moved to Jersey in 2016 and Verona in 2017. After that he had a stint in Australia and as a medical joker in Japan.

Stephen McKinty

Born 7 July 1966. Back row forward, played for Bangor. Made two representative starts in 1990–91; three in 1991–92; four Interpro and four representative starts in 1992-23; four Interpro and three representative starts in 1993–94; four interpro and four representative starts in 1994–95; four representative and one friendly start in 1995–96; four Heineken Cup, three Interpro, one representative and two friendly starts in 1996–97; six Heineken Cup, was captain in 1997–98, making three interpro and one friendly start; started all nine matches of Ulster's victorious Heineken Cup campaign in 1998–99, plus four interpro and one representative starts; and one substitute appearance in the Heineken Cup, one in the Interpros, and one friendly start in 1999–2000.

Matt Miles

Born 23 December 1981. Hooker. Represented Wales at under-21 level. Formerly played for Northampton and Pertemps Bees. Signed for Ulster 2007. Made one appearance from the bench against Ospreys in December 2007. Joined Cambridge in 2008.

Robin Morrow

Born 2 February 1974. Fullback, played for Queens and Dungannon. Started one representative match in 1995–96; all four Heineken Cup matches, all three interpros and one representative match in 1996–97; four Heineken Cup matches and three interpros in 1997–98; and made one representative substitute appearance in 1998–99.

Stephen Mulholland

Born 4 July 1990. Back row. Played for Ballymena, called up for Ulster in November and December 2015. Signed a development contract, but missed the rest of the season with injury. Played for Ulster A in the British and Irish Cup 2015–17.

N

Ian Nagle , Timoci Nagusa , Peter Nelson (rugby union), Peter Nelson

Russell Nelson

Born 19 February 1973. Back row. Signed from the Bulls in 2000. Made 5 starts in the Heineken Cup; 6 starts, scoring 1 try, in the Interprovincial Championship; and 3 starts in friendlies in 2000–01. Made 12 starts, scoring 1 try, in 2001–02. 2 starts, and 2 substitute appearances in 2002–03. Moved to Padova in 2003.

Michael Niblock

Out-half. Started Ulster's match against the Spanish Barbarians in June 1998.

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David O'Connor (rugby union), David O'Connor , Niall O'Connor , Dion O'Cuinneagain , Ed O'Donoghue , Stuart Olding

Shea O'Brien

Born 15 July 1999. Fullback, played for City of Armagh, with whom he won the Ulster Senior Cup in 2020. Named Club Player of the Year in the 2020 Ulster Rugby Awards. Signed a development contract with Ulster in 2022, while studying medicine at Queen's University. Graduated in 2023, signed a senior contract with Ulster, and made his senior debut from the bench against Connacht in December 2023. Released at the end of the 2023–24 season.

Tommy O'Hagan

Prop, born 5 October 1993. Made his senior Ulster debut on 28 December 2018 in round 12 of the

, featuring off the bench in the provinces 37–17 win against Scottish side

. He was released ahead of the 2020–21 Ulster Rugby season, 2020–21 season.

Ciaran O'Kane

Hooker, played for Portadown. Made one appearance from the bench in the 1997–98 Heineken Cup.

Jack Owens

Fullback/wing, born 4 October 1995. Made his senior Ulster debut on 18 February 2017 in round 15 of the 2016–17 Pro12, featuring off the bench in the provinces 37–17 win against Scottish side

P

Filo Paulo , Jared Payne , Ruan Pienaar , Charles Piutau , Ian Porter (rugby union), Ian Porter

Andy Park

Born 30 September 1975. Wing/fullback, played for NIFC and Ballymena. Made one start in the Heineken Cup and three in the Interpros in 1995–96; two interpros and one friendly in 1997–98; made three substitute appearances in the pool stage and started the semi-final and final in the 1998–99 Heineken Cup campaign, and also started four interpros and 2 representative matches that season.

Callum Patterson

Born Ballymena, 20 August 1992. Centre. Attended Ballymena Academy, and played for Ballymena. Studied Harpers Adams University in Shropshire, and played for Newport Salop and Shropshire. Worked in agriculture and played for Ulster A in the British and Irish Cup 2015–18, and joined the senior squad in 2016. Left for Cornish Pirates in 2019.

John Patterson

Born 5 August 1973. Back row forward, played for Dungannon. One appearance from the bench in the 1996–97 Heineken Cup.

Michael Pehi

New Zealand wing. Trained with Ulster before the 2006–07 Ulster Rugby season, 2006–07 season. Played and scored in friendly against Border Reivers (rugby union), Border Reivers, and for Ulster A against Rotherham Titans, Rotherham Titans A, in August 2006.

Gavin Pfister

Back row. South African. Joined Worcester in 2001, spent two years there before joining Pertemps Bees. Signed for Ulster as injury cover in November 2004. Made 4 starts and 2 substitute appearances in 2004–05.

Stuart Philpott

Born 24 July 1985. Hooker. Represented Ireland at under-21 level. Joined the Ulster academy from Saracens 2005, signed a development contract 2006. Made his debut from the bench against Scarlets in March 2007. Made one appearance from the bench the following season, against Glasgow Warriors in November 2007. Made three appearances, all from the bench, in 2008–09. Released 2009. Went on to play for Nottingham and Henley.

David Pollock

Back row, born Omagh, 19 March 1987. Joined the Ulster academy in 2005. Captained Ireland Under-20s to a Six Nations grand slam in 2007, winning five caps. Joined the Ulster senor squad in 2007. Represented Ireland A national rugby union team, Ireland A five times, including against England Saxons on 1 February 2008, and in the Churchill Cup. Forced to retire from rugby at 23 due to a hip injury, having made 45 appearances for Ulster and scored three tries. He has since pursued a career in medicine.

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Jack Regan (rugby union), Jack Regan , Sean Reidy , Bradley Roberts , Dave Ryan (rugby union), Dave Ryan

Michael Rainey

Centre, played for Ballymena. Appeared for Ulster in a representative match against New Zealand Federation Under-23 in November 1995.

Murtagh Rea

Born 21 December 1967. Lock, played for Malone. Made one start in a representative match against Edinburgh District in December 1995. In 1997–98, he made 3 sub appearances in the Heineken Cup, and 1 sub appearance in a friendly. In the 1998–99 Heineken Cup-winning season he made 2 starts in the Heineken Cup, 5 starts in the interpros, and 3 starts in representative matches.

Stephen Ritchie

Born 5 January 1970. Hooker, played for Ballymena. Played 3 representative matches in 1995–96; all four Heineken Cup matches, all three Interpros, 1 representative match against Australia in 1996–97; and all six Heineken Cup matches, all three interpros and one friendly in 1997–98. Went on 1997 Ireland A rugby union tour of Oceania, 1997 Ireland A tour of Oceania, and appeared once against North Aukland.

Daniel Roach

Prop. Son of Australian rugby league player Steve Roach (rugby league), Steve Roach. Australian schoolboy international, played for Australia under-19 against Ireland under-19 in 2005. Signed for Ulster from New South Wales Waratahs in 2008. Made one appearance from the bench against Glasgow Warriors in April 2009. Played for Monteux in 2009–10.

Alan Robinson

Lock, played for Ballymena. Started two matches in the Interprovincial Championship in 1996.

Bronson Ross

Born 16 September 1985. Tighthead prop. Born Oamaru, New Zealand. Irish-qualified through his Belfast-born mother. Played for Dunedin before moving to Europe at 22. Spent two seasons with Boroughmuir and one at Guernica. Joined Coventry in 2012 and played 26 times for them in the 2012–13 season. Signed a development contract with Ulster in 2013, and played for Ulster A in the British and Irish Cup 2013–16. Signed a senior contract in 2014. Made 20 senior appearances, including one start, in 2014–15, and 10 senior appearances, including one start, in 2015–16.

Paul Rowley

Born 15 December 1987. Scrum-half. Started in the Munster academy. Played for Plymouth Albion 2011–2014, London Welsh 2014–15. Signed for Ulster 2015, played for Ulster A in the British and Irish Cup 2015–16.

Clive Ross

Back row, born Cork, 14 June 1989. Educated at Midleton College. Played club rugby at De La Salle Palmerston (2008–12), then Lansdowne Football Club, Lansdowne, with whom he won the All-Ireland League (2012–14). Joined Ulster in the summer of 2014. Made his debut in the 13–6 loss away to Zebre, on 27 September 2014. He is the cousin of Irish international Mike Ross (rugby union), Mike Ross. Released in 2020, having made 73 appearances and scored two tries.

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Clinton Schifcofske , Rory Scholes , Matt Sexton , Tommy Seymour , Paul Shields (rugby union), Paul Shields , Jamie Smith (rugby union), Jamie Smith , Stephen Smyth (cricketer), Stephen Smyth , Henry Speight , Nevin Spence , Michael Stanley (rugby union), Michael Stanley , Paul Steinmetz , Lewis Stevenson (rugby union), Lewis Stevenson , Rory Sutherland (rugby union), Rory Sutherland

David Scott

Tighthead prop, played for NIFC. Represented Ulster in a representative match against Edinburgh District in December 1995.Jim Stokes, "Ulster make sweeping changes", ''Belfast Telegraph'', 6 December 1995

Simon Shawe

Tighthead prop. Born 13 April 1979. Originally from Ballymoney, attended

. Played for Queen's University and Belfast Harlequins. Played for Celtic Warriors XV, a combined Ulster-Scottish Borders team, in a friendly against Ulster in December 2002. Made 2 substitute appearances for Ulster in 2003–04. Returned to club rugby with

, and was selected for the Ireland Clubs representative side. Signed for

as injury cover in 2010–11, making 8 appearances, including 1 start, in the Pro12, and 2 substitute appearances in the Heineken Cup.

Jonny Shiels

Born 25 September 1989. Attended

, named Ulster schools player of the year in 2008. Joined the academy 2008. Made two substitute appearances in 2009–10.

Charlie Simpson

Lock, played for Dungannon. One start in the Interprovincial Championship and two in friendlies in 1996, and appeared off the bench in a friendly in 1997.

James Simpson

Lock/back row. Joined Ulster academy 2011, and made one senior appearance off the bench against Leinster in December 2011. Promoyed to senior squad 2014, played for Ulster A in the British and Irish Cup.

Jonny Simpson

Born 19 August 1990. Prop. Played for Ulster A in the British and Irish Cup 2015–18. Signed a development contract in 2016. Made his senior debut off the bench against Leinster in December 2016. Made three more senior appearances, including one start, in 2016–17 season.

Zac Solomon

Hooker. Attended Campbell College and played club rugby for Belfast Harlequins. Represented Ireland at under-18 schools and under-19 level. Played for Ulster A 2022–23 Ulster Rugby season, 2022. Joined the academy 2023–24 Ulster Rugby season, 2023. Made his Ulster debut from the bench away to

in November 2023. He left Ulster at the end of the 2024-25 season.

Reece Spee

Born 22 April 1978. Scrum half. Born in New Zealand, where he played for Bay of Plenty. Played club rugby in Ireland for City of Derry and Belfast Harlequins. Played for Celtic Warriors XV, a combined Ulster-Scottish Borders team, in a friendly against Ulster in December 2002. Offered a contract by Ulster in 2003. Made three substitute appearances in 2003–04, one substitute appearance in 2004–05, and one substitute appearance in 2005–06. Joined Pertemps Bees in 2006.

Jonny Stewart

Scrum-half, born Hillsborough, County Down. He attended Wallace High School, Lisburn, before joining the Ulster Academy in 2016. He made his full Ulster debut against

in October 2017. In July 2019, Stewart graduated from the Queen's University of Belfast with an Upper Second Class Bachelor of Laws degree. In 2020, Stewart started his master's degree in Utrecht, while playing for, and captaining, the :nl:Utrechtse Studenten Rugby Society, Utrechtse Studenten Rugby Society

Shane Stewart

Born 21 October 1976, New Zealand. Centre/wing. Played club rugby for Ballymena. Signed by Ulster in 2000. Made 1 start and 2 substitute appearance, scoring one try, in the Heineken Cup; 2 starts and three substitute appearances, scoring 1 try, in the Interprovincial Championship; and 3 starts, scoring 3 tries, in friendlies in the 2000–01 season. In 2001–02 he made 6 starts and 1 substitute appearance, scoring 1 try. Spent nearly a year out with a serious knee injury. In 2002–03 he made 8 starts and 2 substitute appearance, scoring 1 try. In 2003–04 he made 22 starts and 2 substitute appearances, scoring 4 tries. He made no appearances in 2004–05 and 2005–06. Joined Newport Gwent Dragons for one season in 2006.

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Stefan Terblanche , Jeffery Toomaga-Allen , James Topping , Andrew Trimble , Dan Tuohy , Davy Tweed

Frank Taggart

Back row. Played for Ireland u-20 2014–16. Selected for Emerging Ireland for Tbilisi Cup 2015. Signed from Ballymena 2015, no senior appearances.

Rory Telfer

Fullback/wing, born 29 August 2023. Educated at Coleraine Grammar School. Represented Ulster and Ireland at age-grade level. Joined the Ulster academy in 2022. Represented Ireland u-20 in the 2023 Six Nations Under 20s Championship, 2023 u-20 Six Nations and 2023 World Rugby U20 Championship, 2023 u-20 World Championships. Played club rugby for Queen's University, where he also studied. Made his senior debut for Ulster off the bench against Union Bordeaux Bègles in December 2024, and his first start against

later the same month. He left Ulster at the end of the 2024-25 season.

Derek Topping

Born 2 September 1970. Back row forward. Represented Ulster 1997–2001. Part of the 1999 Heineken Cup team. Brother of wing James Topping.

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Franco van der Merwe , Schalk van der Merwe (rugby union), Schalk van der Merwe , Clinton van Rensburg , Joeli Veitayaki , Duane Vermeulen

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Paddy Wallace , Pedrie Wannenburg , Andy Ward , Grant Webb , Ian Whitten , Colin Wilkinson , Nick Williams (rugby union), Nick Williams , Cillian Willis , Roger Wilson , Sam Windsor

Neil Walsh

Born in Bahrain to Irish parents, 25 June 1985. Wing. Spent part of his childhood in New Zealand and the USA, and returned to Ireland in his teens. Played for CBC Monkstown, winning the Leinster Schools Vinnie Murray Cup. Studied at UCD while playing rugby for Lansdowne. Moved to Australia after graduating, and joined Melbourne Rugby Club, where the coach thought he had a chance to go professional, but an opportunity with a club in the English Championship fell through. Spent some time hiking in South America, where he received an offer of a trial for Ulster as injury cover. Joined the team in December 2012. Made one start and one substitute appearance in the Pro12 that season, but a shoulder injury meant Ulster did not offer him a permanent contract. He returned to Melbourne for a while, before joining Ourense in the Spanish third division, then a second division team near Barcelona, and finally a team in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Richard Weir

Born 7 May 1975. Hooker, played for Queens. Appeared for Ulster in a friendly against Ballymena in 1995. Was part of the 1998–99 Heineken Cup-winning team, making 1 start and 3 appearances off the bench, as well as one substitute appearance in the Interprovincial Championship, and one start and one substitute appearance in representative matches that season. In 1999–2000 he had 3 starts and 1 sub in the Heineken Cup, 1 start and 2 subs in the Interpros, and one friendly start against an Ireland XV. In 2000–01 he made 4 starts and one sub appearance in the Heineken Cup, started all 6 Interpros, and two appearances from the bench in friendlies. In 2001–02 he made three sub appearances in the Celtic League, and one start and one sub in friendlies.

Alan Whitten

Born 12 June 1989. Prop. Brother of Ian Whitten. Played for Instonians. Joined Ulster as short-term injury cover in September 2010. Made one appearance off the bench against Aironi in October 2010.

Roger Wilson

Born 5 May 1972. Back row forward, played for Instonians. Made one representative start in 1993; started two interpros and two representative matches in 1994–95; one substitute appearance in the Heineken Cup, two representative and one friendly start in 1995–96; and two interpro starts and one friendly substitute appearance in 1997–98. Now a surgeon. Not the same Roger Wilson who played for Ulster 2003–2007 and 2012–2017.

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Bryan Young

Scott Young

Born 27 July 1981 Fullback/wing. Represented Ireland at under-21 level. Joined IRFU academy from Ballymena in 2001, and trained with the Ulster squad."Ulster axe winger Cunningham"
BBC Sport, 19 September 2001 Made two appearances from the bench in 2001–02 season. 5 starts, 3 substitute appearances in 2002–03. 17 starts, 3 substitute appearances in 2003–04. 6 starts, 3 substitute appearances in 2004–05. 20 starts, 3 substitute appearances in 2007-07. Moved to Doncaster Knights in 2007."Bishop And Young Join Doncaster"
Irish Rugby, 26 June 2007

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulster Rugby players of the professional era Lists of rugby union players Ulster Rugby players, *