Ulster Rugby Match Day Programme - Dragons

ULSTER
Official Match Day Programme
v DRAGONS
Sun 25 Oct 2020, 3pm
Kingspan Stadium

8
Issue
In this
Welcome and best wishes to you and yours, as we progress
with the new Ulster Rugby season. The ongoing pandemic
has been a strange and challenging time for us all, but the
sight of the Ulstermen taking to the Kingspan Stadium turf brings with
it a welcome semblance of normality.
The absence of Ulster supporters will be greatly missed at Kingspan Stadium today,
but we know thousands of Ulster Rugby supporters will be watching from
home and showing their support.
On behalf of Kingspan, I would like to express my gratitude to the frontline workers who
have been vital in fighting the pandemic. The extraordinary efforts and heroism that has
been shown in recent months gives us in Kingspan and Ulster Rugby the confidence that
we can stand up together and build back better following the pandemic.
On the pitch, Ulster will be looking to maintain their winning ways after two successful wins
over Benetton and Ospreys. Today, the Ulstermen face a tough task as they clash with the
Dragons. Despite the absence of fans in attendance this afternoon, we would like
to extend a warm welcome to our Welsh visitors.
Finally, I would like to wish the Ulster Rugby Squad and management team
the very best of luck. To Ulster’s committed fans, take care and enjoy the game,
we have no doubt that this will be an afternoon to remember.
28
36
President’s Welcome 5
Why It Matters 7
Player Interview: John Andrew 8
Today’s Virtual Mascot 11
Senior Squad 14
Teams 20
Player Interview: Marcus Rea 24
Behind the player: Neve Jones 28
Dragons - Ones To Watch 32
IRFU Academy 7s 36
Last Time Out 39
New Autumn Challenge Starts Here 42
Player Q&A: Stewart Moore 47
42
3

President’s
Welcome
Ahead of this, the third game of this season’s
Guinness PRO14 campaign, I would like to
take this opportunity to say that I hope
you, and your family and friends, are well at
this time.
For many, everyday life will once again be
very different as a result of the restrictions
which have been put in place to slow the
spread of COVID-19 across the province. As
you will know, Ulster Rugby has taken the
decision to play the next two home matches
at Kingspan Stadium behind closed doors –
and, although we cannot Stand Up Together
in a physical sense, I know it will be of great
encouragement to Dan and the team to
know that supporters are staying safe whilst
they SUFTUM from home.
This is also a challenging time for all involved in
domestic rugby across the province with the
game on hold for many for the next number
of weeks – but I would like to say thank-you
for helping rugby in Ulster continue to
help keep players, coaches, referees and
volunteers safe through these measures.
I extend a warm welcome to our visitors
from Dragons for the first of our Sunday
fixtures for this tournament. It’s encouraging
to have a weekend packed with rugby and,
on that note, at the time of writing, the
Ireland’s Men’s and Women’s teams are also
preparing for the restart of their respective
Six Nations Championships. I wish both
teams every success, and particularly to the
Ulster representative in both squads.
Congratulations to our Ulster team on their
two from two wins in the 2020/21 season,
including an impressive away win against
the Ospreys a fortnight ago. Let’s hope
we can look to make it a hattrick, as we
continue to kick-off the new campaign as
we mean to go on.
It has been particularly exciting to watch
some of our younger players make a mark
for themselves in recent matches – and
I look forward to watching them further
progress in the weeks and months ahead.
I hope that you are able to enjoy the game, and
that it offers some relief from the challenges
that we all continue to face at this time.
Stay safe and SUFTUM.
Gary Leslie
President, IRFU Ulster Branch
UlsterRugby.com
5

WHY IT
MATTERS
KELLY BROWN | GLASGOW WARRIORS
“I had a script I’d written; I’d planned it all out, I stood
in front of 100 or so kids, and I completely froze. I just
couldn’t say a word. The sound of silence was defeaning.”
I’ve become a patron of Stamma,
the British Stammering Association.
I’ve been asked for the last couple
of years if I’d become a patron,
and I feel it’s important to raise
awareness around the issue. It’s
something I’ve managed my whole
life and it’s something that I feel like
needs to be talked about more. A lot
of people don’t really understand
stammering and perceive it as
nerves or a weakness – I want to
raise awareness and make it easier
for stammerers in the future.
My first memory of stammering was
a school assembly when I was about
11 or so. I’d been on a school ski trip
the week before, and I was asked if
I would stand up in assembly and
speak about it. I had a script I’d
written; I’d planned it all out, I stood
up in front of 100 or so kids, and I
completely froze. I just couldn’t say
a word. The sound of silence was
deafening.
My dad also stammers, so neither
of us were very sure about the best
course of action – I had a bit of
therapy off and on, but it never really
bothered me to be honest. I was
fortunate enough that I was never
bullied because of my stammer,
probably because I was quite a
big lad! A big turning point for me,
though, was the 2010 Six Nations.
I’d been picked to start for Scotland
in the first game against France,
and the BBC had asked to do an
interview with me. I did it, and it was
absolutely dreadful. It was so bad I
went to the Scotland media manager
and asked to make sure the interview
never got shown. That was a real
catalyst for me.
I enrolled in the McGuire Programme,
and that was massive. Their big
thing is assertive self-acceptance,
which is a key message to get
across. Stammering is a part of who
you are, so to accept that is huge.
Acceptance, and understanding
of others is also important – you
shouldn’t think less of others because
they stammer, or look down at them.
Learning to accept both yourself and
those around you is key.
Part of the reason I enrolled in 2010
was that I didn’t want my stammer to
hold me back. I felt like I could be a
captain, and I could do x,y and z, so
that’s why I decided to do something
about it. I worked incredibly hard on
it, and I continue to do so. I work on
my speech every day and challenge
myself, because I know that when I
do that I’m in control of my stammer
instead of my stammer controlling
me.
The rugby family has been brilliant.
Stammering has never been an issue
for me throughout my life in rugby,
apart from one time. I was waiting to
call the coin toss with Nigel Owens
when I captained Scotland against
France in 2013, and [France captain]
Thierry Dusautoir flipped the coin.
I started trying to say ‘heads’ but
had a block, and the coin bounced
– I think it’s the only time in Six
Nations history they’ve had to do the
coin toss twice! I said the same the
second time, and guess what? It was
tails…
It felt like the right time to become
a patron for Stamma. I felt like I owe
it to myself and to everyone that has
ever helped me and been supportive
of me to speak out about it, because
it’s something I’m hugely passionate
about. Whilst I’ve been fortunate
enough to never have been bullied
because of my stammer, there are
a lot of people who do. A lot of
stammerers hide away because of
the adverse reaction they receive
from other people. It’s twofold, really
– it’s about trying to raise awareness
so other people understand what’s
going on, as well as encouraging
those who have a stammer to
accept and embrace that as a part
of themselves. You should never let
it hold you back, because only you
are responsible for your own destiny.
- Kelly Brown
7

John Andrew
Hooker
26/05/1993
180cm
104kg
68
UlsterRugby.com
Ulster Rugby caught up with hooker,
John Andrew, to talk about his
development, competition
within the squad and his rugby
influences.
John, it’s your first game in
the new season, against
Dragons, and you played
in the business end of
the 2019/20 season;
you must be delighted
to be involved?
Yeah, I played in the
last few games of the
2019/20 season. It was
great to be involved in
the big knock-out games,
which I hadn’t been
involved in with Ulster
before. I’m very excited
to be in the squad on
Sunday against Dragons
for another chance to play,
show what I can add to the
squad, and have some fun.
Who in the squad - player or
coach - has been helping you
and your development and
push for a place?
Everyone helps each other, really. In
the forwards, we work with Roddy
Grant a lot on our set piece. Roddy
is hands-on with the day-to-day
forwards training. I work closely with
Alan O’Connor on line-outs; he gives
me pretty honest feedback on what
he wants from his hooker. As a hooker,
you spend a lot of time with the other
hookers, and the props as well, and we
help each other on scrummaging.
Competition for the number 2 shirt
is incredibly fierce – how do you
deal with that?
You can’t think about it too much as your
own game can suffer. I try to concentrate
on myself and when I get opportunities, I
try to go out there and express myself. In
the past, I’ve maybe been too worried all
week about performance and it affected me
negatively at times. Now, I just concentrate
on myself.
The competition is great; there are a good
few boys going for that number 2 spot.
Competition brings out the best in us;
the hookers work closely together – Rob
Herring, Adam McBurney, Tom Stewart and
me - there’s no bad blood between any of
us. Everyone wants to play and only one of
us can start, but we know to get the best
for the team, we all have to pitch in and
help out whether you’re in the squad or not.
Who have been the main influences
throughout your rugby career?
My brother, Ricky, and my dad. Ricky used
to play for Ulster and my other brother Joel
and I played sports together. My dad would
have been out playing with us too; that’s
where my competitive nature came from.
You had to earn your victories in our house!
It was cool being involved in the Ulster
squad with Ricky when he was there. He
was able to tell me what I should be doing
more of to try and get involved. He coaches
in Spain now and is in contact with me,
asking me about forward play, so we still
talk a bit about it now. I remember when
he first started playing, I thought it was
really cool because we both had dreams of
playing for Ulster when we were young. He
got to do it and I got to watch him, then I
got to go and train with him every day; it
was great. He was definitely a big influence
on my career.
What’s your pre-match song of choice?
I’m a bit old-school when it comes to game
preparation. I don’t have my headphones
on when I’m on the bus or anything like
that. I just chat to any other players who
don’t have their headphones on!
Can you tell us what are your personal
goals for the season ahead?
I first came into the squad in 2014 so I’ve
had some time to figure out that if you give
yourself big long-term goals and you don’t
achieve them, it can get you down. Now I’m
more focused on the day-to-day. I come in
and want to train well and do everything I
can to push for a place. If you get selected
to play, it gives you the confidence to know
that you’ve prepared well to go out and
enjoy it.
You want to start every week – if you ask
anyone in the squad that would be their
goal – but I try not to get too caught up in
that or worry about things I can’t control.
I just set my goals for things that are
within my control like my attitude, training
well and putting in the work off the
training pitch.
9

Standout
Paving for
Outstanding
Homes
Today’s Virtual
Mascot
Name: Oscar McGuinness
Age: 13
From: Belfast
Oscar descibed his favourite hobbie
as supporting Ulster on a Friday night
at Kingspan Stadium, beating one of
Europe’s (second) best teams!
His favourite Ulster players are
Jacob Stockdale and Will Addison.
tobermore.co.uk
Paving
& Walling
11

TOGETHER
ULSTER
SEASON MEMBERSHIP
Benefits
Membership pack
with gift
Exclusive booking period
for all home fixtures
First access to premium
digital content
PREMIER
SPORTS
Exclusive offer to get
full Premier Sports
package for £80
Exclusive partner
offers & discounts
Plus more
UlsterRugby.com/TogetherUlster
13

Senior
Squad
John
Cooney
Scrum Half
01/05/1990
178cm
87kg
67
11
Angus
Curtis
Fly Half / Centre
26/03/1998
178cm
92kg
13
Matt
Faddes
Centre/Wing
06/11/1991
185cm
94kg
15
Craig
Gilroy
Wing
11/03/1991
183cm
92kg
184
10
Coaching Staff
Head Coach:
Assistant Coach:
Defence Coach:
Forwards’ Coach:
Skills Coach:
Dan McFarland
Dwayne Peel
Jared Payne
Roddy Grant
Dan Soper
Will
Addison
Utility Back
20/08/1992
185cm
93kg
19
4
John
Andrew
Hooker
26/05/1993
180cm
104kg
68
Iain
Henderson
Lock
21/02/1992
198cm
117kg
116
55
Rob
Herring
Hooker
27/04/1990
199cm
107kg
186
10
James
Hume
Centre
07/09/1998
188cm
98kg
23
Bill
Johnston
Fly Half
07/02/1997
180cm
87kg
13
Robert
Baloucoune
Wing
19/08/1997
193cm
90kg
21
Billy
Burns
Fly Half
13/06/1994
185cm
86kg
40
Sam
Carter
Lock
10/09/1989
201cm
116kg
13
AUS 16
Marcell
Coetzee
Back Row
08/05/1991
193cm
114kg
47
SA 30
Greg
Jones
Back Row
13/01/1996
196cm
105kg
17
Ross
Kane
Prop
14/10/1996
180cm
118kg
47
Michael
Lowry
Full Back
20/08/1998
170cm
75kg
25
Louis
Ludik
Full Back
08/10/1986
183cm
90kg
110
UlsterRugby.com
15

Centre
06/08/1992
193cm
11kg
125
3
Stuart
McCloskey
Prop
11/10/1989
185cm
118kg
16
56
Jack
McGrath
Prop
15/12/1992
191cm
132kg
2
Gareth
Milasinovich
Prop
01/03/1991
178cm
121kg
38
10
Marty
Moore
Centre
08/08/1999
1831cm
91kg
4
Stewart
Moore
Back Row
22/04/1991
188cm
105kg
32
30
Jordi
Murphy
Centre
03/03/1991
180cm
97kg
140
11
Luke
Marshall
Scrum Half
13/12/1985
173cm
93kg
5
NZ 4
Alby
Mathewson
Hooker
05/09/1996
183cm
102kg
27
Adam
McBurney
Prop
02/01/1992
175cm
111kg
60
Kyle
McCall
Wing
28/01/1997
175cm
85kg
35
Rob
Lyttle
Fly Half
21/03/1989
180cm
87kg
5
30
Ian
Madigan
Lock
10/09/1992
196cm
114kg
111
Alan
O’Connor
Lock / Back Row
19/05/1995
193cm
110kg
8
David
O’Connor
Prop
23/09/1998
185cm
120kg
45
Tom
O’Toole
Back Row
08/09/1997
188cm
105kg
2
Marcus
Rea
Back Row
21/09/1993
193cm
112kg
49
Matthew
Rea
Back Row
10/05/1989
183cm
103kg
127
2
Sean
Reidy
Scrum Half
20/06/1993
175cm
78kg
59
David
Shanahan
Wing / Full Back
03/04/1996
191cm
103kg
70
28
Jacob
Stockdale
Back Row
01/08/1995
188cm
111kg
64
Nick
Timoney
Lock
06/11/1995
198cm
118kg
92
3
Kieran
Treadwell
Prop
12/03/1991
178cm
113kg
123
Andrew
Warwick
Prop
30/11/1995
185cm
115kg
47
Eric
O’Sullivan
17
UlsterRugby.com

19

1 O’Sullivan 2 Andrew 3 Moore
1 Bateman 2 Hibbard 3 Fairbrother
C
4 O’Connor
5 Carter
4 Davies 5 Screech
6 Reidy
8 Coetzee
7 Murphy
6 Keddie
8 Griffiths
7 Basham
C
9 Cooney
9 Williams
11 Ludik
10 Madigan
11 Hewitt
10 Davies
12 Moore
12 Dixon
REPLACEMENTS
16 A McBurney
17 K McCall
13 Hume
REPLACEMENTS
16 E Shipp
17 B Harris
13 Warren
18 R Kane
18 C Coleman
19 K Treadwell
19 J Maksymiw
20 N Timoney
21 D Shanahan
15 Lyttle
14 Faddes
20 B Fry
21 T Knoyle
15 Holmes
14 Rosser
22 B Johnston
23 M Lowry
Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)
Assistant Referees: Sean Gallagher, Chris Busby (both IRFU)
TMO: Olly Hodges (IRFU)
22 A Robson
23 J Roberts
UlsterRugby.com
21

ULSTER
Next Home Game:
v
GLASGOW
MON 9 NOV
8.15PM
KINGSPAN
STADIUM
23

Marcus Rea
Back
Row
08/09/1997
188cm
105kg
2
Eighteen months passed
between Marcus Rea’s first and
second appearances for Ulster,
which made the 23-year-old
back-row all-the-more savour
his opportunity to play against
Ospreys at Liberty Stadium a
fortnight ago.
“The wait made it sweeter, to
be honest,” says Rea. “With
the competition within the
squad, I had to take a step
back and look at my game and
pick out points I had to improve and what
would set me apart coming into the new
season. Some of us had a good game
against Leinster A the week before and
Dan [McFarland] has given a few boys a
run-out off the back of that. It was longawaited
but it was fantastic.
“Moving forward there are a few points
coaches have to see in me. I’ve been
working on the breakdown area; I figured
that I’d be a threat there. It’s something
the coaches are going to turn to and
have faith in me that I can do a job out
there when it comes to defence. It’s
been a long year, putting a lot of effort
in. It’ll hopefully be the unseen work
that will get me through this season.”
The 23-year old was particularly
unlucky with injuries at the wrong
times during the 2019-20 season,
which also hampered his chances for
Ulster game time.
“I broke my jaw playing a club game
for Ballynahinch at Trinity. It was a cue
for a really speedy recovery because
Christmas dinner was coming up
pretty quickly and I didn’t want to
miss that, never mind missing games!
“Mentally, coming back and getting stuck in
again after a jaw injury was tough. Between
that and a few niggles from playing club
games, I didn’t have the continuity I would
have liked. There were opportunities to
get a game such as Leinster away before
Christmas to get a run-out, but it just so
happened that my jaw injury was two
weeks before that.”
During his hiatus, Rea turned to Ulster
Forwards Coach, Roddy Grant, as well
as big brother, Matty, to help develop his
game and keep him motivated.
“Roddy helped me a lot. He came from a
particularly defensive background from
when he played. I watched games he played
and found the way he moved sparked the
creative side in me.
“On the mental side, my brother, Matty,
kept me on track and told me to keep
working throughout the year and it will
come. In some ways, I’m happy I could do
it the hard way and I hope it will hold me in
good stead.”
Back-row is one of the most competitive
areas of the Ulster squad at the moment,
with Matty Rea, Nick Timoney, Sean
Reidy, Marcell Coetzee and Jordi Murphy
all competing for starting positions, with
promising young players - including Marcus
- nipping at their heels.
“There are guys like Dave McCann who’s a
cracking player, Greg Jones and me, plus a
few other boys who will hope to get a runout.
Hopefully this season the coaches can
rely on us to take responsibility and they can
have faith in us. It’s on us to play well and
give them the assurance that if a player is
carrying a niggle, the coaches can afford to
rest him. We want to be the players to hold
our hand up and get the job done. It’s hard
to be patient, but I just try to be as mature
as I can about it. I just ask myself, “How can I
help the players who are picked?”.
“The coaches were pretty pleased with
my performance against Ospreys, so if I
can keep tidying the small areas, like my
breakdown work and my carrying, I can
be more of an asset to the team. If my
defensive work can become a strength for
me and the coaches can rely on me to do
that, then perfect.”
UlsterRugby.com
25

27

Behind the Player
Neve Jones
In our series, Behind the Player in
association with Deloitte, Ulster’s Women
players share a little bit about their
player pathway, influences, barriers and
proudest moments.
This week, we spoke to Malone, Ulster and
Ireland’s Neve Jones.
Tell us a little about your rugby pathway
to date.
Being a kid growing up and as soon as I
could walk, my dad had us playing rugby
in the living room together and I tackled
my brother – I’m not sure how happy he
was about it! Around P2 or P3 I went to
Ballymena and took up rugby there with
the boys. Once I got to first year at school,
my mum said I couldn’t play rugby with the
boys anymore and I was a bit heartbroken!
I was a bit lost about what to do for a while
but at the age of 14 I went to a summer
camp and was the only girl there. A guy at
the summer camp gave my mum contact
details for someone at Malone Rugby Club
where I have been playing my rugby since.
At Malone, I got scouted to play for Ulster
U18s which then led me to play for the
senior squad.
What barriers have you had to overcome
to reach this point?
After playing mini rugby when I got to
secondary school age, there was no
girls’ team at Ballymena so I had to look
elsewhere. Travelling to Belfast to play the
sport I wanted to play when I was studying
for my GCSEs and A-Levels took up a lot of
time. Trying to organise myself so I could do
Hooker
26/12/1998
well in my exams while doing my strength
and conditioning, training and matches
was hard because the rugby wasn’t readily
available for me in Ballymena. I wouldn’t
have changed anything though because it
has put me where I am today.
What has been your proudest moment
in rugby?
That’s a tough question; I’ve had loads of
proud moments! In 2016, I was the captain
of the Ulster U18 squad and we won the
Inter-Pros. Words can’t describe how good
it felt to win that. Getting your first senior
cap and getting called up to camp; you
can’t really beat those experiences. I know
that each rugby moment is going to top the
next one because of how hard I’ve worked
to get where I am today and hopefully work
harder to get even further.
What are your aspirations
in rugby?
My aspirations are to pull
on a green jersey some day
and continue to do so if I
get my first cap and see how
far I can take that. I also love
coaching rugby and seeing
future generations pick up the
sport, especially when you see
girls in primary schools who
have never played rugby before
and they thrive in playing. They
love it because it’s inclusive
of everyone so they all get
to experience the sport or
have had that fundamental
introduction to rugby and
then pick up later in life.
There are girls I’ve coached
who are 15 or 16 are picking
it up at uni and are loving it.
That’s huge for me to see
the girls progress because if
we don’t have kids continue
to come through, women’s
rugby wouldn’t exist.
I can’t envisage my life
without coaching. Every part
of it I love; even the bad days
when it’s raining and everyone
is complaining because
it’s cold, once they get
stuck in, you just see
them thrive in that
environment. I can’t
see my life without
coaching or being
involved in rugby in
some capacity. I hope
it will be in coaching
as there is so much you
can learn from it.
UlsterRugby.com
29

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31

Dragons to Watch
Last Time Out
Jamie Roberts
Centre
A model of consistency with three Championships and two
Grand Slams to his name, Jamie Roberts was the heartbeat of
the Welsh midfield for the best part of a decade.
The 33-year-old’s impressive Welsh appearances led to two
British & Irish Lions Tours in a glittering career that has seen him
play club rugby in Wales, England, France and South Africa –
and he’s not finished yet.
Roberts signed for Dragons ahead of this season and made
an instant impact winning match of the match in the region’s
last Guinness PRO14 game, where they defeated Zebre.
Ulster 36-18 Dragons
Fri 26 Oct 2018
Guinness PRO14
This summer, the profile of Ashton Hewitt transcended from
being just a rugby player. The way he became one of the
loudest voices in rugby speaking out against racism put him
in the spotlight.
Hewitt came through the Academy ranks at Dragons and
made his regional debut in 2013. The speedster has gone on to
become one of the most potent finishers in the league with his
electric pace and powerful running.
The 25-year-old has been in and around Wales squads for a
number of years now - although a senior cap has so far eluded him.
Taine Basham
Back Row
Last 3 Meetings
The dynamic back row is one of the rising stars at Dragons
after a string of eye-catching performances in recent years.
The 20-year-old has made a big impression in the PRO14
and will be a dangerous figure in the Dragons back row this
afternoon.
Basham made his senior debut for the region in the Anglo-
Welsh Cup clash with Scarlets in January 2018, having
come through the Dragons Academy system. He has also
impressed on the international stage with Wales Under-20s
and Wales Sevens.
3 Mar
2019
26 Oct
2018
Ashton Hewitt
Wing
1 Dec
2017
Ulster 28 18 32
Dragons 15 36 32
It has been almost exactly two years
since Ulster hosted Dragons at Kingspan
Stadium, as last season’s scheduled
fixture was cancelled due to the onset
of coronavirus.
On a night when Robert Baloucoune
earned his first Ulster cap, Henry Speight,
David Shanahan, Michael Lowry and Stuart
McCloskey (2) touched down for tries, with
Johnny McPhillips adding one penalty and
four conversions.
A superb exhibition of fluent rugby saw Ulster
score three first half tries through Speight,
Shanahan and Lowry, who darted past five
would-be tacklers for his first senior try. Two
Jason Tovey penalties and a converted Huw
Taylor try left the scoreline 24-13 at the interval.
McCloskey went over for the bonus point
try in the 48th minute, and added his
second with two minutes left on the clock.
The visitors’ sole second-half score was a
67th minute try for Jarryd Sage.
Ulster
(15-9): Michael Lowry; Robert Baloucoune,
Will Addison, Stuart McCloskey, Henry
Speight; Johnny McPhillips, David Shanahan;
(1-8): Eric O’Sullivan, Rory Best (c), Marty
Moore, Kieran Treadwell, Iain Henderson,
Sean Reidy, Jordi Murphy, Marcell Coetzee.
Replacements (16223): Rob Herring, Andrew
Warwick, Tom O’Toole, Alan O’Connor, Greg
Jones, Johnny Stewart, Angus Kernohan,
Peter Nelson.
Dragons
(15-9): Jordan Williams; Daf Howells, Adam
Warren, Jarryd Sage, Will Talbot-Davies;
Jason Tovey, Rhodri Williams;
(1-8): Brok Harris, Richard Hibbard (c), Lloyd
Fairbrother, Lewis Evans, Matthew Screech,
Huw Taylor, Nic Cudd, Harrison Keddie.
Replacements (16-23): Rhys Lawrence,
Ryan Bevington, Aaron Jarvis, Joe Davies,
Taine Basham, Tavis Knoyle, Jack Dixon,
Zane Kirchner.
33

Stats
NAME POSITION AGE HEIGHT WEIGHT CAPS
Daniel Babos Scrum Half 20 178cm 78kg 13
Luke Baldwin Scrum Half 30 173cm 85kg 11
Taine Basham Back Row 20 183cm 95kg 36
Greg Bateman Prop 31 180cm 107kg 1
James Benjamin Back Row 26 182cm 98kg 64
Ryan Bevington Prop 31 183cm 116kg 17
Leon Brown Prop 23 190cm 126kg 46
Ben Carter Lock 19 198cm 116kg 2
Christian Coleman Prop 22 188cm 125kg 8
Joseph Davies Lock 24 197cm 130kg 66
Sam Davies Fly Half 27 180cm 87kg 21
Elliot Dee Hooker 26 186cm 106kg 110
Jack Dixon Centre 25 188cm 105kg 124
Rio Dyer Wing 20 186cm 84kg 8
Connor Edwards Centre 23 183cm 94kg 13
Lewis Evans Back Row 33 191cm 112kg 232
Lloyd Fairbrother Prop 28 175cm 123kg 126
Benjamin Fry Back Row 22 186cm 105kg 6
Harry Fry Prop 19 183cm 108kg 0
Lennon Greggains Back Row 21 187cm 96kg 5
Oliver Griffiths Back Row 25 185cm 104kg 73
Tom Griffiths Centre 24 188cm 98kg 6
Brok Harris Prop 35 186cm 121kg 126
Ashton Hewitt Wing 25 180cm 90kg 89
Richard Hibbard Hooker 36 183cm 114kg 40
Jonah Holmes Wing 28 186cm 98kg 3
Dafydd Howells Wing 25 184cm 94kg 25
Aaron Jarvis Prop 34 183cm 116kg 26
Owen Jenkins Wing 27 183cm 85kg 12
Harrison Keddie Back Row 24 188cm 110kg 64
Tavis Knoyle Scrum Half 30 185cm 95kg 51
Rhys Lawrence Hooker 32 178cm 100kg 16
Josh Lewis Fly Half 28 183cm 84kg 24
Conor Maguire Prop 23 180cm 99kg 4
Joe Maksymiw Lock 25 201cm 114kg 5
Ross Moriarty Back Row 26 188cm 103kg 21
Aneurin Owen Centre 20 180cm 89kg 0
Will Reed Fly Half 18
Josh Reynolds Prop 21 180cm 110kg 18
Jamie Roberts Centre 33 193cm 110kg 3
Arwel Robson Fly Half 23 180cm 83kg 24
Jared Rosser Wing 22 183cm 97kg 48
Matthew Screech Lock 27 198cm 116kg 148
Ellis Shipp Hooker 23 179cm 108kg 21
Will Talbot-Davies Full Back 23 191cm 98kg 29
Huw Taylor Back Row 24 196cm 108kg 26
Nick Tompkins Centre 25 181cm 85kg 5
Aaron Wainwright Back Row 23 189cm 106kg 52
Adam Warren Centre 29 181cm 92kg 114
Max Williams Lock 22 195cm 104kg 22
Jordan Williams Full Back 27 173cm 81kg 35
Rhodri Williams Scrum Half 27 176cm 81kg 45
35

Ulster & Ireland
Impress on Opening Day
of IRFU Academy 7s
IRFU Academy 7s – Round 1,
Saturday 17 October
Connacht 05 - 45 Ulster
Ireland 33 - 07 Munster
Ireland 26 - 07 Connacht
Munster 12 - 24 Ulster
Ulster and Ireland Men’s Sevens produced
the standout performances of the opening
Round of the IRFU Academy 7s Series
at the IRFU High Performance Centre in
Dublin last weekend, as the inaugural
staging of the tournament provided
players with a valuable opportunity to
return to action.
Anthony Eddy‘s Ireland blew off the
cobwebs following a long break caused
by the Covid-19 pandemic with three
successive victories to take an early
lead in the Series standings, but a young
Ulster outfit impressed during wins over
Connacht and Munster on Saturday.
Ulster, coached by Aiden McNulty and
Jonny Graham, will take huge confidence
from their performances as they leaned on
the Sevens experience of Aaron Sexton and
Cormac Izuchukwu to secure victories over
Connacht and then a strong Munster side.
Flying winger Sexton crossed for a brace in
Ulster’s opening 45-4 defeat of Connacht
and he finished the day with five tries in
total, while Bruce Houston scored 24 points
for the northern province, who sit second
behind Ireland in the Series standings.
With an array of exciting talent on show
throughout the six games, there were
a number of eye-catching individual
contributions as players seized the chance
to boost game-time and sharpen their
match intensity under the watchful eye of
their Provincial coaches and National team
management.
over Munster, Connacht and Ulster, with
captain Billy Dardis and HSBC World
Rugby Sevens Series top try-scorer Jordan
Conroy crossing three times each during
the opening day’s action.
There was also a return to the green jersey
for Ian Fitzpatrick, who missed Ireland’s
debut season on the World Series through
injury, while the likes of Terry Kennedy,
Hugo Lennox and Mark Roche all added
their name to the scoreboard throughout
as Eddy’s side build towards the 2021
campaign.
A 33-7 victory over Munster got Ireland
up and running and while they went on
to record a clean sweep on Saturday,
they were given stern work-outs by both
Connacht and Ulster, which will serve
Eddy’s charges well as they look towards
Round 2 on Saturday 31st October.
Ulster’s 24-12 victory over Munster, who
had a number of senior players including
Alex McHenry, Calvin Nash and Matt
Gallagher in their ranks, was particularly
notable and gives them momentum ahead
of Rounds 2 and 3.
Munster finished the day strongly with
a six-try defeat of Connacht as Ireland
Under-20 out-half Jack Crowley came to
the fore with a couple of tries for Greig
Oliver‘s side.
Ulster 15 - 35 Ireland
Connacht 14 - 40 Munster
IRFU Academy 7s Squads
Ireland: Aaron O’Sullivan,
Ian Fitzpatrick, Gavin Mullin, Peter
Maher, Jack Kelly, Mark Roche, Billy
Dardis, Hugo Lennox, Terry Kennedy,
Duran Krummeck, Steven Kilgallon, Jordan
Conroy, Eanna Madden.
Connacht: Cathal Forde, Shane Jennings,
Oran McNulty, Sean O’Brien, Diarmuid
Kilgallen, Donnacha Byrne, Hubert Costello,
Declan Adamson, Dylan Tierney, Oisin
McCormack, Joshua Dunne.
Munster: Eoghan Clarke, Scott Buckley,
Jack Daly, Jack Crowley, Jake Flannery,
Jonathan Wren, Sean French, Jack
O’Sullivan, Alex McHenry, Liam Coombes,
Calvin Nash, Matt Gallagher.
Ulster: Azur Allison, Ben Carson, Lewis
Finlay, Hayden Hyde, Bruce Houston,
Cormac Izuchukwu, Greg Jones, Conor
Rankin, Marcus Rea, Aaron Sexton,
David Shanahan.
IRFU Academy 7s Schedule
• Round 2, IRFU High Performance Centre
– Saturday 31 October
• Round 3, IRFU High Performance Centre
– Saturday 7 November.
Bruce Houston
Ireland flexed their considerable muscle
at different junctures during victories
UlsterRugby.com
37

Last Time Out
12 - 24
Ulster made it two from two in the
Guinness PRO14, with a convincing win
away from home against Ospreys at the
Liberty Stadium.
The visitors were the first to get on the
scoreboard in the seventh minute of the
game, after a period of patient play from
the forwards, recycling the ball before Ian
Madigan sent Jacob Stockdale over. John
Cooney added the conversion.
The hosts got their first points after 21
minutes through the boot of Stephen Myler,
reducing the deficit to four points.
The Ulster forwards had another busy period
on the half-hour mark, making hard carries
and earning a penalty in front of the posts
for John Cooney to slot over.
Just before half-time, Ulster had the
opportunity to extend their lead when the
pack earned a scrum penalty just inside the
Ospreys half, but the difficult kick from John
Cooney was just off-target.
With the clock in the red, Ospreys responded
immediately with a long-range penalty of
their own, Stephen Myler sending the ball
over and the flags up, reducing the gap once
again to four points.
Ulster came out firing in the second half, with
Jacob Stockdale testing the Ospreys defence
through the boot and ball in hand. Marcell
Coetzee got Ulster’s second try of the night
with Cooney adding the conversion.
Ospreys fly-half, Myler added another two
penalties to his and the hosts’ total of twelve
points.
The final score came from a lovely
wraparound from Ian Madigan which sent
Rob Lyttle and John Cooney on a scintillating
run, the scrum-half showing great strength to
turn around in the tackle to ground the ball.
He converted his try, bringing his personal
tally for the evening to fourteen.
Moment of the Match:
Marcell Coetzee got just reward for an
industrious night, involved in the run-up to his
try with an offload and carry to score, Cooney
converting.
Scorers:
Ospreys
Pens: Myler (4)
Ulster
Tries: Stockdale, Coetzee, Cooney
Cons: Cooney (3) Pens: Cooney
UlsterRugby.com 39

LIVE STATS
Click Here
41

So both Ryan and McFarland will have
planned for a busy PRO14 programme
and each has already blooded some
young talent to add to the hard core of
experienced performers.
New Autumn Challenge
Starts Here!
It may be just the third game of the new
campaign but the five successive Guinness
PRO14 rounds until the start of December
could have a critical impact on the chase
for honours.
Ulster welcomes a refashioned Dragons
to Kingspan Stadium, renewing a Sunday
afternoon rivalry which has always been
hard fought, and which in all honesty has
not produced many memorable moments.
With international calls on both clubs the
line-ups might, at first glance, have a slightly
unfamiliar look but Dan McFarland and
Dean Ryan have prepared their squads for
intrusions in autumn – though completing a
Six Nations tournament before embarking
on an entirely new competition would not
have been on the radar at the start of 2020!
Ulster will view the international demands
with some irony. Last season’s PRO14
runners-up and Champions Cup quarterfinalists
are asked, initially at least, to provide
just four players to Ireland’s squad for the
next two months. That rather remarkable
statistic means that John Cooney will be
his club’s scrum-half against the Welsh, and
Guest article by
Rod Nawn
those such as Marty Moore, Jordi Murphy
and Sean Reidy will concentrate their
considerable talents on the Guinness PRO14.
McFarland will be pleased that his own
group has not been reduced as much as
he might have expected, and he’ll have
anticipated Jacob Stockdale and Rob
Herring being in green jerseys for the next
several weeks, and Stuart McCloskey surely
merits a midfield chance when the Autumn
Nations Cup series begins next month.
Iain Henderson would surely have been
taking on Italy in the re-scheduled Six Nations
game with Italy but an uncharacteristic
disciplinary breach means the captain will
miss the Dragons clash and his country’s
first games of the autumn.
The Dragons contributed flanker Aaron
Wainwright and classy centre Nick Tompkins
to the team which faced France in Paris on
Friday, and hooker Elliot Dee and prop Leon
Brown were in the initial Welsh squad, as
was winger Jonah Holmes who was formally
released by Wayne Pivac for club duty
in Belfast.
But it is a veteran centre who was the eyecatching
addition to the Dragons squad
this season and Ulster players, coaches
and fans will be aware of the effect Jamie
Roberts can have on the game. Not just a
thunderous carrier and runner, the former
Lion has returned to the Welsh fold after a
varied career with Cardiff, Racing in Paris,
Harlequins, Bath and, most recently, the
Stormers in South Africa.
He somehow managed to qualify as a doctor
while embracing the professional game and
as he closes in on his 34th birthday he will
relish the challenge in the Ulster midfield of
the hugely talented James Hume and Stewart
Moore. The youngsters have shown that their
immense promise is being carefully nurtured
by the Ulster coaching group.
Confident, deft and imaginative are qualities
they’d recognise in the 17 stone Roberts,
but neither will be intimidated by physical
presence, and will focus on feasting on the
service from John Cooney’s service at the base
of a pack which does look to have the better of
the visitors.
If Marcell Coetzee is ready for the fray he
will have a major influence on proceedings.
It is one of the small tragedies of an empty
Kingspan that his remarkable range of back
row skills will not be raising the sound levels
in the stadium. He has said the next World
Cup in 2023 is in his international sights and
his astonishing succession of Player of the
Match displays is proof positive of his world
class standing.
Adam McBurney will have John Andrew vying
for the hooker’s role, and O’Sullivan, Moore,
O’Toole and McGrath are proven props, and
the Ulster scrum in winning at Ospreys was
impressive and admirably consistent. Two of Alan
O’Connor, Kieran Treadwell and Sam Carter will
fill the second row, and Sean Reidy, Murphy, the
Rea brothers and Nick Timoney will be valued
breakaway options in the next month and more.
UlsterRugby.com
43

The Dragons, a club certainly emerging from
a dark decade on and off the pitch, have the
rugged Richard Hibbard in the middle of
the front row and his famous blonde mane
remains as distinctive as his qualities in
the set-piece and in the sometimes murky
world of ruck and maul.
But Ulster’s resources these days are
maturing sharply and performing to their
individual potentials and clearly responding
to the clarity from McFarland, Dwayne Peel,
Jared Payne, Roddy Grant and Dan Soper,
each strong and demanding coaches who
have the respect of a clearly improving and
deeper squad.
Dean Ryan is reshaping the Dragons and
bringing much-needed concentration on
performance and team cohesion. Roberts
was both try-scorer and creator in the
bonus point win last time out against Zebre,
and full-back Jordan Williams showed
what an attacking threat he is, and winger
Holmes will be carefully marshalled by Rob
Lyttle, Matt Faddes and Louis Ludik.
Ulster appear to be the more prepared,
settled outfit, its players experienced at
the best level of the Guinness PRO14, and
there’s genuine competition in its ranks. Ian
Madigan will partner Cooney at half-back,
and if the forwards perform as efficiently
as they did in Newport a fortnight ago
they’ll have quality possession from which
to launch Hume, Moore, Ludik and freescoring
Lyttle, operating in the number 15
jersey this week.
This is the Ulster-Dragons game which can
break the rather dour tradition of these
fixtures, there is just too much imagination,
organisation, and commitment in both sides.
But the assured Ulster generation of the
McFarland era looks the more potent
outfit, and a third consecutive win would
set up Monday week’s visit to Cardiff Blues
very nicely.
Home supporters can hardly wait to
flood back into Kingspan Stadium,
but confined to their armchairs in these
weird, challenging times they will be full of
good cheer if their favourites continue their
clear development.
They will fill those stadium spaces with
relish as soon as possible!
UlsterRugby.com

Player
Q&A
Stewart Moore
When did you start playing rugby,
and who was your first team?
Ballymoney RFC Minis when I was 6 years old.
What’s your favourite rugby memory?
Schools’ Cup semi-final with Dalriada, first
time in 26 years.
If you could re-live one moment from
your rugby career, what would it be?
(Good or bad)
U20 World Championship 19’ vs Australia,
I missed touch and a couple of phases later
injured
my shoulder.
If you didn’t play rugby, what other sport
would you play?
Football or Tennis .
Best player you have played with?
Stuart McCloskey (Big Stu).
Best player you have played against?
Elliot Daly.
What’s your pre-match routine?
Any superstitions?
Pack my bag night before and clean
my boots.
What’s on your pre-match playlist?
A range of genres from Rock to Rap. Red Hot
Chili Peppers, JAY1 and Drake to name a few...
Tell us something not many people would
know about you?
I have two different coloured eyebrows,
you won’t unsee it now.
What’s the one thing you could not
live without?
Subway cookies.
Who has been the biggest influence on
your rugby career?
Ballymoney RFC and my Dad. I always looked
up to Quade Cooper growing up as a player.
47

Thank You!
2020/21 FIXTURES
Ulster Rugby wish to thank all of our sponsors
and partners for their continued support.
Main Sponsor
OCTOBER
Dragons Sun 25 3.00pm H
NOVEMBER
Cardiff Mon 2 6.00pm A
Glasgow Mon 9 8.15pm H
Zebre Mon 16 6.00pm A
Scarlets Sun 22 7.35pm H
Edinburgh Mon 30 8.15pm A
Kit Sponsor
Official Sponsors
Domestic Sponsors
Official On-kit Sponsors
GUINNESS PRO14 CONFERENCE A
Team Played W D L Bonus Pts
Leinster 2 2 0 0 2 10
Ulster 2 2 0 0 1 9
Glasgow 2 1 0 1 1 5
Dragons 2 1 0 1 1 5
Ospreys 2 1 0 1 0 4
Zebre 2 0 0 2 0 0
Official Partners
mmw
Millar McCall Wylie
GUINNESS PRO14 CONFERENCE B
Team Played W D L Bonus Pts
Cardiff 2 2 0 0 1 9
Munster 2 2 0 0 0 8
Connacht 2 1 0 1 0 4
Scarlets 2 0 0 2 1 1
Edinburgh 2 0 0 2 1 1
Benetton 2 0 0 2 0 0
UlsterRugby.com
49