What the Papers Say 2013/2014

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Mac
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Re: What the Papers Say 2013/2014

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Friday 28th June 2013

Times

Tommy Bowe grateful to Australians for getting him back on the wing ..........................GT
‘I was pretty much told it was curtains when I hurt my hand’.
One of the most significant advancements within the vast Lions machine has been their ever-expanding and ever-improving medical and fitness back-up. Nothing illustrates the point more than Tommy Bowe’s recovery from a broken hand three weeks ago, although it wouldn’t have been possible without support from Australian medics either. Maybe the Aussies are going soft.

When it was feared he had suffered a fracture at Suncorp Stadium three Saturdays ago against the Reds, Bowe’s ensuing scan was facilitated by Ben Kelley opening his X-Radiology Clinic in Brisbane about 3k from the stadium.

After it confirmed the worst, Kelley refused any payment, but within an hour he had received a Lions’ jersey autographed by the entire squad and an autographed Lions rugby ball. By then though, Bowe was so sure his tour had been ended prematurely that he texted his girlfriend and parents, who were in Brisbane, with two words. “Game over.”

Whereupon the Brisbane-based surgeon Dr Peter Rowan, who had operated on Reds and rugby league players with similar injuries, entered the fray when contacted by the Irish team doctor Dr Eanna Halvey, who is part of the Lions’ medical entourage.

“I was pretty much told it was curtains when I hurt my hand,” recalled Bowe yesterday. “On the side of the pitch the doctor just said ‘I’m sorry’. I went for the X-rays and they all showed a fracture, a spiral fracture down through the metacarpal.”

Bowe was even more resigned to his fate until Falvey had the idea of calling Rowan at 11.45pm that night at Kelley’s clinic. “He was the one who said, ‘I’ve had rugby league guys coming back within three weeks, max’, so that was the shining light, the opportunity that there might be a chance to stay on.

“From all the people in the hospital at the time, everybody, a broken bone in the hand, meant six to eight weeks in a cast and that’s curtains. But Dr Rowan just mentioned it to Eanna, that he has had players coming back. It might be sore, you might have to dig in a bit but it’s possible.”

Operation
Bowe’s sense of debt to Rowan is incalculable. “In fairness to Dr Rowan, I think he normally sails or does something on a Sunday morning but he came in first thing to come and do the operation. So I owe a huge amount to him.”

Pretty much from the moment the operation was completed Bowe believed he could realistically target this Test, which ensured he and those close to him experienced a whirlwind of emotions. “My family are all over here and I just texted them all to say ‘game over’. I thought that was it. Then all of a sudden, when I got that bit of information at quarter to 12 at night, I was back in the hotel and it was a range of emotion; to go from the lows, thinking your tour is over so early into it to think that you have a chance. I didn’t know whether I’d be back in time for the Test matches but there was always that opportunity and to get picked in it now is an even higher emotion.”

In actual fact, Bowe confirmed yesterday that rumours of him straining to play last week were true, the flexibility in his hand having begun to return, but he was advised to give it another week. Bowe now has a full range of movement in his right hand, although will play with a protective hurling glove.

“Andrew Trimble fractured his hand a couple of years ago and had a hurling glove and played a couple of games in it for Ireland, so we got in touch with the same guys and they shifted it straight out to us from Ireland.”

Bowe’s selection ahead of Alex Cuthbert is testimony to his all-round qualities and the high value placed upon him by the coaching staff. He overcame knee surgery in December to make it back as a replacement in Ulster’s Heineken Cup quarter-final defeat to Saracens at Twickenham, but with his form of four years ago in the bank, did enough that day and in a couple of Pro12 games to earn his selection in the squad.

With his heads-up brand of rugby, Bowe had looked in prime form, and to miss out on the Test series would have been too cruel, but if he can hit the ground running after four months, three weeks oughtn’t to be much bother to him.

“It is an enormous game and certainly after the performance last weekend it’s tough watching it and it’s going to be difficult after two weeks out, but I felt good how I played in the previous matches. I’ve come back from a bad injury already earlier on the season. I think I was able to raise my game straight back up to the level I want to play at. I’ve trained with the boys the last week or so and I think that I’m definitely up to it.”

Missed out
Citing the players who have missed out, Bowe believes this team, or squad, is better than four years ago. “I think we have as good a team, as good a squad here, as you could get.”

He is both mindful of history repeating itself, but also creating history. “It’s 16 years since it’s been won. Everything felt in 2009, off the pitch and on the pitch, everything felt as if it was lined up for us to win that series. It was probably one of my biggest regrets and you chat to anyone involved in that tour, the disappointment of missing out on that.

“To go 2-0 down was just heartbreaking. We know the history behind it, we know what a great opportunity it is to get picked for the Lions, but if a Lions team can’t win and if we were to go another couple of years, it would seem ‘What’s going to happen with the Lions?’ This is a great opportunity for us. We know the history, we know how difficult it is to come down to the Southern Hemisphere and get a win.”

Summing up, he said: “We know it’s been such a long time and we feel that this could be our time.” No fears about Tommy Bowe being ready next Saturday. After a couple of unbearable weeks watching, he was ready yesterday.
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/i ... 650?page=2

LondonEveStandard

Tommy Bowe 'amazed' by quick return .........................
Less than three weeks after staring at an X-ray showing a break in his right hand, Tommy Bowe will attempt to help the Lions clinch their first series win in 16 years on Saturday.

After Bowe was injured in the win against Queensland Reds, the Ireland wing texted his parents and brother from the Brisbane hospital to tell them his tour was over and that their journey to Australia to support him would have an unhappy ending.

But thanks to a surgeon coming into the hospital on his Sunday off — he would have been sailing — to repair a spiral fracture, Bowe’s family will be here at the Etihad Stadium to see him play in the crunch Second Test against the Wallabies.

Prior to the operation, the surgeon told Bowe he had got a rugby league player back into the sport after three weeks from a similar break. Bowe, 29, has enjoyed an incredible recovery, having spent the first week keeping his right hand elevated while taking calcium and other vitamin tablets plus protein shakes to bolster the healing process.

“It has been an emotional rollercoaster ride,” said Bowe. “These are the games you want to play in and getting injured is the hardest part of professional sport.

“It is amazing I am sitting here two-and-a-half weeks after breaking a bone in my hand and getting ready to play in the Second Test. I have done everything I can to get fit and that has meant taking protein shakes, calcium and omega tablets with physiotherapy up to four times a day and constant icing. It has been a pretty frantic regime over the last few weeks.

“To be told that I had an injury that would mean being out for six to eight weeks and to be back two-and-a-half weeks after surgery with full grip in my hand is great and I am good to go.

“I am not a very good spectator and the First Test had my blood pressure up, so being back in the team means I am a lot happier. I have managed one-and-a-half games on tour, which is not ideal, but coming back from a bad knee injury earlier in the season to be selected for this tour gives me the confidence that I can get up to speed really quickly. I have done ball skills and everything — I haven’t dropped anything.”

Bowe will wear a special padded glove that has been flown out to Australia and was recommended by his Ulster team-mate Andrew Trimble, who had a similar injury.

Bowe, a key member of the 2009 Lions Test side in South Africa, has replaced try scorer Alex Cuthbert from the First Test victory and he is eager to repay the faith shown in him by head coach Warren Gatland, who has made five changes for the Melbourne Test.

“Alex scored a great try in the First Test and that puts a huge amount of pressure on me as I have taken over on the wing from him,” he said. “It will push me to play what I believe will have to be the best game of my career. The Wallabies showed they are prepared to run the ball at us and watching from the sidelines gives you a different view of the opposition.”

The Lions tour to South Africa remains a major motivating factor for Bowe and those players who battled so hard against the Springboks only to lose the series 2-1. Now Bowe wants to help the Lions win a series for the first time since 1997. He said: “The disappointment after losing the Second Test with the Lions in South Africa in 2009 was one of the low points of my career.

“To be in the situation here we can win the series by going 2-0 up against the Wallabies is fantastic. I have put my parents and brother — who is travelling around Australia in a camper van — through agony on this tour and so it’s great to be playing again.”
http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/rugby/l ... 75910.html
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Re: What the Papers Say 2013/2014

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Monday 1st July 2013

UR Official

Gary Longwell to become Performance Skills Coach at SINI......................
Gary Longwell, who has been a part of Ulster Rugby for more than 20 years as both a player and a coach, is to leave the Province to take up a position as Performance Skills Coach at the Sports Institute of Northern Ireland.

Longwell, who is 6ft 7in and played in the second-row, made his debut for Ulster as a 19 year old against English County side Cornwall in 1991. He went on to make 152 appearances for his Province and was part of the team that won the European Cup at Lansdowne Road in 1999. Despite making his international debut relatively late in his career, aged 29, he won 26 caps for Ireland. He played his final game in May 2005, representing the Barbarians against Scotland.
Following his retirement from playing, he took up a post as Manager of the Ulster Rugby Academy. In that role he had the opportunity to work with young talent from across the Province and was part of the team that mentored players such as Tommy Seymour, Iain Henderson, Paddy Jackson, Craig Gilroy, Luke Marshall, Paul Marshall, Chris Henry, Darren Cave, Stuart Olding and Ian Whitten, all of whom have been capped at international level.

He leaves Ulster Rugby to take up a position at the Sports Institute of Northern Ireland and will use his Masters Degree in Sports Psychology to provide psychological and lifestyle support to athletes and coaches in the region.

Commenting on his new role, Gary Longwell said: ‘It is a great challenge and one that I am looking forward to. I had a tremendous 22 years at Ravenhill and I leave with extremely fond memories. Winning the European Cup was a fantastic experience, as was drawing with Toulouse in France the following year. I was also fortunate as a coach, to see many young players develop into world-class athletes - that was extremely pleasing. I am looking forward to taking the experience that I gained at Ulster, both as a player and as a coach, into my new role at SINI.’

Ulster’s Director of Rugby, David Humphreys, said: ‘Gary Longwell has been a remarkable servant to Ulster Rugby. As a player he bridged both the amateur and professional era and is rightly considered one of the best second-rows to have ever pulled on an Ulster shirt. As a coach he has been a central part of the success of our Academy and he was instrumental in developing the careers of dozens of young rugby players. I have no doubt that he will be hugely successful in his new role and I want to wish him all the best.’
http://www.ulsterrugby.com/news/11582.php
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Re: What the Papers Say 2013/2014

Post by shamalicious »

Good luck to the Boat :salut:
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Re: What the Papers Say 2013/2014

Post by Scranner »

Does that leave McGlocks in overall charge of the Academy?
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Re: What the Papers Say 2013/2014

Post by BaggyTrousers »

Absolutely Shammy, best of luck Boat, great big man who was a rock for Ulster as a player. I'm not qualified to comment on him in the academy but to say we have a good stream of talent coming through in recent years.

I too wonder has McGlock had to bide his time for a year before assuming full control of the academy?
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Re: What the Papers Say 2013/2014

Post by ColinM »

Whole thing is strange, and I'm never oversure who is employed by SINI and UR Academy. Would be good to know what the structure is going into the season. Mind you they wont tell us the players involved until about November.
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Re: What the Papers Say 2013/2014

Post by Rooster »

ColinM wrote:Whole thing is strange, and I'm never oversure who is employed by SINI and UR Academy. Would be good to know what the structure is going into the season. Mind you they wont tell us the players involved until about November.
Is Clarke not head of academy ?
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Re: What the Papers Say 2013/2014

Post by ColinM »

Rooster wrote:
ColinM wrote:Whole thing is strange, and I'm never oversure who is employed by SINI and UR Academy. Would be good to know what the structure is going into the season. Mind you they wont tell us the players involved until about November.
Is Clarke not head of academy ?
Clarke is Academy High Performance Manager or something. Remember Humph citing Clarke, Longwell & McLaughs as the Academy leaders. The article above says Longwell was Academy Manager.

Was Clarke not employed by SINI at one point or am i thinking of someone else? Bell maybe?
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Re: What the Papers Say 2013/2014

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Tuesday 10th July 2013

Antrim Times

Longwell new head coach at Randalstown RFC .....................
Randalstown Rugby Club has secured a major coup by naming former Ulster and Ireland star Gary Longwell as its new head coach.

Longwell, a member of Ulster’s European Cup-winning squad in 1999, also won 26 caps for Ireland and he brings with him a wealth of knowledge, not only from his playing days, but also a spell in charge of the Ulster Rugby Academy.

Gary replaces Mike Stevenson, who has stepped down after two years in charge, during which he firstly guided the Neillsbrook side to promotion to Qualifying League Two and then helped them to consolidate that status after a dramatic play-off victory over Larne at the end of last season.

New coach Longwell says he will be happy to work to improve the skill set both individually, and as units within the teams. He will be guided by the ambitions and wishes of the players in particular.

He also highlighted the club’s friendliness, hospitality and community ethos, the achievement of the IRFU excellence award and the very positive attitude displayed by the current squad of players

He will be assisted by long-serving club stalwart Alistair Strange, whose depth of knowledge of the playing personnel will be invaluable to Longwell in the early weeks.

The new coaching team had their first glimpse of the players as pre-season training began last week. Training will continue on Tuesday and Thursday at 7.15 pm sharp and will take place at St Benedicts School until further notice.

Anyone wishing to join will be more than welcome and contact either the coaching team or club captain Neil Foster – further details are on the club website.

Elsewhere within the club, the Second XV face a different set of opposition this year in Junior section 5 and Manager Gregor Sloane and captain Sammy Hyndman will be targeting a high place finish.

Forthcoming diary dates include the annual club barbecue on July 27; and remedial work at Neillsbrook on August 3, ahead of the annual 15-a-side tournament on August 31.
http://www.antrimtimes.co.uk/sport/othe ... -1-5264997
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Re: What the Papers Say 2013/2014

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Wednesday 10th July 2013

BBC

Mixed emotions for Rory Best after Lions tour............VIDEO
There is both disappointment and pride for Ulster hooker Rory on his return home from the Lions tour of Australia.

Best missed out on a Test spot following a poor performance against ACT Brumbies.

However, Best was proud to captain a Lions team and be part of the squad which defeated Australia 2-1.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/23259388

Tele

Historic part of Ravenhill will live on at Cliftonville.................. :roll:
Cliftonville fans will watch the biggest match in the club's history from seats that were retrieved from the famous old Main Stand at Ravenhill, which has just been demolished.

The Belfast Telegraph can reveal that Ulster Rugby have reached hands across the sporting divide to provide the Reds with 800 seats from the iconic stand at their east-Belfast home and they will now be installed at Solitude in time for their glamour Champions League meeting against Celtic.

Cliftonville will pay £1 each for the seats, which Ulster Rugby will, in turn, donate to suicide awareness charity PIPS Programmes.

Originally Cliftonville hadn't planned to put spectators into their main stand at Solitude for their European fixture as it is now largely unused, but that all changed once the draw handed them a plum tie with the Scottish champions next Wednesday.

That plunged the north Belfast club into a race against time to have seats put into half of the stand to replace wooden benches in order to meet strict Uefa regulations.

Ulster Rugby were happy to help out after Cliftonville previously offered them Solitude for training ahead of their Heineken Cup quarter-final with Saracens in April, when it looked at one stage like the match may be played on an artificial surface.

All of the original 2,500 tickets for the Cliftonville v Celtic match were sold by Saturday lunchtime, but the Irish League champions were yesterday given approval by Uefa to install additional, temporary seating, on the waterworks side of the ground which will provide around 1,000 extra seats.

That will help to add to the bumper pay day that the Reds will enjoy, with income from tickets and television cash expected to see the £120,000 windfall from Uefa almost double.

Those are expected to be snapped-up by fans who were given priority vouchers when they queued up in vain for the first batch of tickets before they sold out.

"Following communication with Uefa, Cliftonville Football Club has received correspondence permitting the installation of additional seating at Solitude for the Champions League second qualifying round first leg tie with Celtic on Wednesday, July 17," said a club statement.

"This augmentation of capacity will result in an increased ticket allocation for both clubs and a further announcement will be made in due course."

Cliftonville aren't the only club to be given seats from the old Ravenhill stand. Amateur League side Abbey Villa picked up 200 of the seats, while £3,762 was raised for PIPS – the charity chosen by building contractors Gilbert Ash, who are undertaking the Ravenhill rebuild – from fans who were offered the chance to buy a seat.

One has been signed by the Ulster team and will be auctioned in aid of the Neonatal unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital.

The 90-year-old Grandstand at Ravenhill has now been flattened as work begins on a new all-seater structure, backed by DCAL cash.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport ... 08312.html
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Re: What the Papers Say 2013/2014

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Friday 12th July 2013

UR

Ticket"monster"...............
Ulster Rugby team up with Ticketmaster

Dear Ulster Rugby Season Ticket Holder,
As of today, Ulster Rugby’s online ticket service will be provided by Ticketmaster. All season ticket holders will be allocated a new Ticketmaster account which will give you access to the latest ticket information and exclusive promotions.
Your new Ticketmaster account will go live on Tuesday 16th July. Please note all season tickets will be posted during the first week of August and you should expect to receive them the following week.
Tele

New look Ravenhill set to host first match after stands are completed............
Ulster Rugby will host inter-provincial rivals Leinster on August 23 in a pre-season match that will see two new stands at the ground open to spectators for the first time.


The construction of stands at the Aquinas and Memorial ends marks the completion of the first phase of a £14.7 million redevelopment of the ground, funded by DCAL, and will see Ravenhill’s capacity increase to 13,500 for the coming year.

The project has also had considerable benefits to the wider community. In the past eight months, four people who had been long-term unemployed have been engaged on the construction. In addition, 12 apprentices and two student placements have gained valuable work experience by being part of the team building the new Ravenhill.

The new stands offer never-before-imagined views of the pitch and are set to transform the match-night experience of Ulster fans in the ground.

As part of the redevelopment, a new Ulster Rugby Kukri store has been built in the Memorial End Stand as well as two modern bars.

The stand at the Aquinas end of the ground has been designated the Family Stand and features a new concession shop as well as the home and away changing rooms for the coming season.

In another positive aspect of the redevelopment, the East Terrace has been completely reconfigured and is now five metres closer to the pitch, meaning supporters at Ravenhill will now be closer to the action than ever before.

Fans with disabilities will also now be able to watch the game from the East Terrace with a new purpose-built platform right on the half-way line.

There is also seating and full accessibility for people with disabilities in each of the two new stands.

The building work at Ravenhill will continue over the course of the season with a new grandstand opening for the 2014-15 campaign with a final capacity of just over 18,000.
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/sport/rugby ... -1-5277375

Master Bowe at it again.......................
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London24

Humphreys extends Exiles stay.....................

http://www.london24.com/sport/rugby/hum ... _1_2273617
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Re: What the Papers Say 2013/2014

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Irish Times

Future of Heineken Cup unresolved as new season nears
The new season will start with the future of the Heineken Cup still unresolved meaning that teams in Europe’s three main leagues will go into the campaign uncertain whether finishing positions will matter anymore.
It is 14 months since the English and French clubs submitted two years’ notice to leave European Rugby Cup Ltd, the organisation that runs the Heineken and Amlin Challenge cups unless a radically different participation agreement was drawn up. Various workshops and meetings have not found a way of removing a significant obstacle.
Some progress has been made over reforms wanted by the English and French clubs. These include making the Heineken and Amlin cups two 20-team tournaments involving all six nations, making league finishing positions the basis for qualification and splitting the money evenly between the three leagues that supply the participating teams. Premiership Rugby’s television deal with BT Vision last year has entrenched positions.
ERC has negotiated a contract extension with Sky beyond 2014, something the English clubs said it had no right to do because it did not have a tournament to sell without a new agreement being signed.
The RaboDirect Pro 12 countries were angry at Premiership Rugby unilaterally signing a television agreement that included provision for cross-border matches.
“Television is a sticking point and it has to be resolved if we are to move forward,” said the ERC chief executive, Derek McGrath, after announcing that the Millennium Stadium would host the final next May.

Viable initiative
“My understanding is the BT contract will be part of the English clubs’ participation; that is not something all the other stakeholders see as a viable initiative that will take us forward.
“The success of our competitions has been down to our central marketing strategy. Everything is controlled by one organisation and we have a clear identity.
“It is very difficult to see how you could do it any other way. If you have a negotiated agreement it is very hard to work in an environment where unilateral decisions are taken and that is why the process has taken time.”
The French clubs set last December as a deadline for negotiating a participation agreement but McGrath said there is no prospect of a quick settlement and the three leagues will start with teams in limbo, knowing that if the Heineken Cup does survive, the qualification process is likely to change, especially for RaboDirect teams.
“I’m confident we will get a negotiated agreement but it will take time . . ,” McGrath said. “We will re-engage in September, getting everyone round the table in the spirit of finding agreement. Everyone involved wants us to reach that point, but participation has to make sense for all six nations. The sooner we come to an agreement, the better for us, fans, teams . . sponsors and broadcasters.”
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Re: What the Papers Say 2013/2014

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Saturday 20th July 2013

Newsletter

Enthralling finish in prospect as Ulster look to new season.................
Ulster will face defending champions Leinster and other arch provincial rivals, Munster, in the final two games of the new RaboDirect PRO12 season, which could prove to be a dramatic finish if current seasons are anything to go by as clubs battle to secure home draws in the play-offs.

However, there are 20 league fixtures to be played before that and last year’s beaten finalists Ulster will kick-off their campaign on the road with a trip to Wales and a tricky test against Newport Gwent Dragons on the weekend of September 7.

Sports fans in the Province had hoped the opening game would be away given that Northern Ireland play a vital World Cup qualifier at Windsor Park on Friday, September 6.

The opening home game for Ulster in their part new look Ravenhill will likely be on Friday, September 13 when last season’s semi-finalists Glasgow Warriors are the visitors.

The first of this year’s Irish derbies will see Ulster travel to Connacht on the weekend of September 21.

The first month of the season is completed with a home fixture on weekend of September 28 against Benetton Treviso.

There will be added interest in that game as Ulster will face the improving Italians in Pool Five of the Heineken Cup.

October looks set to be a challenging month with a trip to Ospreys and after their two opening European ties, Mark Anscombe’s side face Cardiff Blues at Ravenhill.

Although the Heineken Cup matches are not due to be officially released until Monday, it is understood Ulster will start at home against Leicester Tigers on weekend of October 12 and travel to French side, Montpellier the weekend after.

It those Euro fixtures are as speculated, it will leave a strong Italian flavour to Ulster’s fixtures in December with an away trip to Zebre on the weekend of November 30, back to back fixtures against Treviso in the Heineken and a pre Christmas home game against Zebre.

The traditional inter-pro fixtures are played over the Festive period, Ulster going to Dublin to face Leinster on the weekend of December 28 and hope against Munster on the weekend of January 4 as the new year kicks on.

Dates and times of kick-offs for the first half of the season are due to be announced in the coming weeks.

Ulster PRO12 fixtures

Round 1 – 6/7/8 September, Newport Gwent Dragons v Ulster;

Round 2 – 13/14/15 September, Ulster v Glasgow Warriors

Round 3 – 20/21/22 September, Connacht v Ulster.

Round 4 – 27/28/29 September, Ulster v Benetton Treviso;

Round 5 – 4/5/6 October, Ospreys v Ulster; Round 6 – 25/26/27 October, Ulster v Cardiff Blues,

Round 7 – 1/2/3 November, Scarlets v Ulster, Round 8 – 22/23/24 November, Ulster v Edinburgh Rugby

Round 9 – 29/30 November/1 December, Zebre v Ulster 
Round 10 – 20/21/22 December, Ulster v Zebre Round 11 – 27/28/29 December, Leinster v Ulster

Round 12 – 3/4/5 January, Ulster v MunsterRound 13 – 7/8/9 February, Ulster v Ospreys Round 14 – 14/15/16 February, Ulster v Scarlets

Round 15 – 21/22/23 February, Benetton Treviso v Ulster

Round 16- 28 February/1/2 March, Ulster v Newport Gwent Dragons

Round 17 – 21/22/23 March, Edinburgh v Ulster Round 18 – 28/29/30 March, Cardiff Blues v Ulster

Round 19 – 11/12/13 April, Ulster v Connacht Round 20 – 18/19/10 April, Glasgow Warriors v Ulster

Round 21 – 2/3/4 May, Ulster v Leinster

Round 22 – 9/10/11 May, Munster v Ulster. League Championship Play-Offs –16/17 May.

ChampionshipFinal – Saturday, May 31.
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/sport/rugby ... -1-5305748


Why the IRFU couldn't afford Sexton, can't afford anyone else AND..............."lose" their shirt !

IRFU hit by €26m shortfall in expected earnings from five- and 10-year tickets
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/i ... -1.1469464

IRFU line-up new kit sponsor
http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugb ... 37429.html
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Re: What the Papers Say 2013/2014

Post by shamalicious »

Good. The Puma shirts have been bokeworthy. Aul polyester football shirt crap.
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Re: What the Papers Say 2013/2014

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Thursday 1st Aug 2013

RugbyFanCast
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Ulster’s Seventh Heaven...................
At the start of last season Chris Henry wasn’t exactly a well-known name in the world of rugby. Having played a lot of games at blindside for Ulster early in his career it seemed like Henry would never get a chance to show his true potential with the always impressive Stephen Ferris in devastating form, meaning he was selected week in week out.

Henry himself wasn’t even sure that rugby was the way forward. Getting limited game-time for Ulster was not something which interested the Lisburn man much. However, whenever David Pollock was forced to retire through injury, it left a gaping hole in Ulster’s back row at openside. The news that Pollock, an Ireland A international, would be retiring at just 23 was a big blow for the Ulster coaching staff as he appeared to be a long-term option at openside.

But this provided an opening from Henry who made a flawless transition from blindside to openside to fill the gap left by Pollock’s absence. It would prove to be one of the best decisions the flanker would ever make as it would lead to him becoming an instrumental part of Ulster’s first team success.

Having fought it out for a couple of seasons with young up-and-coming openside Willie Faloon, the 2011-12 season was the season that Henry would establish himself as Ulster’s first choice 7 with a string of great performances which helped his side to their first Heineken Cup final in twelve years.

The 2012-13 season has been Henry’s most prolific so far. Pushing on from his successful previous season, he started the season with plenty of strong games for Ulster and was a key player in Ulster’s incredible thirteen-match unbeaten run. Quite rightly, he was rewarded with an Ireland call-up for the Six Nations, although he was left on the bench behind Peter O’Mahony, a rather unpopular decision with many fans across Ireland, not just from Ulster.

A few injuries towards the end of the season resulted in him missing the end of the Six Nations, but he returned in time to take part in Ulster’s first win over Leinster in Dublin since 1999 and ensure that Ulster finished the regular season at the top of the Pro12 standings. However his (and his team-mates’) best efforts weren’t enough to bring home silverware to Ravenhill.

Now a fully fledged international openside flanker, Henry’s decision to stick with rugby is looking like a very good one. Although he is still behind Sean O’Brien in the Ireland pecking order, he is now a crucial player for Ulster and if he can keep up his performance levels into next season then there is no reason why he can’t overtake the Leinster man and take the Ireland 7 shirt for himself.

There is no denying he has the talent to do so. His attacking play at the breakdown has been so effective for Ulster and combining with Rory Best, they are a match for any back row in Europe at the rucks. Combine that with his energy and enthusiasm around the field then you have one of the best back rowers in the world.

It’s no surprise then that Henry was being touted as one of Europe’s best players this season. It just proves how much he has improved his game in just a few years, going from Ulster back-up blindside to nailed on starting openside to one of Europe’s stand out players. But it is fully deserved for a player who has been at the top of his game, both domestically and internationally. It is great to see Henry rewarded for some stellar rugby.

But as I have mentioned, it cannot end. Henry has laid the foundations to be considered one of the best, now he has to continue to deliver on Europe’s biggest stages year after year. All Ulster fans have plenty of confidence in him though, he hasn’t let them down yet. And with time on his side (he’s still only 28) there’s no limits to where he could end up – maybe even New Zealand in 2015.

For now Henry must focus on another season with Ulster and hopefully from there he can impress new Ireland coach Joe Schmidt. With the talent Henry has though, he has more than enough to keep his place in the Ireland set-up, and who knows, if he starts the season as he ended the last, what’s stopping him from being Ireland’s starting openside in the Autumn?

The possibilities are endless for Henry, and the sky is the limit…
http://www.rugbyfancast.com/2013/08/blo ... nth-heaven
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