2009–10 Ulster Rugby season
The 2009–10 Ulster Rugby season was Ulster's 16th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and their first under director of rugby David Humphreys and head coach Brian McLaughlin.
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| Ground(s) | Ravenhill Stadium (Capacity: 12,500) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Coach(es) | David Humphreys (Director of Rugby) Brian McLaughlin (Head Coach) | ||
| Captain(s) | Rory Best | ||
| Top scorer | Ian Humphreys (177) | ||
| Most tries | Simon Danielli (9) | ||
| League(s) | Heineken Cup (2nd in pool) Celtic League (8th) | ||
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Following the departure of previous head coach Matt Williams, Ulster put a new management structure in place. David Humphreys was director of rugby, with overall responsibility for the senior team, the Ulster 'A' team (renamed the Ulster Ravens), the Ulster under-20s and the academy; and Brian McLaughlin was head coach, assisted by forwards coaches Jeremy Davidson and Peter Sharp, and backs coach Neil Doak.[1] However, Ulster couldn't afford to retain Sharp, and he left in September 2009.[2]
Chief Executive Michael Reid announced he was stepping down in September 2009 after twelve years in the job.[3] Shane Logan was appointed as his replacement in early 2010.[4]
They finished second in their Heineken Cup pool, failing to qualify for the knockout stage, and 8th in the Celtic League. Chris Henry was Ulster's Player of the Year. Andrew Trimble won the IRUPA award for Try of the Year.[5]
Staff
| Position | Name | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Executive Officer | Michael Reid, Shane Logan |  Ireland |
| Director of Rugby | David Humphreys | Ireland |
| Head Coach | Brian McLaughlin | Ireland |
| Forwards Coach | Jeremy Davidson | Ireland |
| Defence Coach | Peter Sharp | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Australia |
| Skills Coach | Neil Doak | Ireland |
Squad
Senior squad
Players in (Season 2009/2010)
Promoted from academy |
Players Out (Season 2009/2010)
|
| Ulster Rugby squad[15] | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Props
Hookers
Locks
|
Back row
Scrum-halves
Fly-halves
|
Centres
Wings
Fullbacks
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| (c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players. Italics denotes academy players who appeared in the senior team. * denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality. Players and their allocated positions from the Ulster Rugby website. |
Academy squad
Players in
|
Players out
|
| Position[16] | Name | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| High Performance Director | Gary Longwell | Ireland |
| Elite Player Development Officer | Jonny Bell | Ireland |
| Elite Player Development Officer | Niall Malone | Ireland |
| Strength & Conditioning Coach | Chris Shiells | Ireland |
| Strength & Conditioning Coach | Kevin Geary | Ireland |
| Academy squad[10] | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Props
Hookers
Locks
|
Back row
Fly-halves
|
Centres
Fullbacks
|
Heineken Cup
Pool 4
| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Stade Français (6) |
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 124 | 95 | 29 | 1 | 1 | 18 |
| Ulster |
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 127 | 94 | 33 | 0 | 1 | 17 |
 Edinburgh |
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | −7 | 64 | 94 | −30 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
 Bath |
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 84 | 116 | −32 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| 9 October 2009 19:30 |
| Ulster | 26–12 | Bath |
| Try: Nagusa 13' c Faloon 52' c Con: Humphreys (2/2) Pen: Humphreys (3/4) 10', 56', 78' Drop: Humphreys 42' | Report | Pen: Davis (4/4) 8', 20', 48', 54' |
| Ravenhill, Belfast Attendance: 10,914 Referee: James Jones (Wales) |
| 17 October 2009 15:45 |
| Edinburgh | 17–13 | Ulster |
| Try: Visser 70' m Pen: Godman (4/6) 2', 21', 67', 80' | Report | Try: Nagusa 22' c Con: Humphreys (1/1) Pen: Humphreys (2/3) 29', 45' |
| Murrayfield, Edinburgh Attendance: 5,747 Referee: Dave Pearson (England) |
| 12 December 2009 13:35 |
| Ulster | 23–13 | Stade Français |
| Try: Brady 20' c Danielli 48' c Con: Humphreys (2/2) Pen: Humphreys (3/4) 13', 34', 47' | Report Highlights | Try: Arias 74' c Con: Oelschig (1/1) Pen: Beauxis (2/3) 18', 28' |
| Ravenhill, Belfast Attendance: 11,000 Referee: Dave Pearson (England) |
| 20 December 2009 15:00 |
| Stade Français | 29–16 | Ulster |
| Try: Szarzewski 9' c Kayser 66' c Con: Beauxis (2/2) Pen: Beauxis (5/5) 4', 16', 22', 32', 60' | Report | Try: Trimble 69' c Con: Humphreys (1/1) Pen: Humphreys (3/3) 2', 14', 37' |
| Stade Jean-Bouin, Paris[17] Attendance: 3,700 Referee: Chris White (England) |
Celtic League
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | Try bonus | Losing bonus | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leinster |
18 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 359 | 295 | +64 | 27 | 29 | 1 | 2 | 55 |
| 2 |  Ospreys |
18 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 384 | 298 | +86 | 37 | 26 | 3 | 3 | 52 |
| 3 | Glasgow Warriors |
18 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 390 | 321 | +69 | 31 | 24 | 2 | 1 | 51 |
| 4 | Munster |
18 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 319 | 282 | +37 | 33 | 20 | 3 | 6 | 45 |
| 5 | Cardiff Blues |
18 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 349 | 315 | +34 | 33 | 28 | 2 | 2 | 44 |
| 6 | Edinburgh |
18 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 385 | 391 | −6 | 40 | 40 | 4 | 5 | 41 |
| 7 | Newport Gwent Dragons |
18 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 333 | 378 | −45 | 32 | 37 | 3 | 2 | 39 |
| 8 | Ulster |
18 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 357 | 370 | −13 | 39 | 35 | 4 | 2 | 36 |
| 9 | Scarlets |
18 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 361 | 382 | −21 | 35 | 35 | 1 | 8 | 29 |
| 10 | Connacht |
18 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 254 | 459 | −205 | 20 | 53 | 0 | 4 | 26 |
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Under the standard bonus point system, points are awarded as follows:
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| Green background (rows 1 to 4) are play-off places. Source: RaboDirect PRO12 | |||||||||||||
| 6 September 2009 14:05 |
| Newport Gwent Dragons | 23 – 6 | Ulster |
| Try: Bew Fussell Young Con: Tovey Pen: Arlidge (2) | Report | Pen: Humphreys (2) |
| Rodney Parade Attendance: 4,561 Referee: Carlo Damasco |
| 12 September 2009 18:30 |
| Ospreys | 16 – 20 | Ulster |
| Try: Walker Jones Pen: Hook (2) | Report | Try: Tuohy Danielli (2) Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys |
| Liberty Stadium Attendance: 7,072 Referee: Alan Lewis |
| 18 September 2009 20:00 |
| Ulster | 13 – 16 | Edinburgh |
| Try: Ferris Schifcofske Con: Humphreys | Report | Try: Visser Con: Paterson Pen: Paterson (2) Drop: Godman |
| Ravenhill Attendance: 8,899 Referee: Nigel Owens |
| 25 September 2009 20:00 |
| Connacht | 6 – 30 | Ulster |
| Pen: Keatley (2) | Report | Try: Cave Botha Nagusa Humphreys Con: Humphreys (2) Pen: Humphreys (2) |
| Sportsgrounds Attendance: 2,435 Referee: George Clancy |
| 2 October 2009 19:05 |
| Ulster | 45 – 24 | Scarlets |
| Try: Faloon Trimble (2) Nagusa Whitten Con: Humphreys (4) Pen: Humphreys (4) | Report | Try: Davies (2) Con: Jones Pen: Jones (4) |
| Ravenhill Attendance: 8,141 Referee: Peter Allan |
| 24 October 2009 18:00 |
| Ulster | 16 – 14 | Leinster |
| Try: Boss Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys (3) | Report | Try: Berne Fitzgerald Con: Berne Sexton |
| Ravenhill Attendance: 11,523 Referee: Andrew Small |
| 31 October 2009 17:00 |
| Munster | 24 – 10 | Ulster |
| Try: De Villiers Wallace Earls Warwick Con: O'Gara (2) | Report | Try: Humphreys Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys |
| Thomond Park Attendance: 23,298 Referee: Alain Rolland |
| 4 December 2009 20:00 |
| Ulster | 13 – 25 | Glasgow Warriors |
| Try: Court Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys (2) | Report | Try: Evans Con: Parks Pen: Parks |
| Ravenhill Attendance: 8,761 Referee: James Jones |
| 26 December 2009 17:30 |
| Leinster | 15 – 3 | Ulster |
| Try: Kearney Heaslip Con: Berne Pen: Berne | Report | Pen: O'Connor |
| RDS Arena Attendance: 18,140 Referee: George Clancy |
| 2 January 2010 18:00 |
| Ulster | 15 – 10 | Munster |
| Try: Danielli (2) Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys | Report | Try: De Villers Con: Warwick Pen: Warwick |
| Ravenhill Attendance: 11,800 Referee: Dudley Phillips |
| 19 February 2010 19:05 |
| Ulster | 22 – 22 | Newport Gwent Dragons |
| Try: Wallace Danielli Pen: Humphreys | Report | Try: Jones Con: Tovey Pen: Tovey (4) Drop: Tovey |
| Ravenhill Attendance: 7,909 Referee: Peter Allan |
| 5 March 2010 19:05 |
| Scarlets | 25 – 8 | Ulster |
| Try: Fenby Knoyle Priestland Con: Priestland (2) Pen: Priestland (2) | Report | Try: Wallace Pen: Humphreys |
| Parc y Scarlets Attendance: 6,266 Referee: Peter Allan |
| 26 March 2010 19:05 |
| Cardiff Blues | 19 – 9 | Ulster |
| Try: Molitika Con: Blair Pen: Blair (4) | Report | Pen: O'Connor (3) |
| Cardiff City Stadium Attendance: 7,532 Referee: Neil Patterson |
| 3 April 2010 19:30 |
| Ulster | 24 – 33 | Cardiff Blues |
| Try: Ferris Henry Con: Humphreys Pen: O'Connor (4) | Report | Try: Laulala Rush Hewitt Con: Sweeney (2) Halfpenny Pen: Halfpenny (4) |
| Ravenhill Attendance: 7,334 Referee: Andy Macpherson |
| 13 April 2010 19:30 |
| Ulster | 27 – 38 | Ospreys |
| Try: Danielli Trimble Con: O'Connor Pen: O'Connor (5) | Report | Try: Williams Hook (2) Bowe Con: Biggar (3) Pen: Biggar (4) |
| Ravenhill Attendance: 7,649 Referee: Neil Paterson |
| 16 April 2010 19:05 |
| Glasgow Warriors | 25 – 18 | Ulster |
| Try: Morrison Con: Parks Pen: Parks (2) Drop: Parks (4) | Report | Try: Marshall Smith Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys (2) |
| Firhill Stadium Attendance: 3,766 Referee: Tim Hayes |
Ulster Ravens
British and Irish Cup
Pool C
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TB | LB | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ulster Ravens |
5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 165 | 62 | 103 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 21 | ||
| London Welsh |
5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 137 | 78 | 59 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 20 | ||
| Bedford Blues |
5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 92 | 94 | -2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 13 | ||
| Aberavon |
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 51 | 131 | -80 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 9 | ||
| Llanelli |
5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 106 | 117 | -11 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| Moseley |
5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 69 | 138 | -69 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Points breakdown: *4 points for a win *2 points for a draw *1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less *1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match | |||||||||||||
| 20 November 2009 19:30 |
| Ulster Ravens | 29 – 3 | Bedford Blues |
| Try: Seymour D. Fitzpatrick Cochrane Kyriacou Con: O'Connor (3) | Report[18] | Pen: Davies |
| Ravenhill Attendance: 1,132 |
| 27 November 2009 19:30 |
| Moseley | 21 – 32 | Ulster Ravens |
| Try: May Bressington Penalty try Con: ? (3) | Report[19] | Try: Seymour Tuohy Macklin McComb Con: O'Connor (3) Pen: O'Connor (2) |
| Billesley Common Attendance: 750 |
| 12 February 2010 19:15 |
| Llanelli | 21 – 21 | Ulster Ravens |
| Try: Thomas Shingler Con: Newton Pen: Newton (3) | Report[20] | Try: Marshall McCrea Con: Humphreys Pen: O'Connor (2) Humphreys |
| Parc y Scarlets Attendance: 500 |
| 26 February 2010 19:30 |
| Ulster Ravens | 21 – 17 | London Welsh |
| Try: Marshall Nagusa Con: O'Connor Pen: O'Connor (3) | Report[21] | Try: Starling Pen: Lewis-Pratt (2) Ross (2) |
| Ravenhill Attendance: 739 |
| 12 March 2010 19:30 |
| Ulster Ravens | 62 – 0 | Aberavon |
| Try: Whitten D. Fitzpatrick Cunningham Willis Seymour (2) Allen McCrea Humphreys Con: O'Connor (6) | Report[22] |
| Ravenhill Attendance: 793 |
Semi-final
| 24 April 2010 15:30 |
| Munster A | 27 – 3 | Ulster Ravens |
| Try: Manning (2) Williams Archer Con: Cusack (2/4) Pen: Cusack (1) | Report[23] | Pen: McKinney (1) |
| Thomond Park, Limerick Attendance: 24,112 |
Home attendance
| Domestic League | European Cup | Total | |||||||||
| League | Fixtures | Average Attendance | Highest | Lowest | League | Fixtures | Average Attendance | Highest | Lowest | Total Attendance | Average Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 Celtic League | 9 | 8,863 | 11,800 | 7,334 | 2009–10 Heineken Cup | 3 | 10,509 | 11,000 | 8,262 | 109,947 | 9,162 |
Ulster Rugby Awards
The Ulster Rugby Awards ceremony was held on 20 May 2010. Winners were:[24]
- Ulster Rugby Personality of the Year: Chris Henry
- Rugby Writers Player of the Year: Chris Henry
- Supporters Club Player of the Year: Chris Henry
- Ulster Player of the Year: Andrew Trimble
- Young Ulster Player of the Year: Jamie Smith
- Youth Player of the Year: Jonathan Murphy, Banbridge RFC
- Schools Player of the Year: Charlie Simpson, Ballymena Academy
- Academy Player of the Year: Nevin Spence
- Club of the Year: Ballymoney RFC
- Dorrington B. Faulker Award: Hal Burnison, Malone RFC
- Club Player of the Year: Mark Robinson, Queen's University RFC
- Special Merit Award: Joe Eagleson, Honorary Secretary of the IRFU Ulster Branch
References
- "McLaughlin Confirmed As New Ulster Coach", Irish Rugby, 23 June 2009
- Brendan Fanning, "McLaughlin bringing fresh ideas to Ulster grind school", Irish Independent, 6 September 2009
- "Reid’s Ulster rugby reign was rollercoaster ride", Belfast Telegraph, 4 September 2009
- Inquiry into Participation in Sport and Physical Activity in Northern Ireland — Ulster Rugby, Northern Ireland Assembly, 18 March 2010
- "Bowe Voted Irish Players' Player Of The Year", Irish Rugby, 12 May 2010, archived 16 May 2010
- Niall Crozier, "Birch can rise right to the top", Belfast Telegraph, 16 October 2009
- "Ulster sign back row Tamaiti Horua", Belfast Telegraph, 30 March 2009
- "Ulster snap up hooker Kyriacou", Evening Herald, 23 April 2009
- Richard Mulligan, "New signings given an early opportunity", News Letter, 19 August 2009
- Niall Crozier, "It is all academic for Ulster's young hopefuls", Belfast Telegraph, 20 November 2009
- "Province-by-province guide", Irish Independent, 3 September 2009
- "Scotland star Rob Dewey agrees switch to Glasgow Warriors", Daily Record, 16 March 2009
- "McKenzie moves to Exeter Chiefs", BBC Sport, 5 November 2008
- "Complaint over alleged racist slur at New Zealand-born Samoan rugby test lock Filo Paulo", Stuff.co.nz, 9 March 2020
- Appearances and scoring stats from ItsRugby.co.uk
- "Academy Coaches", Ulster Rugby, archived 7 August 2014
- This match was originally scheduled to be held at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, but heavy snowfall forced it to be moved to Paris.
- "Ulster Ravens 29 Bedford Blues 3", Belfast Telegraph, 21 November 2009
- "Moseley 21-32 Ulster Ravens", BBC Sport, 27 November 2009
- "Late Slip-Up For Ulster Ravens In Llanelli", Irish Rugby, 12 February 2010
- "Ravens survive Welsh revival", Irish Examiner, 27 February 2010
- "Ulster Ravens 62-0 Aberavon", BBC Sport, 12 March 2010
- "B&I Cup Final Beckons For Munster", Munster Rugby, 24 April 2010
- Richard Mulligan, "Henry hat-trick caps super year", News Letter, 21 May 2010
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