2011–12 Ulster Rugby season
The 2011–12 Ulster Rugby season was Ulster's 18th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and their third under head coach Brian McLaughlin. They competed in the Heineken Cup and the inaugural Pro12, successor competition to the Celtic League.
 | |||
| Ground(s) | Ravenhill Stadium (Capacity: 12,500) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Coach(es) | David Humphreys (Director of Rugby) Brian McLaughlin (Head Coach) | ||
| Captain(s) | Johann Muller | ||
| Top scorer | Ian Humphreys (168) | ||
| Most tries | Andrew Trimble (6) Craig Gilroy (6) | ||
| League(s) | Heineken Cup (finalists) Pro12 (6th) | ||
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They finished sixth in the Pro12, and qualified for next season's Champions Cup as the third highest placed Irish team. Scrum-half Ruan Pienaar, lock Dan Tuohy and prop BJ Botha made the Pro12 Dream Team. They finished second in their pool in the Heineken Cup, beat Edinburgh in the semi-final, and lost to Leinster in the final. Out-half Ian Humphreys was Ulster's top scorer with 168 points. Wings Andrew Trimble and Craig Gilroy were joint top try scorers with six each. Flanker Chris Henry was Player of the Year. Craig Gilroy won the IRUPA Try of the Year award.[1]
Brian McLaughlin, who was coaching Ulster while on sabbatical from his regular job as a teacher at Royal Belfast Academical Institution, stood to lose his teaching position and pension if he extended his contract with Ulster any further, and as head coach risked losing his job at any time. Director of rugby David Humphreys decided to offer him the security of a full-time position coaching the academy, and to replace him as head coach with Mark Anscombe.[2]
Staff
| Position | Name[3] | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Executive Officer | Shane Logan |  Ireland |
| Director of Rugby | David Humphreys | Ireland |
| Head coach | Brian McLaughlin | Ireland |
| Assistant coach (backs) | Neil Doak | Ireland |
| Defence coach | Jonny Bell | Ireland |
| Head of strength and conditioning | Jonny Davis | Ireland |
| Team doctor | David Irwin | Ireland |
| Team physiotherapist | Gareth Robinson | Ireland |
| Physiotherapist | Alan McAldin | Ireland |
| Performance analyst | Alex McCloy | Ireland |
| Team manager | David Millar | Ireland |
| Team administration co-ordinator | Sarah Sherry | Ireland |
| Resource Manager | Mick Ennis | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Australia |
Squad
Senior squad
Players in (Season 2011/2012)
Promoted from academy
|
Players out (Season 2011/2012)
|
| Ulster Rugby squad[10] | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Props
Hookers
Locks
|
Back row
Scrum-halves
Fly-halves
|
Centres
Wings
Fullbacks
|
| (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[11] | Name | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| High Performance Manager | 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Props
Hookers
Locks
|
Back row
Scrum-halves
Fly-halves
|
Centres
Wings
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Clermont Auvergne [5] |
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 5 | +21 | 215 | 69 | +146 | 2 | 2 | 20 |
| Ulster [8] |
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 8 | +8 | 158 | 87 | +71 | 3 | 1 | 20 |
 Leicester Tigers |
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 8 | +5 | 123 | 117 | +6 | 1 | 0 | 17 |
 Aironi |
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 38 | −34 | 51 | 274 | −223 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 November 2011 15:40 |
| Ulster | 16 – 11 | Clermont Auvergne |
| Try: Humphreys 69' c Con: Humphreys (1/1) Pen: Humphreys (3/4) 12', 40', 50' | Report Highlights Full game | Try: Nakaitaci 5' m Pen: Skrela (2/2) 17', 38' |
| Ravenhill, Belfast Attendance: 9,385 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England) |
| 19 November 2011 18:00 |
| Leicester Tigers | 20 – 9 | Ulster |
| Try: Smith 66' m Pen: Flood (5/6) 7', 16', 22', 45', 80' | Report | Pen: Humphreys (3/4) 2', 10', 19' |
| Welford Road, Leicester Attendance: 21,473 Referee: Romain Poite (France) |
| 9 December 2011 19:30 |
| Ulster | 31 – 10 | Aironi |
| Try: Ferris 16' c D'Arcy 40' m Trimble 42' m Marshall 56' c Jackson 68' c Con: Humphreys (3/5) | Report | Try: D'Apice 78' c Con: Olivier (1/1) Pen: Tebaldi (1/3) 20' |
| Ravenhill, Belfast Attendance: 7,494 Referee: Andrew Small (England) |
| 17 December 2011 14:30 |
| Aironi | 20 – 46 | Ulster |
| Try: Sinoti 56' c Quartaroli 60' m Biagi 74' m Con: Orquera (1/1) Pen: Orquera (1/1) 17' | Report | Try: Trimble 5' c penalty try 22' c Court 37' c Gilroy 69' c Diack 77' c Macklin 80' m Con: Humphreys (3/3) Pienaar (2/3) Pen: Humphreys (2/2) 15', 33' |
| Stadio Luigi Zaffanella, Viadana Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Greg Garner (England) |
| 13 January 2012 20:00 |
| Ulster | 41 – 7 | Leicester Tigers |
| Try: Trimble (2) 5' c, 39' m Gilroy 69' c P. Marshall 72' c Con: Pienaar (3/4) Pen: Pienaar (5/5) 11', 32', 53', 56', 63' | Report | Try: Murphy 13' c Con: Twelvetrees (1/1) |
| Ravenhill, Belfast Attendance: 11,900 Referee: Romain Poite (France) |
| 21 January 2012 16:40 |
| Clermont Auvergne | 19 – 15 | Ulster |
| Try: Paulo 62' c Con: Parra (1/1) Pen: Parra (4/4) 14', 21', 48', 73' | Report | Pen: Pienaar (5/7) 17', 32', 45', 56', 70' |
| Stade Marcel-Michelin, Clermont-Ferrand Attendance: 17,633 Referee: Dave Pearson (England) |
Quarter-final
Semi-finals
| 28 April 2012 17:45 IST |
| Ulster | 22–19 |  Edinburgh |
| Try: Wannenburg 15' c Con: Pienaar (1/1) Pen: Pienaar (5/5) 5', 38', 58', 63', 75' | Report | Try: Thompson 80' c Con: Laidlaw (1/1) Pen: Laidlaw (4/4) 9', 11', 40', 45' |
| Aviva Stadium, Dublin Attendance: 45,147 Referee: Romain Poite (France) |
Final
| 19 May 2012 17:00 BST |
| Leinster | 42–14 | Ulster |
| Try: O'Brien 12' c Healy 31' c penalty try 44' c van der Merwe 76' m Cronin 80' c Con: Sexton (3/3) McFadden (1/2) Pen: Sexton (3/4) 51', 67', 73' | Report | Try: Tuohy 60' m Pen: Pienaar (3/3) 7', 40', 49' |
| Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 81,774 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales) |
Pro12
| |||||||||||||||||
| Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points For | Points Against | Points Difference | Tries For | Tries Against | Try Bonus | Losing Bonus | Points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leinster (F) |
22 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 568 | 326 | +242 | 48 | 28 | 5 | 2 | 81 | ||||
| 2 |  Ospreys (C) |
22 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 491 | 337 | +154 | 44 | 22 | 2 | 3 | 71 | ||||
| 3 | Munster (SF) |
22 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 489 | 367 | +122 | 45 | 27 | 5 | 4 | 67 | ||||
| 4 | Glasgow Warriors (SF) |
22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 445 | 321 | +124 | 34 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 65 | ||||
| 5 | Scarlets |
22 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 446 | 373 | +73 | 43 | 30 | 5 | 5 | 62 | ||||
| 6 | Ulster | 22 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 474 | 424 | +50 | 53 | 41 | 5 | 3 | 56 | ||||
| 7 | Cardiff Blues |
22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 446 | 460 | −14 | 43 | 45 | 5 | 5 | 50 | ||||
| 8 | Connacht | 22 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 321 | 433 | −112 | 27 | 36 | 0 | 7 | 37 | ||||
| 9 | Newport Gwent Dragons | 22 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 370 | 474 | −104 | 27 | 41 | 1 | 5 | 36 | ||||
| 10 | Benetton Treviso | 22 | 7 | 0 | 15 | 419 | 558 | −139 | 41 | 57 | 3 | 5 | 36 | ||||
| 11 | Edinburgh | 22 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 454 | 588 | −134 | 42 | 65 | 2 | 4 | 32 | ||||
| 12 | Aironi |
22 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 289 | 551 | −262 | 22 | 54 | 1 | 5 | 22 | ||||
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If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[12]
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| Green background (rows 1 to 4) are play-off places. Qualification for the Heineken Cup is based on each country's allocation, i.e. three highest-ranked Irish teams, three highest-ranked Welsh teams, both Italian teams and both Scottish teams. Because Leinster won the 2012 Heineken Cup Final, Ireland earned an extra Heineken Cup place, which will go to Connacht. Aironi were denied a licence for the 2012–13 season due to financial issues; the newly established Zebre side replaced Aironi in the Pro12 and Heineken Cup.
Updated 5 May 2012. Source: RaboDirect PRO12 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 September 2011 19:05 |
| Ulster | 28 – 14 | Glasgow Warriors |
| Try: Cave Henry Marshall Con: Humphreys (2) Pen: Humphreys (3) | Report | Try: Nathan Pen: Weir (3) |
| Ravenhill, Belfast Attendance: 6,296 Referee: Leighton Hodges |
| 10 September 2011 15:00 |
| (1 BP) Aironi | 19 – 25 | Ulster |
| Try: Williams Con: Olivier Pen: Olivier (4) | Report | Try: Gilroy Tuohy Whitten Con: Humphreys (2) Pen: Humphreys (2) |
| Stadio Luigi Zaffanella, Viadana Attendance: 3,000 Referee: Neil Hennessy |
| 16 September 2011 19:05 |
| Ulster | 20 – 3 | Cardiff Blues |
| Try: Cave (2) Con: Humphreys (2) Pen: Humphreys Jackson | Report | Pen: Sweeney |
| Ravenhill, Belfast Attendance: 6,555 Referee: James Jones |
| 25 September 2011 16:30 |
| Ospreys | 32 – 14 | Ulster |
| Try: Penalty try Fussell Con: Biggar Morgan Pen: Biggar (6) | Report | Try: Jackson Penalty try Con: Jackson McKinney |
| Liberty Stadium, Swansea Attendance: 5,590 Referee: Dudley Phillips |
| 30 September 2011 19:05 |
| Newport Gwent Dragons | 22 – 9 | Ulster |
| Try: Riley Con: Tovey Pen: Tovey (4) | Report | Pen: Jackson (3) |
| Rodney Parade, Newport Attendance: 4,554 Referee: Neil Paterson |
| 7 October 2011 19:05 |
| Ulster | 12 – 23 | Benetton Treviso |
| Try: Wannenburg (2) Con: Humphreys | Report | Try: Penalty try Burton Con: Burton (2) Pen: Burton (3) |
| Ravenhill, Belfast Attendance: 7,372 Referee: Stefano Penne |
| 29 October 2011 15:00 |
| Scarlets | 24 – 17 | Ulster (1 BP) |
| Try: Trimble Pen: Humphreys (4) | Report | Try: Williams Warren Con: Thomas Pen: Thomas (3) Newton |
| Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli Attendance: 7,075 Referee: Alan Falzone |
| 5 November 2011 17:35 |
| Ulster | 22 – 3 | Connacht |
| Try: Gilroy Court Humphreys Con: Humphreys (2) Pen: Humphreys | Report | Pen: Nikora |
| Ravenhill, Belfast Attendance: 6,887 Referee: John Lacey |
| 25 November 2011 19:35 |
| Glasgow Warriors | 17 – 9 | Ulster |
| Try: Nathan Pen: Weir (3) Drop: Weir | Report | Pen: Humphreys (3) |
| Firhill Stadium, Glasgow Attendance: 3,940 Referee: Stefano Penne |
| 2 December 2011 19:05 |
| Ulster | 24 – 17 | Scarlets (1 BP) |
| Try: Ferris (2) Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys (4) | Report | Try: Lamont Longi Murphy Con: Jones |
| Ravenhill, Belfast Attendance: 8,117 Referee: Alain Rolland |
| 26 December 2011 17:30 |
| (1 BP) Leinster | 42 – 13 | Ulster |
| Try: Carr Cronin Auva'a Penalty try Madigan Hagan Con: McFadden (6) | Report | Try: Cochrane Con: McKinney Pen: McKinney (2) |
| RDS Arena, Dublin Attendance: 18,500 Referee: Peter Fitzgibbon |
| 30 December 2011 19:05 |
| (1 BP) Ulster | 33 – 17 | Munster |
| Try: Terblanche Afoa Humphreys Pienaar Con: Humphreys (2) Pen: Humphreys (2) Pienaar | Report | Try: O'Dea Murphy Con: Keatley (2) Pen: Keatley |
| Ravenhill, Belfast Attendance: 11,379 Referee: Alain Rolland |
| 6 January 2012 19:30 |
| Edinburgh | 20 – 42 | Ulster (1 BP) |
| Try: De Luca Walker Con: Laidlaw (2) Pen: Laidlaw (2) | Report | Try: Best Tuohy Trimble Cave Con: Pienaar (2) Pen: Humphreys (2) Pienaar (4) |
| Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 3,792 Referee: George Clancy |
| 10 February 2012 19:05 |
| (1 BP) Ulster | 30 – 12 | Newport Gwent Dragons |
| Try: Diack Pienaar Gilroy Terblanche Con: Pienaar (2) Pen: Pienaar (2) | Report | Pen: Tovey (4) |
| Ravenhill, Belfast Attendance: 7,435 Referee: Carlo Damasco |
| 17 February 2012 19:05 |
| Cardiff Blues | 21 – 14 | Ulster (1 BP) |
| Try: Parks James Con: Parks Pen: Parks (3) | Report | Try: Diack Pen: Pienaar (3) |
| Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff Attendance: 9,154 Referee: George Clancy |
| 24 February 2012 19:05 |
| Ulster | 15 – 14 | Ospreys (1 BP) |
| Try: Penalty try Wallace Con: Pienaar Pen: Pienaar | Report | Try: Bearman Walker Con: Biggar |
| Ravenhill, Belfast Attendance: 8,131 Referee: Neil Hennessy |
| 2 March 2012 19:05 |
| (1 BP) Ulster | 38 – 16 | Edinburgh |
| Try: Marshall Terblanche D'Arcy Penalty try Cochrane Humphreys Con: Pienaar (4) | Report | Try: S. Visser T. Visser Pen: Godman (2) |
| Ravenhill, Belfast Attendance: 8,044 Referee: Nigel Owens |
| 24 March 2012 16:15 |
| (1 BP) Benetton Treviso | 23 – 27 | Ulster |
| Try: Ceccato Di Bernardo Con: Burton (2) Pen: Burton Drop: Burton | Report | Try: Henry Wallace D'Arcy Con: Pienaar (3) Pen: Pienaar |
| Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso Attendance: 4,200 Referee: Leighton Hodges |
| 30 March 2012 19:05 |
| (1 BP) Ulster | 45 – 7 | Aironi |
| Try: Wallace Penalty try Best Cave Court Wannenburg Con: Pienaar (4) Humphreys (2) Pen: Pienaar | Report | Try: Tibaldi Con: Olivier |
| Ravenhill, Belfast Attendance: 10,125 Referee: Neil Paterson |
| 14 April 2012 17:15 |
| Connacht | 26 – 21 | Ulster (1 BP) |
| Try: Nikora Duffy Tiernan O'Halloran Con: Nikora Pen: Nikora (3) | Report | Try: Marshall Jackson Con: Jackson Pen: Jackson (3) |
| Galway Sportsgrounds, Galway Attendance: 5,017 Referee: Dudley Phillips |
| 20 April 2012 19:05 |
| Ulster | 8 – 16 | Leinster |
| Try: Laughlin Con: Sexton Pen: Sexton Drop: Sexton | Report | Try: Muller Pen: Pienaar |
| Ravenhill, Belfast Attendance: 10,500 Referee: John Lacey |
Ulster Ravens
British and Irish Cup
Pool C
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TB | LB | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford Blues |
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 164 | 66 | 98 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 23 | ||
| Moseley |
5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 117 | 113 | 4 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 18 | ||
| Neath |
5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 78 | 76 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 14 | ||
| London Welsh |
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 93 | 99 | -6 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 11 | ||
| Ulster Ravens |
5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 109 | 128 | -19 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| Swansea |
5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 61 | 140 | -79 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 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 | |||||||||||||
Home attendance
| Domestic League | European Cup | Total | |||||||||
| League | Fixtures | Average Attendance | Highest | Lowest | League | Fixtures | Average Attendance | Highest | Lowest | Total Attendance | Average Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 Pro12 | 11 | 8,258 | 11,379 | 6,296 | 2011–12 Heineken Cup | 3 | 9,593 | 11,900 | 7,494 | 119,620 | 8,544 |
Ulster Rugby Awards
The Ulster Rugby Awards ceremony was held at the Culloden Hotel on 10 May 2012.[14] Winners were:[15]
- Ulster Player of the Year: Chris Henry
- Ulster Rugby Personality of the Year: Stephen Ferris
- Young Player of the Year: Craig Gilroy
- Supporters Club Player of the Year: Pedrie Wannenburg
- Academy Player of the Year: Chris Farrell
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Paul Marshall
- Dorrington B. Faulkner Award: John Wilson
- Youth Player of the Year: Russell Blair
- Schools Player of the Year: James Harrison
- Club Player of the Year: Richard Lutton
- Club of the Year: Malone RFC
References
- "Top dog: Kearney named Players' Player of the Year", The 42, 10 May 2012
- "It's Grim Up North - Ulster's Malaise", Digging Like a Demented Mole, 4 March 2018
- "Team Management", Ulster Rugby, archived 9 October 2011
- "Ulster Sign All-Black Prop John Afoa". Ulster Rugby. 16 March 2011.
- "Ulster announce two new signings". The Irish Times. 7 March 2011.
- "Payne signs with Ulster". The Blues. 1 April 2011.
- "Ulster snap up Stevenson". Sky Sports. 18 February 2011.
- "Connacht sign Anderson from Ulster", The Irish Times, 7 March 2011
- "Connacht sign Ulster duo as Naoupu returns". RTÉ Sport. 7 January 2011.
- Appearances and scoring stats from ItsRugby.co.uk
- "Ulster Rugby Academy", Ulster Rugby, archived 14 January 2012
- Competition Rule 3.5 "Summary of Key Rules". Pro12. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- "2012 RaboDirect PRO12 Dream Team 2011/12". The Rugby Blog. 3 May 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
- Niall Crozier, "Ulster's big winners to be unveiled at glitzy awards night", Belfast Telegraph, 10 May 2012
- "Ferris lost for words as he scoops top Ulster award", News Letter, 12 May 2012
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