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2013–14 Ulster Rugby Season
The 2013–14 season was Ulster's 20th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and their second under head coach Mark Anscombe. They competed in the Heineken Cup and the Pro12. They finished fourth in the Pro12, qualifying for the semi-finals and next season's Champions Cup. They lost the semi-final to Leinster. Ulster and Connacht jointly won the Fair Play Award, and wing Andrew Trimble and lock Johann Muller made the Pro12 Dream Team. They topped their pool in the Champions Cup, qualifying for the quarter-final, which they lost to Saracens, after Jared Payne saw an early red card. Out-half Paddy Jackson was leading scorer with 239 points. Andrew Trimble, wing Tommy Bowe and centre Luke Marshall were joint leading try scorers with six each. Andrew Trimble was Ulster's Player of the Year, and IRUPA Players' Player of the Year. Johann Muller, flanker Stephen Ferris and utility back Paddy Wallace retired at the end of the season. Props John Afoa moved to Gl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ulster Rugby
Ulster Rugby is one of the four professional provincial rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the Irish regional pool of the United Rugby Championship and in the European Rugby Champions Cup, each of which they have won once. Ulster were the first Irish team and the first team outside England and France to win the European Cup in 1999. The team represents the IRFU Ulster Branch, which is one of the four primary branches of the IRFU and is responsible for rugby union throughout the geographical Irish province of Ulster, comprising Northern Ireland ( Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone) and three counties in the Republic of Ireland which are Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan. Prior to professionalisation, Ulster were a representative amateur team taking part in the IRFU Interprovincial Championship. They have also competed in the now defunct Celtic Cup (2003–05). Their development team, Ulster A, formerly known as the Ulster Rav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jared Payne
Jared Benjamin Payne (born 13 October 1985) is a former rugby union centre who played for Ulster and the Ireland national team. He was a member of the 2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, but did not play a test match. On his retirement from playing in 2018, he took over as Ulster's defence coach, a position he left at the end of the 2021-22 season. Since 2022 he has been defence coach for Clermont Auvergne. Payne was born in Tauranga, New Zealand, and represented New Zealand at U21 and 7s level, as well as captaining his provincial side Northland. He began his Super Rugby career with the Chiefs in 2007 before moving to the Crusaders in 2009. He made 22 appearances for the Crusaders over two seasons. He moved to the Blues for the 2011 Super Rugby campaign and was one of the standout players in the competition as he played centre and fullback with flair. Payne played most of his New Zealand rugby at centre and fullback, but also covered the wing. Early life Payne wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James McKinney (rugby Union)
A list of players who have appeared for Ulster Rugby since rugby union was declared open to professionalism on 26 August 1995. Current players Jacob Boyd Loosehead prop. Son of former Ulster prop Clem Boyd. Captained RBAI to the Ulster Schools' Cup in 2023, and was Boys' Schools Player of the Year in the 2023 Ulster Rugby Awards. Joined the Ulster academy in 2023."Ulster Rugby Academy 2023/24 squad confirmed" Ulster Rugby, 29 June 2023 Made 4 appearances for Ireland under-20 in the 2024 under-20 Six Nations, and 2 in the 2024 under-20 World Championships. Made his senior debut for Ulster against Benetton in February 2025. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bristol Bears
Bristol Bears (officially Bristol Rugby Club or Bristol Rugby) are a professional rugby union club based in Bristol, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded as Bristol Football Club in 1888; between 1921 and 2014, home matches were played at the Memorial Stadium (Bristol), Memorial Ground, and have since been played at Ashton Gate Stadium in the south-west of the city. The current head coach Pat Lam was appointed in 2017. In the 2024-25 Premiership Rugby, 2024–25 season Bristol finished 4th, losing in the play off semi-finals, entitling them to compete in the 2025-26 European Rugby Champions Cup. In 2018, the club rebranded as Bristol Bears; between 2001 and 2005 the club were known as Bristol Shoguns due to a sponsorship deal with Mitsubishi. Bristol won the 1982–83 John Player Cup, 1983 John Player Cup and have also won England's second division four times, most recently in 2017–18 RFU Championship, 2017–18. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David McIlwaine
A list of players who have appeared for Ulster Rugby since rugby union was declared open to professionalism on 26 August 1995. Current players Jacob Boyd Loosehead prop. Son of former Ulster prop Clem Boyd. Captained RBAI to the Ulster Schools' Cup in 2023, and was Boys' Schools Player of the Year in the 2023 Ulster Rugby Awards. Joined the Ulster academy in 2023."Ulster Rugby Academy 2023/24 squad confirmed" Ulster Rugby, 29 June 2023 Made 4 appearances for Ireland under-20 in the 2024 under-20 Six Nations, and 2 in the 2024 under-20 World Championships. Made his senior debut for Ulster against Benetton in February 2025. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jonny Bell (rugby Union)
Jonathan Charles Bell (born 7 February 1974) is an Irish rugby union coach and former player. He played centre for Ulster, with whom he won the 1998–99 Heineken Cup, Northampton and , and has coached at Ulster, Gloucester, Glasgow Warriors and Worcester Warriors. From the 2022–23 season until February 2025 he was defence coach at Ulster. Education Bell went to school at Coleraine Academical Institution, playing rugby there. He later gained a PGCE teaching qualification. Playing career Bell first played for Ulster as an 18 year old. He played one season for Northampton Saints in England in 1997–98. He returned to Ulster and in 1999 was part of the Ulster team that won the Heineken Cup, putting in a man-of-the-match performance against Colomiers in the final. Internationally, Bell made his Ireland debut against on 5 June 1994. He earned 36 caps for Ireland between 1994 and 2003, and played at two World Cups. Bell played his last game for Ireland against on 30 August 20 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neil Doak
Neil George Doak (born 21 June 1972) is a Northern Irish former cricketer and rugby union player. He is currently head coach of the Ireland U20 rugby union team. He has served as attack and backs coach with English club side Worcester Warriors, and Georgia during the 2020 Autumn Nations Cup. Doak previously worked as attack and backs coach of Irish provincial side Ulster from 2008 to 2017, where he also spent his professional playing career. During his time with Ulster, he had brief stints as a coach with and Emerging Ireland. Rugby union Playing career Doak played at amateur level for four Irish clubs, all based in Ulster. These were North of Ireland FC, Ballymena RFC, Malone RFC and Belfast Harlequins. In addition to these clubs, Doak also played for the Ulster provincial side. He played 76 times for Ulster, before retiring in April 2005. Doak came close to representing his country at international level. He was named in the Ireland squad for the 2002 Six Nations Champion ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Les Kiss
Les Kiss (born 9 December 1964) is an Australian former rugby league coach and player and professional rugby union coach who is the current head coach of Super Rugby Pacific side the Queensland Reds. Prior to this he was head coach of London Irish in the Gallagher Premiership until the club went into administration in June 2023. On 30 April 2025, it was announced by the Australian Rugby Union that Kiss is anticipated to succeed Joe Schmidt as the next head coach of the Wallabies, the Australian men's senior rugby union team beginning mid 2026. Kiss has previously been assistant head coach of Ireland and the Director of Rugby at Ulster. He is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the Brisbane Rugby League and New South Wales Rugby League and a former professional rugby league coach who was the head coach at the London Broncos in the Super League. Career Rugby league Kiss was a Bundaberg Past Brothers junior who went on to play 100 first grade games ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
London Irish
London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club that most recently competed in the Premiership Rugby, Premiership, the top division of rugby union in England. The club also participated in the European Rugby Champions Cup, European Champions Cup, and the European Challenge Cup. While competing in the RFU Championship, the second tier of English rugby, during the 2016–17 and 2018–19 seasons, London Irish also took part in the British and Irish Cup and the RFU Championship Cup. For twenty years, the club played its home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading, Berkshire, before relocating to the Brentford Community Stadium in Brentford, West London, for the 2020–21 season. The club was founded in 1898 following the creation of London Scottish F.C., London Scottish, London Cornish RFC, London Cornish and London Welsh RFC, London Welsh for the same reason, allowing Irishmen the chance to play rugby with fellow countrymen in the English capital. They won their only major t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom Court
Tom Court (born 6 November 1980) is an Australian-born former rugby union footballer. He most recently played for London Irish as a loosehead prop (rugby union), loosehead prop. He primarily played at tighthead in his early career at Ulster Rugby, Ulster but switched to loosehead in the 2007/2008 season when BJ Botha arrived at Ulster. Early life and sports career Court was born in Brisbane, Australia and began his sporting career as a shot put, shotputter. He was Australian University Champion for three years running and had Olympic trials in 2002. He started playing rugby in 2004 and has represented Queensland Reds and Manawatu as well as Ulster. Ulster and Ireland Court represented the Ireland Wolfhounds, Ireland A side at the 2006 Churchill Cup only 16 months after first playing rugby union, before he had played his first game for Ulster. He qualified to play international rugby for Ireland national rugby union team, Ireland through his grandfather, Patrick Carey, who was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gloucester Rugby
Gloucester Rugby are a professional rugby union club based in the West Country city of Gloucester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was formed in 1873 and since 1891 has played its home matches at Kingsholm Stadium in the north of the city. In the 2024–25 Premiership Rugby season, Gloucester finished 5th which earned them a space in the 2025–26 European Rugby Champions Cup. The current director of rugby (DOR) is George Skivington who took the role of head coach in the summer of 2020 before being promoted to DOR in the Autumn of 2023. Gloucester have won 8 major titles; four RFU Knockout Cup's in 1971–72, 1977–78, 1981–82 and 2002–03, one Anglo-Welsh Cup win in 2010–11, and one Premiership Rugby Cup win in 2023–24. The Premiership Rugby Cup win in 2024 meant they became the first club to win all three iterations of the English domestic cup competition. Outside of England, Gloucester has also seen succes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Afoa
Ioane Fitu "John" Afoa (born 16 September 1983) is a New Zealand professional rugby union player. His position of choice is at prop. Afoa currently plays for the Crusaders in Super Rugby. Personal life Afoa was a student at Auckland's Papakura High School, then St. Kentigern College, where he played first XV rugby alongside fellow All Blacks Joe Rokocoko and Jerome Kaino. Domestic career New Zealand Auckland Afoa played for Auckland between 2002 and 2011. Blues Afoa played for the Blues and made his debut in 2004 against the Brumbies. He made 101 appearances with the team between 2004 and 2011. Europe Ulster Afoa played for Ulster in the Pro12 from 2011 until 2014. Gloucester Rugby On 6 December 2013, Afoa officially joined Gloucester Rugby in the English Aviva Premiership on a four-year contract worth £400,000 per season. This made him one of the highest-paid players in the Premiership and the third highest-paid player in European rugby. Bristol Bears On ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
