The 2004–05 season was

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 ...

's tenth under professionalism, and their first under head coach

Mark McCall Mark Conn McCall (born 29 November 1967) is an Irish professional rugby union coach and former player, who is the current director of rugby of Premiership Rugby club Saracens. Arriving as an assistant in 2009 and taking charge of the first-team ...

. They competed in the

Heineken Cup The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Investec Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...

, the

Celtic League The Celtic League is a pan-Celtic organization, founded in 1961, that aims to promote modern Celtic identity and culture in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall and the Isle of Man – referred to as the Celtic nations; it places pa ...

and the Celtic Cup. Former head coach Alan Solomons and forwards coach Adrian Kennedy left at the end of the previous season to join

Northampton Saints Northampton Saints (officially Northampton Rugby Football Club) is a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The club plays in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby union. It was formed in 1880 as "Northampton St. ...

. Backs coach

was named as the new head coach, with Allen Clarke as his assistant.

Maurice Field Maurice Field (born Greenisland, County Antrim, 24 February 1964)Karl Johnston, "Maurice's Field of Dreams", ''Irish Press'', 11 February 1994 is a former Irish rugby union international player who played as a centre for North of Ireland, Mal ...

replaced Clarke as head of the academy.Gavin Mairs, "Sweet 16 move into Ulster academy", ''Belfast Telegraph'', 12 August 2004 In the Celtic League, they finished eighth.

Tommy Bowe Thomas John Bowe (born 22 February 1984) is an Irish television presenter and former rugby union player from County Monaghan, Ireland. He played on the wing for Ulster, Ospreys, Ireland and the British & Irish Lions. After his playing career ...

was the league's second top try scorer with eight. In the Heineken Cup, they finished third in Pool 6, failing to qualify for the knockout stage. They went out of the Celtic Cup in the quarter-finals, losing to Neath-Swansea Ospreys.

Neil Best Neil Best (born 3 April 1979 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a former rugby union footballer, who attended Wellington College Belfast and played his school rugby there until he left in 1997 after upper sixth. The last professional team he pla ...

was Ulster's Player of the Year.

Kieran Campbell Kieran Campbell (born 6 July 1979) is a former Irish rugby union scrumhalf and current Director of rugby at Coleraine grammar school. He is the former manager of Ulster Rugby's academy and former head coach of the Ireland under-20 team. Born ...

won the IRUPA award for Try of the Year.

Squad

Senior squad

Players in

Rory Best Rory David Best (born 15 August 1982) is an Irish former rugby union player who was the captain of the Ireland national team from 2016 to 2019. He played hooker for Ulster and was registered for Banbridge RFC. Best earned 124 caps for Irelan ...

from

Belfast Harlequins Belfast Harlequins is a multi-sports club located off the Malone Road in south Belfast, Northern Ireland. The club name provides the overall umbrella for rugby union, men's and ladies' field hockey, hockey, and Squash (sport), squash. The club i ...

Gary Brown Gary Brown may refer to: Sports * Gary Brown (running back) (1969–2022), American football running back and coach * Gary Brown (offensive lineman) (born 1971), American football player * Gary Brown (rugby union) (born 1980), Irish rugby player ...

from

* Campbell Feather from

Border Reivers Border Reivers were Cattle raiding, raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border. They included both Scotland, Scottish and England, English people, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their victims' nationality.Hay, D. "E ...

* Declan Fitzpatrick from

* Andrew Kershaw from

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...

Kevin Maggs Kevin Michael Maggs (born 3 June 1974) is a former professional rugby union player who played as a centre. He is currently a scout for the IRFU Ireland national rugby union team. He previously played for Bristol, Bath, Ulster and Rotherham Tit ...

from

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

* Gavin Pfister from

Pertemps Bees Birmingham & Solihull Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club based in Portway, Birmingham. There have been three rugby clubs, each one a separate legal entity, that have borne the "Birmingham & Solihull" name: * Birmingham & Solih ...

Players out

Clem Boyd 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' ...

(retired) * Warren Brosnihan (released) *

Ryan Constable Ryan Constable (born 20 October 1971) is a South African-born Australian former professional rugby union player. Constable, born in Durban, left South Africa aged 11 and attended Coolum High School on the Sunshine Coast. A speedy three-quarter, ...

(retired) *

Robbi Kempson Robert Bruce Kempson (born 23 February 1974 in Queenstown, South Africa) is a South African former rugby union footballer, and the Director of High Performance and interim head coach of the in Pro14. He played rugby between 1994 and 2003 f ...

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

Gavin Mairs, "McCall's French connection", ''Belfast Telegraph'', 22 April 2004 * Andrew Kershaw to

Leeds Tykes Leeds Tykes (formerly Leeds RUFC, Leeds Carnegie and Yorkshire Carnegie) is an English rugby union club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the National League 2 North. The club was founded as Headingley FC, but renamed in 1991 when ...

* Tony McWhirter (retired) *

Matt Sexton Matt Sexton is a former New Zealand rugby union player and head coach of the Super Rugby franchise, as well as the Currie Cup team. He is currently a talent identification coach for the New Zealand Rugby Union. Playing career He made his debut ...

(retired)"Saintly Solomons leaves legacy"
BBC Sport, 16 February 2004

Academy squad

Season record

2004–05 Heineken Cup

Pool 6

2004-05 Celtic League

Celtic Cup

Quarter-final

Home attendance

Friendlies

Ulster Rugby Awards

The Ulster Rugby Awards ceremony was held at the Ramada Hotel on 12 May 2005. Winners were:Gavin Mairs, "Bowe bags the top Ulster rugby gong", ''Belfast Telegraph'', 13 May 2005 *Bank of Ireland Ulster Player of the Year:

*Guinness Ulster Rugby Personality of the Year:

*Club Ulster Supporters Player of the Year:

*Kukri Schools Player of the Year: David Pollock,

Royal School Dungannon The Royal School is a mixed boarding school located in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It was one of a number of 'free schools' created by James I of England, James I (otherwise known as James VI of Scotland) in 1608 to provide an ed ...

*First Trust Bank Club of the Year:

Ballymena RFC Ballymena Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the town of Ballymena, Northern Ireland, playing in 2024–25 All-Ireland League (rugby union)#Division 2A, Division 2A of the All-Ireland League (rugby union), All-Ireland League. It is ...

*Calor Gas Youth Player of the Year: Nigel Newell,

Ballynahinch RFC Ballynahinch Rugby Club is an Irish rugby union club based in the County Down town of Ballynahinch. Founded in 1954, the club is affiliated to the Ulster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union. The first team plays Senior rugby union in the ...

*Dorrington B. Faulkner Award: Brian Reid, Coleraine RFC *Northern Bank Coach of the Year: Gerald McCarter, City of Derry R.F.C., Ulster U21s *Downtown Radio Club/PRO Media Liaison Officer of the Year: Joan Beatty, Enniskillen *Belfast Telegraph Club Team of the Year:

2nd XV *The Botanic Inns Merit Award: Suzanne Flemming

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2004-05 Ulster Rugby season Ulster Rugby seasons

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...