Update on Ulster Senior League coaching teams and player movements 2014/15. Clubs finalised player / coach prep for commencement of the season 2014/15.
City Of Armagh Rugby Club
Club coach: Andrew Hughes.
Assistant coaches: Seamus Mallon and Dave Eakins.
Manager: John McNally.
Players in: Neil Faloon (B’ Hinch), James Hanna, Chris Colvin, David Swann(Queens),Andy Holmes (Ballyclare), Conleth McGillan (Malone).
Players out: Richard Reaney (Ballynahinch)
Ards Rugby Club
Club coach: Stewart Porter.
Assistant coaches: Gerry Flynn and Scott Young.
Manager: Stephen Nutt.
Players in: Ali Coulson, Max Porter, Bruce Duff (Malone)
Players out: none
Ballymena Rugby Club
Club coach: Andy Graham.
Assistant coaches: Nicky Wells, Bryan Young and John Nicholl.
Director of rugby: Peter McKenzie.
Players in: Stephen Mulholland (Rainey OB), Ritchie McMaster (Queens), Rob Haldane (Malone)
Players out: Chris Watson (Ballymoney).
Influential players Adrian Hamilton and James Gallagher will be taking up University places in Scotland and England.
Ulster players: Luke Marshall, Ian Humphrey’s, Mike McComish, Dave Ryan, Ricky Andrews, Andy Warwick, John Andrews and Dave Shanahan.
Ballynahinch Rugby Club
Club coach: Derek Suffern,
Assistant coaches: Charlie McAleese, Neil Hinds, Chris Parker.
Manager: Ronnie Duncan.
Club Captain: Harry McAleese.
Players in: Richard Reaney (Armagh), Chris Quinn (Cork Constitution), Stephen McCauley (Buccaneers), Kenny Morton (Ophir)
Players out: Neil Faloon (Armagh), Zac McCall (Queens)
Former Club Captain Stuart Morrow will be unavailable.
Ulster Players: Charlie Butterworth, James Simpson, John Donnan, Johnny Murphy, Kyle McCall and Ross Adair.
Banbridge Rugby Club
Club coach: Daniel Soper.
Assistant coach: Simon Best.
Director of rugby: Andy Duke.
Players in: Scott Nelson (Ballymoney), Nicole Vorster (Boyne)
Players out: Hugo Harbinson (Malone), Ian Porter (Connacht rugby).
Four players from the successful Banbridge U19s have been included in the senior squad including Aaron Kennedy, McCauley Little, Lee Geddis and Tim Savage.
Belfast Harlequins Rugby Club
Club coach: Adam Larkin.
Assistant coaches: Ali Heatlie and Andrew Gillespie.
Director of Rugby: DC Gillespie.
Club Captain: Danny Annett,
First xv Captain: Neil Simpson.
Players In: Matthew Rainey (Malone)
Players out: Harry Howard, Kyle Adams and Andy Pollack ( CIYMS)
Ulster players: Ricky Lutton, Neil McComb, Frankie Taggart, Daniel Bass, Michael Heaney, Rory Scholes.
City of Derry Rugby Club
Club coach: Mark Nicholl.
Assistant coach: Neil Beddow.
Club Captain: David Funston.
Players in: Stuart Simpson (RaineyOB), Peter Henderson (Malone).
Players out: Neil Burns ( Malone), Stephen Dickey, Stephen Jefferson, Adam Parke (Coleraine)
Dungannon Rugby Club
Head coach: Nigel Brady.
Assistant Head coach: Alex McCloy.
Coaching Co – ordinator: Mark Henderson.
Assistant coaches: David Irwin, Patrick Johns and Jonny Patton.
Team Captain: James Bates.
Team Manager: Brian McGowan.
Players in: Karl Egan ( Enniskillen), Wayne Lyons (Clogher Valley), Stephen Baxter (Clogher Valley), Peter Kidd (Rainey OB), Ethan Allen (Armagh), Nathan Patterson (CS), Colin Prime (CS), Michael Lawton (Ballynahinch).
Players out: Chris Cousens (Portadown), Michael Dunleavy (OldWesley)
Ulster players: Peter Nelson and Paul Jackson.
Malone Rugby Club
Head coach: Jacque Benade.
Assistant coaches: Michael Ferguson (Forwards) and David Creighton (Backs coach)
Players in: John Burns (Corinthians), Hugo Harbinson ( Banbridge), Neil Burns ( City of Derry), Andrew Black (Dromore), Ross McAllister (MCB), Rory Campbell (RBAI), Michael Cartmill (SUS), Josh Bingham (MCB), Ciaran Joyce, Andrew McGrath (RBAI), Dane Fitzpatrick (Blackrock College).
Returning players to club: Andy Bryan’s, Josh Pentland, Cory Tipping and Mark Marwood.
Players out: Mike McComish ( Ballymena) and James McKinney (Rotherham). Peter Henderson ( City of Derry), Marc Gribben, (Sports scholarship USA), Ali Coulson, Bruce Duff and Max Porter (Ards).
Ulster players: Callum Black, Louis Stevenson, Conor Joyce and Alan O’Connor.
Queens Rugby Club
Head Coach: Bob Young.
Assistant coaches: Chris Moore, Robert Ford, Simon Fitgerald, Mark Samson.
Strength and conditioning coach: Mike McGurn
Director of Rugby: Robbie Moore.
Players In: Conor McKee (MCB), Alex Thompson (MCB), Jacob Stockdale (Wallace HS), Josh Davidson (SUS), Zach McCall (Ballynahinch), Adam Kirk (Rainey), Scott Finlay (Ulster Juniors & Cooke).
Players out: Ben Howard (England), David Swann, Chris Colvin, James Hanna (Armagh), Paddy Colhoun (England), Paddy Farrell (Loughborough), Ritchie McMaster ( Ballymena), Robert Whitten and Paddy Pringle (Instonians).
Ulster players: Lorcan Dow, Marc Campbell, David Busby.
Queens have also been able to offer seven bursaries to rugby players based on their sporting and academic ability.
Rainey OB Rugby Club
Head Coach: Richard Boyd.
Assistant coach: John Andrew.
Strength and conditioning coach: Ryan Keating.
1st xv Captain: David Dawson.
Players in: Peter Stewart and Matthew McClelland ( Instonians), Johnny Crowe, Mark Gordon and Timmy Emmerson. Conor Simpson (Coleraine), Rigan Sanderson, Cameron Fulton, Michael Barr and Ross McCloskey. Players promoted into senior squad from Under 19s include Conal Murphy, Eunan Shaw, Rory Squires, Andrew Shaw, Joe Rice and Ronan MCusker.
Players out: Stephen Mulholland ( Ballymena), Adam Kirk (Queens) and Peter Kidd ( Dungannon).
Editor: George Heron
