The IRFU offered new contracts for provincial players for this season. Full-time players would receive a retainer of £25,000, plus a win bonus of £500 for Heineken Cup matches. Part-time players would be paid a retainer of £7,500, plus a match fee of £400 for Interprovincial matches and £800 for the Heineken Cup, and a win bonus of £450 for both competitions.[3] Each province could have a maximum of 30 contracted players.[4]
After the departure of Tony Russ, Clive Griffiths was lined up to take over as head coach, but withdrew in the summer. Davy Haslett, a geography teacher at RBAI, was offered the position on the eve of the 1997 Ireland A rugby union tour of Oceania, on which he was assistant coach. Between returning from that tour and a pre-booked famility holiday, he only had four weeks to work with the team before the season started. Charlie McAleese was appointed assistant coach, and John Kinnear team manager.[6]: 10–12 Ulster finished third in the Interprovincial Championship, and bottom of their pool in the Heineken Cup.
(c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players. * denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality.
1. Richard Mackey, 2. Stephen Ritchie, 3. Gary Leslie, 4. Tony McWhirter, 5. Gary Longwell, 6. Stephen McKinty, 7. Keith Gallick, 8. Andy Ward, 9. Stephen Bell, 10. Stuart Laing, 11. Sheldon Coulter, 12. James Topping, 13. Maurice Field, 14. Jan Cunningham, 15. Robin Morrow.
1. Richard Mackey, 2. Stephen Ritchie, 3. Gary Leslie, 4. Tony McWhirter, 5. Gary Longwell, 6. Stephen McKinty, 7. Keith Gallick, 8. Andy Ward, 9. Stephen Bell, 10. Stuart Laing, 11. Sheldon Coulter, 12. James Topping, 13. Maurice Field, 14. Jan Cunningham, 15. Robin Morrow.
1. Richard Mackey, 2. Stephen Ritchie, 3. Rab Irwin, 4. Tony McWhirter, 5. Gary Longwell, 6. Stephen McKinty, 7. Keith Gallick, 8. Andy Ward, 9. Andrew Matchett, 10. Stuart Laing, 11. Jan Cunningham, 12. Maurice Field, 13. Stan McDowell, 14. James Topping, 15. Robin Morrow. Replacements: Ciaran O'Kane (for Ritchie, 12–24), Roger Wilson (for Gallick, 63), Murtagh Rea (for Longwell, 12–16; for McWhirter, 74), Bryn Cunningham (for Laing, 70), Stephen Bell (for Field, 75)
1. Rab Irwin, 2. Stephen Ritchie, 3. Gary Leslie, 4. Tony McWhirter, 5. Gary Longwell, 6. Stephen McKinty, 7. Keith Gallick, 8. Andy Ward, 9. Andrew Matchett, 10. Stuart Laing, 11. Jan Cunningham, 12. Maurice Field, 13. Michael Jackson, 14. James Topping, 15. Robin Morrow.
1. Gary Lesie, 2. Stephen Ritchie, 3. Rab Irwin, 4. Tony McWhirter, 5. Gary Longwell, 6. Stephen McKinty, 7. Keith Gallick, 8. Andy Ward, 9. Andrew Matchett, 10. Stuart Laing, 11. Jan Cunningham, 12. Maurice Field, 13. Michael Jackson, 14. James Topping, 15. Stan McDowell. Replacements: Murtagh Rea (for McWhirter, 60), Roger Wilson (for Gallick, 60).
1. Gary Lesie, 2. Stephen Ritchie, 3. Rab Irwin, 4. Tony McWhirter, 5. Gary Longwell, 6. Stephen McKinty, 7. Keith Gallick, 8. Andy Ward, 9. Andrew Matchett, 10. Stuart Laing, 11. Jan Cunningham, 12. Maurice Field, 13. Michael Jackson, 14. James Topping, 15. Stan McDowell. Replacements: Roger Wilson (for Gallick, 56), Murtagh Rea (for McWhirter, 64).
1. Richard Mackey, 2. Stephen Ritchie, 3. Gary Leslie, 4. Tony McWhirter, 5. Gary Longwell, 6. Roger Wilson, 7. Stephen McKinty, 8. Andy Ward, 9. Kenton Hillman, 10. Stuart Laing, 11. Graeme McCluskey, 12. Stan McDowell, 13. Sheldon Coulter, 14. Jan Cunningham, 15. Robin Morrow. Replacements: Rab Irwin (for Leslie).
1. Richard Mackey, 2. Stephen Ritchie, 3. Gary Leslie, 4. Tony McWhirter, 5. Gary Longwell, 6. Stephen McKinty, 7. Roger Wilson, 8. Andy Ward, 9. Stephen Bell, 10. Stuart Laing, 11. Jan Cunningham, 12. Stan McDowell, 13. Sheldon Coulter, 14. Andy Park, 15. Robin Morrow.
1. Richard Mackey, 2. Stephen Ritchie, 3. Gary Leslie, 4. Tony McWhirter, 5. Gary Longwell, 6. Stephen McKinty, 7. Keith Gallick, 8. Andy Ward, 9. Stephen Bell, 10. Stuart Laing, 11. Sheldon Coulter, 12. Maurice Field, 13. Jan Cunningham, 14. Andy Park, 15. Robin Morrow.
1. Richard Mackey, 2. Stephen Ritchie, 3. Gary Leslie, 4. Tony McWhirter, 5. Gary Longwell, 6. Stuart Duncan, 7. Stephen McKinty, 8. Andy Ward, 9. Stephen Bell, 10. Stuart Laing, 11. Scott Carroll, 12. Sheldon Coulter, 13. Michael Jackson, 14. Andy Park, 15. Jan Cunningham. Replacements: Murtagh Rea, Kevin McKee, Rab Irwin, Dean Macartney, Roger Wilson, Kenton Hillman, M. Patton, Charlie Simpson, Bryn Cunningham, R. Collins.
Ulster Rugby Awardsedit
The inaugural Guinness Ulster Rugby Awards dinner was held on 20 May 1998 at the Balmoral Conference Centre. Winners were:[21]
^Ulster Rugby Limited, Companies Check, retrieved 17 December 2023
^"Seventy six players win IRFU contracts", Irish Independent, 17 July 1997
^Barry Coughlan, "IRFU brings home the message with provincial contracts", Irish Examiner, 1 May 1998
^ abJim Stokes, "Mark off to join Exiles", Belfast Telegraph, 17 July 1997.
^Jonathan Bradley, The Last Amateurs: The Incredible Story of Ulster Rugby's 1999 European Champions, The Blackstaff Press, 2018
^Note: not the Roger Wilson who played for Ulster from 2003 to 2008, and from 2021 to 2017.
^"Ulster throw away victory", Irish Independent, 9 September 1997
^"Thomas gives Ulster the boot", Sunday Independent, 14 September 1997
^"Thomas sends Ulster packing", Evening Herald, 13 September 1997
^"Ulster badly stung", Irish Independent, 22 September 1997
^Peter Llewellyn, "Rugby Union: Wasps bring lasting pain as Logan runs riot", The Independent, 21 September 1997
^Micheal McGeary, "Ulster Thriller", Sunday Life, 28 September 1997
^Jim Stokes, "Wasps have to fight for Ulster win", Belfast Telegraph, 4 October 1997
^"Wasps take sting out of Ulster", Irish Independent, 4 October 1997
^"Flat Ulster fail to learn hard lesson", Belfast Telegraph, 13 October 1997
^Michael McGeary, "Adding Insult to Injury", Sunday Life, 17 August 1997
^Michael McGeary, "Ulster Shamed in Wild West", Sunday Life, 24 August 1997
^Micheal McGeary, "Ulster enjoy a field day at last", Sunday Life, 31 August 1997
^"Ulster 19 Richmond 41", Sunday Independent, 10 August 1997
^Jim Stokes, "Handy Andy is tops", Belfast Telegraph, 21 May 1998
January 01, 1970
1997, ulster, rugby, season, 1997, season, ulster, rugby, third, season, under, professionalism, during, which, they, competed, heineken, irfu, interprovincial, championship, ulster, rugby, limited, incorporated, private, company, limited, guarantee, 1997, gro. The 1997 98 season was Ulster Rugby s third season under professionalism during which they competed in the Heineken Cup and the IRFU Interprovincial Championship Ulster Rugby Limited was incorporated as a private company limited by guarantee on 9 May 1997 1 2 1997 98 Ulster Rugby seasonGround s Ravenhill Stadium Capacity 12 500 Coach es Davy HaslettCaptain s Stephen McKintyTop scorerStuart Laing 115 Most triesJan Cunningham 2 Stan McDowell 2 League s Heineken Cup 4th in pool IRFU Interprovincial Championship 3rd of 4 Team kit 1996 97 1998 99 The IRFU offered new contracts for provincial players for this season Full time players would receive a retainer of 25 000 plus a win bonus of 500 for Heineken Cup matches Part time players would be paid a retainer of 7 500 plus a match fee of 400 for Interprovincial matches and 800 for the Heineken Cup and a win bonus of 450 for both competitions 3 Each province could have a maximum of 30 contracted players 4 Mark McCall was offered a full time contract but turned it down and signed for London Irish making him unavailable for Ulster this season 5 Full time contracts were also offered to Jan Cunningham and Stephen Bell and part time contracts to Sheldon Coulter Gary Longwell Andrew Matchett Dean Macartney and Tony McWhirter Ballymena Stuart Duncan Richard Mackey and Denis McBride Malone Gary Leslie and John Patterson Dungannon Clem Boyd Bedford Bryn Cunningham Bective Stuart Laing Portadown Stephen McKinty Bangor and Andy Ward Ballynahinch 5 After the departure of Tony Russ Clive Griffiths was lined up to take over as head coach but withdrew in the summer Davy Haslett a geography teacher at RBAI was offered the position on the eve of the 1997 Ireland A rugby union tour of Oceania on which he was assistant coach Between returning from that tour and a pre booked famility holiday he only had four weeks to work with the team before the season started Charlie McAleese was appointed assistant coach and John Kinnear team manager 6 10 12 Ulster finished third in the Interprovincial Championship and bottom of their pool in the Heineken Cup Paddy Johns and Andy Ward were selected for the Ireland squad for the 1998 Five Nations Championship Johns Ward and James Topping were selected for the 1998 tour to South Africa Contents 1 Players selected 2 1997 98 Heineken Cup 2 1 Pool 2 3 1997 98 IRFU Interprovincial Championship 4 Friendlies 5 Ulster Rugby Awards 6 ReferencesPlayers selected editUlster Rugby squad Props nbsp Richard Mackey Malone nbsp Gary Leslie Dungannon nbsp Rab Irwin Ballymena Hookers nbsp Stephen Ritchie Ballymena nbsp Ciaran O Kane Portadown Locks nbsp Tony McWhirter Ballymena nbsp Gary Longwell Ballymena nbsp Murtagh Rea Malone nbsp Charlie Simpson Dungannon Back row nbsp Stephen McKinty Bangor nbsp Keith Gallick City of Derry nbsp Andy Ward Ballynahinch nbsp Roger Wilson 7 Instonians nbsp Stuart Duncan Malone nbsp Kevin McKee Instonians nbsp Dean Macartney Ballymena Scrum halves nbsp Andrew Matchett Ballymena nbsp Stephen Bell Dungannon nbsp Kenton Hillman Instonians Fly halves nbsp Stuart Laing Portadown nbsp Bryn Cunningham Bective Centres nbsp Maurice Field Malone nbsp Stan McDowell Ballymena nbsp Michael Jackson Blackrock Wings nbsp James Topping Ballymena nbsp Sheldon Coulter Ballymena nbsp Jan Cunningham TCD nbsp Andy Park Ballymena nbsp Graeme McCluskey Portadown nbsp Scott Carroll Malone Fullbacks nbsp Robin Morrow Dungannon c denotes the team captain Bold denotes internationally capped players denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality 1997 98 Heineken Cup editMain article 1997 98 Heineken Cup Pool 2 edit Team P W D L Tries for Tries against Try diff Points for Points against Points diff Pts nbsp Wasps 6 6 0 0 31 12 19 243 104 139 12 nbsp Glasgow 6 3 0 3 14 15 1 132 167 35 6 nbsp Swansea 6 2 0 4 15 16 1 157 161 4 4 nbsp Ulster 6 1 0 5 6 23 17 95 195 100 2 8 September 199719 00 Ulster nbsp 12 18 nbsp Glasgow Ravenhill Pen Laing 3 Drop Laing Report 8 Try CraigWallaceCon HayesPen Hayes 2 Attendance 2 100 Ulster lineup 1 Richard Mackey 2 Stephen Ritchie 3 Gary Leslie 4 Tony McWhirter 5 Gary Longwell 6 Stephen McKinty 7 Keith Gallick 8 Andy Ward 9 Stephen Bell 10 Stuart Laing 11 Sheldon Coulter 12 James Topping 13 Maurice Field 14 Jan Cunningham 15 Robin Morrow 13 September 199714 00 Swansea nbsp 33 16 nbsp Ulster St Helen s Try GibbsH ThomasCon A ThomasPen A Thomas 7 Report 9 10 Try GallickCon LaingPen Laing 3 Attendance 3 000Referee K McCartney Ulster lineup 1 Richard Mackey 2 Stephen Ritchie 3 Gary Leslie 4 Tony McWhirter 5 Gary Longwell 6 Stephen McKinty 7 Keith Gallick 8 Andy Ward 9 Stephen Bell 10 Stuart Laing 11 Sheldon Coulter 12 James Topping 13 Maurice Field 14 Jan Cunningham 15 Robin Morrow 21 September 199715 00 London Wasps nbsp 56 3 nbsp Ulster Loftus Road Stadium Try MitchellWoodKingLogan 3 GreenstockRosierCon Rees 5 Pen Rees Report 11 12 Pen Laing Attendance 4 120 Ulster lineup 1 Richard Mackey 2 Stephen Ritchie 3 Rab Irwin 4 Tony McWhirter 5 Gary Longwell 6 Stephen McKinty 7 Keith Gallick 8 Andy Ward 9 Andrew Matchett 10 Stuart Laing 11 Jan Cunningham 12 Maurice Field 13 Stan McDowell 14 James Topping 15 Robin Morrow Replacements Ciaran O Kane for Ritchie 12 24 Roger Wilson for Gallick 63 Murtagh Rea for Longwell 12 16 for McWhirter 74 Bryn Cunningham for Laing 70 Stephen Bell for Field 75 27 September 199714 30 Ulster nbsp 28 20 nbsp Swansea Ravenhill Try Penalty tryJacksonMcWhirterCon Laing 2 Pen Laing 3 Report 13 Try Rees 2 WilliamsCon WilliamsPen Williams Attendance 2 500Referee George Hughes Ulster lineup 1 Rab Irwin 2 Stephen Ritchie 3 Gary Leslie 4 Tony McWhirter 5 Gary Longwell 6 Stephen McKinty 7 Keith Gallick 8 Andy Ward 9 Andrew Matchett 10 Stuart Laing 11 Jan Cunningham 12 Maurice Field 13 Michael Jackson 14 James Topping 15 Robin Morrow 3 October 199719 30 Ulster nbsp 21 38 nbsp London Wasps Ravenhill Try Jan Cunningham 2 Con LaingPen Laing 3 Report 14 15 Try HendersonRosierWhiteGreenstockDallaglioCon Rees 5 Pen Rees Attendance 3 250 Ulster lineup 1 Gary Lesie 2 Stephen Ritchie 3 Rab Irwin 4 Tony McWhirter 5 Gary Longwell 6 Stephen McKinty 7 Keith Gallick 8 Andy Ward 9 Andrew Matchett 10 Stuart Laing 11 Jan Cunningham 12 Maurice Field 13 Michael Jackson 14 James Topping 15 Stan McDowell Replacements Murtagh Rea for McWhirter 60 Roger Wilson for Gallick 60 12 October 199715 00 Glasgow nbsp 30 15 nbsp Ulster Scotstoun Stadium Try Penalty tryStottHayesCon Hayes 3 Pen Hayes 3 Report 16 Pen Laing 5 Attendance 4 000 Ulster lineup 1 Gary Lesie 2 Stephen Ritchie 3 Rab Irwin 4 Tony McWhirter 5 Gary Longwell 6 Stephen McKinty 7 Keith Gallick 8 Andy Ward 9 Andrew Matchett 10 Stuart Laing 11 Jan Cunningham 12 Maurice Field 13 Michael Jackson 14 James Topping 15 Stan McDowell Replacements Roger Wilson for Gallick 56 Murtagh Rea for McWhirter 64 1997 98 IRFU Interprovincial Championship editMain article IRFU Interprovincial Championship Team P W D L F A BP Pts Status Leinster 3 2 0 1 61 46 8 Champions qualified for next season s Heineken Cup Munster 3 2 0 1 56 43 8 Qualified for next season s Heineken Cup Ulster 3 1 0 2 59 65 4 Qualified for next season s Heineken Cup Connacht 3 1 0 2 42 64 4 Top three teams qualify for next season s Heineken Cup 16 August 1997 Leinster nbsp 26 25 nbsp Ulster Donnybrook Try RollandHickieO MahonyCon RollandPen Governey 3 Report 17 Try LaingCon LaingPen Laing 6 Referee David McHugh Ulster lineup 1 Richard Mackey 2 Stephen Ritchie 3 Gary Leslie 4 Tony McWhirter 5 Gary Longwell 6 Roger Wilson 7 Stephen McKinty 8 Andy Ward 9 Kenton Hillman 10 Stuart Laing 11 Graeme McCluskey 12 Stan McDowell 13 Sheldon Coulter 14 Jan Cunningham 15 Robin Morrow Replacements Rab Irwin for Leslie 23 August 1997 Connacht nbsp 27 17 nbsp Ulster Galway Sportsgrounds Try McEnteeMurphyCharlieCon Elwood 3 Pen Elwood 2 Report 18 Try McDowell 2 Con Laing 2 Pen Laing Referee L Mayne Ulster lineup 1 Richard Mackey 2 Stephen Ritchie 3 Gary Leslie 4 Tony McWhirter 5 Gary Longwell 6 Stephen McKinty 7 Roger Wilson 8 Andy Ward 9 Stephen Bell 10 Stuart Laing 11 Jan Cunningham 12 Stan McDowell 13 Sheldon Coulter 14 Andy Park 15 Robin Morrow 30 August 1997 Ulster nbsp 22 12 nbsp Munster Ravenhill Try ParkCon LaingPen Laing 4 Drop Laing Report 19 Pen O Gara 4 Referee M White Ulster lineup 1 Richard Mackey 2 Stephen Ritchie 3 Gary Leslie 4 Tony McWhirter 5 Gary Longwell 6 Stephen McKinty 7 Keith Gallick 8 Andy Ward 9 Stephen Bell 10 Stuart Laing 11 Sheldon Coulter 12 Maurice Field 13 Jan Cunningham 14 Andy Park 15 Robin Morrow Friendlies edit9 August 1997 Ulster nbsp 22 12 nbsp Richmond Palace Grounds Armagh Report 20 Referee M White Ulster lineup 1 Richard Mackey 2 Stephen Ritchie 3 Gary Leslie 4 Tony McWhirter 5 Gary Longwell 6 Stuart Duncan 7 Stephen McKinty 8 Andy Ward 9 Stephen Bell 10 Stuart Laing 11 Scott Carroll 12 Sheldon Coulter 13 Michael Jackson 14 Andy Park 15 Jan Cunningham Replacements Murtagh Rea Kevin McKee Rab Irwin Dean Macartney Roger Wilson Kenton Hillman M Patton Charlie Simpson Bryn Cunningham R Collins Ulster Rugby Awards editThe inaugural Guinness Ulster Rugby Awards dinner was held on 20 May 1998 at the Balmoral Conference Centre Winners were 21 Player of the year Andy Ward Personality of the year Andy Ward Club of the year Ballynahinch RFC Coach of the year Charlie McAleese Dromore High School Youth player of the year Diarmuid O Kane St Colman s College Newry Schools player of the year Andy Hughes Royal School Dungannon Dorrington B Faulkner Memorial Award Ken Reid former IRFU president and Ireland team managerReferences edit John Winter Who Owns Ulster Rugby Explained Rugby Dome 10 October 2022 Ulster Rugby Limited Companies Check retrieved 17 December 2023 Seventy six players win IRFU contracts Irish Independent 17 July 1997 Barry Coughlan IRFU brings home the message with provincial contracts Irish Examiner 1 May 1998 a b Jim Stokes Mark off to join Exiles Belfast Telegraph 17 July 1997 Jonathan Bradley The Last Amateurs The Incredible Story of Ulster Rugby s 1999 European Champions The Blackstaff Press 2018 Note not the Roger Wilson who played for Ulster from 2003 to 2008 and from 2021 to 2017 Ulster throw away victory Irish Independent 9 September 1997 Thomas gives Ulster the boot Sunday Independent 14 September 1997 Thomas sends Ulster packing Evening Herald 13 September 1997 Ulster badly stung Irish Independent 22 September 1997 Peter Llewellyn Rugby Union Wasps bring lasting pain as Logan runs riot The Independent 21 September 1997 Micheal McGeary Ulster Thriller Sunday Life 28 September 1997 Jim Stokes Wasps have to fight for Ulster win Belfast Telegraph 4 October 1997 Wasps take sting out of Ulster Irish Independent 4 October 1997 Flat Ulster fail to learn hard lesson Belfast Telegraph 13 October 1997 Michael McGeary Adding Insult to Injury Sunday Life 17 August 1997 Michael McGeary Ulster Shamed in Wild West Sunday Life 24 August 1997 Micheal McGeary Ulster enjoy a field day at last Sunday Life 31 August 1997 Ulster 19 Richmond 41 Sunday Independent 10 August 1997 Jim Stokes Handy Andy is tops Belfast Telegraph 21 May 1998 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1997 98 Ulster Rugby season amp oldid 1199215831, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
