Paddy Wallace has signed a one year deal which will see him contracted to the IRFU and Ulster Rugby until June 2013 while Tom Court has agreed a two year term which will see him wear Ulster colours until June 2014.

Both players were part of the Ireland Squad that reached the quarter-final stage of this year’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

Paddy Wallace, currently the longest serving member of the Ulster squad made his debut against Swansea in August 2001. Educated at Campbell College Belfast, Paddy was part of Ireland’s U19 Rugby World Cup winning side in 1999 and represented Ireland at U21, A and Sevens level before winning his first senior cap  when he came on a replacement against South Africa in November 2006. He was a member of Irish squad who won the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2009.

Tom Court joined Ulster Rugby from Australia at the start of the 2006-07 season. Irish qualified through ancestry, he was one of the best shot-putters in Australia and was a late convert to rugby union, taking up the game at the University of Queensland. From there he was invited to join the Queensland Reds Rugby Academy and played for New Zealand Province Manawatu, before returning to Australia to feature in the Reds Super 14 squad. No sooner had he arrived in Belfast than he was taken to the USA and Canada as part of the Ireland A Churchill Cup Squad and having won his first full Irish cap in the 2009 Six Nations Championships he is now a regular member of Ireland’s match day squad.

“I’ve had a great run here so far and Belfast is very much home now for my young family, so I’m delighted to have signed a new contract with Ulster.” commented Court. “I think we’ve made some real progress over the past 2-3 seasons, the Ulster team is as tight as ever and it’s a brilliant boost for me to sign a new deal and ensure that I’m part of that set-up.”

“It’s great to get the contract agreed early, and to have the certainty about where I’m going to be for the foreseeable future. Now I can just concentrate on the rugby.  Winning silverware with Ulster will be my main goal, and if things go well with Ulster then hopefully Ireland will fall into place.”

Ulster Bank has increased its considerable support to Irish Rugby through this new partnership which also exists through the sponsorship of the 6 Nations Championship by Royal Bank of Scotland, the parent company of Ulster Bank.

This new partnership further cements the relationship between rugby in Ireland and Ulster Bank which will be supporting the Ireland Club International team, which allows non professional club players to play for Ireland against similar amateur selections.  The Ulster Bank Club International team will be playing two games this year against a Scotland Clubs team and England Counties XV during the RBS 6 Nations Championship.

A significant component to the new partnership was the desire by the IRFU and Ulster Bank to support and develop community rugby clubs in Ireland and this is something that is highlighted through the Ulster Bank RugbyForce initiative that is designed to help unite club members and local volunteers to improve their club and community rugby facilities.

Ulster Bank RugbyForce encourages rugby supporters, their friends and families to give something back to their local community rugby club by volunteering to undertake renovations to clubhouses and grounds. Four lucky clubs will be selected for a very special makeover winning €5,000 of goods and resources to use toward their planned club development during the Ulster Bank RugbyForce weekend. 

Clubs must register for Ulster Bank RugbyForce online at www.ulsterbank.com/rugby by March 25th, 2011.

IRFU President Caleb Powell said, “This is an exciting new partnership for Irish rugby which will provide much needed support to all clubs and to the wonderful volunteer effort that goes into our community game.  The RugbyForce programme is further development of this effort and a superb way to help further incentivise the passionate work that these rugby people around Ireland already give to their clubs.  I would like to thank Ulster Bank for their decision to pledge their support to Irish Rugby. I warmly welcome the bank further into our rugby family and I look forward to a mutually beneficial partnership over the next three years.”

Ellvena Graham, Director of Business Services Ireland, Ulster Bank,commented, “Ulster Bank is delighted to extend their partnership with the IRFU and rugby throughout the country. We are very proud of our ongoing sponsorship of one of the world’s leading rugby competitions, the RBS 6 Nations, and this new community focused partnership offers an even greater opportunity for Ulster Bank to support its network of branches, business centres, staff and indeed customers throughout the island of Ireland with a number of exciting new initiatives. We are extremely pleased to introduce Ulster Bank RugbyForce and look forward to working with volunteers and improving club facilities in Ireland.”

The IRFU are currently in the process of contracting Ireland based players and Healy’s new contract comes on the back of those recently awarded to Donncha O’Callaghan and Ronan O’Gara with Munster.

Healy has represented Ireland at Schools, under 19, under 20, A and full international level and at only 23 has already won 13 caps for Ireland.  He made his Leinster debut in the Magners League in 2007 and has appeared for his hometown province on 68 occasions.

IRFU Chief Executive Philip Browne said, “We began the process of contracting players as early as the summer and while it is something that can take time to complete, this is nothing new and we are progressing through the majority of those contracts that are coming to an end this season or early next season.  With a fixture list of potentially over 40 matches per season and with even more games in overseas leagues where we would have no influence on the game time for Irish players, it is vital that we continue to work to retain players to play within Ireland in the provinces.  It’s only in this way that we can continue to have a positive influence on their development and in particular to ensure that our international players are best equipped to contribute to the further success of Irish rugby at international level and also at provincial level.”

Cian Healy said, “I am delighted to have my new contract signed as it means I can continue to concentrate on playing for my home province and improving my game further.  It has been a good couple of weeks for us and so I just want to focus on playing well for Leinster to keep me firmly in the plans of Declan and the national team.”

Ireland Coach Declan Kidney said, “For a young player like Cian who has progressed really well over the last 18 months this is good news as it allows him to continue to develop as a player in Ireland. He has approached every challenge with the same hard working attitude and if he continues to do this he can become an even better player."

Leinster Rugby Coach Joe Schmidt said, “Cian is a strong and dynamic ball-carrying loosehead and it was great to see his efforts rewarded with two tries in the recent Heineken Cup win over ASM Clermont Auvergne. Cian has been impressive progressing through the Leinster Academy, into the Leinster Senior Team and onto the Ireland International side. At just 23, there is obviously still plenty of scope for further development which promises real benefit for both Leinster and Irish rugby.”

The National Talent Squads are part of the IRFU’s High Performance pathway and consist of underage players who have been identified at this point in their development for progression to international team representation.

The selection process has been based on their interprovincial competition performances and also the national screening camps that took place during October. Once the players are named in the squad for this season, they are continually assessed on all aspects of their rugby progression from skills to physical development.

IRFU High Performance Manager Allen Clarke said, “The announcement of the National Talent Squads reflects significant advancements in our elite player development programmes. This progress has been greatly assisted by the contribution of schools, clubs and the number of quality volunteers who add significant value through their commitment and support of the RDS (regional development squad) programme. The players have been selected following their performances in the interprovincial competitions in September and national screenings in October.

“Playing rugby for their schools or clubs, they receive additional specific support from provincial academy experts, based on individual needs to prepare them for the respective International fixtures at Ireland Club U18′s, Ireland Schools U18′s and Ireland U19′s. It is important to note that the squads are not ‘ring fenced’ – performances of all players continue to be evaluated through the game allowing for late developers and rewarding performances on the field.”

National Talent Squads 2010/11

Under 18 Schools Squad
Ben Alexander (Royal Belfast Academical Institution/Ulster)
Adam Boland (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Edward Byrne (Clongowes Wood College/Leinster)
John Creighton (Campbell College/Ulster
Steve Crosbie (St Gerard’s School/Leinster)
Christopher Farrell (Campbell College/Ulster)
Thomas Ferrari  (Sligo Grammar School/Connacht)
Jack Fitzpatrick (Gonzaga College/Leinster)
Seamus Glynn (Presentation Brothers Cork/Munster)
Mark Gribben (Methodist College Belfast/Ulster)
Stuart Hooks (Royal School Armagh/Ulster)
Dan Leavy (St Michael’s College/Leinster)
Sean McCarthy (Rockwell College/Munster)
Conor McEllin (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Luke McGrath (St Michael’s College/Leinster)
Ryan Murphy (Presentation Brothers Cork/Munster)
Andrew Murphy (St Michael’s College/Leinster)
Philip O’Dwyer (Cistercian College Roscrea/Connacht)
Cian O’Halloran (Christian Brothers Cork/Munster)
Stuart Olding (Belfast Royal Academy/Ulster)
Jack O’Neil (Castleknock College/Leinster)
Mark Roche (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Luke Satchwell (The King’s Hospital/Leinster)
Rory Scholes (Campbell College/Ulster)
Brian Scott (Presentation Brothers Cork/Munster)
Jerry Sexton (St Mary’s College/Leinster)
Christopher Taylor (Wallace High School/Ulster)
Gavin Thornbury (Blackrock College/Leinster)

Under 18 Club Squad
Liam Bourke (Navan/Leinster)
Kevin Burke (New Ross/Leinster)
Kieran Butler (New Ross/Leinster)
Adam Byrne (Naas/Leinster)
George Cullen (Exiles)
Stephen Dalton (Exiles)
Thomas Daly (Carlow/Leinster)
Jamie Dever (Westport/Connacht)
Ultan Dilane (Tralee/Munster)
Peter Dooley (Birr/Leinster)
Conor Fitzgibbon (Buccaneers/Connacht)
Tom Flynn (Exiles)
Cronan Gleeson (Nenagh/Munster)
Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Connacht)
Nathan Higgins (Exiles)
Conor Joyce (Exiles)
Akhlaque Khan (Navan/Leinster)
Jamie Kind (Sundays Well/Munster)
Jack Kingston (Sundays Well/Munster)
Jay Malcolm (Malone/Ulster)
Eoghan Masterson (Portlaoise/Leinster)
James McConnor (Dundalk/Leinster)
George McGuigan (Exiles)
Sean O’Brien (Galwegians/Connacht)
David O’Connell (Old Christians/Munster)
Shane O’Leary (Scarriff/Munster)
David Panter (Exiles)
Lee Steenson (Dromore/Ulster)
Eoin Stynes (Carlow/Leinster)
Cillian Walsh (Killarney/Munster)

Under 19 Squad
Callum Boland (Buccaneers/Connacht)
Shane Buckley (Garryowen/Munster)
Luke Cahill (Rockwell/Munster)
Jack Carty (Buccaneers/Connacht)
Jordan Coghlan (Clongowes Wood College/Leinster)
Jack Conan (St. Gerards School/Leinster)
Aaron Conneelly (Corinthians/Connacht)
Mark Corballis (St. Michaels/Leinster)
Barry Daly (Gonzaga/Leinster)
Brian Du Toit (The Kings Hospital School/Leinster)
Conor Finn (Cistercian College, Roscrea/Connacht)
Tadgh Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster)
Charles Gallagher (Campbell College/Ulster)
Conor Gilsenan (Clongowes Wood College/Leinster)
JJ Hanrahan (UL Bohemians/Munster)
Diarmuid Higgins (Gallen Community College/Connacht)
Ryan Jablonski (London Irish/ASSE/Exiles)
Conor Kindregan (Monivea/Connacht)
Shane Layden (Carrick on Shannon/Connacht)
Kieran Marmion (UWIC/Kirkham/Exiles)
Cathal Marsh (Bective Rangers/Leinster)
Kyle McCall (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
Des Merry (Clontarf/Leinster)
Brian Moylett (Landsdowne/Connacht)
Johnny Murphy (Banbridge/Ulster)
Stephen Murphy (Gonzaga/Leinster)
Peter Nelson (Royal School Dungannon/Ulster)
Sean O’Connell (Exiles)
Alan O’Connor (Institute of Education, Leeson Street/Leinster)
Darren O’Shea (Crosshaven/Cork Constitution/Munster)
Garrett O’Suilleabluian (UCC/Leinster)
Peter Reilly (Lansdowne/Castlenock/Leinster)
Niall Scannell (Dolphin/Munster)
Conor Spence (Queens University/Ulster)
Charlie Simpson (Newport/Ulster)

Following the recent announcement of Donncha O’Callaghan signing a new contract, O’Gara’s decision to stay in Ireland and play with Munster is further good news as the IRFU continue to look to retain players in the provincial teams.

Similar to his Munster colleague O’Callaghan, O’Gara’s career has seen him become the most capped player for Ireland and only the third player in Irish Rugby history to reach 100 caps.  He has won five triple crowns, one RBS Six Nations Championship and a Grand Slam in 2009 as well as two Heineken Cups with Munster during his career.  This has been augmented by his position as the record international points scorer for Ireland and also being selected for three British & Irish Lions tours.

Commenting on the announcement Ronan O’Gara said, “I am extremely happy with my new contract and to be continuing my career in Ireland.  I believe there is much more that I want and can achieve with both Ireland and Munster and am looking forward to concentrating on doing that over this season and the next two years.”

Ireland Coach Declan Kidney said, “I am delighted that Ronan has accepted a new two year contract and believe that his contribution to Irish and Munster Rugby will be as great as ever."

Munster Rugby Chief Executive Garrett Fitzgerald said, "The news that Ronan has extended his contract is extremely pleasing and comes at a very opportune time as we renew our Magners League campaign with the Heineken Cup to follow. Having a player of Ronan’s calibre and experience commit to Munster sends out a positive message and augers well for the future of Munster Rugby."

At a meeting of the IRFU Management Committee it was decided that clubs will only be asked for immediate payment for tickets they have sold for the Guinness Series. The IRFU will work with the Branches and the Clubs to assess the situation regarding unsold tickets with a view to reaching an equitable solution to this difficult problem.

It was further agreed that ticket allocations to Branches and Clubs for the 2011 RBS Six Nations matches will not be affected by sales of tickets for the Guinness Series.

Commenting, Philip Browne, Chief Executive, IRFU said:

“There has been slower than expected demand for this autumn’s Guinness Series.  There are a number of elements impacting on this situation since the sales structure was drawn up in March 2010, including a further significant deterioration in the economic climate.”
“While the situation varies from club to club we are aware that a number of clubs are still in possession of tickets for matches. In the interests of Irish Rugby, the IRFU, the Branches and the Clubs, must continue to work hard to sell these tickets right up to kick-off for each match.

“The IRFU do not want to see clubs suffer financial hardship as a result of being unable to sell ticket packages for this Guinness Series and consequently will only seek immediate payment for tickets sold. On completion of the series, the IRFU will  work with the Branches and Clubs to assess the effect of the reduced demand for tickets.

“In addition the IRFU will undertake a comprehensive review of its entire ticket sales strategy, which includes price tiering, bundling and distribution channels. As part of this review, which will commence immediately on completion of the Guinness Series, it will consult widely with its stakeholders.”

The Welsh native joined the Ireland coaching staff in 2008 with a renowned CV in the area of sports science and specifically rugby fitness having worked with the

Welsh U21 team and English Premiership side Harlequins, as well as acting as a consultant to various representative sides.  The IRFU will continue to use his expertise particularly regarding his research into the advancement of player longevity, injury prevention and high performance.
Philip Morrow, the current IRFU Head of Fitness, will now be taking on the role of the Ireland Team Strength and Conditioning Coach in the short to medium term, including the upcoming Guinness Series of games in November.

Commenting on his decision, Paul Pook said, “Although I’ve enjoyed two great years working with the national squad, management and provincial staff, I’ve been away from my wife and two young daughters for the majority of that time.  I felt it was time to step down given the fact I want to spend more time with my family and concentrate on developing a high performance training centre at my home in France, while writing a second edition of my book ‘Complete Conditioning for Rugby’.”
Ireland Coach Declan Kidney said, “I would like to thank Paul for his work during his time with the team.  The squad certainly benefitted from his experience and I am sure his knowledge will see him continue to be successful.  Myself and the rest of the management team wish him the very best for the future.”

The Play Rugby programme contains classroom plans and teaching aids to assist teachers, coaches and parents involved in rugby at mini and primary school level. The programme consists of full service packs that are delivered to schools through the network of IRFU Provincial Branch Community Rugby Officers and allows teachers who have no experience of rugby to bring the game to the children in their classes.

Play Rugby provides teachers and school children with session plans, video clips on how to play fun games, individual Play Rugby certificates for all members of the class and game cards that set out individual exercises and fun games for children. The origins of the Play Rugby programme are based on research that found participating in sports can have a healthy developmental impact on young children. These activities can promote co-operative play, teamwork and good sportsmanship, a key component in the ethos of rugby.

The Play Rugby programme also contains additional information for schools and clubs who would like to set up a girls rugby programme. Women’s Rugby has been targeted as a specific growth area for the game in Ireland and comes directly following the success of the Ireland Women’s team who achieved their highest ever ranking at the recent Rugby World Cup with seventh place.

All schools, teachers and parents interested in the programme are encouraged to visit the website at www.irishrugby.ie/playrugby  to review details of the programme. In addition to this, Community Rugby Officers in each of the four provinces will also be delivering Play Rugby packs to schools and clubs throughout September and any school or club interested in the programme should contact the IRFU Provincial Branches in Connacht, Leinster, Munster or Ulster.

“Play Rugby is a great way to introduce beginners to the game and also to continue the interest of those kids who may already be involved”, said Ireland and Leinster star Luke Fitzgerald. “I have always believed that the best way to get young children playing the game is to make it fun and Play Rugby certainly does that. I think it is also really important that it makes it easy for teachers, coaches and parents to organise the children to play these non contact games and get them running around and exercising in a fun way. It is these sort of programmes that sow the seeds for children to have a healthy respect for keeping active and also to play rugby.”

This will be the first time that Ireland has played the Barbarians in Ireland since 2000. The most recent meeting between the two sides also coincided with the last Southern Hemisphere tour Ireland undertook in 2008 when Ireland played the Barbarians in Gloucester, winning the game 39-14.

Following the Baa-Baa’s game in Limerick, the Ireland squad will depart to New Zealand and Australia where they are currently scheduled to play two games on the tour against the All Blacks on June 12th and the Wallabies on June 26th.

Irish Rugby Football Union President John Callaghan said, “This promises to be a truly memorable occasion as both IRFU and Munster welcome the Barbarian’s once more to Ireland. The much celebrated Barbarian’s brand of rugby will surely bring an entertaining game to Thomond Park and one which I am sure Ireland Rugby fans will looking forward to seeing.”

Both teams have been in a rich vein of form with Ireland’s recent unbeaten record in the Guinness Series and the Barbarians euphoric 25-18 victory against the All Blacks in front of a 65,000 crowd at Twickenham. The teams will be looking forward to the challenge of showcasing their skills once again with some scintillating, attractive running rugby to entertain the fanatical Munster rugby crowd on the day.

Announcing the agreement with Ireland and the Barbarians, Thomond Park Stadium Director John Cantwell said:

“We are delighted to have secured this most prestigious event and it further enhances the reputation of Thomond Park Stadium as an international class venue. The superb victory achieved by the Barbarians over the All Blacks last weekend highlights the quality of their squads, and I am certain that sports fans across the country will be excited at the prospect of watching the galaxy of world class players that will be participating in this unique match. This event will also deliver significant economic benefits to local businesses and provide a substantial level of positive media exposure that will help to promote the region as a tourist destination”

A spokesperson from the Barbarians confirmed that invitations have already been issued to Doug Howlett, Jean de Villiers and Paul Warwick of Munster which will be of further interest to the local fans. The Baa-baas will be a side packed full of leading international stars with further team announcements in the New Year.

Barbarian president Micky Steele-Bodger commented, “We are absolutely delighted to be invited back to Ireland where we have so many friends in the game. Over the years Irish rugby folk have done the Barbarians proud, both as players and club administrators.”

“To be visiting the new stadium at Thomond Park is an added attraction and honour for us. Back in 1991 we were in Munster to help Cork Constitution F.C. to celebrate their centenary and we have enjoyed similar anniversary matches with Old Wesley and the Wanderers in Dublin. The prospect of playing the national team and the 2009 Six Nations Champions in Limerick is something we shall look forward to tremendously and will provide a fitting climax to our 2010 summer tour.”

The Barbarians first played in Ireland in October 1957 when they beat an Ulster Invitation XV 14-11 at Ravenhill. More recently, they beat South Africa at Lansdowne Road in 1994, played there again against Ireland in the Peace International in 1996, and as part of the summer tour in 2000.

In November, MasterCard signed a match sponsorship deal for all the Barbarian Internationals in 2009-2010 with each match to be known as The MasterCard Trophy. Ben Rhodes, VP Marketing MasterCard UK remarked,

“We are delighted to add another MasterCard Trophy game to what is already a fantastic series. Ireland is a key market for us and we look forward to activating the sponsorship with some of our local key customers as we continue to build our rugby heritage ahead of the World Cup in 2011.”

Tickets for The MasterCard Trophy will go on sale on Wednesday 9th December and range from €30 to €55, plus family packs at €50 are available on www.Ticketmaster.ie and from all usual outlets including Thomond Park Stadium, or by phoning the Ticketmaster hotline on 0818 719 300.

As a pre 2009 Christmas special promotion, if you buy 2 full price tickets before January 1st 2010 you will receive a €20 merchandise voucher for use at the Munster Rugby Store. A maximum of 5,000 vouchers will be issued and purchases can be redeemed from May 1st – 5th June 2010.

(*Voucher promotion excludes family tickets and concessions)

THE BARBARIANS IN IRELAND

• 19 October 1957 v Ulster Invitation XV (Belfast) W 14-11
• 16 September 1970 v Wanderers (Dublin) W 30-9
• 10 September 1991 v Constitution (Cork) W 39-9
• 12 September 1991 v Old Wesley (Dublin) L 36-37
• 3 December 1994 v South Africa (Dublin) W 23-15
• 18 May 1996 v Ireland (Dublin) W 70-38
• 28 May 2000 v Ireland (Dublin) W 31-30

The New Aviva stadium (artist's impression)

To mark the opening of the Aviva Stadium, the Irish Rugby Football Union today confirmed that the first game to be played in 2010 will be an historic rugby match between two composite provincial teams pitting a Leinster/Ulster team against a Munster/Connacht selection on Saturday, 7 August.

Leinster and Ulster were the first representative teams to play in the old Lansdowne Road nearly 133 years ago on 16 December 1876. Both provinces were also on hand to play the final game, “The Last Stand” in the stadium on New Years Eve 2006, when Leinster beat Ulster 20-12 in the Magners League.

While they were rivals on both of these occasions, they will be joining forces as a Leinster/Ulster selection will play a Munster/Connacht team for the first ever game in the Aviva Stadium. The game will form part of the provincial preseason calendar and present Irish rugby stakeholders with the opportunity to be the first to witness rugby returning home to the iconic Aviva Stadium.

The Aviva Stadium will play host to some of the top teams in world rugby during the Guinness Series in November next year. Ireland is scheduled to play four internationals for the first time during that period against World Champions South Africa, followed by games against Samoa, New Zealand and Argentina.

Commenting on the announcement, IRFU Chief Executive Philip Browne said, “Coming on the back of the announcement that World Champions South Africa will be the first international opposition to play here, this promises to be a great occasion to open the Aviva Stadium to the Irish Rugby public. It was felt that a combined provinces fixture would be the most appropriate way to do this providing a look back into the history of the game while also creating a new chapter for Irish Rugby.”

Aviva Stadium Rugby Fixtures 2010 (kick offs to be confirmed):

Connacht/Munster v Leinster/Munster

Saturday, August 7th

Ireland v South Africa

Saturday, November 6th

Ireland v Samoa

November 13/14

Ireland v New Zealand

November 20/21

Ireland v Argentina

November 27/28

*N.B. Playing dates for the games in the Guinness Series will be confirmed next year