ULSTER HAVE CONFIRMED that Andrew Trimble and Rob Herring will captain the squad for the 2016/17 season, replacing Rory Best.
Director of rugby Les Kiss indicated that the “new leadership structure” came with the blessing of Ireland captain Best.
31-year-old Trimble is Ulster’s most capped player with 206 appearances, while hooker Herring led the province on a number of occasions in Best’s absence last season.
“Rob and Andrew are two outstanding individuals who have the respect of everyone within the organisation and I’m delighted they have agreed to take on the captaincy,” said Kiss of his new co-captains.
“In the current landscape it’s hard to guarantee that one player will be available of all the time, so the shared captaincy model will give us more flexibility and continuity throughout the season.
Rory and I have been in discussions about this since the end of last season and we felt it was the perfect time for him to assist us in developing this new leadership structure. His experience of captaining both Ulster and Ireland last season will continue to be invaluable for us as a group.
“We have strong experience across our squad that will support Rob and Andrew by driving standards off the field and assisting with tactics and decision-making in training and in match situations.”
Ireland international wing Trimble expressed his pleasure at being appointed in the role.
“To be named as captain of my home Province is extremely humbling and this is without doubt one of the proudest moments of my career,” said Trimble. “We are a close-knit group of players and we are lucky to have so many leaders to call upon.
“Rob is a fantastic player and captain and I believe that we have a great structure in place that will allow us to deliver on the pitch.”
Herring also shared his delight at the promotion.
“I’ve been fortunate to captain the team on a number of occasions over the past season and it has been a great privilege,” said the once-capped Ireland international.
To be named a club captain of Ulster is an absolute honour and something that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
“To be able to share the captaincy with someone like Andrew is massively exciting, and together, with the support of the many other leaders in the squad, we can make strides to deliver the success that the players, staff and supporters strive for.”
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