ULSTER HAVE CONFIRMED that eight members of their senior squad and five further players from the academy will depart the province at the end of the season.
Among the senior players whose spells with the province will come to an end this summer are regular first-team captain Alan O’Connor, loosehead prop Andrew Warwick, and back row Matty Rea.
Tighthead Corrie Barrett and scrum-half Michael McDonald, currently on loan at the Waratahs in Super Rugby, will also move on.
As had previously been confirmed, John Cooney will bid farewell to Belfast as he joins Brive, while 11-times-capped Ireland international lock Kieran Treadwell will rejoin Harlequins at the end of the current campaign. Former Ireland U20 Reuben Crothers, meanwhile, announced his retirement last week.
Andrew Warwick has amassed over 200 caps for Ulster. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Academy quintet Rory Telfer, Zac Solomon, Jack Boal, Cameron Doak and Ben McFarlane are also set to depart Ulster at the end of the current campaign.
The northern province’s general manager, Bryn Cunningham, thanked the 13 players ahead of what will be their final home game this Saturday, a pivotal meeting with the fourth-placed Sharks.
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“On behalf of Ulster Rugby, I would like to say thank you to the players leaving us at the end of this season. Each player has made an important and positive contribution, both on and off the field.
“We look forward to joining our supporters on Saturday night to celebrate their contributions for the province and wish them all the very best for their next chapters.”
Cunningham particularly paid tribute to the five senior stalwarts who will exit this summer, with Alan O’Connor, Andrew Warwick, John Cooney, Kieran Treadwell and Matty Rea having amassed over 850 combined caps for Ulster across their respective spells in Belfast.
Cunningham noted that veterans of their ilk would “leave behind some big shoes to fill”.
“Al (O’Connor) and Waz (Warwick) have been superb role models in the way they go about their work with a no-nonsense attitude and total commitment to the jersey over the years,” Cunningham said. “Both players hit the milestone of reaching over 200 caps for Ulster Rugby earlier this season, becoming members of that special club.
“John (Cooney) and Treaders (Treadwell) made a huge impact on the senior team since joining us and made every Ulster supporter proud when they went on to represent Ireland on international duty. I know John will miss the chants of ‘Cooney’ ringing round Ravenhill.
“Matty (Rea) has given his all for the shirt since he joined after impressing in the AIL with Ballymena, and like the others mentioned, he can be incredibly proud of his contributions over the years while finishing his time strongly this season.”
Matty Rea scoring a try for Ulster against Munster last season. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Dubliner O’Connor has been an important member of Ulster’s squad since making his competitive debut against his native province Leinster back in 2012. A product of his hometown club, Skerries RFC, the 32-year-old O’Connor was named Ulster’s Player of the Year in 2021 and has captained the province on 70 occasions.
Loosehead Warwick has also been a key contributor for Ulster for over a decade, breaking into the senior side in 2014 after impressing for Ballymena in the AIL. Like O’Connor, the 34-year-old Warwick surpassed the 200-cap mark for Ulster earlier this season.
Treadwell, 29, joined Ulster in 2016 having stood out for both Ireland U18s and England U20s. Born in Sutton, Treadwell went onto represent Ireland on 11 occasions and was a member of both the squad that won the 2022 summer series in New Zealand as well as the 2023 Grand Slam. He’ll rejoin his former employers Harlequins having so far represented Ulster on over 175 occasions.
Cooney, too, will head abroad after eight years in which he became both a fan favourite with Ulster and an Ireland international. The 34-year-old Dubliner, who joined from Connacht in 2017, has been named in the URC Team of the Year five times and in 2020 was nominated for the EPCR European Player of the Year.
Back row Rea, another product of Ballymena RFC, has made over 100 appearances for Ulster since 2012, many of them alongside his brother Marcus. Rea, 31, won an Ulster Schools Senior Cup title with Ballymena Academy in 2010 before joining his home province on a development deal two years later.
Barrett, who also won an Ulster Senior Schools Cup with RBAI in 2015/16, joined Ulster for the first time last summer having impressed for Bedford Blues and Doncaster Knights in the English Championship. The 26-year-old has made nine appearances this season.
Back row Crothers, who captained Ireland U20s to a Grand Slam in 2022, made seven first-team appearances for Ulster but the 23-year-old will step away from the sport at the end of the season.
McDonald, a 25-year-old scrum-half, joined from Western Force in 2022 but made just one appearance in Ulster colours. Born in Carlingford, Co. Louth to Irish parents but raised in Perth, Australia, McDonald spent last season on loan at Connacht and recently headed back to his adopted homeland where the Waratahs signed him on loan as injury cover for Josh Gordon.
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O'Connor, Warwick and Matty Rea among 8 senior players to depart Ulster at end of season
ULSTER HAVE CONFIRMED that eight members of their senior squad and five further players from the academy will depart the province at the end of the season.
Among the senior players whose spells with the province will come to an end this summer are regular first-team captain Alan O’Connor, loosehead prop Andrew Warwick, and back row Matty Rea.
Tighthead Corrie Barrett and scrum-half Michael McDonald, currently on loan at the Waratahs in Super Rugby, will also move on.
As had previously been confirmed, John Cooney will bid farewell to Belfast as he joins Brive, while 11-times-capped Ireland international lock Kieran Treadwell will rejoin Harlequins at the end of the current campaign. Former Ireland U20 Reuben Crothers, meanwhile, announced his retirement last week.
Academy quintet Rory Telfer, Zac Solomon, Jack Boal, Cameron Doak and Ben McFarlane are also set to depart Ulster at the end of the current campaign.
The northern province’s general manager, Bryn Cunningham, thanked the 13 players ahead of what will be their final home game this Saturday, a pivotal meeting with the fourth-placed Sharks.
“On behalf of Ulster Rugby, I would like to say thank you to the players leaving us at the end of this season. Each player has made an important and positive contribution, both on and off the field.
“We look forward to joining our supporters on Saturday night to celebrate their contributions for the province and wish them all the very best for their next chapters.”
Cunningham particularly paid tribute to the five senior stalwarts who will exit this summer, with Alan O’Connor, Andrew Warwick, John Cooney, Kieran Treadwell and Matty Rea having amassed over 850 combined caps for Ulster across their respective spells in Belfast.
Cunningham noted that veterans of their ilk would “leave behind some big shoes to fill”.
“Al (O’Connor) and Waz (Warwick) have been superb role models in the way they go about their work with a no-nonsense attitude and total commitment to the jersey over the years,” Cunningham said. “Both players hit the milestone of reaching over 200 caps for Ulster Rugby earlier this season, becoming members of that special club.
“John (Cooney) and Treaders (Treadwell) made a huge impact on the senior team since joining us and made every Ulster supporter proud when they went on to represent Ireland on international duty. I know John will miss the chants of ‘Cooney’ ringing round Ravenhill.
“Matty (Rea) has given his all for the shirt since he joined after impressing in the AIL with Ballymena, and like the others mentioned, he can be incredibly proud of his contributions over the years while finishing his time strongly this season.”
Dubliner O’Connor has been an important member of Ulster’s squad since making his competitive debut against his native province Leinster back in 2012. A product of his hometown club, Skerries RFC, the 32-year-old O’Connor was named Ulster’s Player of the Year in 2021 and has captained the province on 70 occasions.
Loosehead Warwick has also been a key contributor for Ulster for over a decade, breaking into the senior side in 2014 after impressing for Ballymena in the AIL. Like O’Connor, the 34-year-old Warwick surpassed the 200-cap mark for Ulster earlier this season.
Treadwell, 29, joined Ulster in 2016 having stood out for both Ireland U18s and England U20s. Born in Sutton, Treadwell went onto represent Ireland on 11 occasions and was a member of both the squad that won the 2022 summer series in New Zealand as well as the 2023 Grand Slam. He’ll rejoin his former employers Harlequins having so far represented Ulster on over 175 occasions.
Cooney, too, will head abroad after eight years in which he became both a fan favourite with Ulster and an Ireland international. The 34-year-old Dubliner, who joined from Connacht in 2017, has been named in the URC Team of the Year five times and in 2020 was nominated for the EPCR European Player of the Year.
Back row Rea, another product of Ballymena RFC, has made over 100 appearances for Ulster since 2012, many of them alongside his brother Marcus. Rea, 31, won an Ulster Schools Senior Cup title with Ballymena Academy in 2010 before joining his home province on a development deal two years later.
Barrett, who also won an Ulster Senior Schools Cup with RBAI in 2015/16, joined Ulster for the first time last summer having impressed for Bedford Blues and Doncaster Knights in the English Championship. The 26-year-old has made nine appearances this season.
Back row Crothers, who captained Ireland U20s to a Grand Slam in 2022, made seven first-team appearances for Ulster but the 23-year-old will step away from the sport at the end of the season.
McDonald, a 25-year-old scrum-half, joined from Western Force in 2022 but made just one appearance in Ulster colours. Born in Carlingford, Co. Louth to Irish parents but raised in Perth, Australia, McDonald spent last season on loan at Connacht and recently headed back to his adopted homeland where the Waratahs signed him on loan as injury cover for Josh Gordon.
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