THE PASSAGE LEADING up to Jacob Stockdale’s disallowed try for Ulster against Munster last night in Belfast was a thrilling one for the Ward family.
Zac and Bryn, the sons of Andy Ward, a New Zealand native who played for Ulster and Ireland in the late 1990s and early 2000s, made a big impression on a good night for the province.
In this particular instance, the ball was bobbling around on the ground just outside Ulster’s 22 when left wing Zac scooped it up and began to accelerate.
He shrugged off Fineen Wycherley, then powered through Paddy Patterson and Michael Ala’alatoa, before surging beyond Jean Kleyn and into open field.
27-year-old Ward drew in a backfield defender and slipped a short pass to Nick Timoney, who was hauled down by the retreating Kleyn. There was a strong clearout from scrum-half Nathan Doak, and then the younger Ward brother, 21-year-old Bryn, took over.
The explosive number eight looked up and saw Munster scrum-half Patterson to the right of the ruck. He didn’t think twice. He picked the ball, got it into his right hand, then used his left arm to power into Patterson, launching him down onto the ground.
Ward then instantly fired his left arm up to fend Ala’alatoa and thunder on into the Munster 22, where only a desperate tackle from last defender Calvin Nash stopped him from scoring.
Werner Kok made the important clearout this time. You’ll have guessed who was on hand for the next carry.
Zac picked and carried, nearly hitching through the low tackle of Thaakir Abrahams as he brought Ulster even closer to scoring.
It was a flurry of Ward brilliance on a night when both brothers made a major impact for Richie Murphy’s side.
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Bryn Ward was player of the match last night. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
The Wards for were Ulster’s two top ball-carriers, with Zac making 14 and Bryn contributing 13.
Zac beat 13 defenders and had three linebreaks, while Bryn beat five defenders.
“They’re both incredible ball carriers, my God,” said Ulster boss Richie Murphy after his side’s 28-3 win against Munster.
“Physical, you know, play with a smile on their face.
“And they’re doing so well, but there’s so much more they can do in order to get better. So the ceiling is very high for both of them.
“I thought Bryn tonight stepping into Juarno [Augustus]‘s shoes, like he did in Cardiff a couple of weeks ago, was incredible.
“His ball carrying is right up there with the very best ball carriers in the world, really. At 118 kg and he moves quicker than most wingers, you know what I mean? And good feet as well at the line. So it’s incredible strength for a back row forward to have.”
Last night was only Byrn’s third start for Ulster. He was a standout player for the Ireland U20s under Murphy in 2024, earning a place in his province’s academy in the process.
The Ballynahinch club man made his senior Ulster debut against the Lions in South Africa in October, playing alongside his older brother, and hasn’t looked back since.
Zac is the more well-known quantity, of course. He was also a back row in 15s rugby before he became a star for the Ireland 7s, shining on the World Sevens Series and at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Ulster gave him a trial after those 2024 Games, although in a new position on the wing. Ward was soon playing for Emerging Ireland and earned himself a three-year deal with Ulster.
Having scored three tries in 10 appearances last season, as well as playing for Ireland A, Ward has notably kicked on this season with impactful performances on both sides of the ball.
Ulster head coach Richie Murphy. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Once again last night, he earned a breakdown poach penalty as he showed his ability in that area, where Bryn also excels.
Ulster will hope to see them kick on in the coming weeks and months, potentially putting their hands up for international caps. Zac came off the bench for Ireland XV against Spain in November.
With the northern province having had very low representation in Ireland matchday squads in recent seasons, they hope to see more Ulster players in green jerseys in the future, although Murphy said that they are going about it in a different way than in the past.
“Looking at our guys now, it means a huge amount to them to wear a white jersey,” said Murphy.
“You know, in order to wear a green jersey, you’ve got to wear the white one really well.
“And when you do that, everybody in the group, everyone goes forward in the group. And that’s probably a little bit of a change that we’ve had. Everyone wants to play for Ireland, but they’re not looking to go and play for Ireland. They’re trying to earn their way there and the team environment here is strong.
“The players are driving that forward massively this year. So we’ve just got to keep working on that and make sure we’re pressing the right buttons, making sure we’re challenging them in the right way, and there’s still a lot we can do better.”
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'They're both incredible ball carriers' - Ward brothers shine for Ulster
THE PASSAGE LEADING up to Jacob Stockdale’s disallowed try for Ulster against Munster last night in Belfast was a thrilling one for the Ward family.
Zac and Bryn, the sons of Andy Ward, a New Zealand native who played for Ulster and Ireland in the late 1990s and early 2000s, made a big impression on a good night for the province.
In this particular instance, the ball was bobbling around on the ground just outside Ulster’s 22 when left wing Zac scooped it up and began to accelerate.
He shrugged off Fineen Wycherley, then powered through Paddy Patterson and Michael Ala’alatoa, before surging beyond Jean Kleyn and into open field.
27-year-old Ward drew in a backfield defender and slipped a short pass to Nick Timoney, who was hauled down by the retreating Kleyn. There was a strong clearout from scrum-half Nathan Doak, and then the younger Ward brother, 21-year-old Bryn, took over.
The explosive number eight looked up and saw Munster scrum-half Patterson to the right of the ruck. He didn’t think twice. He picked the ball, got it into his right hand, then used his left arm to power into Patterson, launching him down onto the ground.
Ward then instantly fired his left arm up to fend Ala’alatoa and thunder on into the Munster 22, where only a desperate tackle from last defender Calvin Nash stopped him from scoring.
Werner Kok made the important clearout this time. You’ll have guessed who was on hand for the next carry.
Zac picked and carried, nearly hitching through the low tackle of Thaakir Abrahams as he brought Ulster even closer to scoring.
It was a flurry of Ward brilliance on a night when both brothers made a major impact for Richie Murphy’s side.
The Wards for were Ulster’s two top ball-carriers, with Zac making 14 and Bryn contributing 13.
Zac beat 13 defenders and had three linebreaks, while Bryn beat five defenders.
“They’re both incredible ball carriers, my God,” said Ulster boss Richie Murphy after his side’s 28-3 win against Munster.
“Physical, you know, play with a smile on their face.
“And they’re doing so well, but there’s so much more they can do in order to get better. So the ceiling is very high for both of them.
“I thought Bryn tonight stepping into Juarno [Augustus]‘s shoes, like he did in Cardiff a couple of weeks ago, was incredible.
“His ball carrying is right up there with the very best ball carriers in the world, really. At 118 kg and he moves quicker than most wingers, you know what I mean? And good feet as well at the line. So it’s incredible strength for a back row forward to have.”
Last night was only Byrn’s third start for Ulster. He was a standout player for the Ireland U20s under Murphy in 2024, earning a place in his province’s academy in the process.
The Ballynahinch club man made his senior Ulster debut against the Lions in South Africa in October, playing alongside his older brother, and hasn’t looked back since.
Zac is the more well-known quantity, of course. He was also a back row in 15s rugby before he became a star for the Ireland 7s, shining on the World Sevens Series and at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Ulster gave him a trial after those 2024 Games, although in a new position on the wing. Ward was soon playing for Emerging Ireland and earned himself a three-year deal with Ulster.
Having scored three tries in 10 appearances last season, as well as playing for Ireland A, Ward has notably kicked on this season with impactful performances on both sides of the ball.
Once again last night, he earned a breakdown poach penalty as he showed his ability in that area, where Bryn also excels.
Ulster will hope to see them kick on in the coming weeks and months, potentially putting their hands up for international caps. Zac came off the bench for Ireland XV against Spain in November.
With the northern province having had very low representation in Ireland matchday squads in recent seasons, they hope to see more Ulster players in green jerseys in the future, although Murphy said that they are going about it in a different way than in the past.
“Looking at our guys now, it means a huge amount to them to wear a white jersey,” said Murphy.
“You know, in order to wear a green jersey, you’ve got to wear the white one really well.
“And when you do that, everybody in the group, everyone goes forward in the group. And that’s probably a little bit of a change that we’ve had. Everyone wants to play for Ireland, but they’re not looking to go and play for Ireland. They’re trying to earn their way there and the team environment here is strong.
“The players are driving that forward massively this year. So we’ve just got to keep working on that and make sure we’re pressing the right buttons, making sure we’re challenging them in the right way, and there’s still a lot we can do better.”
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Bryn Ward Impact Munster richie murphy Ulster Zac Ward