Tales from a Rugby Physio

Ulster Rugby Lad: As someone who struggled for many years with a chronic back injury, I know better than most people the value of a good physio!

How do you solve a problem like Coetzee?

Just when you thought the worst thing that could happen in the festive season was the Mrs. Brown’s boys Christmas special...

Ulster Rugby Lad Meets… Michael Allen

I always wanted to play international rugby, always wanted to get 50, 100 caps for Ulster. That’s not the case and I’m completely fine with that now.’

Ulster Rugby Lad Meets… Kieran Treadwell

Having joined Ulster from Harlequins in the summer of 2016, the athletic second-row has been a key figure in Ulster’s engine room...

Ulster Rugby Lad Meets… Tommy O’Hagan

Historically in Ulster, there has been a well-worn route into the Ulster squad...

Ulster Rugby Lad meets… Billy Burns

The stars aligned for Burns’ move to Ulster and he hasn’t looked back since...

Ulster Rugby Lad Meets… Gareth Milasinovich

At 6'3 and weighing 20 stone 9, Ulster fans are excited to see Milasinovich return to the playing squad and enhance competition in the front-row. Milasinovich is a man mountain and arrived with a reputation as a ferocious ball carrier and...

Ulster Rugby Lad Meets… Claire McLoughlin

Balance and sacrifice are central to Claire’s life as a doctor and international rugby player. In a landscape where there is a huge disparity between the resources available to the men’s and women’s game...

Ulster Rugby Lad meets… Neil Doak

Ask anyone who has worked with Neil Doak and they will tell you the same thing: he is a top-quality coach...

Ulster Rugby Lad meets… Rob Herring

Ulster Rugby Lad meets the man at the centre Of Ulster’s formidable front-row...

Ulster Rugby Lad meets… Adam McBurney

For years, the perception of Ulster has been that they’re ‘too nice’. Times are changing – Dan McFarland’s directive to ‘fight for every inch’ has given Ulster a gritty, more abrasive edge...

Ulster’s gritty performance at Fortress Thomond: Match Review

This was a game Ulster could and perhaps should have won. Saying that, Ulster will be quietly pleased with their gritty performance…

Alan O’Connor discusses pre-season training, his brother joining Ulster and expectations for the season.

Alan O’Connor discusses how pre-season has been going, what it’s like to have his brother join him at Ulster and expectations for the season ahead...

What went wrong with Ireland (and what they can do to fix it)

If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same…

Ulster Rugby Lad meets… John Cooney

John Cooney’s trip to Belfast to discuss joining Ulster serves as the perfect metaphor for his remarkable career...

Craig Gilroy post-match Ulster v Glasgow friendly

There was plenty to be happy about following Ulster’s convincing win over Glasgow on Saturday. Ulster fans will be delighted to see the return of Craig Gilroy following an 11 month absence through injury...

Craig Gilroy post-match Ulster v Glasgow friendly

There was plenty to be happy about following Ulster’s convincing win over Glasgow on Saturday. Ulster fans will be delighted to see the return of Craig Gilroy following an 11 month absence through injury...

Ulster Rugby Lad meets… Bill Johnston

It wasn’t that long ago that Bill Johnston was being talked up as one of the brightest prospects in Irish Rugby...

Ulster Rugby Lad meets… Mike Lowry

Despite standing at just 5 ft 7 in, Mike Lowry is considered by many to be Ulster’s ‘next big thing’...

Ulster Rugby Lad meets… Ross Kane

Ross Kane is a card-carrying member of the beefy brethren known in rugby circles as the front row club...

Ulster Rugby Lad meets… Paddy Jackson

From a young age, all Paddy Jackson wanted to do was play rugby. Having won the Schools Cup with Methody in 2008, Jackson made the seamless transition into senior rugby with Ulster...

Ulster Rugby Lad meets… Simon Danielli

Ulster’s flying Scotsman had a career most young rugby players dream of.
Here’s he speaks to Ulster Rugby Lad about his journey from studying philosophy and theology at Oxford University, to playing professional rugby for Bristol, Bath, Borders, Ulster and Scotland...

Ulster Rugby Lad meets… Louis Ludik

Remarkably, Ludik is now one of the longest-serving members of the current set-up. He is also one of the squad’s most consistent performers and is an unflappable presence in Ulster’s back-line...

Ulster Rugby Lad meets… Luke Marshall

Ulster fan favourite, Luke Marshall certainly hit the ground running on his return from long-term injury this season...

McFarland: Ulster ‘will fight for every inch against Connacht’

There has been a collective shift in mentality at Ulster Rugby since the arrival of head coach Dan McFarland...

Payne: Ulster’s Win Over Rivals Leinster ‘means a heck of a lot’

Despite both teams having already secured places in the knock-out stages of the PRO14, Ulster’s joy following their 14-13 victory over Leinster at the Kingspan Stadium on Saturday was apparent...

McFarland’s Men Produce Inspired Performance to Secure Home Play-Off

A committed display by Ulster on Friday saw them overwhelm the hosts, Edinburgh, to secure a bonus point win and book a home play-off game in the knock-out stages of the Guinness Pro14...

Ulster Rugby Lad meets… Ricky Lutton

Having recently surpassed 100 caps for Ulster, Sean Reidy has achieved another career highlight – chatting to Ulster Rugby Lad about what it’s like to play for Ulster and Ireland...

Ulster Rugby Lad Meets… Sean Reidy

Having recently surpassed 100 caps for Ulster, Sean Reidy has achieved another career highlight – chatting to Ulster Rugby Lad about what it’s like to play for Ulster and Ireland...

James Topping: Nurturing the Future of Ulster Rugby

Ulster Rugby Lad recently caught up with former Ireland, Ulster and Ballymena winger, James Topping. As the Elite Player Development Officer with Ulster Rugby, he is responsible for finding and nurturing talent in the province...

Schools Cup Quarter final: Campbell College v Enniskillen Royal Grammar

Campbell College have secured their place in the semi-finals of this year's Schools' Cup, beating Enniskillen Royal Grammar 38-22 in Saturday's quarter-final tie...

The Low-down on Ulster’s New Signings

The low-down: An important signing as Ulster could definitely do with another leader in the pack - someone who brings experience and, equally as important, a bit of edge to the young squad...

Peel Praises Hundred-Cap Hero McCloskey

Stuart McCloskey put in a man of the match performance as Ulster edged out Ospreys 8-0 at Brewery field in Bridgend...

LEAKED: Joe Schmidt’s 6 Nations Diary

Dear Diary.

Even after an aggressive full body scrub with two of those tiny hotel bars of soap I can’t get rid of the stench of defeat. My many cats won’t even look me in the eye. I beckon them over for a cuddle but they just walk away, embarrassed...

Sparky: behind the SUFTUMing

Ulster RugbyLAD has secured an exclusive interview with everyone’s favourite Ulster Rugby mascot. Ulster’s boisterous bear finally breaks his silence and spills his guts about all things Ulster Rugby in this tell-all interview...

A Star is Born: The Rise and Rise of Jacob Stockdale

The makers of the film starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper and the world’s leading physicists are in agreement: stars are born, not made...

Taming the Tigers: Leicester v Ulster

Like a sedated big cat forced to pose for a photo with a gap year student in Thailand, it was hoped that pool 4 bottom dwellers, Leicester Tigers, would roll over and allow Ulster to tickle their bellies at Welford Road...

Henderson stars as Ulster secure place in last eight of the European Champions Cup.

Ulster’s talisman, Iain Henderson, inspired a rousing comeback to defeat Leicester Tigers 14-13 at Welford Road and secure a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup...

Stockdale shines as Ulster topple Racing.

In an enthralling contest at Kingspan stadium, Jacob Stockdale’s brace helped put an end to Racing 92’s 100% Champion’s Cup record and gave Ulster a fantastic chance of progressing to the quarter-final stage of the competition...

What Ulster must do to catch up with Leinster.

If you haven’t noticed, Ulster’s feeder club, Leinster, have been doing quite well recently. In fact, they seem to be finding international-quality players down the back of the sofa...

Best confident Ulster have “a lot more to give” following December double over Scarlets.

Ulster captain Rory Best – who on Friday night became Ulster’s most capped player in Europe, making his 72nd appearance – cited the growing maturity of the squad as a key reason for Ulster’s recent change in...

O'Connor Determined to protect proud home record.

Both sides are intent on securing their places in the knock-out stages of the competition, but it is the French side, finalists in 2 of the past 3 seasons, who currently lead the way with 19 points, 5 ahead of Dan McFarland’s men...

Eric O’Sullivan shines against Scarlets

O’Sullivan was one of several stand-out performers at Parc y Scarlets on Friday night, playing a starring role in Ulster’s bonus point win. The Dublin born 23-year-old loose-head prop earned plaudits for his impressive 80-minute display...

Standing on the shoulders of giants:

Ulster’s Greatest Team of the Professional Era.

Like a Peter Kay stand-up routine, it is time to indulge in a healthy dose of nostalgia. After much deliberation and input from literally tens of people, the greatest Ulster team of the professional era has finally been assembled. Thank you to those who contributed to the discussion/heated debate over which players were...

They tried to bury us, they did not realise we were seeds.

As Autumn arrives and nature sinks into death and decay, there are signs of growth at Ulster Rugby. In recent times, a number of Ulster’s detractors have attempted to bury the province...

5 reasons why Ulster fans should look forward to setting sail this season

At the risk of using a painfully drawn-out metaphor, last season Ulster Rugby were like the doomed fishing boat captained by George Clooney in the 1998 movie, ‘the Perfect Storm’. A dark and sinister cloud hung over Kingspan for months before turning into a full-blown media storm. Ultimately, as media furore and fan protests battered the boat like gale force winds, two crew members were forced to walk the plank...