2023–24 Ulster Rugby season

Ulster Rugby

2023–24 season
Head Coach	Dan McFarland (until 21 February 2024) Dan Soper (interim) Richie Murphy
Operations Director	Bryn Cunningham
Captain	Iain Henderson
United Rugby Championship	6th in table Quarter-finals
Champions Cup Challenge Cup	5th in Pool B Quarter-finals
Top try scorer	All: Nick Timoney (12)
Top points scorer	All: John Cooney (141)
Home colours Away colours Third colours
← 2022–23 2024–25 →

The 2023–24 season was Ulster Rugby's 30th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union. They competed in the United Rugby Championship the European Rugby Champions Cup, and the EPCR Challenge Cup. It was Dan McFarland's sixth season as head coach. Despite some good results, including a home win against Racing 92 in the Champions Cup and an away win against Leinster in the URC, Ulster slipped back in the league, and poor performances against Bath, Harlequins and Toulouse dumped them out of the Champions Cup. After an away defeat in the URC against Ospreys in February, McFarland left his position, replaced by former Ireland under-20 head coach Richie Murphy. CEO Jonny Petrie also left, replaced on an interim basis by Hugh McCaughey. Murphy oversaw two away losses in South Africa and a quarter-final exit in the Challenge Cup, but form improved in the league, with four straight wins, including a home win against Leinster, and a losing bonus point away to Munster secured a quarter-final place, losing away to a full-strength Leinster side, and qualification for next season's Champions Cup.

New signings this season included South African prop Steven Kitshoff and Zimbabwean flanker Dave Ewers, both of whom left at the end of the season. Prop Scott Wilson, hooker Zac Solomon, lock Joe Hopes, and flankers Reuben Crothers and Lorcan McLaughlin made their debuts from the academy. Centre Ben Carson and fullback Shea O'Brien also made their debuts. Scrum-half John Cooney was Ulster's leading scorer with 141 points in all competitions, and was named Ulster's supporters club player of the year for the third time, and selected in the URC team of the season for the fifth time. Number eight Nick Timoney was leading try scorer with 12. Flanker David McCann was named Ulster's player of the year and rugby writers' player of the year. Lock Harry Sheridan was young player of the year.

Ulster Women won their first interpro since 2012, finishing third in the IRFU Women's Interprovincial Series. Back rower Brittany Hogan was Ulster's women's player of the year, and fellow back rower Sophie Barrett was young women's player of the year.

In the All-Ireland League, Instonians topped Division 2B and were promoted for the second season running. Clogher Valley topped Division 2B and were promoted in their first season in senior rugby. Malone were relegated from Division 2A, Belfast Harlequins were relegated from Division 2B, and Bangor dropped into junior rugby after being relegated from Division 2B. Ulster junior champions Ballyclare were promoted to senior level after winning the provincial playoffs.

Events

Sponsorship

Ulster renewed their sponsorship deal with Kingspan in July 2023 for the coming season, despite criticism of the firm emerging from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Their stadium naming deal would continue until the end of the season. In January 2024 it was announced that Kingspan would remain as Ulster's principal sponsor until the end of the 2024–25 season, to give the team time to find a new sponsor.

Personnel changes

Signings announced for next season include South African prop Steven Kitshoff, from the Stormers, flanker Dave Ewers, from Exeter Chiefs, and former Munster prop James French. Five academy players joined the senior squad on development contracts: lock Harry Sheridan, scrum-half Conor McKee, hooker James McCormick, back row forward Reuben Crothers and centre Ben Carson. After a successful trial in pre-season, Clontarf tighthead prop Ben Griffin was signed on a development contract in August. Former Leinster, Connacht and Jersey Reds prop Greg McGrath joined as injury cover in October.

Flanker Jordi Murphy and out-half Ian Madigan retired. Lock Frank Bradshaw Ryan left for Montauban. Wings Rob Lyttle and Craig Gilroy announced they would leave at the end of the season. Hooker Declan Moore and scrum-half Michael McDonald moved to Connacht on a season-long loan. Also departing were Sam Carter, Duane Vermeulen, Gareth Milasinovich, Jeffery Toomaga-Allen and Rory Sutherland.

Eleven players joined the academy: props Cameron Doak, Jack Boal and Jacob Boyd; hookers Zac Solomon and Henry Walker; lock Charlie Irvine; back rowers Josh Stevens and Tom Brigg; and outside backs Ethan Graham, Lukas Kenny and Ben McFarlane.

Iain Henderson's central contract with the IRFU was due to expire after the 2023 Rugby World Cup, and there was speculation that he might move abroad. He signed an extension in 2023, keeping him with Ulster and Ireland for a further two seasons.

Centre Angus Curtis retired in mid-season on medical advice after a series of concussions.

3G pitch

In May 2023 Ulster submitted a planning application to install a 3G artificial turf pitch at Ravenhill. Planning permission was granted by Belfast City Council in late June, and work began in late July.

U20 World Championship

Four Ulster players featured for Ireland in the 2023 World Rugby U20 Championship: locks Charlie Irvine and Joe Hopes, flanker James McNabney and fullback Rory Telfer. Ireland made the final, which they lost 50–14 to France.

World Cup

Seven Ulster players were named in Andy Farrell's initial 42-man Ireland squad, to be reduced to 33 for the Rugby World Cup: locks Iain Henderson and Kieran Treadwell, hookers Rob Herring and Tom Stewart, prop Tom O'Toole, centre Stuart McCloskey and wing Jacob Stockdale.

In Ireland's three warm-up matches, Henderson captained the side against Italy and Samoa; Herring started against Italy and appeared off the bench against England and Samoa, scoring two tries; McCloskey started against Italy and Samoa, and scored a try; Stockdale started against Italy and Samoa and assisted a try; O'Toole started against Italy and came off the bench against Samoa; Stewart made his international debut from the bench against Italy, and his first international start against Samoa. Henderson, Herring, O'Toole and McCloskey were named in the Ireland World Cup squad.

In the World Cup pool stage, Ireland went unbeaten, topped Pool B, and qualified for the quarter-finals. Rob Herring started and scored a try against Romania, and came off the bench against Tonga, scoring another try; Tom O'Toole came off the bench against Romania; Iain Henderson came off the bench against Romania, Tonga and South Africa, and started and scored a try against Scotland; and Stuart McCloskey came off the bench against Scotland. Henderson started in the quarter-final defeat to New Zealand.

Ulster Women

Murray Houston, former head coach of University of Glasgow Women RFC, was appointed head coach of Ulster Women, replacing Neill Alcorn, who had taken up a new post with the IRFU. Assisting him were former Ireland women's internationals Kathryn Dane as contact skills coach, Grace Davitt as backs coach and Amy Davis as technical skills coach, and men's player Eric O'Sullivan as scrum coach.

Ulster Women won their first interprovincial match since December 2012 by defeating Connacht 36–14 in third/fourth place playoff of the Interprovincial Championship.

Pre-season

Ulster's first pre-season friendly was against Leinster at Navan R.F.C. on 22 September, which Leinster won 38–21. They played a second friendly against Benetton in Treviso, which the hosts won 24–22. They faced Glasgow Warriors at GAA ground Breffni Park in Cavan on 7 October, winning 19–14.

First block

Ulster opened the URC season with a close away win against Zebre Parma, with Tom Stewart and Jacob Stockdale scoring two tries each, and flanker Dave Ewers and props Greg McGrath and James French making their Ulster debuts. The following week they won at home against the Bulls, with Ireland international prop Tom O'Toole playing 80 minutes and winning Player of the Match. A spate of injuries saw an experimental side go to Connacht, and flanker Reuben Crothers, centre Ben Carson and academy lock Joe Hopes made their senior debuts in a narrow defeat. The following weekend, Ulster beat Munster at home, with Rob Herring becoming Ulster's most capped player, and academy prop Scott Wilson making his senior debut. On 17 November Ulster defeated the Lions at home in rainy conditions. Prop Marty Moore made his first appearance since sustaining a serious knee injury in January, and flanker Lorcan McLoughlin made his first senior appearance, both from the bench.

There followed three straight defeats, the first away to Glasgow Warriors. Billy Burns made his 100th appearance for the province. Academy back rower James McNabney made his senior debut at number eight, and academy hooker Zac Solomon and new signing Steven Kitshoff made their first appearances from the bench. Nathan Doak unexectedly made his 50th Ulster appearance, being named on the bench at the last minute following the withdrawal of Jake Flannery, then playing most of the game at out-half after Billy Burns' head injury. The following week Steven Kitshoff made his first home appearance and Tom Stewart scored two tries as Ulster gained two losing bonus points at home to Edinburgh. They then started their Champions Cup campaign with an away defeat against Bath.

Fortunes changed with three straight wins, the first a bonus point victory in the Champions Cup against Racing 92, followed by two Interpros in the URC, each won by a single point. First they beat Connacht, at home, with Kieran Treadwell making his 150th appearance for the province. Then, on New Year's Day, a masterful display of attacking kicking by Billy Burns and two tries by Nick Timoney saw Ulster overcome league leaders Leinster in Dublin.

The first block was finished with two heavy defeats in the Champions Cup, at home against Toulouse and away against Harlequins, meaning Ulster failed to qualify for the knockout rounds and were entered into the Challenge Cup round of 16. After an away defeat against the Ospreys in the URC, Dan McFarland left as head coach. Assistant coach Dan Soper would take charge until after the Six Nations Under 20s Championship, after which Ireland under-20 coach Richie Murphy would take over until the end of the season.

Six Nations break

The Ireland squad for the 2024 Six Nations Championship included six Ulster players: Tom Stewart, Tom O'Toole, Iain Henderson, Nick Timoney, Stuart McCloskey and Jacob Stockdale. No Ulster players were selected for the opening match against France. The following week against Italy, McCloskey started, and Henderson and O'Toole came off the bench. McCloskey came off the bench in the home win against Wales in round three.

During the Six Nations rest week, Dan Soper oversaw a 49-26 Ulster home win against Dragons, in which Michael Lowry and David McCann scored two tries each. The Six Nations resumed with Ireland narrowly losing away to England, in which Iain Henderson featured from the bench.

Second block

Interim coach Richie Murphy took charge ahead of Ulster's two-week trip to South Africa to play the Sharks and Stormers. He was joined by Ireland scrum coach John Fogarty on a part-time basis (Dan McFarland had previously coached the scrum for Ulster).

After Ulster lost to the Sharks, losing Billy Burns to injury, the departure of Jonny Petrie as Chief Executive was announced by the IRFU. Hugh McCaughey, former Chief Executive of the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust and a former rugby coach at under-age level, was announced as his interim replacement. With Nathan Doak named at out-half, they then lost narrowly to the Stormers. It was announced that Steven Kitshoff would cut short his stay at Ulster and return to the Stormers at the end of the season. The following week, Ulster won their round of 16 tie against Montpellier in the Challenge Cup, aided by their opponents' poor discipline, being down to 12 players at one point. This earned them a quarter-final against Clermont, which they lost. Kitshoff sustained a season-ending injury, so this was his final match for Ulster. After three straight wins in the URC, over Cardiff, Benetton and Scarlets, Murphy was appointed head coach on a two-year contract. A fourth straight win, at home to Leinster, clinched a quarter final place. A losing bonus point away to table-toppers Munster on the final weekend of the regular season secured sixth place, a quarter-final away to Leinster (which they lost), and a place in next season's Champions Cup.

Ulster rugby awards

The end of season awards were announced online on 12 June. winners were:

Men's and boys' awards

• Men's player of the year: David McCann
• Personality of the year: Luke Marshall
• Supporters Club player of the year: John Cooney
• Rugby writers' player of the year: David McCann
• Young men's player of the year: Harry Sheridan
• Club Player of the Year: Bradley McNamara, Instonians
• Boys' schools player of the year: Conor Magee, Banbridge Academy
• Boys' youth player of the year: Dylan Fox, Malone

Women's and girls' awards

• Women's player of the year: Brittany Hogan, Ballynahinch/Old Belvedere
• Young women's player of the year: Sophie Barrett, Enniskillen/Railway Union
• Girls' schools player of the year: Niamh Fulton, Sullivan Upper School
• Girls' youth player of the year: Erin McConalogue, Inishowen

Club/community awards

• Club of the year: Ballyclare
• Referee of the year: Keane Davison, Omagh
• Ulster Rugby Foundation Community Impact Award – Civil Service
• Dorrington B. Faulkner award (services to rugby: John Carleton, Grosvenor RFC

Next season

Sharks winger Werner Kok will join Ulster for the 2024–25 season. Three academy players, prop Scott Wilson and back row forwards Lorcan McLoughlin and James McNabney, will join the senior squad on development contracts.

Out-half Billy Burns will join Munster in the summer on a one-year contract. Prop Steven Kitshoff will cut short his stay at Ulster and return to the Stormers. Centre Luke Marshall will retire at the end of the season.

Staff

Position	Name	Nationality
Chief executive officer	Jonny Petrie (to 25 March 2024) Hugh McCaughey (interim)	Scotland Ireland
Operations director	Bryn Cunningham	Ireland
Head coach	Dan McFarland (to 21 February 2024) Dan Soper (interim) Richie Murphy (from 23 March 2024)	England New Zealand Ireland
Assistant coach	Dan Soper	New Zealand
Defence coach	Jonny Bell	Ireland
Forwards coach	Roddy Grant	Scotland
Skills coach	Craig Newby	New Zealand
Scrum coach	John Fogarty (interim)	Ireland
Academy manager	Gavin Hogg	Ireland
Elite performance development officer	Willie Faloon	Ireland
Elite performance development officer	Neil Doak	Ireland

Squad

Senior squad

The below squad reflects the confirmed joiners and leavers for the 2023–24 season. Amendments to the squad will be made as-and-when announcements are confirmed by the province.

Players in

• Dave Ewers from Exeter Chiefs
• James French (unattached)
• Ben Griffin from Clontarf
• Steven Kitshoff from Stormers
• Greg McGrath from Jersey Reds (short term injury cover)

Promoted from academy

• Ben Carson
• Reuben Crothers
• James McCormick
• Conor McKee
• Harry Sheridan

Players out

• Frank Bradshaw Ryan to Montauban
• Sam Carter to Leicester Tigers
• Craig Gilroy released
• Rob Lyttle released
• Ian Madigan retired
• Michael McDonald to Connacht (loan)
• Gareth Milasinovich to Valence Romans Drôme Rugby
• Declan Moore to Connacht (loan)
• Jordi Murphy retired
• Rory Sutherland to Oyonnax
• Jeffery Toomaga-Allen to Queensland Reds
• Duane Vermeulen retired

Ulster Rugby squad
Props Tom O'Toole (18 apps, 16 starts) Steven Kitshoff (14 apps, 10 starts) Eric O'Sullivan (11 apps, 9 starts) Andrew Warwick (22 apps, 5 starts, 5 pts) Scott Wilson (15 apps, 3 starts, 5 pts) Marty Moore (9 apps, 3 starts) Greg McGrath (3 apps, 2 starts) James French (4 apps, 1 start) Callum Reid (2 apps) Ben Griffin Hookers Tom Stewart (22 apps, 13 starts, 45 pts) Rob Herring (12 apps, 10 starts, 15 pts) John Andrew (12 apps, 2 starts) Zac Solomon (1 app) James McCormick Locks Iain Henderson (c) (13 apps, 12 starts) Alan O'Connor (17 apps, 13 starts) Kieran Treadwell (16 apps, 13 starts, 5 pts) Harry Sheridan (19 apps, 10 starts, 10 pts) Cormac Izuchukwu (16 apps, 7 starts, 5 pts) Joe Hopes (1 app)	Back row Nick Timoney (21 apps, 21 starts, 60 pts) David McCann (18 apps, 17 starts, 40 pts) Matty Rea (17 apps, 13 starts, 10 pts) Dave Ewers (15 apps, 8 starts) Marcus Rea (9 apps, 5 starts, 5 pts) Reuben Crothers (5 apps, 4 starts, 5 pts) Sean Reffell* (5 apps, 3 starts) James McNabney (3 apps, 3 starts) Greg Jones (3 apps) Lorcan McLoughlin (1 app) Scrum-halves John Cooney (21 apps, 18 starts, 141 pts) Nathan Doak (23 apps, 10 starts, 71 pts) David Shanahan (6 apps, 1 start, 5 pts) Conor McKee Fly-halves Billy Burns (20 apps, 16 starts, 5 pts) Jake Flannery (11 apps, 5 starts, 23 pts)	Centres James Hume (18 apps, 18 starts, 10 pts) Stuart McCloskey (17 apps, 17 starts, 20 pts) Stewart Moore (15 apps, 7 starts, 5 pts) Jude Postlethwaite (10 apps, 5 starts) Luke Marshall (6 apps, 2 starts) Angus Curtis* (1 app, 1 start) Ben Carson (1 app) Wings Robert Baloucoune (15 apps, 15 starts, 10 pts) Jacob Stockdale (20 apps, 19 starts, 55 pts) Ethan McIlroy (12 apps, 8 starts) Ben Moxham (3 apps, 1 start) Aaron Sexton (2 app, 1 start) Fullbacks Will Addison (18 apps, 16 starts, 20 pts) Michael Lowry (17 apps, 14 starts, 20 pts) Shea O'Brien (1 app)
(c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players. Italics denotes academy players who appeared in the senior team. * denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality. ST denotes a short-term signing.

Academy squad

Players in

• Jack Boal from Queen's University RFC
• Jacob Boyd from RBAI
• Tom Brigg from Blackrock College
• Cameron Doak from Belfast Harlequins
• Ethan Graham from Ballynahinch RFC
• Charlie Irvine from Queen's University RFC
• Lukas Kenny from Campbell College
• Ben McFarlane from Methodist College Belfast
• Zac Solomon from Belfast Harlequins
• Josh Stevens from Methodist College Belfast
• Henry Walker from Hartpury College

Players out

Ulster Rugby academy squad
Props Jack Boal (1) Jacob Boyd (1) Cameron Doak (1) George Saunderson (3) Scott Wilson (2) Hookers Zac Solomon (1) Henry Walker* (1) Locks Joe Hopes (2) Charlie Irvine (1)	Back row Tom Brigg (1) Lorcan McLoughlin (2) James McNabney (2) Josh Stevens (1) Scrum-halves None currently named Fly-halves James Humphreys (3)	Centres None currently named Back three Ethan Graham (1) Lukas Kenny (1) Ben McFarlane (1) Rory Telfer (2)
Number in brackets indicates players stage in the three-year academy cycle. * denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality. Players and their allocated positions from the Ulster Rugby website.

Ulster 'A'/Ulster Development

The following players, other than players from the senior squad and academy, appeared for Ulster 'A' and Ulster Development this season.

Players used by Ulster 'A' and Ulster Development
Props Niall Carville (City of Armagh) Flynn Longstaff (Campbell College) Tom McAllister (Ballyclare High School) Paul Mullen (City of Armagh) Locks Ryan Connolly (Ballynahinch) Callum Johns (Dungannon) David Gillespie (Ballyclare) Mark Lee (Rainey) James McKillop (Queen's University) Adam McNamee (Malone) Adam Montgomery (Rainey) Connor Neary (Belfast Harlequins)	Back row Billy Allen (Dungannon) Ryan Davies (Queen's University) Jamie Jackson (Portadown College) Bryn Ward (Ballynahinch) Scrum-halves Olly Smith Clarke Logan (Coileraine Grammar School) Fly-halves Reece Malone (Ballynahinch) Zach Quirke (Dublin University) Eamonn Rogers (Queen's University)	Outside backs Henry Boyle (Belfast Harlequins) Michael Burnette (City of Armagh) Rory Ellerby (RBAI) Cal Florence (Queen's University) Ben Gibson (Queen's University) James Girvan (Dungannon) Michael McLean (Ballymena Academy) Bradley McNamara (Intonians) George Pringle (Ballynahinch) Jonny Scott (Banbridge)

2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup

Main article: 2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup

Pool B

2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup Pool B
Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	Diff	TF	TA	TB	LB	Pts
Toulouse (1)	4	4	0	0	178	69	+109	26	10	4	0	20
Harlequins (5)	4	3	0	1	151	109	+42	22	16	3	0	15
Bath (9)	4	3	0	1	124	102	+22	18	14	3	0	15
Racing 92 (16)	4	1	0	3	116	117	–1	17	16	2	2	8
Ulster (12CC)	4	1	0	3	88	147	–59	12	22	1	0	5
Cardiff	4	0	0	4	80	193	–113	11	28	2	1	3
Green background (rows 1 to 2) indicates qualification places for a home Champions Cup round of 16. Blue background (rows 3 to 4) indicates other teams qualified for the Champions Cup round of 16. Yellow background (row 5) indicates qualification place for the Challenge Cup round of 16. Plain background (row 6) indicates elimination from 2023–24 European competition. Starting table — source: European Professional Club Rugby

9 December 2023	(1 BP) Bath	37-14	Ulster	The Recreation Ground
15:15	Try: Cokanasiga (2) 27' 71' Dunn 45' Du Toit 69' Gallagher 78' Con: Spencer (2) 46' 70' Bailey 80' Pen: Spencer (2) 32' 58'	Report Match centre	Try: Burns 33' N. Doak 37' Con: N. Doak (2) 34' 37'	Attendance: 13,918 Referee: Pierre Brousset
Ulster lineup: 1. Steven Kitshoff, 2. Tom Stewart, 3. Tom O'Toole, 4. Alan O'Connor, 5. Iain Henderson (c), 6. Dave Ewers, 7. Nick Timoney, 8. James McNabney, 9. Nathan Doak, Billy Burns, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. James Hume, 14. Robert Baloucoune, 15. Stewart Moore. Replacements: 16. Rob Herring (for Stewart 46'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for Kitshoff 71'), 18. Marty Moore (for O'Toole 46'), 19. Kieran Treadwell (for O'Connor 49'), 20. Matty Rea (for McNabney 5'  65'), 21. John Cooney (for Doak 51'), 22. Jake Flannery (for Burns 59'), 23. Michael Lowry (for S. Moore 70').

16 December 2023	(1 BP) Ulster	31-15	Racing 92	Ravenhill Stadium
20:00	Try: Timoney 3' 46' McCloskey 22' Matty Rea 36' Con: Cooney (4) 4' 23' 38' 48' Pen: Cooney 69'	Report Match centre Player of the match: Stuart McCloskey	Try: Le Garrec 29' Tarrit (2) 55' 65'	Attendance: 12,282 Referee: Luke Pearce
Ulster lineup: 1. Steven Kitshoff, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Tom O'Toole, 4. Alan O'Connor, 5. Iain Henderson (c), 6. Dave Ewers, 7. Nick Timoney, 8. Matty Rea, 9. John Cooney, 10. Billy Burns, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. James Hume, 14. Robert Baloucoune, 15. Michael Lowry. Replacements: 16. Tom Stewart (for Herring 10-23', 55'), 17. Eric O'Sullivan (for Kitshoff 76'), 18. Scott Wilson (for O'Toole 76'), 19. Kieran Treadwell (for O'Connor 59'), 20. Harry Sheridan (for Matty Rea 59'), 21. Nathan Doak (for Cooney 78'), 22. Jake Flannery (for Burns 52'), 23. Stewart Moore (For Hume 78').

13 January 2024	Ulster	24–48	Toulouse (1 BP)	Ravenhill Stadium
20:00	Try: Stewart 41' c Addison 61' c Timoney 68' c Con: Cooney (1/1) 41' N. Doak (2/2) 62', 68' Pen: Cooney (1/1) 12'	Report	Try: Lebel 9' c Mauvaka (2) 30' m, 52' m Dupont (2) 34' c, 46' c Roumat 56' c Meafou 80' c Con: Ramos (4/6) 10', 36', 48', 57' Kinghorn (1/1) 80' Pen: Ramos (1/1) 18'	Attendance: 16,592 Referee: Matthew Carley
Ulster lineup: 1. Steven Kitshoff, 2. Tom Stewart, 3. Tom O'Toole, 4. Kieran Treadwell, 5. Iain Henderson (c), 6. Dave Ewers, 7. Sean Reffell, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Billy Burns, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. James Hume, 14. Robert Baloucoune, 15. Michael Lowry. Replacements: 16. John Andrew (for Stewart 54'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for Kitshoff 64'), 18. Marty Moore (for O'Toole 54'), 19. Alan O'Connor (for Reffell 40'), 20. Matty Rea (for Ewers 7'), 21. Nathan Doak (for Cooney 54'), 22. Luke Marshall, 23. Will Addison (for Stockdale 58').

20 January 2024	Harlequins	47–19	Ulster	Twickenham Stoop
13:00	Try: David (2) 4' c, 64' c Lynagh (2) 24' c, 32' c Care 47' c Esterhuizen 58' m Evans 72' c Con: Smith (6/7) 5', 26', 34', 48', 66', 73'	Report	Try: McCann 14' c McCloskey 70' c Stockdale Con: Cooney (1/1) 15' N. Doak (1/2) 70'	Attendance: 12,579 Referee: Mathieu Raynal
Ulster lineup: 1. Steven Kitshoff, 2. Tom Stewart, 3. Tom O'Toole, 4. Kieran Treadwell, 5. Iain Henderson (c) 6. Matty Rea, 7. David McCann, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Billy Burns, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. James Hume, 14. Robert Balocoune, 15. Michael Lowry. Replacements: 16. John Andrew (for Stewart 48'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for Kitshoff 54'), 18. Marty Moore (for O'Toole 54-70'), 19. Harry Sheridan (for Treadwell 35'), 20. Marcus Rea (for Matty Rea 70'), 21. Nathan Doak (for Cooney 54'), 22. Luke Marshall (for Hume 40'), 23. Will Addison (for Lowry 70').

2023–24 EPCR Challenge Cup

Main article: 2023–24 EPCR Challenge Cup

Round of 16

7 April 2024	Montpellier (5)	17-40	(12) Ulster	GGL Stadium, Montpellier
12:30	Try: Willemse 9' Eymeri 23' Con: Foursans-Bourdette (2) 10' 24' Pen: Foursans-Bourdette 38'	Report Player of the Match: David McCann	Try: Addison 27' Baloucoune 42' Wilson 62' McCann 67' McCloskey 77' Penalty try 80' Con: Cooney (4) 28' 63' 68' 79'	Referee: Ben Whitehouse
Ulster lineup: 1. Steven Kitshoff, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Tom O'Toole, 4. Alan O'Connor, 5. Iain Henderson (c), 6. Matty Rea, 7. David McCann, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Nathan Doak, 11. Stewart Moore, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. James Hume, 14. Robert Baloucoune, 15. Will Addison. Replacements: 16. John Andrew (for Herring 65'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for Kitshoff 63'), 18. Scott Wilson (for O'Toole 57'), 19. Harry Sheridan (for O'Connor 49'), 20. Cormac Izuchukwu (for Henderson 79'), 21. David Shanahan (for Cooney 79'), 22. Jake Flannery (for Addison 41-51', for Doak 79'), 23. Dave Ewers (for Matty Rea 49').

Quarter-final

13 April 2024	Clermont (4)	53-14	(12) Ulster	Stade Marcel-Michelin, Clermont-Ferrand
13:30	Try: Yato (2) 18' c, 68' c Sowakula (2) 36' c, 59' c Newsome 44' c Simmons 63' c Jurand 79' m Con: Belleau (4/4) 19', 37', 61', 64' Delguy (1/1) 45' Bézy (1/2) 69' Pen: Belleau (2/3) 28', 32'	Report	Try: Timoney (2) 12' c, 43' c Con: Cooney (2/2) 13', 45'	Attendance: 13,945 Referee: Matthew Carley
Ulster lineup: 1. Steven Kitshoff, 2. Ron Herring, 3. Tom O'Toole, 4. Alan O'Connor, 5. Iain Henderson, 6. Harry Sheridan, 7. David McCann, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Nathan Doak, 11. Michael Lowry, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. James Hume, 14. Robert Baloucoune, 15. Stewart Moore. Replacements: 16. Tom Stewart (for Herring 40'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for Kitshoff 55'), 18. Scott Wilson (for O'Toole 50'), 19. Cormac Izuchukwy (for O'Connor 64'), 20. Dave Ewers (for Henderson 40') 21. Jake Flannery (for Doak 64'), 22. Ethan McIlroy (for S. Moore 5'), 23. Marcus Rea (for Timoney 53').

2023–24 United Rugby Championship

Main article: 2023–24 United Rugby Championship

2023–24 United Rugby Championship
	Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	TB	LB	Pts
1	Munster	18	13	1	4	483	318	+165	65	38	11	3	68
2	Bulls (RU)	18	13	0	5	639	433	+206	85	54	11	3	66
3	Leinster	18	13	0	5	554	350	+204	81	43	11	2	65
4	Glasgow Warriors (CH)	18	13	0	5	519	353	+166	76	35	11	2	65
5	Stormers	18	12	0	6	468	348	+120	58	45	7	4	59
6	Ulster	18	11	0	7	437	409	+28	53	55	5	5	54
7	Benetton	18	11	1	6	411	400	+11	51	56	6	2	54
8	Ospreys	18	10	0	8	414	449	–35	53	53	8	2	50
9	Lions	18	9	0	9	526	398	+128	67	50	8	6	50
10	Edinburgh	18	11	0	7	416	397	+19	47	52	3	2	49
11	Connacht	18	9	0	9	404	432	–28	51	57	4	5	45
12	Cardiff	18	4	1	13	384	410	–26	50	51	4	10	32
13	Scarlets	18	5	0	13	313	575	–262	37	77	4	3	27
14	Sharks	18	4	0	14	343	431	–88	47	55	3	6	25
15	Dragons	18	3	0	15	300	611	–311	36	84	1	3	16
16	Zebre Parma	18	1	1	16	345	643	–298	42	94	4	5	15
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: number of matches won; the difference between points for and points against; the number of tries scored; the most points scored; the difference between tries for and tries against; the fewest red cards received; the fewest yellow cards received.
Green background indicates teams that are in play-off places and earn a place in the 2024–25 European Champions Cup Pink background indicates teams that are in play-off places and earn a place in the 2024–25 European Challenge Cup Yellow background indicates the team that won the 2023–24 European Challenge Cup and thus qualify for the 2024–25 European Champions Cup, but are not in a play-off place Plain background indicates teams that earn a place in the 2024–25 European Challenge Cup. Q: qualified for play-offs. H: home field advantage secured for quarter-and semi-final. h: home field advantage secured for quarter-final X: cannot reach play-offs. E: qualified for Champions Cup.

21 October 2023	(2 BP) Zebre Parma	36-40	Ulster (1 BP)	Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
13:00	Try: Licata (2) 4' 13' Pani 22' Gregory 40' Gesi (2) 41' 70' Con: Prisciantelli (3) 5' 14' 23'	Report Match centre Player of the match: Kieran Treadwell Highlights	Try: Flannery 9' Lowry 16' Stockdale (2) 28' 60' Stewart (2) 52' 66' Con: N. Doak (5) 11' 17' 29' 53' 68'	Attendance: 1,600 Referee: Adam Jones
Ulster lineup: 1. Andrew Warwick, 2. Tom Stewart (c), 3. Greg McGrath, 4. Matty Rea, 5. Kieran Treadwell  34', 6. Dave Ewers, 7. Marcus Rea, 8. David McCann, 9. Nathan Doak, 10. Jake Flannery, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Angus Curtis, 13. James Hume, 14. Michael Lowry, 15. Will Addison. Replacements: 16. John Andrew (for Stewart 76'), 17. Callum Reid (for Warwick 49'), 18. James French (for McGrath 50')  80', 19. Cormac Izuchukwu (for Matty Rea 50'), 20. Nick Timoney (for Marcus Rea 50'), 21. David Shanahan (for Doak 76'), 22. Billy Burns (for Flannery 55'), 23. Stewart Moore (for Hume 3-11', for Curtis 40'). URC Fantasy team of the week: Michael Lowry, Jacob Stockdale

29 October 2023	Ulster	26-19	Bulls	Ravenhill Stadium
17:00	Try: Stewart 9' Stockdale 28' Con: N. Doak (2) 10' 30' Pen: N. Doak (4) 42' 50' 63' 73'	Report Match centre Player of the match: Tom O'Toole Highlights	Try: G. Steenekamp 35' De Klerk 40' E. Louw 68' Con: Goosen (2) 36' 69'	Attendance: 10,181
Ulster lineup: 1. Andrew Warwick, 2. Tom Stewart, 3. Tom O'Toole, 4. Alan O'Connor (c), 5. Cormac Izuchukwu, 6. Dave Ewers, 7. David McCann, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. Nathan Doak, 10. Billy Burns, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Jude Postlethwaite, 13. James Hume, 14. Robert Baloucoune, 15. Will Addison  25'. Replacements: 16. John Andrew (for Stewart 77'), 17. Callum Reid (for Warwick 63'), 18. Greg McGrath, 19. Harry Sheridan (for Izuchukwu 36'), 20. Marcus Rea (for Ewers 40'), 21. David Shanahan, 22. Stewart Moore (for Stockdale 76'), 23. Michael Lowry (for Addison 56'). URC Fantasy team of the week: Tom Stewart, Tom O'Toole

4 November 2023	Connacht	22-20	Ulster (1 BP)	Galway Sportsgrounds
19:35	Try: Forde 48' Farrell 53' Kilgallen 73' Con: Carty (2) 48' 54' Pen: Carty 19'	Report Match centre Highlights	Try: Flannery 33' Shanahan 41' Con: Flannery (2) 34' 42' Pen: Flannery (2)22' 36'	Attendance: 5,468 Referee: Morné Ferreira
Ulster lineup: 1. Eric O'Sullivan, 2. John Andrew, 3. James French, 4. Alan O'Connor (c), 5. Harry Sheridan, 6. Matty Rea, 7. Reuben Crothers, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. David Shanahan, 10. Jake Flannery, 11. Aaron Sexton, 12. Stewart Moore, 13. James Hume, 14. Ben Moxham, 15. Ethan McIlroy. Replacements: 16. Tom Stewart, 17. Andrew Warwick (for O'Sullivan 52'), 18. Greg McGrath (for French 59'), 19. Joe Hopes (for Matty Rea 65'), 20. David McCann (for Crothers 1'), 21. Nathan Doak (for Shanahan 59'), 22. Billy Burns (for Flannery 59'), 23. Ben Carson (for Hume 47'). URC Fantasy Team of the Week: Jake Flannery, Harry Sheridan

10 November 2023	Ulster	21-14	Munster (1 BP)	Ravenhill Stadium
19:35	Try: Stockdale 26' Timoney 67' Con: N. Doak 68' Pen: N. Doak (3) 13' 46' 63'	Report Match centre Player of the Match: David McCann Highlights	Try: Casey (2) 7' 17' Con: Crowley (2) 8' 19'	Attendance: 14,960 Referee: Frank Murphy
Ulster lineup: 1. Eric O'Sullivan, 2. Tom Stewart (c), 3. Greg McGrath, 4. Cormac Izuchukwu, 5. Kieran Treadwell, 6. David McCann, 7. Marcus Rea, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. Nathan Doak, 10. Billy Burns, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Stewart Moore, 14. Robert Baloucoune, 15. Ethan McIlroy. Replacements: 16. Rob Herring (for Stewart 50'), 17. Callum Reid, 18. Scott Wilson (for McGrath 50'), 19. Iain Henderson (for Izuchukwu 50'), 20. Dave Ewers (for Rea 59'), 21. John Cooney (for Doak 69'), 22. Jake Flannery (for Burns 72'), 23. Jude Postlethwaite (for McIlroy 13'). URC Fantasy team of the week: David McCann.

17 November 2023	Ulster	24-17	Lions (1 BP)	Ravenhill Stadium
19:35	Try: Hume 28' Stockdale 41' Herring 46' Con: N. Doak (3) 29' 42' 47' Pen: Cooney 67'	Report Match centre Highlights Player of the match: Dave Ewers	Try: Kriel 10' Sirgel 34' Con: Nohamba (2) 12' 35' Pen: Nohamba 35'	Attendance: 11,471 Referee: Andrea Piardi
Ulster lineup: 1. Andrew Warwick, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Scott Wilson, 4. Alan O'Connor, 5. Iain Henderson (c), 6. Dave Ewers, 7. Reuben Crothers, 8. David McCann, 9. Nathan Doak, 10. Jake Flannery, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. James Hume, 14. Robert Baloucoune, 15. Stewart Moore. Replacements: 16. John Andrew, 17. Eric O'Sullivan (for Warwick 61'), 18. Marty Moore (for Wilson 44'), 19. Harry Sheridan (for O'Connor 70'), 20. Lorcan McLoughlin (for Crothers 54'), 21. John Cooney (for Doak 51'), 22. Billy Burns (for Flannery 61'), 23. Aaron Sexton. URC Fantasy team of the week: James Hume, Scott Wilson

25 November 2023	(1 BP) Glasgow Warriors	33-20	Ulster	Scotstoun Stadium
19:35	Try: Kennedy 20' George Turner 41' Rowe 50' Matthews (2) 58' 70' Con: Jordan (4) 21' 42' 59' 71'	Report Match centre	Try: Stewart 5' Cooney 10' Con: Cooney (2) 6' 11' Pen: Cooney 56' N. Doak 63'	Attendance: 7,216 Referee: Ben Whitehouse
Ulster lineup: 1. Eric O'Sullivan, 2. Tom Stewart, 3. Tom O'Toole, 4. Kieran Treadwell  50', 5. Iain Henderson (c), 6. Harry Sheridan, 7. Reuben Crothers, 8. James McNabney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Billy Burns, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Luke Marshall, 13. James Hume, 14. Robert Baloucoune, 15. Will Addison. Replacements: 16. Zac Solomon (for Stewart 71'), 17. Steven Kitshoff (for O'Sullivan 49'), 18. Marty Moore (for O'Toole 49'), 19. Alan O'Connor (for Henderson 49'), 20. Matty Rea (for Sheridan 12'-18', 52') 21. David Shanahan (for Cooney 59'), 22. Nathan Doak (for Burns 19'), 23. Ben Moxham (for Marshall 63').

2 December 2023	(2 BP) Ulster	24-27	Edinburgh	Ravenhill Stadium
17:15	Try: Stewart (2) 5' c, 28' m Baloucoune 73' m Hume 80' c Con: Cooney (1/2) 6' N. Doak (1/2) 81'	Report Match centre	Try: Vellacott 24' c Schoeman 58' c Hislop 69' c Con: Healy (3/3) 25', 60', 71' Pen: Healy (2/2) 16', 40'	Attendance: 12,403 Referee: Federico Vedovelli
Ulster lineup: 1. Steven Kitshoff, 2. Tom Stewart, 3. Tom O'Toole, 4. Alan O'Connor (c), 5. Kieran Treadwell, 6. Matty Rea, 7. Nick Timoney, 8. James McNabney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Billy Burns, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. James Hume, 14. Robert Baloucoune, 15. Will Addison. Replacements: 16. John Andrew (for Stewart 74'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for Kitshoff 60'), 18. Marty Moore (for O'Toole 55'), 19. Cormac Izuchukwu (for Treadwell 74'), 20. Dave Ewers (for McNabney 49-55', for Matty Rea 55'), 21. Nathan Doak (for Cooney 49'), 22. Stewart Moore (for McCloskey 55-71', for Addison 71'), 23. Ben Moxham (for Stockdale 65').

22 December 2023	Ulster	20-19	Connacht (1 BP)	Ravenhill Stadium
19:35	Try: Warwick 2' Timoney 18' Con: Cooney (2) 3' 20' Pen: Cooney (2) 50' 65'	Report Match centre Player of the match: Iain Henderson	Try: Aki 8' Hurley-Langton 59' Bolton 68' Con: Carty 9' Hanrahan 69'	Attendance: 18,196 Referee: Eoghan Cross
Ulster Lineup: 1. Andrew Warwick, 2. Tom Stewart, 3. Marty Moore, 4. Kieran Treadwell, 5. Iain Henderson (c), 6. Matty Rea, 7. Sean Reffell, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Jake Flannery, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. James Hume, 14. Robert Baloucoune, 15. Will Addison. Replacements: 16. John Andrew, 17. Steven Kitshoff (for Warwick 50'), 18. Tom O'Toole (for M. Moore 50'), 19. Alan O'Connor (for Treadwell 69'), 20. Harry Sheridan (for Reffell 53'), 21. Nathan Doak (for Flannery 61'), 22. Jude Postlethwaite (for Hume 65'), 23. Shea O'Brien (for Addison 77'). URC Fantasy team of the week: Kieran Treadwell.

1 January 2024	(1 BP) Leinster	21-22	Ulster	RDS Arena
17:15	Try: Healy 11' Russell 23' Sheehan 62' Con: Prendergast (2) 12' 24' H. Byrne 63'	Report Match centre Player of the match: Billy Burns	Try: Timoney (2) 4' 35' Stockdale 7' Con: Cooney (2) 5' 37' Pen: Cooney 55'	Attendance: 16,248 Referee: Frank Murphy
Ulster lineup: 1. Steven Kitshoff, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Tom O'Toole, 4. Kieran Treadwell, 5. Iain Henderson (c), 6. Matty Rea, 7. Sean Reffell, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Billy Burns, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Luke Marshall, 14. Robert Baloucoune, 15. Will Addison Replacements: 16. Tom Stewart (for Herring 49'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for Kitshoff 63'), 18. Scott Wilson (for O'Toole 63'), 19. Alan O'Connor (for Henderson 64'), 20. Dave Ewers (for Reffell 63'), 21. Nathan Doak (for Burns 74'), 22. Michael Lowry (for Baloucoune 50'), 23. Jude Postlethwaite. URC Fantasy team of the week: Nick Timoney, Sean Reffell.

18 February 2024	Ospreys	19-17	Ulster (1BP)	Swansea.com Stadium
15:00	Try: K. Williams 64' Con: D. Edwards 66' Pen: D. Edwards (3) 29 36' 55' Drop: D. Edwards 79'	Report Match centre	Try: Marcus Rea 33' Stewart 57' Con: N. Doak (2) 34' 59' Pen: Flannery 75'	Attendance: 5,093 Referee: Federico Vedovelli
Ulster lineup: 1. Andrew Warwick, 2. John Andrew, 3. Marty Moore, 4. Harry Sheridan, 5. Iain Henderson, 6. David McCann, 7. Marcus Rea, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. Nathan Doak, 10. Jake Flannery, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Jude Postlethwaite, 13. James Hume, 14. Ethan McIlroy, 15. Will Addison. Replacements: 16. Tom Stewart (for Andrew 48'), 17. Steven Kitshoff (for Warwick 52'), 18. Scott Wilson (for M. Moore 25'), 19. Cormac Izuchukwu (for Henderson 29'), 20. Matty Rea (for Marcus Rea 70'), 21. David Shanahan (for Doak 59'), 22. Luke Marshall (for Postlethwaite 59'  61'), 23. Robert Baloucoune.

2 March 2024	(1 BP) Ulster	49-26	Dragons (1 BP)	Ravenhill Stadium
19:35	Try: Addison 4' Lowry (2) 17' 32' Sheridan 29' McCann (2) 56' 75' Timoney 71' Con: Cooney (7) 5' 19' 30' 33' 57' 73' 75'	Report Match centre Player of the Match: Jude Postlethwaite	Try: Benjamin 11' Screech 51' Coghlan 64' Penalty try Con: Reed (2) 12' 65'	Attendance: 12,565 Referee: Ian Kenny
Ulster lineup: 1. Steven Kitshoff, 2. Tom Stewart, 3. Tom O'Toole, 4. Cormac Izuchukwu, 5. Harry Sheridan, 6. David McCann, 7. Marcus Rea, 8. Nick Timoney  79', 9. John Cooney, 10. Billy Burns, 11. Michael Lowry, 12. Jude Postlethwaite, 13. James Hume (c), 14. Ethan McIlroy, 15. Will Addison. Replacements: 16. John Andrew (for Stewart 67'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for Kitshoff 52'), 18. Scott Wilson (for O'Toole 67'), 19. Kieran Treadwell (for Izuchukwu 52'), 20. Sean Reffell (for Marcus Rea 52'), 21. Nathan Doak (for Burns 52'), 22. Luke Marshall (for Postlethwaite 67'), 23. Jacob Stockdale (for Addison 52'). URC Fantasy Team of the Week: Harry Sheridan, David McCann.

23 March 2024	Sharks	22-12	Ulster	Kings Park Stadium
13:00	Try: Buthelezi 26' Keyter 45' Mbonambi 65' Con: Masuku (2) 28' 47' Pen: Masuku 53'	Report Match centre	Try: Sheridan 18' Treadwell 56' Con: Cooney 19'	Referee: Ben Whitehouse
Ulster lineup: 1. Steven Kitshoff, 2. Tom Stewart, 3. Tom O'Toole, 4. Kieran Treadwell, 5. Iain Henderson (c)  64', 6. Harry Sheridan, 7. David McCann, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Billy Burns, 11. Michael Lowry, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. James Hume  64', 14. Ethan McIlroy, 15. Will Addison. 16. John Andrew (for Stewart 66'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for Kitshoff 50'), 18. Scott Wilson (for O'Toole 63'), 19. Cormac Izuchukwu (for Treadwell 73'), 20. Matty Rea (for Sheridan 61'), 21. Nathan Doak (for Burns 41'), 22. Jude Postlethwaite (for Addison 72'), 23. Sean Reffell (for Timoney 50').

30 March 2013	Stormers	13-7	Ulster (1 BP)	Cape Town Stadium
17:15	Try: Roos 73' Con: Libbok 74' Pen: Libbok (2) 54' 81'	Report Match centre	Try: Timoney 7' Con: Cooney 8'	Attendance: 24,602 Referee: Sam Grove-White
Ulster lineup: 1. Steven Kitshoff, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Tom O'Toole 4. Harry Sheridan, 5. Kieran Treadwell, 6. Matty Rea, 7. David McCann  60', 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Nathan Doak, 11. Ethan McIlroy, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. James Hume, 14. Robert Baloucoune, 15. Michael Lowry. 16. Replacements: 16. Tom Stewart (for Herring 56'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for Kitshoff 56'), 18. Scott Wilson (for O'Toole 56'), 19. Cormac Izuchukwu (for Treadwell 56'), 20. Marcus Rea (for Matty Rea 72'), 21. David Shanahan, 22. Jake Flannery, 23. Stewart Moore (for Lowry 8').

19 April 2024	Ulster	19-17	Cardiff (1 BP)	Ravenhill Stadium
19:35	Try: McCann Con: Cooney Pen: N. Doak (2) 27' 35' Cooney (2) 65' 79'	Report Match centre Player of the match: Harry Sheridan	Try: Cabango (2) 11' 42' Con: De Beer (2) 12' 43' Pen: De Beer 71'	Attendance: 13,679 Referee: Mike Adamson
Ulster lineup: 1. Eric O'Sullivan, 2. Tom Stewart, 3. Scott Wilson, 4. Harry Sheridan, 5. Alan O'Connor, 6. Dave Ewers, 7. Marcus Rea, 8. David McCann, 9. Nathan Doak, 10. Jake Flannery, 11. Jacob Stockdale  48', 12. Jude Postlethwaite, 13. James Hume, 14. Michael Lowry, 15. Will Addison. Replacements: 16. John Andrew (for Stewart 60'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for O'Sullivan 51'), 18. Tom O'Toole (for Wilson 51-), 19. Cormac Izuchukwu (for O'Connor 65'), 20. Greg Jones (for Marcus Rea 75'), 21. John Cooney (for Doak 54'), 22. Billy Burns (for Flannery 40'), 23. Ethan McIlroy (for Hume 19'). URC Fantasy Team of the Week: Scott Wilson, Harry Sheridan

26 April 2024	(1 BP) Ulster	38-34	Benetton (2 BP)	Ravenhill Stadium
19:35	Try: Stewart 15' Crothers 32' Stockdale 39' Addison 49' Izuchukwu 66' Con: Cooney (5) 16' 33' 40' 51' 67' Pen: Cooney 73'	Report Match centre Player of the match: John Cooney	Try: Menoncello 5' Umaga 46' Halafihi 56' Nemer 62' Albornoz 80' Con: Albornoz (3) 57' 64' 81' Pen: Umaga 24'	Referee: Sam Grove-White
Ulster lineup: 1. Eric O'Sullivan, 2 Tom Stewart, 3. Scott Wilson, 4. Harry Sheridan, 5. Alan O'Connor (c), 6. Dave Ewers, 7. Reuben Crothers, 8. David McCann, 9. John Cooney, 10. Billy Burns, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Will Addison, 14. Robert Baloucoune, 15. Michael Lowry. Replacements: 16. John Andrew (for Stewart 74'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for O'Sullivan 53'), 18. James French (for Wilson 64'), 19. Cormac Izuchukwu (for O'Connor 64'), 20. Greg Jones (for Ewers 57'), 21. David Shanahan (for Cooney 77'), 22. Luke Marshall (for Addison 74'  80'), 23. Ethan McIlroy (for Stockdale 44'). URC Fantasy team of the week: Jacob Stockdale.

11 May 2024	Scarlets	20-31	Ulster (1 BP)	Parc y Scarlets
15:05	Try: Tuipulotu 60' Lewis 66' Con: Costelow (2) 61 67' Pen: Costelow (2) 10' 26'	Report Match centre Player of the match: Stuart McCloskey	Try: McCloskey 42' Timoney 47' McCann 54' Stockdale 63' Con: Cooney (4) 43' 49' 55' 65' Pen: Cooney 27'	Attendance: 6,881 Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi
Ulster lineup: 1. Eric O'Sullivan, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Scott Wilson, 4. Kieran Treadwell, 5. Alan O'Connor (c), 6. Cormac Izuchukwu, 7. David McCann, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Billy Burns, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Will Addison, 14. Ethan McIlroy, 15. Michael Lowry. Replacements: 16. Tom Stewart (for Herring 70'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for French 65'), 18. James French (for Wilson 20'), 19. Harry Sheridan (for Treadwell 57'), 20. Reuben Crothers (for Timoney 58'), 21. Nathan Doak (for Cooney 65'), 22. Stewart Moore (for McCloskey 65'), 23. Dave Ewers (for Izuchukwu 55'). URC fantasy team of the week: Stuart McCloskey, Cormac Izuchukwu

18 May 2024	Ulster	23-21	Leinster (1 BP)	Ravenhill Stadium
19:35	Try: Herring 13' Stockdale 57' Con: Cooney (2) 14' 58' Pen: Cooney (3) 32' 43' 78'	Report Match centre Player of the match: John Cooney	Try: Ngatai 22' Foley 26' Alaalatoa 52' Con: H. Byrne (3) 23' 29' 54'	Attendance: 15,976 Referee: Andrea Piardi
Ulster lineup: 1. Eric O'Sullivan, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Tom O'Toole, 4. Kieran Treadwell, 5. Alan O'Connor (c), 6. Cormac Izuchukwu, 7. David McCann, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Billy Burns, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Will Addison, 14. Michael Lowry, 15. Ethan McIlroy. Replacements: 16. Tom Stewart (for Herring 49'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for O'Sullivan 54'), 18. Scott Wilson (for O'Toole 65'), 19. Harry Sheridan (for Treadwell 68'), 20. Matty Rea (for Izuchukwu 61'), 21. Nathan Doak (for Burns 73'), 22. Stewart Moore (for McIlroy 54'), 23. Jude Postlethwaite (for McCloskey 73'). URC fantasy team of the week: Jacob Stockdale.

1 June 2024	(1 BP) Munster	29-24	Ulster (1 BP)	Thomond Park
17:15	Try: Snyman 7' Nash 51' Daly 58' Clarke 69' Con: Crowley (3) 9', 53', 59' Pen: Crowley 77'	Report Match centre	Try: Herring 16' McCann 40+3' Rea 54' Con: Cooney (3) 18', 40+4', 55' Pen: Cooney 22'	Attendance: 17,496 Referee: Frank Murphy
Ulster lineup: 1. Eric O'Sullivan, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Tom O'Toole, 4. Kieran Treadwell, 5. Alan O'Connor, 6. Cormac Izuchukwu, 7. David McCann, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Billy Burns, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Jude Postlethwaite, 13. Will Addison, 14. Michael Lowry, 15. Stewart Moore. Replacements: 16. Tom Stewart (for Herring 59'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for O'Sullivan 53'), 18. Scott Wilson (for O'Toole 66'), 19. Harry Sheridan (for Treadwell 4'), 20. Matty Rea (for O'Connor 18'), 21. Nathan Doak, 22. Aaron Sexton (for Addison 59'), 23. Dave Ewers (for Matty Rea 63').

Quarter-final

8 June 2024	Leinster	43-20	Ulster	Aviva Stadium
14:30	Try: Henshaw 20' Lowe (2) 33' 45' Larmour 62' Van der Flier 67' Molony 75' Con: R. Byrne (4) 21' 34' 63' 68' Prendergast 76' Pen: R. Byrne 30'	Report Match centre	Try: McCann 49' S. Moore 64' Lowry 79' Con: Cooney 65' Pen: Cooney 42'	Referee: Andrew Brace
Ulster lineup: 1. Eric O'Sullivan, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Tom O'Toole, 4. Harry Sheridan, 5. Cormac Izuchukwu, 6. Matty Rea, 7. David McCann, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Billy Burns, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Will Addison, 14. Michael Lowry, 15. Stewart Moore. Replacements: 16. Tom Stewart (for Herring 69'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for O'Sullivan 50'), 18. Scott Wilson (for O'Toole 69'), 19. Greg Jones (for Izuchukwu 17'), 20. Dave Ewers (for Matty Rea 63'), 21. Nathan Doak (for Burns 57'), 22. Ethan McIlroy (for Stockdale 47'), 23. Jude Postlethwaite (for Addison 63').

End-of season awards

John Cooney was named at scrum-half in the URC Elite XV.

Home attendance

Domestic League					European Cup					Total
League	Fixtures	Average Attendance	Highest	Lowest	League	Fixtures	Average Attendance	Highest	Lowest	Total Attendance	Average Attendance
2023–24 United Rugby Championship	8†	13,679	18,196	10,181	2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup	2	14,437	16,592	12,282	138,305	13,831

Friendlies

22 September 2023	Leinster	38–21	Ulster	Navan R.F.C.
18:30	Try: H. Byrne Turner (2) Brownlee Barron A. Osborne Con: H. Byrne Prendergast (3)	Report	Try: McCann Sexton Reid Con: Shanahan N. Doak (2)
Ulster lineup: 1. Callum Reid, 2. Tom Stewart, 3. James French, 4. Harry Sheridan, 5. Kieran Treadwell, 6. Dave Ewers, 7. Marcus Rea, 8. David McCann, 9. Dave Shanahan, 10. Billy Burns, 11. Michael Lowry, 12. Jude Postlethwaite, 13. Stewart Moore, 14. Rory Telfer, 15. Will Addison. Replacements: Nick Timoney, John Andrew, Ben Griffin, Matty Rea, Cormac Izuchukwu, Greg Jones, Reuben Crothers, Lorcan McLoughlin, Conor McKee, Nathan Doak, Robert Baloucoune, Aaron Sexton, Ben Carson, Angus Curtis, Ethan McIlroy, Shea O'Brien.

30 September 2023	Benetton	24–22	Ulster	Stadio Comunale di Monigo
18:00	Try: Bernasconi Ratave Umaga Izekor Con: Umaga (2)	Report	Try: Timoney O'Brien McCann Carson Con: Flannery
Ulster lineup: 1. Callum Reid, 2. John Andrew, 3. Andrew Warwick, 4. Cormac Izuchukwu, 5. Harry Sheridan, 6. Matty Rea, 7. Reuben Crothers, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. Nathan Doak (c), 10. Jake Flannery, 11. Ethan McIlroy, 12. Angus Curtis, 13. Luke Marshall, 14. Robert Baloucoune, 15. Shea O'Brien. Replacements: Cameron Doak, Tom Stewart, Ben Griffin, Kieran Treadwell, Joe Hopes, Dave Ewers, David McCann, Lorcan McLoughlin, David Shanahan, Conor McKee, Aaron Sexton, Ben Carson, Jude Postlethwaite, Stewart Moore.

7 October 2023	Ulster	19–14	Glasgow Warriors	Breffni Park, Cavan
18:00	Try: Ewers Hume Stewart Con: Flannery (2)	Report	Try: Dobie Hiddleston Con: Weir (2)
Ulster lineup: 1. Andrew Warwick, 2. Tom Stewart (c), 3. Greg McGrath, 4. Matty Rea, 5. Kieran Treadwell, 6. Dave Ewers, 7. Marcus Rea, 8. David McCann, 9. Nathan Doak, 10. Jake Flannery, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Jude Postlethwaite, 13. James Hume, 14. Robert Baloucoune, 15. Will Addison. Replacements: John Andrew, Cameron Doak, Ben Griffin, Cormac Izuchukwu, Nick Timoney, Conor McKee, Billy Burns, Stewart Moore, Harry Sheridan, Reuben Crothers, David Shanahan, Ethan McIlroy, Ben Carson, Ben Moxham, Shea O'Brien, Angus Curtis, Aaron Sexton.

Ulster 'A'

8 September 2023	Ulster 'A'	24–35	Connacht	Ballynahinch RFC
15:00	Try: Sexton (2) Moxham Addison Con: Doak (2)		Try: Daly Blade Penalty try De Buitléar Kilgallen Con: Carty (4)
Ulster 'A' lineup: 1. Callum Reid, 2. John Andrew, 3. Ben Griffin, 4. Cormac Izuchukwu, 5. Kieran Treadwell, 6. Matty Rea, 7. Reuben Crothers, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. David Shanahan, 10. Angus Curtis, 11. Aaron Sexton, 12. Jude Postlethwaite, 13. Luke Marshall, 14. Ethan McIlroy, 15. Shea O'Brien. Replacements: 16. Andrew Warwick, 17. Tom Stewart, 18. Paul Mullan, 19. Harry Sheridan, 20. Greg Jones, 21. Marcus Rea, 22. Nathan Doak, 23. Billy Burns, 24. Stewart Moore, 25. Will Addison.

1 June 2024	Ulster 'A'	29-47	Ireland Under-20	Ravenhill Stadium
	Try: Graham (2) 24' 79' Reid 30' McKee 39' Con: Malone 31' 40' McKee 80' Pen: Malone 47'	Report	Try: Flynn (2) 21' 56' Moloney 42' Treacy 48' De Klerk (2) 52' 59' Larke 77' Con: Murphy (4) 22' 49' 53' 57' Naughton (2) 60' 78'
Ulster 'A' lineup: 1. Callum Reid, 2. James McCormick, 3. Tom McAllister, 4. Jake McCay, 5. Charlie Irvine, 6. Tom Brigg, 7. Sean Reffell, 8. James McNabney (c), 9. Conor McKee, 10. Reece Malone, 11. Ethan Graham, 12. Johnny Scott, 13. Ben Carson, 14. Ben McFarland, 15. Rory Telfer. Replacements: 16. Zac Solomon, 17. Jack Boal, 18. Flynn Longstaff, 19. Callum Johns, 20. Reuben Crothers, 21. Josh Stevens, 22. Clarke Logan, 23. James Girvan.

Ulster Development

18 August 2023	Ulster Development	10–14	AIL Select XV	Gibson Park, Belfast
	Try: McLoughlin Montgomery	Report	Try: Lamont Prinsloo Con: Doherty (2)
Ulster Development lineup: 1. Jack Boal, 2. Henry Walker, 3. Cameron Doak, 4. James McKillop, 5. Mark Lee, 6. Bryn Ward, 7. Josh Stevens, 8. Lorcan McLoughlin (c), 9. Ryan Davis, 10. Zach Quirke, 11. Ethan Graham, 12. Ben Gibson, 13. James Girvan, 14. Lukas Kenny, 15. Ben McFarlane. Replacements: 16. Zac Solomon, 17. Jacob Boyd, 18. Flynn Longstaff, 19. Scott Craig, 20. Connor Neary, 21. Adam Montgomery, 22. James Humphreys, 23. Rory Ellerby, 24. Henry Boyle, 25. Josh Eagleson.
AIL Select lineup: 1. David Braden (Omagh), 2. Dan O'Neill (Rainey Old Boys), 3. Joe Charles (Ballynahinch), 4. Adam McNamee (Malone) 5. Robert Sproule (Omagh), 6. Adam Lamont (Ballymena), 7. Dave Cave (Malone), 8. Bradley Luney (Ballynahinch), 9. Rhys O'Donnell (Instonians), 10. Robbie Johnston (QUB), 11. Dylan Nelson (City of Armagh), 12. Mark Best (Ballynahinch), 13. Bevan Prinsloo (Instonians), 14. Curtis Henry (Ballymena), 15. Adam Doherty (Banbridge). Replacements: 16. Sam Green (Malone), 17. Lawson Porter (Malone), 18. James Leary (Bangor), 19. John McCusker (Rainey Old Boys), 20. Cameron Steenson (Dungannon), 21. Robin Sinton (Banbridge), 22. Lewis Finlay (City of Armagh), 23. Pierce Crowe (Ballymena), 24. Glen Faloon (City of Armagh), 25. Matthew Montgomery (Dungannon), 26. Ross Taylor (City of Armagh), Mark Keane (Instonians).

25 August 2023	Bury St Edmunds RUFC	24–35	Ulster Development	Stadium Greene King
			Try: Wilson McKillop Carson C. Doak Girvan Con: Humphreys (5)
Ulster Development lineup: 1. George Saunderson, 2. Zac Solomon, 3. Scott Wilson, 4. James McKillop, 5. Mark Lee, 6. Bryn Ward, 7. Reuben Crothers, 8. Lorcan McLoughlin (c), 9. Conor McKee, 10. James Humphreys, 11. Ethan Graham, 12. Ben Carson, 13. Rory Ellerby, 14. Lukas Kenny, 15. Ben McFarlane. Replacements: 16. Henry Walker, 17. Jack Boal, 18. Cameron Doak, 19. Adam Montgomery, 20. Charlie Irvine, 21. James McNabney, 22. Ryan Davies, 23. Zach Quirke, 24. James Girvan, 25. Rory Telfer.

8 September 2023	Ulster Development	0–56	Connacht Eagles	Ballynahinch RFC
17:30
Ulster Development lineup: 1. George Saunderson, 2. Zac Solomon, 3. Scott Wilson, 4. Joe Hopes, 5. Charlie Irvine, 6. James McNabney, 7. Josh Stevens, 8. Lorcan McLoughlin, 9. Conor McKee, 10. James Humphreys, 11. Ethan Graham, 12. Ben Carson, 13. Rory Ellerby, 14. Lukas Kenny, 15. Rory Telfer. Replacements: 16. Henry Walker, 17. Jack Boal, 18. Cameron Doak, 19. James McKillop, 20. Mark Lee, 21. Ryan Davies, 22. Bryn Ward, 23. Zach Quirke, 24. Henry Boyle, 25. Ben Gibson, 26. Ben McFarlane, 27. James Girvan, 28. Jacob Boyd.

15 September 2023	Munster Development	21–17	Ulster Development	Limerick
15:00	Try: Long (2) McSweeney Con: B. O'Connor (2) C. O'Connor		Try: Walker Solomon C. Doak Con: Rogers
Ulster Development lineup: 1. Jacob Boyd, 2. Henry Walker, 3. Flynn Longstaff, 4. James McKillop, 5. Joe Hopes (c), 6. Mark Lee, 7. Josh Stevens, 8. Bryn Ward, 9. Ryan Davies, 10. Eamonn Rogers, 11. Ethan Graham, 12. Ben Carson, 13. Rory Ellerby, 14. Lukas Kenny, 15. Ben McFarlane. Replacements: 16. Zac Solomon, 17. Jack Boal, 18. Cameron Doak, 19. James McNabney, 20. Adam Montgomery, 21. Olly Smyth, 22. Josh Eagleson, 23. Henry Boyle, 24. James Girvan.

22 December 2023	Ulster Development	40-7	Munster Development	Newforge Sports Complex
	Try: Telfer (2) Scott Boal Crothers Solomon Con: Malone (5)	Report
Ulster Development lineup: 1. Jack Boal, 2. Henry Walker, 3. Cameron Doak, 4. Mark Lee, 5. Adam McNamee, 6. Reuben Crothers, 7. Josh Stevens (c), 8. Adam Montgomery, 9. Conor McKee, 10. Reece Malone, 11. Rory Telfer, 12. Johnny Scott, 13. Rory Ellerby, 14. Ben McFarlane, 15. Bradley McNamara. Replacements: 16. Zac Solomon, 17. Jacob Boyd, 18. Tom McAllister, 19. Ryan Connolly, 20. Jamie Jackson, 21. Ryan Davies, 22. Ethan Graham, 23. Michael Burnette.

22 December 2023	Ulster Development	61-10	Crawshays	Shaws Bridge Sports Complex
	Try: McNabney Sexton (3) Telfer (2) Boal McFarlane Longstaff Con: Humphreys (8)	Report	Try: (2)
Ulster Development lineup: 1. Jack Boal, 2. James McCormick, 3. Cameron Doak, 4. Adam Montgomery, 5. James McKillop, 6. Josh Stevens, 7. Reuben Crothers, 8. James McNabney, 9. Conor McKee, 10. James Humphreys, 11. Ben McFarlane, 12. Rory Ellerby, 13. George Pringle, 14. Aaron Sexton, 15. Rory Telfer. Replacements: 16. Zac Solomon, 17. Flynn Longstaff, 18. Tom McAllister, 19. Mark Lee, 20. Billy Allen, 21. Olly Smith, 22. Clarke Logan.

16 May 2024	Ulster Development	108-10	New England Independents	Ravenhill Stadium
	Try: McKee (3) Sexton (3) McCormick McAllister (2) Scott Smyth McNabney Stevens (2) Allen Telfer Con: McKee (5) Rogers (9)	Report	Try: Martignette Con: Voth Drop: Voth
Ulster Development lineup: 1. Jack Boal, 2. James McCormick, 3. Flynn Longstaff, 4. David Gillespie, 5. Charlie Irvine, 6. Tom Brigg, 7. Marcus Rea, 8. James McNabney (c), 9. Conor McKee, 10. Eamon Rogers, 11. Michael McLean, 12. Ben Carson, 13. Johnny Scott, 14. Aaron Sexton, 15. Rory Telfer. Replacements: Zac Solomon, Niall Carville, Tom McAllister, Callum Johns, Billy Allen, Olly Smyth, Josh Stevens, Ryan Connolly, Henry Walker, James McKillop, Cal Florence, Clarke Logan, Ethan Graham, Ben McFarlane.

Ulster Women

Staff

Position	Name	Nationality
Head coach	Murray Houston	Scotland
Contact skills coach	Kathryn Dane	Ireland
Backs coach	Grace Davitt	Ireland
Technical skills coach	Amy Davis	Ireland
Scrum coach	Eric O'Sullivan	Ireland

Squad

Ulster Senior Women's Squad
Props Megan Brodie Bronach Cassidy Ava Fanning Sadhbh McGrath Aishling O'Connell Hookers Beth Cregan (c) Maebh Clenaghan Sarah Roberts Megan Simpson Locks Brenda Barr Claire Boles Keelin Brady Taryn Schutzler	Back row Sophie Barrett India Daley Chloe Donnan Brittany Hogan Gemma McCamley Sarah Shrestha Stacey Sloan Fiona Tuite Scrum-halves Laura Cairns Rachael McIlroy Amber Redmond Fly-halves Toni McCartney Amanda Morton Abby Moyles	Centres Mya Alcorn Peita McAlister Kelly McCormill Wings Megan Edwards Emma Jordan Maeve Liston Niamh Marley Lucy Thompson Fern Wilson Fullbacks Ella Durkan Jill Stephens
(c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players. Italics denotes players selected for the 2023–24 Celtic Challenge.

2023-24 Women's Interprovincial Series

Main article: IRFU Women's Interprovincial Series

	Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	LP	Pts
1	Munster	3	2	0	1	59	18	3	11
2	Leinster	3	2	0	1	58	16	3	11
3	Connacht	3	2	0	1	54	87	1	9
4	Ulster	3	0	0	3	43	127	2	2

12 August 2023	Ulster	14–41	Munster	Palace Grounds, Armagh
15:00	Try: Durkan Clenaghan Con: Durkan (2)	Report	Try: Carroll (3) O'Halloran Ormond Boylan Heylmann Con: Flannery (3)
Ulster: 1. Sadhbh McGrath, 2. Beth Cregan (c), 3. Gemma McCamley, 4. Fiona Tuite, 5. Keelin Brady, 6. Chloe Donnan, 7. Maebh Clenaghan, 8. Sophie Barrett, 9. Laura Cairns, 10. Abby Moyles, 11. Megan Edwards, 12. Ella Durkan, 13. Kelly McCormill, 14. Niamh Marley, 15. Maeve Liston. Replacements: 16. Sarah Roberts, 17. Aisling O'Connell, 18. Taryn Schutzler, 19. Brenda Barr, 20. Amber Redmond, 21. Peita McAlister, 22. Toni Macartney, 23. Stacey Sloan.

19 August 2023	Leinster	57–5	Ulster	Energia Park, Dublin
13:00	Try: Haney (2) Corri Tarpey Campbell Clarke Boyne Whelan Wafer Con: O'Connor (5) O'Brien	Report	Try: Marley
Ulster: 1. Gemma McCamley, 2. Beth Cregan (c), 3. Aisling O'Connell, 4. Keelin Brady, 5. Taryn Schutzler, 6. Sophie Barrett, 7. Maebh Clenaghan, 8. India Daly, 9. Laura Cairns, 10. Abby Moyles, 11. Maeve Liston, 12. Peita McAllister, 13. Kelly McCormill, 14. Niamh Marley, 15. Ella Durkan. Replacements: 16. Sarah Roberts, 17. Megan Simpson, 18. Ava Fannin, 19. Stacey Sloan, 20. Rachael McIlroy, 21. Megan Edwards, 22. Emma Jordan, 23. Toni Macartney.

26 August 2023	Connacht	29–24	Ulster	Galway Sportsgrounds
14:30	Try: Brady Fenton Ryder (2) O'Loughlin Con: Fowley (2)	Report	Try: O'Connell Durkan Cregan Cassidy Con: Durkan (2)
Ulster: 1. Ava Fannin, 2. Beth Cregan (c), 3. Aisling O'Connell, 4. Keelin Brady, 5. Taryn Schutzler, 6. Sophie Barrett, 7. Maebh Clenaghan, 8. India Daly, 9. Laura Cairns, 10. Abby Moyles, 11. Niamh Marley, 12. Emma Jordan, 13. Kelly McCormill, 14. Maeve Liston, 15. Ella Durkan. Replacements: 16. Bronach Cassidy, 17. Megan Brodie, 18. Brittany Hogan, 19. Stacey Sloan, 20. Brenda Barr, 21. Rachael McIlroy, 22. Toni Macartney, 23. Megan Edwards.

3rd-4th place playoff

2 September 2023	Connacht	14-36	Ulster	Musgrave Park, Cork
14:00	Try: Brady Dixon Con: Fowley (2)	Report	Try: McIlroy Daley Durkan Cregan Marley O'Connell Con: Durkan (3)
Ulster: 1. Ava Fannin, 2. Beth Cregan (c), 3. Aisling O'Connell, 4. Keelin Brady, 5. Taryn Schitzler, 6. India Daley, 7. Maebh Clenaghan, 8. Brittany Hogan, 9. Rachael McIlroy, 10. Abby Moyles, 11. Niamh Marley, 12. Kelly McCormill, 13. Peita McAlister, 14. Maeve Liston, 15. Ella Durkan. Replacements: 16. Bronach Cassidy (for Cregan 71'), 17. Megan Simpson (for Brodie 71'), 18. Megan Brodie (for O'Connell 29), 19. Stacey Sloan (for Hogan 40'), 20. Brenda Barr (for Sloan 71'), 21. Laura Cairns (for McIlroy 52'), 22. Toni Macartney (for Moyles 66'), 23. Megan Edwards (for Liston 71').

2023–24 Celtic Challenge

Main article: 2023–24 Celtic Challenge

Two Irish teams are entered in this year's Celtic Challenge competition - the Wolfhounds, a combined Ulster-Leinster team, and the Clovers, a combined Munster-Connacht team. Ulster players selected for the Wolfhounds are Ella Durkan, Niamh Marley, Kelly McCormill, Sophie Barrett, Maebh Clenaghan, India Daley, Brittany Hogan, Fiona Tuite, Claire Boles and Abby Moyles. One Ulster player, Sadhbh McGrath, was selected for the Clovers. The Wolfhounds finished top of the table with five wins out of five; the Clovers finished third with three wins and two losses.

Fixtures

29 December 2023	Wolfhounds	21-15	Clovers	Musgrave Park, Cork
16:00	Try: Djougang Delaney Corri Con: Caughey (3)	Report	Try: Buttimer Hughes Barrett	Referee: Joy Neville
Wolfhounds: 1. Linda Djougang (Leinster), 2. Sarah Delaney (Leinster), 3. Sophie Barrett (Ulster) 4. Fiona Tuite (Ulster), 5. Keelin Brady (Ulster) 6. Hannah O’Connor (Leinster) (capt), 7. Aoife Wafer (Leinster), 8. Brittany Hogan (Ulster) 9. Erin McConnell (Leinster), 10. Dannah O’Brien (Leinster) 11. Niamh Marley (Ulster), 12. Leah Tarpey (Leinster), 13. Aoife Dalton (Leinster), 14. Aimee Clarke (Leinster), 15. Natasja Behan (Leinster). Replacements: 16. Maebh Clenaghan (Ulster), 17. Hannah Wilson (Leinster), 18. Isobel Clerk (Leinster), 19. Eimear Corri (Leinster), 20. Éadaoin Murtagh (Leinster), 21. Katie Whelan (Leinster), 22. Nikki Caughey (Leinster), 23. Ella Durkan (Ulster).

6 January 2024	Edinburgh	17-27	Wolfhounds (1 BP)	Edinburgh Rugby Stadium
14:00	Try: Orr (2) Bell Con: McNamara	Report	Try: Delaney Behan Wafer (2) Hogan Con: O'Brien
Wolfhounds lineup: 1. Linda Djougang (Leinster), 2. Sarah Delaney (Leinster), 3. Sophie Barrett (Ulster) 4. Fiona Tuite (Ulster), 5. Eimear Corri (Leinster), 6. Hannah O'Connor (Leinster, c), 7. Aoife Wafer (Leinster), 8. Brittany Hogan (Ulster), 9. Katie Whelan (Leinster), 10. Dannah O'Brien (Leinster) 11. Aimee Clarke (Leinster), 12. Leah Tarpey (Leinster), 13. Aoife Dalton (Leinster), 14. Natasja Behan (Leinster), 15. Ella Durkan (Ulster). Replacements: 16. Maebh Clenaghan (Ulster), 17. Aoife Moore (Leinster), 18. Hannah Wilson (Leinster), 19. Keelin Brady (Leinster), 20. Éadaoin Murtagh (Leinster), 21. Erin McConnell (Leinster), 22. Nikki Caughey (Leinster), 23. Niamh Marley (Ulster).

13 January 2024	Glasgow Warriors	12-40	Wolfhounds (1 BP)	Scotstoun Stadium
14:00	Try: Snailham McMillan Con: MacRae	Report	Try: Delaney Djougang Barrett Whelan Corrigan Hogan Con: O’Brien (2) Caughey (3)
Wolfhounds lineup: 1. Linda Djougang (Leinster), 2. Sarah Delaney (Leinster), 3. Sophie Barrett (Ulster), 4. Keelin Brady (Ulster), 5. Hannah O’Connor (Leinster), 6. Éadaoin Murtagh (Leinster), 7. Molly Boyne (Leinster) (capt), 8. Brittany Hogan (Ulster). 9. Katie Whelan (Leinster), 10. Dannah O’Brien (Leinster), 11. Niamh Marley (Ulster), 12. Leah Tarpey (Leinster), 13. Aoife Dalton (Leinster), 14. Katie Corrigan (Leinster), 15. Ella Durkan (Ulster). Replacements: 16. Maebh Clenaghan (Ulster, for Delaney 65'), 17. Aoife Moore (Leinster, for Djougang 22'), 18. Christy Haney (Leinster, for Barrett 56), 19. Claire Boles (Ulster, for Brady 50'), 20. Jade Gaffney (Leinster, for Whelan 50'), 21. Kelly McCormill (Ulster, for Tarpey 65'). 22. Nikki Caughey (Leinster, for O’Brien 29'), 23. Ava Ryder (Connacht, for Corrigan 65').

27 January 2024	(1 BP) Wolfhounds	41-10	Brython Thunder	Ravenhill Stadium
19:30	Try: Hogan Delaney Corrigan (4) Marley Con: Caughey (3)	Report	Try: Thomas-Bradley Harries
Wolfhounds lineup: 1. Aoife Moore (Leinster), 2. Sarah Delaney (Leinster), 3. Sophie Barrett (Ulster), 4. Eimear Corri (Leinster), 5. Hannah O’Connor (Leinster), 6. Grace Moore (Saracens), 7. Molly Boyne (Leinster) (capt), 8. Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster). 9. Erin McConnell (Leinster), 10. Nikki Caughey (Leinster), 11. Niamh Marley (Ulster), 12. Aoife Dalton (Leinster), 13. Leah Tarpey (Leinster), 14. Katie Corrigan (Leinster), 15. Ava Ryder (Connacht). Replacements: 16. Meabh Clenaghan (Ulster), 17. Megan Collis (Leinster), 18. Christy Haney (Leinster), 19. Claire Boles (Ulster) 20. Ellen Boylan (Munster), 21. Jade Gaffney (Leinster), 22. Abby Moyles (Ulster), 23. Kelly McCormill (Ulster).

3 February 2024	(1 BP) Wolfhounds	36-24	Gwalia Lightning (1 BP)	Donnybrook Stadium
14:30	Try: Heffernan Corrigan (3_ Marley Haney Con: Caughey (3)	Report	Try: Thicker De Vera Lewis De Filippo Con: Wilkins (2)
Wolfhounds lineup: 1. Aoife Moore (Leinster), 2. Maeve Clenaghan (Ulster), 3. Sophie Barrett (Ulster), 4. Eimear Corri (Leinster), 5. Hannah O’Connor (Leinster), 6. Claire Boles (Ulster), 7. Molly Boyne (Leinster) (capt), 8. Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster). 9. Jade Gaffney (Leinster_, 10. Nikki Caughey (Leinster), 11. Niamh Marley (Ulster), 12. Katie Heffernan (Leinster) 13. Aoife Dalton (Leinster), 14. Katie Corrigan (Leinster), 15. Ava Ryder (Connacht). Replacements: 16. India Daley (Ulster), 17. Megan Collis (Leinster), 18. Christy Haney (Leinster), 19. Keelin Brady (Ulster) 20. Grace Moore (IQ Rugby), 21. Katie Whelan (Leinster), 22. Abby Moyles (Ulster), 23. Leah Tarpey (Leinster).

Playoffs

17 February 2024	(1 BP) Edinburgh Rugby	26-26	Wolfhounds (1 BP)	Edinburgh Rugby Stadium, Edinburgh
	Try: Orr (2) Bell Alex Stewart Con: Marlow (3)	Report	Try: Boylan Haney Djougang Corrigan Con: Caughey (3)
Wolfhounds lineup: 1. Aoife Moore (Leinster), Maebh Clenaghan (Ulster), 3. Christy Haney (Leinster), 4. Eamear Corri (Leinster), 5. Hannah O'Connor (Leinster), 6. Claire Boles (Ulster), 7. Molly Boyne (Leinster, c), 8. Grace Moore (IQ Rugby), 9. Jade Gaffney (Leinster), 10. Nicky Caughey (Leinster), 11. Ellen Boylan (Munster), 12. Katie Heffernan (Leinster), 13. Leah Tarpey (Leinster), 14. Katie Corrigin (Leinster), 15. Ava Ryder (Connacht). Replacements: India Daley (Ulster), Linda Djougang (Leinster), Sophie Barrett (Ulster), Fiona Tuite (Ulster), Keelin Brady (Ulster), Katie Whelan (Leinster), Abby Moyles (Ulster), Kelly McCormill (Ulster).

24 February 2024	(1 BP) Wolfhounds	47-26	Clovers (1 BP)	Kingspan Stadium, Belfast
	Try: Corrigan (3) McCormill Whelan (2) O'Connor Con: Caughey (6)		Try: Buttimer Ormond Heylmann O'Leary Con: Flannery (2) Fowley
Wolfhounds lineup: 1. Linda Djougang (Leinster), 2. India Daley (Ulster), 3. Christy Haney (Leinster), 4. Fiona Tuite (Ulster), 5. Keelin Brady (Ulster), 6. Clare Boles (Ulster), 7. Molly Boyne (Leinster), 8. Hannah O'Connor (Leinster), 9. Katie Whelan (Leinster), 10. Nikki Caughey (Leinster), 11. Ellen Boylan (Munster), 12. Kelly McCormill (Ulster), 13. Katie Heffernan (Leinster), 14. Katie Corrigan (Leinster), 15. Ava Ryder (Connacht). Replacements: 16. Sarah Delaney (Leinster), 17. Aoife Moore (Leinster), 18. Sophie Barrett (Ulster), 19. Maebh Clenaghan (Ulster), 20. Eadaoin Murtagh (Leinster), 21. Jade Gaffney (Leinster), 22. Abby Moyles (Ulster), 23. Emma Tilley (Leinster).

Senior club rugby

All-Ireland League

Main article: All-Ireland League (rugby union)

Ballynahinch finished 5th and City of Armagh 8th in Division 1A. Queen's University were 9th in Division 1B, and avoided relegation via the playoffs. Banbridge were 4th, Ballymena 7th, and Malone were relegated after finishing 10th in Division 2A. Instonians were promoted for the second season in a row after topping Division 2B, while Dungannon were 5th, Rainey 7th, and Belfast Harlequins were relegated after finishing 10th. Clogher Valley topped Division 2C, achieving promotion in their first AIL season, Omagh Academicals were eighth, and Bangor went into the relegation playoffs after finishing 9th. Ballyclare were promoted to the AIL for the first time after finishing top the Ulster Championship and winning the playoff final against Leinster League champions Monkstown. Monkstown were also promoted in place of Bangor, who lost the relegation playoff.

Ulster Rugby Premiership

Main article: Ulster Senior League (rugby union)

The Ulster Rugby Premiership ran in August and September 2023. Division 1 consisted of eight teams in two pools of four. Teams in each pool played each other once, and the winners of each pool played each other in the final on 16 September. The bottom two teams played in a playoff, the winner of which qualified for the Ulster Senior Cup, along with the other six Division 1 teams. The loser would be entered into the new Senior Shield. Division 2 consisted of five teams who played each other once. The team that finished top also qualified for the Senior Cup.

Division 1A

	Team	P	W	D	L	Pts	Status
1	Ballynahinch	3	3	0	0	15	Champions
2	Queen's University	3	2	0	1	10	Senior Cup
3	Dungannon	3	1	0	2	5	Senior Cup
4	Banbridge	3	0	0	3	1	Senior Cup

Division 1B

	Team	P	W	D	L	Pts	Status
1	City of Armagh	3	2	0	1	11	Senior Cup
2	Rainey	3	1	1	1	8	Senior Cup
3	Malone	3	1	1	1	7	Senior Cup
4	Ballymena	3	1	0	2	4	Senior Shield

Final

16 September 2023	Ballynahinch	38–17	City of Armagh	Ballymacarn Park
		Report		Referee: Stuart Douglas

7th/8th place playoff

16 September 2023	Ballymena	19–29	Banbridge	Eaton Park
		Report		Referee: Daniel Carson

Division 2

	Team	P	W	D	L	Pts	Status
1	Instonians	4	4	0	0	18	Senior Cup
2	Clogher Valley	4	3	0	1	16
3	Omagh Academicals	4	1	1	2	6
4	Bangor	4	1	0	3	5
5	Belfast Harlequins	4	1	0	3	4

Ulster Senior Cup

Main article: Ulster Senior Cup (rugby union)

	Quarter-finals				Semi-finals				Final
	23 September 2023
	Malone	8
					9 March 2023
	City of Armagh	19
					City of Armagh	21
	23 December 2023
					Instonians	22
	Ballynahinch	21
									4 May 2024
	Instonians	22
									Instonians	36
	23 September 2023
									Queen's University	26
	Dungannon	27
					9 March 2023
	Banbridge	36
					Banbridge	21
	23 September 2023
					Queen's University	22
	Queen's University	40
	Rainey	24

Ulster Senior Shield

	Semi-finals				Final
	1 February 2024
	Belfast Harlequins	21
					13 April 2024
	Ballymena	24
					Ballymena	22
	3 February 2024
					Clogher Valley	31
	Omagh Academicals	17
	Clogher Valley	48