2008–09 Ulster Rugby season

2008–09 Ulster Rugby season
	Isaac Boss prepares to feed the scrum vs. Ospreys, Liberty Stadium, 27 September 2008
Ground(s)	Ravenhill Stadium (Capacity: 12,500)
Coach(es)	Matt Williams
Top scorer	Ian Humphreys (90)
Most tries	Darren Cave (7); Simon Danielli (7)
League(s)	Heineken Cup (3rd in pool); Celtic League (8th)
1st kit	2nd kit
← 2007–08	2009–10 →

The 2008–09 Ulster Rugby season was Ulster's 15th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and their only full season under head coach Matt Williams.

David Humphreys, who retired at the end of last season, was appointed to the newly created role of operations director, reporting to chief executive Michael Reid.[1] Peter Sharp joined as defence coach in August 2008.[2] Current player Paul Steinmetz was appointed backs coach.[3] Former Ulster players Jonny Bell and Niall Malone joined the academy as Elite Player Development Officers.[4]

New signings included Humphreys' younger brother Ian, who had been playing for Leicester Tigers since 2005.[5] Fijian winger Timoci Nagusa joined from Tailevu Knights.[6]

Ulster finished third in their Heineken Cup pool, and eighth in the Celtic League. One highlight of an otherwise disappointing season was a win over Munster at Thomond Park in January, the first time Munster had lost at home in European competition. Three of Ulster's five tries came from Ian Humphreys' assists.[5] Ulster qualified for next season's Heineken Cup as one of Ireland's top three teams, finishing ahead of Connacht in the league.[6] Matt Williams left by mutual consent at the end of the season.[7] Assistant coach Steve Williams also left after his contract was not renewed.[8] For the following season, Ulster put a new management structure in place. Michael Reid was chief executive; David Humphreys was director of rugby, with overall responsibility for the senior team, the Ulster 'A' team (renamed the Ulster Ravens), the Ulster under-20s and the academy; and Brian McLaughlin was appointed head coach, assisted by forwards coaches Jeremy Davidson and Peter Sharp, and backs coach Neil Doak.[9]

Rory Best was Ulster's Player of the Year, and flanker Stephen Ferris was selected for the 2009 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa.

Staff

Position[3]	Name	Nationality
Chief executive officer	Michael Reid	Ireland
Operations director	David Humphreys	Ireland
Director or coaching	Matt Williams	Australia
Assistant coach (forwards)	Steve Williams	Wales
Defence Coach	Peter Sharp	Australia
Backs coach/player	Paul Steinmetz	New Zealand
Skills coach	Neil Doak	Ireland
Scrum co-ordinator	Reggie Corrigan	Ireland
Team manager	David Millar	Ireland
Head of strength and conditioning	Jonny Davis	Ireland
Medical co-ordinator	Dr. David Irwin	Ireland
Assistant team doctor	Dr. Michael Webb	Ireland
Head physiotherapist	Gareth Robinson	Ireland
Physiotherapist	Alan McCaldin	Ireland
Performance analyst	Alex McCloy	Ireland
Resources manager	Mick Ennis	Australia
Team administration co-ordinator	Sarah Sherry	Ireland

Squad

Senior squad

Players in

Promoted from academy

Players out

Ulster Rugby squad[14]
Props BJ Botha (22 apps, 22 starts, 5 pts) Tom Court (22 apps, 11 starts, 5 pts) Justin Fitzpatrick (16 apps, 8 starts) Bryan Young (8 apps, 5 starts) Declan Fitzpatrick (3 apps, 2 starts) Jarlath Carey (no apps) Daniel Roach (no apps) Hookers Rory Best (c) (20 apps, 19 starts) Nigel Brady (14 apps, 5 starts, 10 pts) Stuart Philpott (3 apps) Neil Hanna (1 app) Locks Ed O'Donoghue (22 apps, 20 starts) Ryan Caldwell (21 apps, 18 starts) Matt McCullough (20 apps, 12 starts) Carlo Del Fava (15 apps, 7 starts)	Back row Robbie Diack* (20 apps, 19 starts) David Pollock (20 apps, 16 starts, 15 pts) Stephen Ferris (13 apps, 13 starts, 5 pts) Chris Henry (9 apps, 8 starts) Kieron Dawson (14 apps, 7 starts, 5 pts) T. J. Anderson (4 apps) Willie Faloon (1 app) Scrum-halves Isaac Boss (23 apps, 16 starts, 10 pts) Cillian Willis (11 apps, 6 starts) Paul Marshall (7 apps, 4 starts, 5 pts) Fly-halves Niall O'Connor (17 apps, 12 starts, 30 pts) Ian Humphreys (17 apps, 11 starts, 113 pts)	Centres Darren Cave (21 apps, 21 starts, 35 pts) Paddy Wallace (16 apps, 15 starts, 23 pts) Andrew Trimble (11 apps, 11 starts, 15 pts) Ian Whitten (8 apps, 5 starts) Paul Steinmetz (10 apps, 4 starts, 5 pts) Rob Dewey (7 apps, 3 starts) Seamus Mallon (no apps) Wings Simon Danielli (13 apps, 12 starts, 35 pts) Timoci Nagusa (13 apps, 10 starts, 20 pts) Mark McCrea (8 apps, 2 starts, 10 pts) Paul McKenzie (no apps) Fullbacks Clinton Schifcofske (19 apps, 17 starts, 60 pts) Bryn Cunningham (13 apps, 9 starts, 5 pts)

(c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players. ^* denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality. Players and their allocated positions from the Ulster Rugby website.

Academy squad

Players in

Nevin Spence
Paddy McAllister
Adam Macklin
Ricky Andre
David McGregor
Jonny Shiels

Players out

Neil Simpson
Pat Steenkamp
Sam McDonald
Mark Robinson
Chris Quinn
Owen McMurray

Position[15]	Name	Nationality
High Performance Director	Gary Longwell	Ireland
Elite Player Development Officer	Jonny Bell	Ireland
Elite Player Development Officer	Niall Malone	Ireland
Strength & conditioning coach	Aaron Peck	England

Academy squad
Props Paul Karayiannis Adam Macklin Paddy McAllister Hookers Stephen Douglas David McGregor Locks James Sandford	Back row Willie Faloon Scrum-halves David Drake Ian Porter Fly-halves none	Centres Ian Whitten Jonny Shiels Nevin Spence Wings Chris Cochrane Tommy Seymour Fullbacks Ricky Andrew Jamie Smith

Heineken Cup

Pool 4

Team	P	W	D	L	Tries for	Tries against	Try diff	Points for	Points against	Points diff	TB	LB	Pts
Harlequins (3)	6	5	0	1	16	12	4	144	115	29	2	0	22
Stade Français	6	3	0	3	13	11	2	131	109	22	1	2	15
Ulster	6	2	1	3	13	13	0	113	134	−21	0	1	11
Scarlets	6	1	1	4	12	18	−6	124	154	−30	0	2	8

11 October 2008
15:30

Ulster	10 – 26	Stade Français
Tries: P. Wallace 74' c Conv: N. O'Connor (1/1) Pen: N. O'Connor (1) 49'	Report[16]	Tries: G. Bousses 23' c D. Szarzewski 60' c Conv: L. Beauxis (2/2) Pen: L. Beauxis (1) 15' Drop: J. Hernández (2) 10', 26' L. Beauxis (1) 63'

Ravenhill, Belfast
Attendance: 10,397

Ulster lineup

1. Tom Court, 2. Rory Best (c), 3. BJ Botha, 4. Ed O'Donoghue, 5. Ryan Caldwell, 6. Stephen Ferris, 7. Kieron Dawson, 8. Robbie Diack, 9. Isaac Boss, 10. Niall O'Connor, 11. Andrew Trimble, 12. Paddy Wallace, 13. Darren Cave, 14. Clinton Schifcofske, 15. Bryn Cunningham. Replacements: 16. Nigel Brady (for R. Best 74'), 17. Justin Fitzpatrick, 18. Carlo del Fava (for Steinmetz 57'), 19. Matt McCullough (for Ferris 68'), 20. Cillian Willis (for Boss 48'), 21. Ian Humphreys, 22. Paul Steinmetz (for Schifkofske 45').

18 October 2008
15:00

Harlequins	42 – 21	Ulster
Tries: J. Turner-Hall 15' m T. Williams (2) 26' m, 61' m D. Care 33' c Penalty Try 40' c M. Brown 43' c Conv: C. Malone (3/6) Pen: C. Malone (2) 7', 66'	Report[17]	Tries: T. Nagusa 2' c P. Wallace 52' c A. Trimble 57' c Conv: N. O'Connor (3/3)

Twickenham Stoop Stadium, London
Attendance: 12,368

Ulster lineup

1. Tom Court, 2. Rory Best (c), 3. BJ Botha, 4. Carlo del Fava, 5. Ryan Caldwell, 6. Matt McCullough, 7. David Pollock, 8. Robbie Diack, 9. Cillian Willis, 10. Niall O'Connor, 11. Andrew Trimble, 12. Paddy Wallace, 13. Darren Cave, 14. Timoci Tagusa, 15. Bryn Cunningham. Replacements: 16. Nigel Brady (for R. Best 72'), 17. Justin Fitzpatrick (for Court 47'), 18. Ed O'Donoghue (for Del Fava 47'), 19. Kieron Dawson (for Pollock 52'), 20. Isaac Boss (for Willis 66'), 21. Ian Humphreys (for O'Connor 63'), 22. Rob Dewey (for Wallace 66).

5 December 2008
20:00

Ulster	26 – 16	Scarlets
Tries: D. Cave 25' c S. Danielli 34' m D. Pollock 64' m Conv: I. Humphreys (1/3) Pen: I. Humphreys (3) 7', 40', 59'	Report[18]	Tries: C. Thomas 79' c Conv: S. Jones (1/1) Pen: S. Jones (3) 10', 28', 47'

Ravenhill, Belfast
Attendance: 8,729

Ulster lineup

1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Rory Best (c), 3. BJ Botha, 4. Ed O'Donoghue, 5. Ryan Caldwell, 6. Stephen Ferris, 7. David Pollock, 8. Robbie Diack, 9. Cillian Willis, 10. Ian Humphreys, 11. Simon Danielli, 12. Paul Steinmetz, 13. Darren Cave, 14. Andrew Trimble, 15. Bryn Cunningham. Replacements: 16. Nigel Brady, 17. Tom Court (for J. Fitzpatrick 52'), 18. Matt McCullough (for Ferris 69'), 19. Kieron Dawson (for Pollock 67'), 20. Isaac Boss (for Willis 52'), 21. Niall O'Connor (for Humphreys 72'), 22. Mark McCrea (for Steinmetz 69').

12 December 2008
20:00

Scarlets	16 – 16	Ulster
Tries: D. Daniel 46' c Conv: S. Jones (1/1) Pen: S. Jones (3) 20', 53', 78'	Report[19]	Tries: I. Humphreys 23' m P. Wallace 32' m Conv: I. Humphreys (0/2) Pen: I. Humphreys 71' Drop: I. Humphreys 12'

Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli
Attendance: 8,026

Ulster lineup

1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Rory Best (c), 3. BJ Botha, 4. Ed O'Donoghue, 5. Ryan Caldwell, 6. Stephen Ferris, 7. David Pollock, 8. Robbie Diack, 9. Isaac Boss, 10. Ian Humphreys, 11. Simon Danielli, 12. Paddy Wallace, 13. Darren Cave, 14. Andrew Trimble, 15. Bryn Cunningham. Replacements: 16. Nigel Brady, 17. Tom Court (for Botha), 18. Matt McCullough (for Caldwell), 19. Kieron Dawson (for Pollock), 20. Paul Marshall, 21. Paul Steinmetz (for Cave), 22. Clinton Schifcofske (for Cunningham).

17 January 2009
14:35

Ulster	21 – 10	Harlequins
Tries: D. Cave 1' c R. Best 78' m Conv: I. Humphreys (1/1) C. Schifcofske (0/1) Pen: I. Humphreys (3/3) 8', 29', 39'	Report[20]	Try: Penalty try 60' c Conv: N. Evans (1/1) Pen: N. Evans (1/1) 43' C. Malone (0/1)

Ravenhill, Belfast
Attendance: 8,861

Ulster lineup

1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Rory Best (c), 3. Tom Court, 4. Ed O'Donoghue, 5. Ryan Caldwell, 6. Stephen Ferris, 7. Kieron Dawson, 8. Chris Henry, 9. Isaac Boss, 10. Ian Humphreys, 11. Simon Danielli, 12. Paddy Wallace, 13. Darren Cave, 14. Andrew Trimble, 15. Clinton Schifcofske. Replacements: 16. Nigel Brady, 17. Bryan Young (for J. Fitzpatrick 61'), 18. Matt McCullough (for Henry 41'), 19. David Pollock (for Dawson 61'), 20. Paul Marshall, 21. Paul Steinmetz (for Humphreys 58'), 22. Bryn Cunningham (for Wallace 41').

24 January 2009
14:35

Stade Français	24 – 19	Ulster
Tries: J. Leguizamón 54' m M. Gasnier 77' c Conv: L. Beauxis (1/2) Pen: L. Beauxis (4/6) 28', 29', 49', 58'	Report[21]	Tries: P. Steimetz 37' m N. Brady 80' m Conv: N. O'Connor (0/1) C. Schifcofske (0/1) Pen: N. O'Connor (1/3) 15' C. Schifcofske (2/3) 46', 72'

Stade Jean-Bouin, Paris
Attendance: 8,450

Ulster lineup

1. Bryan Young, 2. Nigel Brady, 3. BJ Botha, 4. Ed O'Donoghue, 5. Ryan Caldwell, 6. Matt McCullough, 7. David Pollock (c), 8. Chris Henry, 9. Paul Marshall, 10. Niall O'Connor, 11. Simon Danielli, 12. Ian Whitten, 13. Paul Steinmetz, 14. Andrew Trimble, 15. Clinton Schifcofske. Replacements: 16. Stuart Philpott (for Brady 73'), 17. Tom Court (for Young 52'), 18. Kieron Dawson (for Henry 48'), 19. Willie Faloon (for McCullough 71'), 20. Isaac Boss (for Marshall 47'), 21. Rob Dewey, 22. Mark McCrea (for Danielli 76').

Celtic League

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	Try bonus	Losing bonus	Pts
1	Munster	18	14	0	4	405	257	+148	49	23	6	1	63
2	Edinburgh	18	11	0	7	416	296	+120	40	30	6	5	55
3	Leinster	18	11	1	6	401	270	+131	38	20	4	2	52
4	Ospreys	18	11	0	7	397	319	+78	39	28	3	5	52
5	Scarlets	18	9	0	9	376	395	−19	41	46	3	1	40
6	Cardiff Blues	18	8	1	9	322	361	−39	31	36	2	2	38
7	Glasgow Warriors	18	7	0	11	349	375	−26	36	41	4	5	37
8	Ulster	18	7	0	11	298	331	−33	30	33	2	6	36
9	Newport Gwent Dragons	18	7	0	11	305	429	−124	26	39	1	4	33
10	Connacht	18	4	0	14	224	460	−236	20	54	1	3	20
Under the standard bonus point system, points are awarded as follows: 4 points for a win 2 points for a draw 1 bonus point for scoring 4 tries (or more) (Try bonus) 1 bonus point for losing by 7 points (or fewer) (Losing bonus)
Source: RaboDirect PRO12 Archived 2013-11-22 at the Wayback Machine

5 September 2008
19:30

Ulster	9–16	Scarlets
Pen: Schifcofske (3)	Report	Try: Daniel Con: Jones Pen: Jones (3)

Ravenhill
Attendance: 7,368

12 September 2008
19:05

Cardiff Blues	16–15	Ulster
Try: Halfpenny Con: Blair Pen: Blair (3)	Report	Try: Botha Boss Con: O'Connor Pen: O'Connor

Cardiff City Stadium
Attendance: 8,619

19 September 2008
19:30

Ulster	14–16	Newport Gwent Dragons
Try: Dawson Humphreys Con: Schifcofske (2)	Report	Try: Smith Con: Arlidge Pen: Arlidge (3)

Ravenhill
Attendance: 7,885

27 September 2008
17:30

Ospreys	43–0	Ulster
Try: Wells Hook (2) Williams Bowe Byrne Jones Con: Hook (5) Pen: Hook	Report

Liberty Stadium
Attendance: 7,225

3 October 2008
19:30

Ulster	13–9	Edinburgh
Try: Pollock Con: Schifcofske Pen: Schifcofske	Report	Pen: Blair (2) Godman

Ravenhill
Attendance: 8,418

25 October 2008
19:30

Ulster	22–6	Munster
Try: Nagusa (2) Boss Con: Humphreys (2) Pen: Humphreys	Report	Pen: Warwick

Ravenhill
Attendance: 10,058

28 November 2008
19:30

Ulster	53–13	Connacht
Try: Ferris Nagusa Danielli (2) McCrea Cave Cunningham Con: Humphreys (6) Pen: Humphreys (2)	Report	Try: Carr Con: Keatley Pen: Keatley (2)

Ravenhill
Attendance: 8,841

27 December 2008
19:30

Ulster	13–21	Leinster
Try: Cave Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys (2)	Report	Try: Elsom Keogh Con: Contepomi Pen: Contepomi (3)

Ravenhill
Attendance: 13,500

3 January 2009
19:30

Munster	11–37	Ulster
Try: Howlett Pen: Warwick (2)	Report	Try: Wallace Cave McCrea Court Trimble Con: Humphreys (3) Pen: Humphreys (2)

Thomond Park Stadium
Attendance: 25,623

9 January 2009
19:45

Edinburgh	21–15	Ulster
Try: Southwell Hamilton Con: Godman Pen: Godman (3)	Report	Pen: Humphreys (4) Wallace

Murrayfield
Attendance: 3,393

22 February 2009
16:10

Newport Gwent Dragons	26–16	Ulster
Try: Tovey (3) Con: Tovey Pen: Connor Tovey (2)	Report	Try: Danielli Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys Schifcofske (2)

Rodney Parade
Attendance: 6,112

7 March 2009
19:30

Ulster	12–0	Glasgow Warriors
Try: Cave Trimble Con: Humphreys	Report

Ravenhill
Attendance: 8,286

29 March 2009
17:30

Leinster	32–6	Ulster
Try: McFadden Cullen Elsom Keogh Con: Contepomi (3) Pen: Contepomi (2)	Report	Pen: Humphreys Schifcofske

RDS Arena
Attendance: 15,940

3 April 2009
19:35

Ulster	13–16	Ospreys
Try: Danielli Con: Schifcofske Pen: Schifcofske (2)	Report	Try: Tiatia Con: Hook Pen: Hook (3)

Ravenhill
Attendance: 9,600

17 April 2009
19:30

Glasgow Warriors	19–20	Ulster
Try: Evans Con: Gregor Pen: Gregor (2) Parks	Report	Try: Pollock Danielli Con: Schifcofske (2) Pen: Schifcofske (2)

Firhill Stadium
Attendance: 2,960

24 April 2009
19:30

Ulster	9–11	Cardiff Blues
Pen: Schifcofske O'Connor Drop: O'Connor	Report	Try: Loxton Pen: Sweeney

Ravenhill
Attendance: 7,809

8 May 2009
19:00

Connacht	12–14	Ulster
Try: Carr Browne Con: Keatley	Report	Try: Danielli Pen: Humphreys (2) Schifcofske

Sportsground
Attendance: 1,425

16 May 2009
19:30

Scarlets	43–17	Ulster
Try: Evans Day Williams Daniel Roberts Lyons Con: Priestland (5) Pen: Priestland	Report	Try: Paul Marshall Cave Con: O'Connor Humphreys Drop: O'Connor

Parc y Scarlets
Attendance: 6,219

Friendlies

13 November 2008
19:30

Ulster	62–6	Portugal
Try: Cave (4) McCrea (2) Nagusa (2) Hanna Whitten Con: Humphreys (3) O'Connor (3)	Report	Pen: Cabral (2)

Ravenhill

Home attendance

League	Fixtures	Average Attendance	Highest	Lowest	League	Fixtures	Average Attendance	Highest	Lowest	Total Attendance	Average Attendance
Domestic League					European Cup					Total
2008–09 Celtic League	9	9,085	13,500	7,368	2008–09 Heineken Cup	3	9,329	10,397	8,729	109,752	9,146

Ulster Rugby Awards

The Ulster Rugby Awards ceremony was held on 14 May 2009 at the Ramada Hotel, Belfast. Winners were:[22]

Ulster Rugby Personality of the Year: Stephen Ferris
Rugby Writers Player of the Year: Stephen Ferris
Ulster Player of the Year: Rory Best
Young Ulster Player of the Year: Darren Cave
Academy Player of the Year: Willie Faloon
Schools' Player of the Year: Niall Annett, Methodist College Belfast
Club of the Year: Ballynahinch RFC
Club Player of the Year: Chris Stevenson, Ballynahinch RFC
Youth Player of the Year: Stephen Irvine, Banbridge RFC
Dorrington B. Faulkner Award: William Davidson, Armagh

References

Richard Mulligan, "New role for Humphreys at Ulster", News Letter, 5 June 2008
Gavin Mairs, "Peter has been Sharp man for Ulster: Matt", Belfast Telegraph, 11 December 2008
"Club Profiles - Team Management", Ulster Rugby, archived, 13 September 2008
Richard Mulligan, "'Old Hands' are back in the Ravenhill fold", News Letter, 14 August 2008
"Ulster’s maverick out half: Ian Humphreys", The Front Row Union, 6 May 2020
"Ulster’s flying Fijian: Timoci Nagusa", The Front Row Union, 2 May 2020
"Williams resigns as Ulster coach", BBC Sport, 20 May 2009
"Williams quits as Ulster rugby boss", Belfast Telegraph, 21 May 2009
"McLaughlin Confirmed As New Ulster Coach", Irish Rugby, 23 June 2009
"Ulster sign Fijian flyer", Planet Rugby, 30 July 2008
Gavin Mairs, "'It's like having your own personal coach by your side'", Belfast Telegraph, 8 October 2008
"Ulster's Tim Barker reaches deal to join Castres", Irish Independent, 12 November 2007
"Bowe to join Ospreys", Irish Times, 25 January 2008
Appearances and scoring stats from ItsRugby.co.uk
"Phoenix Ulster Rugby Academy", Ulster Rugby, archived 3 February 2009
"Stade too strong for Ulster", ESPN, 11 October 2008, via Internet Archive
"Harlequins 42-21 Ulster" , BBC Sport, 18 October 2008
"Ulster register deserved win against Scarlets", ESPN, 5 December 2008
"Scarlets battle back for share of spoils", ESPN, 12 December 2008
"Ulster breeze past Harlequins in a stormy Cup encounter", The Guardian, 19 January 2009
"Ulster miss chances in France", Sky Sports, 24 January 2009
Richard Mulligan, "Ferris claims top accolade", News Letter, 15 May 2009

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] Richard Mulligan, "New role for Humphreys at Ulster", News Letter, 5 June 2008

[2] Gavin Mairs, "Peter has been Sharp man for Ulster: Matt", Belfast Telegraph, 11 December 2008

[staff-3] "Club Profiles - Team Management", Ulster Rugby, archived, 13 September 2008

[4] Richard Mulligan, "'Old Hands' are back in the Ravenhill fold", News Letter, 14 August 2008

[ihumph-5] "Ulster’s maverick out half: Ian Humphreys", The Front Row Union, 6 May 2020

[nagusa-6] "Ulster’s flying Fijian: Timoci Nagusa", The Front Row Union, 2 May 2020

[7] "Williams resigns as Ulster coach", BBC Sport, 20 May 2009

[8] "Williams quits as Ulster rugby boss", Belfast Telegraph, 21 May 2009

[9] "McLaughlin Confirmed As New Ulster Coach", Irish Rugby, 23 June 2009

[10] "Ulster sign Fijian flyer", Planet Rugby, 30 July 2008

[11] Gavin Mairs, "'It's like having your own personal coach by your side'", Belfast Telegraph, 8 October 2008

[12] "Ulster's Tim Barker reaches deal to join Castres", Irish Independent, 12 November 2007

[13] "Bowe to join Ospreys", Irish Times, 25 January 2008

[14] Appearances and scoring stats from ItsRugby.co.uk

[15] "Phoenix Ulster Rugby Academy", Ulster Rugby, archived 3 February 2009

[16] "Stade too strong for Ulster", ESPN, 11 October 2008, via Internet Archive

[17] "Harlequins 42-21 Ulster" , BBC Sport, 18 October 2008

[18] "Ulster register deserved win against Scarlets", ESPN, 5 December 2008

[19] "Scarlets battle back for share of spoils", ESPN, 12 December 2008

[20] "Ulster breeze past Harlequins in a stormy Cup encounter", The Guardian, 19 January 2009

[21] "Ulster miss chances in France", Sky Sports, 24 January 2009

[22] Richard Mulligan, "Ferris claims top accolade", News Letter, 15 May 2009