The provincial outfit will be looking to get off to another good start in the league and build upon their three previous seasons – both seasons saw the side come close to silverware but fall short.

Dan McFarland, formerly an assistant coach with the Scottish outfit, led Ulster to 10 straight wins in the Pro14 at the start of last season but two losses to Leinster denied the Ulstermen a second league final in a row.

Ulster won both meetings with Glasgow Warriors last season and earned a bonus point in a 25-point win over Danny Wilson’s side at Ravenhill.

Glasgow, on the other hand, have not got one over their opponents since May 2019 – a 30-point thrashing in the 2018-19 Pro14 semi-final.

The side will be looking for their first win against Ulster on the road since September 2013.

The Warriors lost the final to Leinster that year and have not finished in the top two of their conference since.

10 players were unavailable for selection by McFarland and his backroom for the Ulster matchday squad, including Kieran Treadwell and Jordi Murphy.

New signing Duane Vermuelen will not join up with the squad until his duties with South Africa wrap up for the year.

The backs in the starting XV are mostly Ireland internationals – all aside from Ethan McIlroy have lined out for the boys in green.

Sam Carter captains the side from the second row.

Brad Thyer and Simon Berghan are in line for their debuts with the club at prop with Johnny Matthews starting at hooker in between them.

Scott Cummings and Richie Gray form a respectable second-row partnership while Ryan Wilson captains the Warriors for his 193rd cap with the side from blindside flanker.

Fly-half Duncan Weir is the most experienced player in the starting lineup with 107 caps and he plays in the same backline as a back three with only 46 caps to their name altogether.

The sole survivor from Glasgow’s last win in Belfast, Rob Harley, begins the game on the bench.

Fraser Brown, Jamie Bhatti and Ross Thompson are among the names that join him there.

The Fagerson brothers and Ali Price are among those unavailable for selection while Sebastian Cancelliere, Domingo Miotti and Enrique Pieretto are all on international duty.

Lineups

Ulster Rugby: Ethan McIlroy, Robert Baloucoune, James Hume, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale, Billy Burns, John Cooney; Andrew Warwick, Brad Roberts, Marty Moore, Alan O’Connor, Sam Carter (C), Greg Jones, Sean Reidy, Nick Timoney.

Replacements: Rob Herring, Eric O’Sullivan, Tom O’Toole, Mick Kearney, Matty Rea, Nathan Doak, Mike Lowry, Will Addison.

Glasgow Warriors: Forbes, Steyn, Tuipulotu, Johnson, McLean, Weir, Horne; Thyer, Matthews, Berghan, Cummings, Gray, Wilson (C), Darge, Dempsey.

Replacements: Brown, Bhatti, McCallum, Bean, Harley, Dobie, Thompson, Smith.

Odds

Ulster Rugby 1/8

Draw 25/1

Glasgow Warriors 5/1

Where To Watch

The game will kick-off at 7:35 pm and will be available to watch on  Premier Sports 1 and URC TV (dependent on location).

The post Ulster v Glasgow Warriors – Preview, Lineups, Odds, Where To Watch appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The eagerly-anticipated clash against the five-time Premiership and three-time Heineken Champions Cup winners will be played in front of the largest crowd at the home of Ulster Rugby since the February 2020 win over Toyota Cheetahs.

All of those in attendance will have to have Ulster season tickets for the upcoming 2021/22 season – no individual tickets for the match will be on sale.

There will be no enforced social distancing for the fixture so season ticket holders will be able to sit in their own seat or stand on their allocated terrace for the match.

However, each terrace will operate to 30% of normal capacity to provide some social distancing in busy areas.

Furthermore, a socially distanced area will be available as an option for those who would like to socially distance themselves.

A section of the AbbeyAutoline Family Stand will be held for those who would prefer to sit in a socially distanced area.

The food village will be in operation for the game but no stadium bars will be open, except for table service in hospitality.

If you wish to become a season ticket holder ahead of the clash, there will be two priority windows in advance of this fixture for people to secure their season tickets.

2020/21 #TogetherUlster Members will have access to a Season Ticket priority window from 10 am on Tuesday 24 August until 10 am on Wednesday 25 August.

Those who have signed up to the Season Ticket waiting list before 5 pm on Tuesday 24 August will have access to a priority window from 10 am on Wednesday 25 August until 5 pm on Tuesday 31 August.

Both of these groups will be emailed their exclusive priority booking link at the time the respective windows open.

Ulster Rugby will have measures in place for the fixture in order to ensure a safe return of supporters.

Staggered entry and exit times will be utilised to avoid queueing and congestion.

Digital tickets will be accepted to provide contactless and secure entry through the turnstiles.

An alternative option to print your match tickets at home is also available.

There will be enhanced cleaning to disinfect busy areas pre and post-match and automated hand sanitising units have been fitted to turnstiles and stands.

Face coverings must be worn when moving around the stadium and in any indoor areas – the latter areas will have increased ventilation.

Numbers entering toilets will be controlled by stewards and one-way systems will be in operation where possible.

Ulster Rugby would also advise that anyone attending the fixture should test themselves using Rapid COVID-19 tests before they attend, and on days 2 and 8 after the event, in order to identify any positive cases and allow them to self-isolate.

The post Ulster To Have 10,000 Fans At Kingspan For Saracens Friendly appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The draw will be staged in Lausanne, Switzerland where the tournament’s governing body, the EPCR’s headquarters are.

It will be streamed live on HeinekenChampionsCup.com and will include the winners of the three domestic leagues involved in the competition – Top 14 and Champions Cup holders Stade Toulousain, Gallagher Premiership winners Harlequins and Pro14 winners Leinster.

The draw will consist of eight teams from the three leagues mentioned above, as it did last season.

The teams who have qualified from the three leagues will be listed from one to eight for the draw, with number one being the champions.

The clubs will first be placed into four tiers based on their rankings, before being drawn into two pools of 12 – Pool A and Pool B.

Clubs from the same league in the same tier will not be drawn into the same pool.

Tier 1 will have numbers one and two on the qualifiers in it with Tier 2 having numbers three and four.

Tier 3 will have numbers five and six while Tier 4 will have numbers seven and eight.

The Tier 1 and the Tier 4 clubs which have been drawn in the same pool, but which are not in the same league, will play one another home and away during the pool stage.

Tier 2 and Tier 3 sides that are in the same pool but not from the same domestic league will do the same.

For example, Champions Cup and Top 14 double winners, Stade Toulousain, will be in Tier 1 and drawn against either Bath Rugby or Wasps, and against either Cardiff Rugby or Glasgow Warriors from Tier 4.

Similarly, Bristol Bears in Tier 2 will be drawn against either Pro14 qualifiers Scarlets or Ospreys, and against either ASM Clermont Auvergne or Stade Francais from Tier 3.

Once the draw is concluded, clubs will know their pool stage opponents and EPCR will begin work on the fixture schedule with an announcement of exact dates, venues, kick-off times and TV coverage following as soon as practicable.

The 2021/22 tournament will be played over nine weekends with four rounds of matches in the pool stage starting in December when Stade Toulousain begin the defence of their title.

The eight highest-ranked clubs from each pool will qualify for the knockout stage which will consist of a Round of 16 on a home and away basis, quarter-finals and semi-finals, with the final in Marseille on 28 May 2022.

2021/22 Heineken Champions Cup qualifiers

Gallagher Premiership: 1 Harlequins, 2 Exeter Chiefs, 3 Bristol Bears, 4 Sale Sharks, 5 Northampton Saints, 6 Leicester Tigers, 7 Bath Rugby, 8 Wasps
Guinness PRO14: 1 Leinster Rugby, 2 Munster Rugby, 3 Ulster Rugby, 4 Connacht Rugby, 5 Scarlets, 6 Ospreys, 7 Cardiff Rugby, 8 Glasgow Warriors
TOP 14: 1 Stade Toulousain, 2 Stade Rochelais, 3 Racing 92, 4 Union Bordeaux-Bègles, 5 ASM Clermont Auvergne, 6 Stade Français Paris, 7 Castres Olympique, 8 Montpellier Hérault Rugby

Pool Draw tiers

Tier 1: Harlequins, Exeter Chiefs, Leinster Rugby, Munster Rugby, Stade Toulousain, Stade Rochelais
Tier 2: Bristol Bears, Sale Sharks, Ulster Rugby, Connacht Rugby, Racing 92, Union Bordeaux-Bègles
Tier 3: Northampton Saints, Leicester Tigers, Scarlets, Ospreys, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Stade Français Paris
Tier 4: Bath Rugby, Wasps, Cardiff Rugby, Glasgow Warriors, Castres Olympique, Montpellier Hérault Rugby

The post Champions Cup 2021/22 Draw Update appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

24 clubs, including eight each across the Top 14, Gallagher Premiership and Pro 14, will compete in this season’s instalment.

All four Irish provinces will begin their 2021/22 seasons in the Champions Cup.

The sides are ranked as the top four sides from the Pro 14 as the qualification is based on the 2020/21 Pro 14 season.

The 2020/21 Pro 14 Rainbow Cup standings do not affect the European qualification process.

The competition will once again begin with four rounds of the pool stage.

The format will likely be the same as last season’s controversial setup which had two pools of 12 with teams facing off against two sides from other leagues.

These teams are expected to face each other twice and the top eight in each pool will progress to the round of 16.

The round of 16 will be a two-legged round and will take place over two weekends.

However, the quarter-finals and semi-finals will remain as a one-and-done fixture.

Both finals will be held in Marseille’s Stade Velodrome in the south of France.

The 2020/21 finals were originally scheduled to be held at the venue.

2021/22 EPCR Weekends

Round 1 – 10/11/12 December

Round 2 – 17/18/19 December

Round 3 – 14/15/16 January 2022

Round 4 – 21/22/23 January 2022

Round of 16 (first leg) – 8/9/10 April 2022

Round of 16 (second leg) – 15/16/17 April 2022

Quarter-finals – 6/7/8 May 2022

Semi-finals – 13/14/15 May 2022

Challenge Cup Final – 27 May 2022

Champions Cup Final – 28 May 2022

The post Champions Cup 2021/22 Schedule Released appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

You can read more about the new league here.

The new-look league comes with a few changes.

The league will be split into four pools of four.

An Irish pool, a South African pool, a Welsh pool and a Scottish-Italian pool.

The pools of four will allow each team to play six derby games – home and away.

The other 12 games will be fixtures against other teams in the championship with an even number of home and away games.

Everything you need to know

One league table to rule them all… and regional tables to hype the rivalries!#URC pic.twitter.com/xkqeCBOEbf

— PRO14 RUGBY (@PRO14Official) June 15, 2021

A unified table will display the standings overall.

The top eight teams in these standings will enter into the quarter-finals in an NFL-style climax to the season.

The aforementioned pools will be key for European qualification as all 16 teams will be eligible.

The winners of each pool will qualify for the 2022/23 Heineken Champions Cup.

The other four spots for the competition will then be awarded to the four highest-placed teams in the overall standings, excluding the pool winners.

The reactions to this tournament online have been mixed but leaning towards positive.

Love the fact that every team will play each other at least once. Terrific format.

— Derek Alberts (@derekalberts1) June 15, 2021

Some fans have applauded the new scheduling of the tournament, which allows internationals to be available more often.

It means that the United Rugby Championship’s players will be a huge draw.

Fans will get to see Siya Kolisi face-off against Josh Van Der Flier and Duane Vermuelen take on Munster’s Gavin Coombes.

Furthermore, teams will have the possibility to play to their full potential.

For example, Benetton missed a lot of their internationals for most of the Pro14 but have been on form in the Rainbow Cup, reaching the final.

Benetton will be able to perform at the level it is capable of during the United Rugby Championship as players like Paolo Garbisi will be available almost all the time.

However, other fans of the league were not so keen on the new expansion.

The one thing I really don't like about the new United Rugby Championship is the move away from full meritocracy in terms of Champions Cup qualification. You could have one team qualifying and another four or five places higher in the URC table not doing so.

— Simon Thomas (@simonrug) June 15, 2021

The new setup for European qualification has emerged as a contentious point.

As the setup guarantees the winner of each pool a spot, teams higher up in the URC table could miss out on playing Champions Cup rugby.

Even if they had a better points tally after 18 games.

Regardless, this is final and it begins in September 2021.

Who knows, the South Africans might stop Leinster getting five-in-a-row.

Some Connacht fans were not happy

Not sure the pool divisions are very fair, Connacht have a mountainous task to qualify for the Champions Cup in the future. https://t.co/yvW6EilZ7k

— Joe Naughton (@JosephNaughton4) June 15, 2021

The post United Rugby Championship: Mixed Reaction From Fans Online appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Last month we stated that a start date of August 22nd was pencilled in across all five competing territories. However, the season has been cut from it’s usual 21 games to now just 15 games. Benetton will take on Zebre on August 21st at the Stadio Monigo in Treviso. The Scottish Derby between Glasgow and Edinburgh takes place on Saturday 23rd at 5.15pm, while the Scarlets will entertain Cardiff Blues at  Parc Y Scarlets that same day at 3pm. Leinster and Munster then complete the days action at 7.35pm at the Aviva Stadium. Connacht and Ulster complete the weekends action on Sunday when they meet at 3pm, also at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.

The following week another Pro14 interprovincial double header will take place at the Lansdowne Road venue. Ulster will play Leinster at 7.35pm on Saturday August 29th, while on Sunday the 30th of August Munster will play Connacht at 3pm. Glasgow and Edinburgh will battle it out on Friday 28th to open Round 15. This game will go ahead at Murrayfield. The Welsh Derby between the Dragons and Scarlets will go ahead also on Saturday 29th at Rodney Parade at 3.15pm. On Sunday Cardiff Blues will play Ospreys at 5pm,  while the weekend will be rounded off with Zebre playing Benetton at 7pm.

Round 14

Friday 21 August

Benetton Rugby v Zebre, Stadio Monigo, Treviso, 7pm

Saturday 22 August

Scarlets v Cardiff Blues, Parc y Scarlets, 3pm

Edinburgh v Glasgow Warriors, BT Murrayfield, 5.15pm

Leinster v Munster, Aviva Stadium, 7.35pm

Sunday 23 August

Ospreys v Dragons, Liberty Stadium, 2.15pm

Connacht v Ulster, Aviva Stadium, 4.30pm

Round 15

Friday 28 August
Glasgow Warriors v Edinburgh, BT Murrayfield, 7.35pm

Saturday 29 August

Dragons v Scarlets, Rodney Parade, 3.15pm

Ulster v Leinster, Aviva Stadium, 7.35pm

Sunday 30 August

Munster v Connacht, Aviva Stadium, 3pm

Cardiff Blues v Ospreys, Rodney Parade, 5pm

Zebre v Benetton Rugby, Stadio Lanfranchi, 7pm

The post Leinster and Munster to battle it out in Aviva Stadium appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

RTE Sport report that the Pro14 have agreed a 28% stake with the private equity and investment advisory group. It follows after CVC acquired a 27% stake in the English Rugby Premiership. CEO of the IRFU, Philip Browne said he was delighted with the announcement. He said the deal will be worth over €33 million to the IRFU, with a payment of €5.5 million euro expected today.

However, in worrying news, Browne revealed that the IRFU are facing losses of between €15 and €20 million if the remaining Six Nations games and November Internationals don’t go ahead. He stated, “The announcement of CVC’s investment in the Guinness Pro14 League is very positive news, not just for the financial benefits it brings, but, almost as importantly at this time, for the confidence it shows in the Pro14 tournament and the game of rugby in general.”

The PRO 14  also released a statement confirming the news they had sold a 28% to CVC. They said,” The partnership commitment will allow both Pro14 Rugby and the Irish, Italian, Scottish and Welsh rugby unions to continue to invest in the sport, both professional and amateur, to achieve its potential over the long term”.

They stated that a portion of the investment will be held at Pro14 rugby, while some will also be kept for the business and updating league operations. Furthermore, they said, As part of this agreement, the Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR), will also become a member of Celtic Rugby DAC, and receive a share of the investment.

Finally  IRFU  have stated they hope to resume action towards the end of August. It is hoped that there will be a series of provincial derbies within each of the five countries. The league hopes to resume on 23rd and 24th of August. However, it is also hoped that the new season will also begin in October. Of course all of these dates will have to be approved by government and the department of health.

The post Pro14 sells a 28% stake to CVC appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

However, no decision on a definitive re-commencement date can be made until four key criteria can be met within our respective competing territories:

– Public Health Authorities cease to prohibit the resumption of sport and group training

– Travel restrictions between our territories are lifted

– No forced isolation or quarantine orders are in force when visiting our territories

– Player welfare is safeguarded, including requirement for a suitable pre-recommencement training period, to be established in conjunction with the high-performance personnel at our participating unions and teams

Due to the evolving situation, unfortunately the board had to take the further decision to cancel the Guinness PRO14 Final at Cardiff City Stadium, set to take place on June 20. Refunds will be made automatically to all who have already purchased tickets.

Full information on refunds will be available on https://www.pro14.rugby/finalin the next 24 hours.

Proposals regarding how to restart the season will be reviewed in the near future. PRO14 Rugby is working with key stakeholders to carefully examine several proposals that can be implemented and delivered in order to close out the season – albeit at a later date.

Should any final be played as part of the 2019/20 season it will be hosted by the team with highest ranking based upon league records from this campaign.

When positive indicators on the criteria listed above PRO14 Rugby will provide another update.

Everyone across the Guinness PRO14 would urge fans and everyone involved in the sport of rugby to heed the directions from their local health authorities regarding the COVID-19 outbreak and play their part in staying safe.

The post Pro14 season suspended indefinitely appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.