Ulster Rugby recently showed it's commitment to developing the next crop of homegrown rugby talent, when it signed 11 new academy players into the Ulster set-up this summer.
That pathway has proven to reap the rewards in recent seasons, with the likes of Tom Stewart, Harry Sheridan, Nathan Doak and Stewart Moore all making impact in Ulster's Senior Mens team after coming through the academy programme.
As part of developing the most talented young players across the province, Ulster Rugby is announcing a inaugural fixture on Friday 18th August, between an Ulster Development side and an AIL Select XV at Malone RFC. (KO: 7.30pm)
Academy Manager, Gavin Hogg, sat down with Ulster Rugby to discuss why the fixture has been organised.
On the fixture and the reasons behind it:
Could you explain who plays for the Ulster Development side?
We have a lot of new academy players coming through this year. Does this show the strength in the player pathway programme at Ulster?
Even in the past season, we have saw Tom Stewart and Harry Sheridan make that breakthrough from academy into the senior team, how encouraging is it for the academy staff to see talents make that progress?