The Juniors Interprovincial Series is back for another year and the coaches for the Ulster Juniors have been confirmed.
The Junior Interprovincial Series is an annual competition that takes place between the four provinces, with the Ulster Juniors' team being made up of the best players in Championship 1, 2, and 3. The competition consists of a round-robin format with each team playing each other once, and whichever team has the most points at the end of the rounds, wins the Championship.
Joining Mike on the coaching team will be assistant coaches, Mark Neilly of Portadown RFC, and Richie McCarter from City of Derry RFC. Stephen Crawford from Ballyclare RFC will also be joining the panel. Jeremy Ogle of Dromore RFC returns again this year as team manager. Rhea Lambe will be the Ulster Juniors' physiotherapist.
Ulster have narrowly missed out the past couple of years, finishing up second consecutively. Last year, Ulster Juniors produced a superb display to win against Munster, beating them 27-10, and an impressive win against Connacht, 43-20. Sadly Ulster narrowly missed out to Leinster, who went on to win last year's competition.
Greg Irwin, Chair of the Ulster Branch Rugby Committee said:
"It's an exciting time of the year as we look ahead to the Junior Interprovincial series and I would like to congratulate our new Ulster coaching team on their appointment. The strength of Ulster Rugby at Championship level is undisputed, with Ballyclare recently winning the All Ireland Junior Cup. I know that the coaching team will be aiming to go one better than last year and we will all be hoping that we can bring the interprovincial title back to Ulster."
Ulster Rugby's Rugby Development Manager, Budge Pountney remarked, "Ulster Juniors hold a very important place within Ulster Rugby, it presents a chance for players who represent their clubs in Championship 1-3 to don the the Ulster colours and play interpro rugby. Not only does it give an opportunity to players, it also gives a great opportunity for hosting clubs to showcase their community standing to a wider audience."