Ulster play at the Kingspan Stadium. They were the first Irish side to win the European Cup in 1998, and were runners up in 2012. They were crowned Pro12 champions in 2006, and lost in last year’s playoff semi-final to Leinster.

On target: Johnny McPhillips in goal-kicking action for Ulster A.

When did you start playing rugby? My older brother Patrick played at Northern (in Gosforth) and Dad did some coaching so I went to watch, then joined in when I…

Up for the cup: McBurney (left) celebrates Ireland's U20 World Cup semi-final win.

How did you get into rugby? My uncle Maurice McBurney was the only one of my family that played, so my interest came through him. I joined Randalstown rugby club…

Rob Herring

By Alex Shaw Four proud provinces. That’s the mantra of Irish rugby and it certainly lived up to that billing this past weekend. There were a lot of premature European…

Breakthrough: Stockdale scoring his first Pro12 try for Ulster.

Tell us about your rugby background… My dad and grandad played and I started when I was about six at Ballynahinch. Then I played schools rugby at Wallace High in…

When did you start playing? When I was six, at Cranbrook rugby club in Kent. I lived near Tunbridge Wells. Which other rugby clubs have you played for? Tunbridge Wells,…

The Saints Killer kick The weekend started in some style with a humdinger of an Aviva Premiership clash between Gloucester and Saracens at Kingsholm. There were enough incidents, both good…