# 2012–13 Ulster Rugby season

The 2012–13 season was Ulster's 19th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and their first under head coach Mark Anscombe, replacing Brian McLaughlin who failed to get his contract re-signed. They competed in the Pro12 and the European Rugby Champions Cup.
Major signings included number eight Nick Williams from the now defunct Aironi, wing Tommy Bowe returning from his four-year stay at the Ospreys, and flanker Roger Wilson returning after four years with Northampton Saints. Hooker Rob Herring joined from Western Province.
Centre Nevin Spence died, along with his brother Graham and father Noel, in an accident at the family farm in Hillsborough, County Down on 15 September 2012. where they were overcome by fumes in a slurry tank. Spence's sister was treated in hospital and survived the accident. As a mark of respect for Spence, a minute's silence was observed at many rugby games in Britain and Ireland the following week. A memorial service was held at Ravenhill Stadium, the home ground of Ulster Rugby, on Sunday 23 September 2012.
Ulster started the season with 13 consecutive wins in all competitions, the longest unbeaten run in their history. They finished top of the table of the Pro12 with 17 wins, and after beating Welsh side Scarlets in the semi-finals 28–17, it was an-all Ireland final between Ulster and Leinster. Leinster were the eventual champions, defeating Anscombe's side 24–18. Scrum-half Ruan Pienaar was the league's second-top scorer with 172 points. Ulster won the Fair Play Award, and Nick Williams was Players' Player of the Year. Williams and centre Luke Marshall made the Pro12 Dream Team. Andrew Trimble's try against Connacht was Try of the Season. They topped their pool in the Champions Cup with five wins out of six, qualifying for the quarter-finals, where they lost 27–16 to Saracens.
Ruan Pienaar was Ulster's top scorer with 205 points. Andrew Trimble was top try scorer with twelve, and was named Ulster's Player of the Year. Nick Williams was IRUPA Players' Player of the Year, and Craig Gilroy won the IRUPA Try of the Year award.

## Staff
### Senior team

| Position | Name | Nationality |
| Director of Rugby | David Humphreys | Ireland |
| Head coach | Mark Anscombe | New Zealand |
| Assistant coach (backs) | Neil Doak | Ireland |
| Assistant coach (defence) | Jonny Bell | Ireland |
| Head of strength and conditioning | Jonny Davis | Ireland |
| Strength and conditioning coach | Kevin Geary | Ireland |
| Team doctor | David Irwin | Ireland |
| Head physiotherapist | Gareth Robinson | Ireland |
| Physiotherapist | Alan McAldin | Ireland |
| Team administration co-ordinator | Sarah Sherry | Ireland |
| Resource manager | Mick Ennis | Australia |
| Team manager | David Millar | Ireland |

### Academy

| Position | Name | Nationality |
| Elite performance development manager | Allen Clarke | Ireland |
| High performance manager | Gary Longwell | Ireland |
| Academy schools coach | Brian McLaughlin | Ireland |
| Elite player development officer | Niall Malone | Ireland |
| Strength and conditioning coach | Chris Shields | Ireland |
| Strength and conditioning coach | David Drake | Ireland |

## Squad
### Senior squad

| Ulster Rugby squad |
| Props Tom Court (28 apps, 22 starts, 10 pts) John Afoa (26 points, 20 starts) Callum Black (28 apps, 9 starts) Declan Fitzpatrick (9 apps, 6 starts) Adam Macklin (5 apps, 2 starts) Kyle McCall, Ballynahinch (1 app) Paddy McAllister (no apps) Hookers Rory Best (17 apps, 16 starts, 5 pts) Rob Herring (21 apps, 10 starts, 5 pts) Nigel Brady (9 apps, 5 starts) Niall Annett (5 apps) Locks Dan Tuohy (20 apps, 17 starts, 5 pts) Johann Muller (c) (17 apps, 16 starts) Iain Henderson (19 apps, 14 starts, 10 pts) Lewis Stevenson (19 apps, 14 starts) Neil McComb (16 apps, 9 starts, 5 pts) Alan O'Connor (2 apps) | Back row Robbie Diack* (23 apps, 20 starts, 30 pts) Nick Williams (23 apps, 20 starts, 35 pt) Chris Henry (18 apps, 18 starts, 5 pts) Mike McComish (20 apps, 10 starts) Roger Wilson (13 apps, 8 starts, 5 pts) Sean Doyle* (4 apps, 3 starts) Stephen Ferris (4 apps, 3 starts) Ali Birch (4 apps, 2 starts, 5 pts) Conor Joyce (1 app, 1 start) Scrum-halves Ruan Pienaar (21 apps, 20 starts, 202 pts) Paul Marshall (22 apps, 13 starts, 20 pts) Michael Heaney (9 apps, 3 starts) Fly-halves Paddy Jackson (24 apps, 20 starts, 143 pts) Niall O'Connor (8 apps, 4 starts, 45 pts) | Centres Darren Cave (27 apps, 24 starts, 15 pts) Paddy Wallace (15 apps, 13 starts, 5 pts) Michael Allen (18 apps, 12 starts, 10 pts) Luke Marshall (18 apps, 10 starts, 5 pts) Stuart Olding (14 apps, 10 starts, 25 pts) Chris Farrell (1 app, 1 start) Wings Andrew Trimble (26 apps, 25 starts, 60 pts) Craig Gilroy (20 apps, 13 starts, 10 pts) Tommy Bowe (14 apps, 12 starts, 30 pts) Chris Cochrane (6 apps, 4 starts) Neil Walsh (2 apps, 1 start) Fullbacks Jared Payne (22 apps, 21 starts, 40 pts) Ricky Andrew, Ballymena (8 apps, 6 starts, 5 pts) Peter Nelson, Dungannon (9 apps, 3 starts, 5 pts) Adam D'Arcy* (4 apps, 2 starts) |
| (c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players. Italics denotes academy players who appeared in the senior team. $^*$ denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality. Players and their allocated positions from the Ulster Rugby website. |

### Academy squad

| Ulster Rugby Academy squad |
| Props Jake Caulfield, Malone (1) Conor Carey, Ballynahinch (3) Kyle McCall, Ballynahinch (3) Hookers Jonny Murphy, Ballynahinch (2) Locks Alan O'Connor, Malone (1) James Simpson, Ballynahinch (2) | Back row Neil Faloon, Ballynahinch (2) Conor Joyce, Malone (2) Sean O'Connell, Belfast Harlequins (2) Scrum-halves Blane McIlroy (3) Fly-halves Stuart Olding, Belfast Harlequins (2) | Centres Chris Farrell, Dungannon (2) Back three Ricky Andrew, Ballymena (4) Peter Nelson, Dungannon (2) Rory Scholes, Belfast Harlequins (1) |
| Number in brackets indicates players stage in the three-year academy cycle. $^*$ denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality. Players and their allocated positions from the Ulster Rugby website. |

## Heineken Cup
### Pool 4

| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
| Ulster (6) | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 126 | 55 | +71 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 23 |
| Northampton Saints | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 94 | 109 | −15 | 9 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 15 |
| Castres | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 77 | 98 | −21 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| Glasgow Warriors | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 70 | 105 | −35 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 6 |

### Quarter–final
## Pro12

Pro12 table
watch · · discuss :
| | Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points For | Points Against | Points Difference | Tries For | Tries Against | Try Bonus | Losing Bonus | Points |
| 1 | Ulster (RU) | 22 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 577 | 348 | +229 | 62 | 33 | 8 | 3 | 81 |
| 2 | Leinster (CH) | 22 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 585 | 386 | +199 | 63 | 46 | 9 | 1 | 78 |
| 3 | Glasgow Warriors (SF) | 22 | 16 | 0 | 6 | 541 | 324 | +217 | 66 | 30 | 9 | 3 | 76 |
| 4 | Scarlets (SF) | 22 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 436 | 406 | +30 | 41 | 37 | 3 | 3 | 66 |
| 5 | Ospreys | 22 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 471 | 342 | +129 | 48 | 25 | 2 | 2 | 62 |
| 6 | Munster | 22 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 442 | 389 | +53 | 46 | 34 | 4 | 4 | 54 |
| 7 | Benetton Treviso | 22 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 414 | 450 | –36 | 45 | 44 | 4 | 2 | 50 |
| 8 | Connacht | 22 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 358 | 422 | –64 | 32 | 43 | 1 | 3 | 38 |
| 9 | Cardiff Blues | 22 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 348 | 487 | –139 | 28 | 51 | 1 | 5 | 38 |
| 10 | Edinburgh | 22 | 7 | 0 | 15 | 399 | 504 | –105 | 35 | 51 | 1 | 7 | 36 |
| 11 | Newport Gwent Dragons | 22 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 358 | 589 | –231 | 31 | 72 | 1 | 3 | 28 |
| 12 | Zebre | 22 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 291 | 573 | –282 | 29 | 60 | 1 | 9 | 10 |
| If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: number of matches won; the difference between points for and points against; the number of tries scored; the most points scored; the difference between tries for and tries against; the fewest red cards received; the fewest yellow cards received. |||||||||||||||
| Green background (rows 1 to 4) are play-off places. Qualification for the Heineken Cup is based on each country's allocation, i.e. three highest–ranked Irish teams, three highest–ranked Welsh teams, both Italian teams and both Scottish teams. Leinster won the Amlin Challenge Cup, giving Ireland an extra Heineken Cup place that passed to Connacht. Updated 17 May 2013. Source: RaboDirect PRO12 |||||||||||||||

### Final

The final was contested on Saturday, 25 May 2013, between the winners of the two semi-finals.
| FB | 15 | Jared Payne |
| RW | 14 | Andrew Trimble |
| OC | 13 | Darren Cave |
| IC | 12 | Stuart Olding | | 64' |
| LW | 11 | Tommy Bowe |
| FH | 10 | Paddy Jackson |
| SH | 9 | Ruan Pienaar |
| N8 | 8 | Nick Williams |
| OF | 7 | Chris Henry |
| BF | 6 | Robbie Diack | 44' to 54' | 64' |
| RL | 5 | Dan Tuohy |
| LL | 4 | Johann Muller (c) |
| TP | 3 | John Afoa |
| HK | 2 | Rory Best |
| LP | 1 | Tom Court | | 73' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Rob Herring |
| PR | 17 | Callum Black | | 73' |
| PR | 18 | Declan Fitzpatrick |
| LK | 19 | Iain Henderson | | 64' |
| FL | 20 | Mike McComish |
| SH | 21 | Paul Marshall |
| CE | 22 | Mike Allen | | 64' |
| FB | 23 | Peter Nelson |
| Coach: ||
| Mark Anscombe ||
| FB | 15 | Isa Nacewa |
| RW | 14 | Fergus McFadden |
| OC | 13 | Brian O'Driscoll |
| IC | 12 | Ian Madigan |
| LW | 11 | Andrew Conway |
| FH | 10 | Johnny Sexton |
| SH | 9 | Isaac Boss |
| N8 | 8 | Jamie Heaslip |
| OF | 7 | Shane Jennings |
| BF | 6 | Kevin McLaughlin |
| RL | 5 | Devin Toner | 73' |
| LL | 4 | Leo Cullen (c) |
| TP | 3 | Mike Ross | 75' |
| HK | 2 | Richardt Strauss | 29' | 40' |
| LP | 1 | Cian Healy | 77' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Seán Cronin | 29' | 40' |
| PR | 17 | Jack McGrath | 77' |
| PR | 18 | Jamie Hagan | 75' |
| LK | 19 | Quinn Roux | 73' |
| FL | 20 | Rhys Ruddock |
| SH | 21 | John Cooney |
| CE | 22 | Andrew Goodman |
| WG | 23 | David Kearney |
| Coach: ||
| Josef Schmidt ||
* Man of the Match:
* Shane Jennings (Leinster)
* Touch judges:
* George Clancy (Ireland)
* Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)
* Television match official:
* Dermot Moloney (Ireland)

### End-of-season awards

| Award | Winner |
| Players' Player of the Season: | Nick Williams (Ulster) |
| Young Player of the Season: | Luke Marshall (Ulster) |
| Fairplay Award: | Ulster |
| Try of the Season: | Andrew Trimble (Ulster vs Connacht) |
2012–2013 Dream Team
| Pos | | Player | Team |
| IC | 12 | Luke Marshall | Ulster |
| N8 | 8 | Nick Williams | Ulster |

## Home attendance

| Domestic League | Domestic League | Domestic League | Domestic League | Domestic League | European Cup | European Cup | European Cup | European Cup | European Cup | Total | Total |
| League | Fixtures | Average Attendance | Highest | Lowest | League | Fixtures | Average Attendance | Highest | Lowest | Total Attendance | Average Attendance |
| 2012–13 Pro12 | 12 | 10,373 | 11,078 | 8,108 | 2012–13 Heineken Cup | 3 | 11,123 | 11,451 | 10,940 | 157,840 | 10,523 |

## Ulster Ravens
### British and Irish Cup
#### Pool 1

| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TB | LB | Pts |
| Bristol | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 203 | 73 | 130 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 27 |
| Ulster Ravens | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 199 | 100 | 99 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 23 |
| Bridgend Ravens | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 93 | 183 | –90 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Cardiff | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 68 | 207 | –139 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Points breakdown: *4 points for a win *2 points for a draw *1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less *1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match ||||||||||||
* Match postponed from 19 January 2013 as Ulster were unable to fly due to the bad weather. Despite this match being a dead rubber (the outcome of this game will have no bearing on qualification for the knockout stages nor on the ranking of the qualifiers), the match was rearranged as Bridgend would lose revenue otherwise.

## Ulster Women
### 2012-13 Women's Interprovincial Series

| | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | BP | Pts |
| 1 | Munster | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 25 | 0 | 12 |
| 2 | Leinster | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 56 | 35 | 1 | 9 |
| 3 | Ulster | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 48 | 65 | 2 | 6 |
| 4 | Connacht | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 62 | 3 | 3 |

## Ulster Rugby Awards

The Ulster Rugby Awards ceremony was held on 10 May 2013. Winners were:
* Bank of Ireland Ulster Player of the Year: Andrew Trimble
* Heineken Ulster Rugby Personality of the Year: Nevin Spence
* BT Sports Young Player of the Year: Iain Henderson
* Ulster Rugby Supporters Club Player of the Year: Andrew Trimble
* Abbey Insurance Academy Player of the Year: Stuart Olding
* Belfast Telegraph Most Improved Player of the Year: Robbie Diack
* Danske Bank Ulster Schools Player of the Year: Jack Owens, Campbell College