# 1997–98 Ulster Rugby season

The 1997–98 season was Ulster Rugby's third season under professionalism, during which they competed in the Heineken Cup and the IRFU Interprovincial Championship. Ulster Rugby Limited was incorporated as a private company limited by guarantee on 9 May 1997.
The IRFU offered new contracts for provincial players for this season. Full-time players would receive a retainer of £25,000, plus a win bonus of £500 for Heineken Cup matches. Part-time players would be paid a retainer of £7,500, plus a match fee of £400 for Interprovincial matches and £800 for the Heineken Cup, and a win bonus of £450 for both competitions. Each province could have a maximum of 30 contracted players.
Mark McCall was offered a full-time contract, but turned it down and signed for London Irish, making him unavailable for Ulster this season. Full-time contracts were also offered to Jan Cunningham and Stephen Bell, and part-time contracts to Sheldon Coulter, Gary Longwell, Andrew Matchett, Dean Macartney and Tony McWhirter (Ballymena), Stuart Duncan, Richard Mackey and Denis McBride (Malone), Gary Leslie and John Patterson (Dungannon), Clem Boyd (Bedford), Bryn Cunningham (Bective), Stuart Laing (Portadown), Stephen McKinty (Bangor), and Andy Ward (Ballynahinch).
After the departure of Tony Russ, Clive Griffiths was lined up to take over as head coach, but withdrew in the summer. Davy Haslett, a geography teacher at RBAI, was offered the position on the eve of the 1997 Ireland A rugby union tour of Oceania, on which he was assistant coach. Between returning from that tour and a pre-booked famility holiday, he only had four weeks to work with the team before the season started. Charlie McAleese was appointed assistant coach, and John Kinnear team manager.$^{:10–12}$ Ulster finished third in the Interprovincial Championship, and bottom of their pool in the Heineken Cup.
A representative match against South African side Geuteng Falcons in early 1998, for which Ulster were to be coached by Ballymena coach Nelie Smith, was called off after clubs refused to release their players.
Paddy Johns and Andy Ward were selected for the Ireland squad for the 1998 Five Nations Championship. Johns, Ward and James Topping were selected for the 1998 tour to South Africa.

## Players selected

| Ulster Rugby squad |
| Props Richard Mackey, Malone Gary Leslie, Dungannon Rab Irwin, Ballymena Hookers Stephen Ritchie, Ballymena Ciaran O'Kane (Portadown) Michael Patton (Dungannon) Locks Tony McWhirter, Ballymena Gary Longwell, Ballymena Murtagh Rea, Malone Charlie Simpson, Dungannon | Back row Stephen McKinty, Bangor Keith Gallick, City of Derry Andy Ward, Ballynahinch* Roger Wilson, Instonians Stuart Duncan, Malone Kevin McKee, Instonians Dean Macartney, Ballymena Scrum-halves Andrew Matchett, Ballymena Stephen Bell, Dungannon Kenton Hillman, Instonians Fly-halves Stuart Laing, Portadown Bryn Cunningham, Bective | Centres Maurice Field, Malone Stan McDowell, Ballymena Michael Jackson, Blackrock Wings James Topping, Ballymena Sheldon Coulter, Ballymena Jan Cunningham, TCD Andy Park, Ballymena Graeme McCluskey, Portadown Scott Carroll, Malone Fullbacks Robin Morrow, Dungannon Ross Collins, Collegians |
| (c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players. $^*$ denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality. |

## 1997–98 Heineken Cup
### Pool 2

| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Pts |
| Wasps | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 12 | 19 | 243 | 104 | 139 | 12 |
| Glasgow | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 15 | −1 | 132 | 167 | −35 | 6 |
| Swansea | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 16 | −1 | 157 | 161 | −4 | 4 |
| Ulster | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 23 | −17 | 95 | 195 | −100 | 2 |

## 1997–98 IRFU Interprovincial Championship

| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | BP | Pts | Status |
| Leinster | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 61 | 46 | - | 8 | Champions; qualified for 1998–99 Heineken Cup |
| Munster | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 56 | 43 | - | 8 | Qualified for 1998–99 Heineken Cup |
| Ulster | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 59 | 65 | - | 4 | Qualified for 1998–99 Heineken Cup |
| Connacht | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 42 | 64 | - | 4 | Qualified for 1998–99 European Challenge Cup |

### 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 |
| – | – | – | – | – | 1997–98 Heineken Cup | 3 | 2,617 | 3,250 | 2,100 | 7,850 | 2,617 |

## Ulster Rugby Awards

The inaugural Guinness Ulster Rugby Awards dinner was held on 20 May 1998 at the Balmoral Conference Centre. Winners were:
* Player of the year: Andy Ward
* Personality of the year: Andy Ward
* Club of the year: Ballynahinch RFC
* Coach of the year: Charlie McAleese, Dromore High School
* Youth player of the year: Diarmuid O'Kane, St Colman's College, Newry
* Schools player of the year: Andy Hughes, Royal School Dungannon
* Dorrington B. Faulkner Memorial Award: Ken Reid, former IRFU president and Ireland team manager