​Queen’s pathway boost key for Jonny Petrie and Ulster

In Ulster’s United Rugby Championship quarter-final defeat against Connacht, of the eight players starting in the pack only David McCann was born in the province – while, on the bench, Tom Stewart was the only local among the five forward replacements.

Ulster chief executive Jonny Petrie is hoping the recent announcement that the province will have an Academy link-up with Queen’s University’s rugby club will help produce more homegrown talent for the professional ranks.

Queen’s have been allocated players like Jacob Boyd for next season, the prop who led RBAI to Schools’ Cup glory back in March and was recently crowned Schools’ Player of the Year.

“We see it (link up with Queen’s) as a really important development on our pathway, I think the focus on developing homegrown talent, keeping talent in the province where perhaps at university level they want to go down south or go across to Great Britain,” said Petrie. “That link-up with Queen’s is part of our pathway programme and has been really key, we are pleased to kick that off and we hope that is going to bear fruit over the next few years.

“There is a longer game about the sustainability model for players, both in the male and female game and that Queen’s partnership as well as with our clubs and our schools will play a part in that.

“It is encouraging to see guys breaking through, the likes of your Tom Stewarts, Dave McCanns, Harry Sheridans and people like that.

“We want to make sure that even though those guys are coming through that we are already working much further down the pathway to make sure you have got a constant cycle of players that are coming through in-depth across lots of different positions and, in particular, in that forward pack.

“We have had a good crop of backs coming through but we need to make sure in that forward pack and, particularly, in that tight five that we have good stock coming through.

“There is a lot of work going on in the pathway to identify and make sure the players come through and have the best chance of representing Ulster at the top level.”

Eleven players have either moved on to new clubs or retired from last season’s playing squad and only three new players have been signed.

But Petrie is happy with the make-up of the squad as Ulster go in search of a first trophy since 2006.

“You can look at the headline around that but there are a number of factors that play into that.” he said. “One, I think it is right that we trim the overall size of the squad...I think we probably had too big a squad last year, there are a number of players exiting and three new players coming in but we also have a significant number of players coming through on development contracts and coming through the academy system as well who are graduating out of that process.

“When we look at the future of the club and the make up of the squad, we’re very happy that it represents progress and a strengthening.”