Ulster Rugby: It is all about the future with new Ulster chief executive Jonny Petrie

The former Scottish international captain admits the club has come through a difficult time and it is time to draw a line in the sand and move forward to making rugby in Ulster a success.

The 42-year-old was appointed CEO at the end of October last year to succeed Shane Logan.

He took up his position officially in early December and since then has engaged openly with supporters on social media and attended club and school matches as he gets a feel for the full remit of the job, not just at professional game level.

Less than a year ago Ulster were having a difficult time both on and off the field.

On the playing front Ulster spluttered through their Guinness PRO14 campaign - squeaking into this year’s European Champions Cup via a play-off.

Off the pitch, then club players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding had their contracts revoked by the Irish Rugby Football Union following a high-profile nine-week rape trial in spite of both being cleared of all charges against them.

In recent months both IRFU performance manager, David Nucifora, and Ulster’s operation director, Bryn Cunningham have said there may be a time when either player could return to playing in Ulster, but when asked for his views on that, Petrie felt it was important not to dwell on the past.

“This issue, looking at it from the outside, for such a long time over the course of the past couple of years at the club it has been something that has been hugely divisive on a number of fronts.

“I’ve been brought here to move this place forward and I don’t see that we should be reopening old wounds.

“This needs to be about the rugby and we need to move this club forward.

“If people want to draw their own conclusions from that, that’s up to them, but I don’t see it’s in anyone’s best interests to be reopening old wounds that have caused such division within the sport and across society.

“I don’t see it in anyone’s best interests to revisit that. So we’re in a position where we’re moving forward and getting on with making this place about the rugby.”

Petrie met the local media for the first time at Kingspan Stadium on Wednesday.