2000–01 Ulster Rugby season

2000–01 Ulster Rugby season
Ground(s)	Ravenhill Stadium (Capacity: 12,500)
Coach(es)	Harry Williams
Captain(s)	David Humphreys
Most appearances	Justin Fitzpatrick, Gary Longwell, Andy Ward, Tony McWhirter, Brad Free, David Humphreys, Ryan Constable, James Topping (12 each)
Top scorer	David Humphreys (148)
Most tries	James Topping (6)
League(s)	Heineken Cup (4th in pool); IRFU Interprovincial Championship (2nd)
← 1999–2000	2001–02 →

The 2000–01 season was Ulster Rugby's sixth since the advent of professionalism, and their third under coach Harry Williams. They competed in the Heineken Cup and the IRFU Interprovincial Championship. Williams announced in August 2000 that he would leave at the end of the season.^[1]

The IRFU rejected a proposal for a Celtic League involving three of the Irish provinces, two Scottish super-districts and seven Welsh clubs, each playing 22 matches. The IRFU argued that the structure proposed would add too many games and leave provincial players unable to play for their clubs, and made a counter-proposal of an eleven-game season, which the Welsh and Scottish unions rejected.^[2] Discussions continued,^[3] and a format was finally agreed for the following season.^[4]

They were bottom of their pool in the Heineken Cup, failing to qualify for the knockout stage. They finished second in the Interprovincial Championship, qualifying for next season's Heineken Cup. Tyrone Howe was Ulster's Player of the Year, and was selected for the 2001 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia.

Player transfers

Players in

Clem Boyd from Bath^[5]
John Campbell^[6]
Ryan Constable from Saracens^[7]
Brad Free from Bective Rangers^[8]^[9]
Grant Henderson^[6]
Russell Nelson from Blue Bulls^[6]
Shane Stewart from Ballymena^[6]

Players out

Simon Mason to Stade Francais^[10]
Eric Miller to Leinster^[6]
Spencer Bromley to Worcester^[6]
Riaz Fredericks (released)^[6]
Joeli Veitayaki (released)^[6]

Squad

Ulster Rugby squad
Props Simon Best Clem Boyd John Campbell Justin Fitzpatrick Hookers Allen Clarke Paul Shields Richard Weir Mark Crick Locks Mark Blair Paddy Johns Gary Longwell	Back row Chris McCarey Tony McWhirter Russell Nelson Dion O'Cuinneagain Derek Topping Andy Ward Scrum-halves Stephen Bell Neil Doak Brad Free * Fly-halves David Humphreys (c) Niall Malone	Centres Jonathan Bell Tyrone Howe Shane Stewart Wings Ryan Constable Sheldon Coulter Jan Cunningham James Topping Fullbacks Grant Henderson

(c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players. ^* denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality.

2000–01 Heineken Cup

Team	P	W	D	L	Tries for	Tries against	Try diff	Points for	Points against	Points diff	Pts
Cardiff	6	4	0	2	18	13	5	182	146	36	8
Saracens	6	4	0	2	14	13	1	174	140	34	8
Toulouse	6	2	1	3	19	15	4	171	182	−11	5
Ulster	6	1	1	4	11	21	−10	146	205	−59	3

6 October 2000
19:15

Ulster	32 – 23	Cardiff
Try: Constable, Howe Con: Humphreys (2) Pen: Humphreys (5) Drop: Humphreys	Report^[11]	Try: Jenkins, Morgan Con: Jenkins (2) Pen: Jenkins (3)

Ravenhill
Attendance: 12,000

Ulster lineup

1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Richard Weir, 3. Simon Best, 4. Paddy Johns, 5. Gary Longwell, 6. Russell Nelson, 7. Andy Ward, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Brad Free, 10. David Humphreys (c), 11. Tyrone Howe, 12. Jonathan Bell, 13. Ryan Constable, 14. James Topping, 15. Grant Henderson. Replacements: Derek Topping (for Nelson, 20), Mark Blair (for Johns, 61), Clem Boyd (for Best, 65).

15 October 2000
15:00

Saracens	55 – 25	Ulster
Try: Hill (2), McRae, Luger (3) Con: Castaignede (5) Pen: Castaignede (5)	Report^[12]^[13]	Try: Stewart Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys (6)

Vicarage Road
Attendance: 11,258

Ulster lineup

1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Richard Weir, 3. Simon Best, 4. Paddy Johns, 5. Gary Longwell, 6. Derek Topping, 7. Andy Ward, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Brad Free, 10. David Humphreys (c), 11. Tyrone Howe, 12. Shane Stewart, 13. Ryan Constable, 14. James Topping, 15. Grant Henderson. Replacements: Mark Blair (for Johns, 40). Chris McCarey (for D. Topping, 68), Sheldon Coulter (for Stewart, 79).

22 October 2000
15:00

Toulouse	35 – 35	Ulster
Try: Pelous, Labit, Fillol, Desbrosse Con: Marfaing (3) Pen: Marfaing (3)	Report^[14]	Try: Free, Howe. J. Bell, J. Topping Con: Humphreys (3) Pen: Humphreys (3)

Stadium Municipal
Attendance: 14,000

Ulster lineup

1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Richard Weir, 3. Simon Best, 4. Gary Longwell, 5. Mark Blair, 6. Russell Nelson, 7. Andy Ward, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Brad Free, 10. David Humphreys (c), 11. Tyrone Howe, 12. Ryan Constable, 13. Jonathan Bell 14. James Topping, 15. Grant Henderson. Replacements: Shane Stewart (for Constable, 40), Clem Boyd (for Best, 40), Paul Shields (for Weir, 72).

27 October 2000
19:30

Ulster	25 – 29	Toulouse
Try: Ward Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys (6)	Report^[15]	Try: Desbrosse, Servat Con: Delaigue, Marfaing Pen: Delaigue (5)

Ravenhill
Attendance: 12,000

Ulster lineup

1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Richard Weir, 3. Clem Boyd, 4. Mark Blair, 5. Gary Longwell, 6. Russell Nelson, 7. Andy Ward, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Brad Free, 10. David Humphreys (c), 11. Tyrone Howe, 12. Jonathan Bell, 13. Ryan Constable, 14. James Topping, 15. Grant Henderson. Replacements: Derek Topping (for Russell, 16).

12 January 2001
19:05

Cardiff	42 – 16	Ulster
Try: Robinson (2), Jenkins, Quinnell Con: Jenkins (2) Pen: Jenkins (5) Drop: Jenkins	Report^[16]	Try: J. Topping (2) Pen: Humphreys (2)

Cardiff Arms Park
Attendance: 10,500

Ulster lineup

1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Allen Clarke, 3. Clem Boyd, 4. Mark Blair, 5. Gary Longwell, 6. Russell Nelson, 7. Andy Ward, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Brad Free, 10. David Humphreys (c), 11. Tyrone Howe, 12. Jonathan Bell, 13. Ryan Constable, 14. James Topping, 15. Stan McDowell.

19 January 2001
19:30

Ulster	13 – 21	Saracens
Try: Humphreys Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys (2)	Report^[17]	Try: Shanklin, McRae, Hill Con: McRae (3)

Ravenhill
Attendance: 13,500

Ulster lineup

1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Allen Clarke, 3. Simon Best, 4. Gary Longwell, 5. Paddy Johns, 6. Russell Nelson, 7. Andy Ward, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Brad Free, 10. David Humphreys (c), 11. Tyrone Howe, 12. Ryan Constable, 13. Jonathan Bell, 14. James Topping, 15. Stan McDowell. Replacements: Niall Malone (for J. Bell, 47), Richard Weir (for Clarke, 48), Stephen Bell (for Free, 48), Mark Blair (for Longwell, 58), Clem Boyd (for Best, 60), Sheldon Coulter (for McDowell, 80).

2000-01 IRFU Interprovincial Championship


Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	BP	Pts	Status
Munster	6	5	1	0	151	99	1	23	Champions; qualified for next season's Heineken Cup
Ulster	6	3	0	3	144	119	3	15	Qualified for next season's Heineken Cup
Leinster	6	2	1	3	109	111	2	12	Qualified for next season's Heineken Cup
Connacht	6	1	0	5	100	175	1	5

Top three teams qualify for next season's Heineken Cup.

1 September 2000

Ulster	16-21	Munster
Try: Ward Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys (3)	Report^[18]	Pen: O'Gara (5) Drop: O'Gara (2)

Ravenhill

Ulster lineup

1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Richard Weir, 3. Simon Best, 4. Gary Longwell, 5. Paddy Johns, 6. Russell Nelson, 7. Andy Ward, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Brad Free, 10. David Humphreys (c), 11. Tyrone Howe, 12. Jonathan Bell, 13. Ryan Constable, 14. James Topping, 15. Grant Henderson.

9 September 2000

Connacht	15-39	Ulster
Try: Lee, Elwood Con: Elwood Pen: Elwood	Report^[19]	Try: Nelson, Johns, J. Bell, J. Topping, Stewart Con: Humphreys (4) Pen: Humphreys (3)

Galway Sportsgrounds

Ulster lineup

1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Richard Weir, 3. Simon Best, 4. Paddy Johns, 5. Gary Longwell, 6. Russell Nelson, 7. Andy Ward, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Brad Free, 10. David Humphreys (c), 11. Tyrone Howe, 12. Jonathan Bell, 13. Ryan Constable, 14. James Topping, 15. Grant Henderson. Replacements: Mark Blair (for Longwell, 60), Shane Stewart (for Henderson, 63), Stephen Bell (for Free, 71), Derek Topping (for Ward, 74)

15 September 2000

Leinster	19-6	Ulster
Try: Hickie Con: McHugh Pen: McHugh (2), Dempsey	Report^[20]	Pen: Humphreys (2)

Donnybrook

Ulster lineup

1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Richard Weir, 3. Simon Best, 4. Paddy Johns, 5. Gary Longwell, 6. Russell Nelson, 7. Andy Ward, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Brad Free, 10. David Humphreys (c), 11. Tyrone Howe, 12. Jonathan Bell, 13. Ryan Constable, 14. James Topping, 15. Grant Henderson. Replacements: Derek Topping (for McWhirter, 40), Shane Stewart (for Henderson, 67), Stephen Bell (for Free, 75).

22 September 2000

Ulster	26-13	Leinster
Try: J. Bell, Ward Con: Humphreys (2) Pen: Humphreys (4)	Report^[21]	Try: McHugh Con: McHugh Drop: O'Driscoll

Ravenhill

Ulster lineup

1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Richard Weir, 3. Simon Best, 4. Mark Blair, 5. Gary Longwell, 6. Russell Nelson, 7. Andy Ward, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Brad Free, 10. David Humphreys (c), 11. Tyrone Howe, 12. Jonathan Bell, 13. Ryan Constable, 14. James Topping, 15. Grant Henderson. Replacements: Derek Topping (for Nelson, 59), Stephen Bell (for Free, 63), Shane Stewart (for J. Topping, 77).

29 September 2000

Munster	29-21	Ulster
Try: Crotty, Horgan Con: O'Gara (2) Pen: O'Gara (5)	Report^[22]	Try: Free, J. Topping Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys (3)

Thomond Park

Ulster lineup

1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Richard Weir, 3. Simon Best, 4. Paddy Johns, 5. Gary Longwell, 6. Russell Nelson, 7. Andy Ward, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Brad Free, 10. David Humphreys (c), 11. Shane Stewart, 12. Jonathan Bell, 13. Ryan Constable, 14. James Topping, 15. Grant Henderson. Replacements: Derek Topping (for McWhirter, 64), Mark Blair (for Johns, 71), Clem Boyd (for Best, 71), Stephen Bell (for Free, 76).

3 November 2000

Ulster	36-22	Connacht
Try: J. Topping, Blair (2), Humphreys, Ward Con: Humphreys (4) Pen: Humphreys	Report^[23]	Try: O'Connor, Munn, Schoemann Con: Munn (2) Pen: Munn

Ravenhill

Ulster lineup

1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Richard Weir, 3. Clem Boyd, 4. Gary Longwell, 5. Mark Blair, 6. Russell Nelson, 7. Andy Ward, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Brad Free, 10. David Humphreys (c), 11. Sheldon Coulter, 12. Shane Stewart, 13. Ryan Constable, 14. James Topping, 15. Grant Henderson. Replacements: Simon Best (for Boyd, 32), Paddy Johns (for Longwell, 40), Paul Shields (for Weir, 50), Derek Topping (for McWhirter, 62), Neil Doak (for Free, 67).

Ulster Rugby Awards

The Ulster Rugby Awards ceremony was held on 24 May 2001. Winners were:^[24]

Ulster Rugby player of the year: Tyrone Howe
Supporters' Club player of the year: Tyrone Howe
Guinness personality of the year: Gary Longwell
Coach of the year: Willie Anderson, Dungannon RFC
Schools player of the year: Glen Telford, RBAI
Youth player of the year: Wayne Dougan, Banbridge RFC
Club of the year: Clogher Valley
PRO Award: Terry Jackson, Dungannon RFC
Dorrington B Faulkner Memorial Award: Roy McGarvey, Coleraine

References

^ "Williams to quit as Ulster coach", BBC Sport, 31 August 2000
^ Tony Ward, "IRFU says no to plans for new Celtic League", Irish Independent, 14 March 2000
^ Kieran Rooney, "Celtic League looming large in rugby horizon", Irish Independent, 18 August 2000
^ "Celtic League gets green light to kick off in August", Evening Herald, 31 May 2001
^ "Prop Boyd forced to retire", BBC Sport, 4 November 2003
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Jonathan McConnell, "Ulster recruit South Africans", ESPN Scrum, 23 June 2000
^ Gavin Mairs, "Retiring Ulster ace gets a big vote of thanks", Belfast Telegraph, 4 July 2008
^ "The joy of being free of injury", Irish Times, 26 October 2000
^ "Brad Free to play for Ireland", Irish Independent, 29 October 1997
^ Gavin Mortimer, "The ten biggest flops in the Top 14", Rugby World, 18 December 2013
^ Jim Stokes, "Rugby: Super Ulster right back in business", Belfast Telegraph, 5 July 2008
^ Ian Malin, "Gallic genius triggers Luger", The Guardian, 16 October 2000
^ "Saracens too strong for Ulster", BBC Sport, 15 October 2000
^ "Ulster earn remarkable draw", BBC Sport, 22 October 2000
^ EPCR Stats
^ "RUGBY UNION: POOR ULSTER KEPT AT AN ARMS LENGTH; Cardiff 42 Ulster 16: Champions of 1999 are European flops in Cardiff.." The Free Library. 2001 MGN LTD 26 Feb. 2022
^ Jim Stokes, "Plenty of heart but it's a Sarri send-off", Belfast Telegraph, 20 January 2001
^ Jim Stokes, "O'Gara steals the show", Belfast Telegraph, 2 September 2000
^ Kieran Rooney, "Ulster leave Connacht stranded", Sunday Independent, 10 September 2000
^ "Ace predator Hickie strikes for Leinster", Irish Independent, 16 September 2000
^ Tony Ward, "Humphreys leads Ulster to victory", Irish Independent, 23 September 2000
^ Barry Coughlan, "Munster dig deep for great victory", Irish Examiner, 30 September 2000
^ Jim Stokes, "Classy Ulster sink brave Connacht", Irish Independent, 4 November 2000
^ "Honours for Howe and Longwell", BBC Sport, 25 May 2001

[1] "Williams to quit as Ulster coach", BBC Sport, 31 August 2000

[2] Tony Ward, "IRFU says no to plans for new Celtic League", Irish Independent, 14 March 2000

[3] Kieran Rooney, "Celtic League looming large in rugby horizon", Irish Independent, 18 August 2000

[4] "Celtic League gets green light to kick off in August", Evening Herald, 31 May 2001

[5] "Prop Boyd forced to retire", BBC Sport, 4 November 2003

[recruit-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Jonathan McConnell, "Ulster recruit South Africans", ESPN Scrum, 23 June 2000

[7] Gavin Mairs, "Retiring Ulster ace gets a big vote of thanks", Belfast Telegraph, 4 July 2008

[8] "The joy of being free of injury", Irish Times, 26 October 2000

[9] "Brad Free to play for Ireland", Irish Independent, 29 October 1997

[10] Gavin Mortimer, "The ten biggest flops in the Top 14", Rugby World, 18 December 2013

[11] Jim Stokes, "Rugby: Super Ulster right back in business", Belfast Telegraph, 5 July 2008

[12] Ian Malin, "Gallic genius triggers Luger", The Guardian, 16 October 2000

[13] "Saracens too strong for Ulster", BBC Sport, 15 October 2000

[14] "Ulster earn remarkable draw", BBC Sport, 22 October 2000

[15] EPCR Stats

[16] "RUGBY UNION: POOR ULSTER KEPT AT AN ARMS LENGTH; Cardiff 42 Ulster 16: Champions of 1999 are European flops in Cardiff.." The Free Library. 2001 MGN LTD 26 Feb. 2022

[17] Jim Stokes, "Plenty of heart but it's a Sarri send-off", Belfast Telegraph, 20 January 2001

[18] Jim Stokes, "O'Gara steals the show", Belfast Telegraph, 2 September 2000

[19] Kieran Rooney, "Ulster leave Connacht stranded", Sunday Independent, 10 September 2000

[20] "Ace predator Hickie strikes for Leinster", Irish Independent, 16 September 2000

[21] Tony Ward, "Humphreys leads Ulster to victory", Irish Independent, 23 September 2000

[22] Barry Coughlan, "Munster dig deep for great victory", Irish Examiner, 30 September 2000

[23] Jim Stokes, "Classy Ulster sink brave Connacht", Irish Independent, 4 November 2000

[24] "Honours for Howe and Longwell", BBC Sport, 25 May 2001

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2000–01 Ulster Rugby season

Contents

Player transfers

Players in

Players out

Squad

2000–01 Heineken Cup

2000-01 IRFU Interprovincial Championship

Ulster Rugby Awards

References

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