Ulster Heroes Back On Duty For Charity Match
As part of the 10th anniversary Heineken Cup celebrations, Ulster’s tournament winners from 1999 will be taking to the pitch in an exhibition match to raise money for two rugby charities at Shaw’s Bridge on Thursday, January 29.
This month marks the 10th anniversary of Ulster’s Heineken Cup final triumph over Colomiers at Lansdowne Road in front of a 49,000-strong crowd.
The memorable win came at the end of a cup run that saw Harry Williams’ band of Ulstermen win it the hard way, claiming the scalps of Toulouse and Stade Francais along the way.
As part of the anniversary celebrations, Ulster’s 1999 heroes will be taking to the pitch once more, in an exhibition match to raise money for the rugby charities, the IRFU Charitable Trust and the Wooden Spoon at Shaw’s Bridge on Thursday, January 29.
The Heineken Cup winners will be supported by their management team from 1999 including coach Harry Williams.
Their opposition, almost 10 years to the day that they defeated Colomiers, will be a Wooden Spoon Select XV, managed by Willie Anderson and made up of former Ulster players and club players from around the province as well as one or two of our friends from the sports media.
The referee will be none other than Wales’ Clayton Thomas, the man who refereed that famous final at Lansdowne Road. The match, which is sponsored by Kukri Sports, has a 3.30pm kick-off.
Admission is £5 (adults and children) with all proceeds going to the two rugby charities and refreshments will also be available to purchase from the clubhouse.
Tickets for the game can be purchased now from the Ravenhill Ticket Office or online from the Ulster Rugby website.
Ulster 1999 Heineken Cup Winners Squad: Justin Fitzpatrick, Gary Leslie, Allen Clarke, Stephen Ritchie, Rab Irwin, Mark Blair, Gary Longwell, Stephen McKinty, Paddy Johns, Andy Ward, Murtagh Rea, Tony McWhirter, Andy Matchett, David Humphreys, Derek McAleese, Andy Park, Jonny Bell, Jan Cunningham, Sheldon Coulter, Simon Mason, Stan McDowell, Bryn Cunningham, Stephen Bell, Derek Topping, Stuart Duncan.
Wooden Spoon Select Squad: Tim Morton, Gavin Mairs (Belfast Telegraph), Hugh McCaughey, Lewis Johnstone, Mark Neely, Roger Wilson, John Gunson, Brian Wilson, Kevin McKee, Keith Gallick, Neil Doak, David Spence, Ricky McNamoyle, Shane Glynn (BBC NI), Robin Morrow, Rhys Botha, Maurice Field, James Topping, Ian Orr, Brian Barrett, Ronnie Carey, Michael Jackson, David Irwin, Neil Brittain (UTV), Richard Mulligan (Newsletter).