2022–23 Ulster Rugby season
The 2022–23 season was Ulster Rugby's 29th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union. They competed in the United Rugby Championship, finishing second in the league table and going out in the quarter-finals, and the European Rugby Champions Cup going out in the round of 16. It was Dan McFarland's fifth season as head coach. Scrum-half John Cooney was leading scorer with 154 points. Hooker Tom Stewart was leading try scorer with 17, and won the URC Top Try Scorer and Next-Gen Player of the Season awards. Events

Personnel changes
Ulster appointed a new defence coach, Jonny Bell, returning to his home province from a spell at Worcester Warriors, in place of the departing Jared Payne. New signings include Irish-qualified flanker Sean Reffell, from Saracens, lock Frank Bradshaw Ryan from French club Nevers, out-half Jake Flannery from Munster, former All-Black tighthead prop Jeffery Toomaga-Allen from Wasps, and fullback Shea O'Brien from City of Armagh RFC, on a development contract. Hooker Declan Moore, who was signed as temporary injury cover from Munster last season, made his move to Ulster permanent. Academy centre Jude Postlethwaite signed a development contract, to be upgraded to a full senior contract after a year. After the collapse of Worcester Warriors, Scotland and Lions international loosehead prop Rory Sutherland joined until the end of the season. Hooker Bradley Roberts, now a Wales international, left for the Dragons, prop Ross Kane and lock David O'Connor left for Ealing Trailfinders, and lock Mick Kearney, prop Jack McGrath and flanker Sean Reidy were released. Five new players joined the Academy: last season's Ulster Schools Player of the Year, Campbell College lock Joe Hopes; QUB flanker Lorcan McLaughlin; Cambridge House Grammar flanker James McNabney; Coleraine Grammar fullback Rory Telfer; and Wallace High School prop Scott Wilson. Summer internationals
Seven Ulster players were selected for Ireland's tour to New Zealand: hooker Rob Herring, prop Tom O'Toole, locks Iain Henderson and Kieran Treadwell, flanker Nick Timoney, centres Stuart McCloskey and James Hume, and fullback Michael Lowry. Treadwell, Herring and O'Toole made test appearances. Hume, Timoney, Lowry and McCloskey appeared in non-test matches against the Māori All Blacks. Henderson injured his knee before the opening match, and Hume injured his groin in the opening match against the Māori All Blacks. James McCormick, Adam McNamee, Reuben Crothers, Josh Hanlon, Charlie Irvine, Lorcan McLaughlin, James McNabney, Reece Malone, Scott Wilson 
and Joseph Mawhinney all appeared for Ireland U20s in the summer. Pre-season

Ulster's pre-season campaign opened on 2 September with a home friendly against Exeter Chiefs, which they won 31-12. Jacob Stockdale scored a try on his return from injury, and new scrum-half Michael McDonald was named man of the match. A second friendly, away to Glasgow Warriors, arranged  for 9 September, was cancelled following the death of Queen Elizabeth II the day before. Emerging Ireland tour

Ten Ulster players were selected for the Emerging Ireland tour to South Africa for the Toyota Challenge at the end of September: wings Robert Baloucoune and Ethan McIlroy; centre Stewart Moore; out-half Jake Flannery; scrum-halves Nathan Doak and Michael McDonald; loosehead prop Callum Reid; hooker Tom Stewart; lock Cormac Izuchukwu; and flanker David McCann. First block

The team opened the season with a 36-10 home victory over Connacht in the URC. Hooker Tom Stewart made his first senior start, scored a try and was named Player of the Match. After a high-scoring away win against Scarlets, in which John Cooney scored 30 points, Ulster lost at home to Leinster in heavy rain. There followed a 47-17 win over Ospreys, in which Luke Marshall and Sam Carter scored two tries each. Ulster then became the first northern hemisphere team to win in South Africa this season, beating the Lions in Johannesburg. Their next match, against the Sharks in Durban, was postponed after an outbreak of E. coli and norovirus meant they were unable to field a team. Ulster narrowly beat Munster away, with Rory Sutherland making his debut and John Andrew making his 100th appearance for the province, both off the bench, and went into the international break second in the URC table. Autumn international break

Eight Ulster players were called up to the Ireland squad for the 2022 end-of-year internationals: Robert Baloucoune, Rob Herring, Michael Lowry, Stuart McCloskey, Tom O'Toole, Jacob Stockdale, Nick Timoney and Kieran Treadwell. Two more, James Hume and Marty Moore, were selected for the panel for Ireland 'A' to play a New Zealand XV. Second block

After the international break, Ulster had a comfortable home win over Zebre Parma, with Tom Stewart scoring two tries. They then travelled to Leinster, and led the league leaders at half time, before Leinster fought back to win the game 38-29. This began a three-game losing streak, as Ulster lost their opening two games in the Champions Cup. After poor weather caused travel disruption, they capitulated 39-0 away to Sale Sharks. A frozen pitch at Ravenhill meant Ulster's home game against reigning champions La Rochelle had to be relocated to Dublin's Aviva Stadium at the last minute, with the match played behind closed doors. La Rochelle built a 29-0 half-time lead, but Ulster improved enough in the second half to earn two bonus points in a 29-36 defeat. Returning to the URC, Ulster halted their losing streak with a close away win against Connacht, featuring another two-try display from Tom Stewart. After last-minute defeats to Munster (during which flanker Sean Reffell made a URC record 42 tackles, and tighthead prop Marty Moore's season was ended by an anterior cruciate ligament injury) and Benetton in the URC and La Rochelle in the Champions Cup, Ulster secured qualification for the last 16 of the Champions Cup with a home win over Sale. They reached the Six Nations break with a bonus point home win against the Stormers, sitting at third in the URC table and second in the Irish shield. Academy lock Harry Sheridan made his senior debut in the away defeat to La Rochelle. Six Nations international break

Five Ulster players were called up to the initial Ireland squad for the 2023 Six Nations Championship: Iain Henderson, Rob Herring, Tom O'Toole, Stuart McCloskey and Jacob Stockdale. Tom Stewart was later added to the squad as cover for the injured Ronan Kelleher, Nick Timoney was added to the squad ahead of the fourth match against Scotland, and Kieran Treadwell was called up for the fifth match against England. James McNabney, Rory Telfer and Joe Hopes all featured for Ireland in the U20 Six Nations. During the Six Nations, Ulster played three away games, losing to Glasgow Warriors, before travelling to Durban to defeat the Sharks in a fixture rearranged from October, and then defeating Cardiff. This left Ulster in third. Centre Jude Postlethwaite made his senior debut in the away win against Cardiff. Third block

Ulster finished the URC regular season with three home games. In the first of these three, they defeated the Bulls, with Tom Stewart scoring a hat-trick. This result made them the first European team in the URC to beat all four South African sides in the same season. The following week they went out of the Champions Cup in the round of 16, losing 30-15 to Leinster at the Aviva Stadium. Back in the URC, they moved into second with a bonus point win against the Dragons 40-21, with Tom Stewart scoring another hat-trick. The following week they secured second place with a home win over Edinburgh, earning a home quarter-final against Connacht, which they lost 10-15. Wing Jacob Stockdale made his 100th appearance for the province, and hooker Rob Herring equalled the all-time appearance record with 229, alongside Andrew Trimble and Darren Cave. URC awards
Tom Stewart was the URC's Top Try Scorer with 16, a record for the competition - beating the 14 scored by Edinburgh's Tim Visser in 2010-11 and the Cheetahs' Rabz Maxwane in 2018-19, and the Next-Gen Player of the Season award for players under 23 who have fewer than five international caps. Ulster Rugby Awards
The 2023 Ulster Rugby Awards were announced online on 1 June. Winners were:

Men's player of the year: Tom Stewart
Supporters' club player of the year: Tom Stewart
Rugby writers' player of the year: Stuart McCloskey
Young men's player of the year: Stewart Moore
Women's player of the year: Kelly McCormill, Cooke RFC
Young women's player of the year: Sadhbh McGrath, Cooke RFC
Club player of the year: George Pringle, Ballynahinch RFC
Referee of the year: Peter Martin
Boys' youth player of the year: Ben Neely, Coleraine RFC
U18 girls' player of the year: Ruby Starrett, Larne RFC
Boys schools' player of the year: Jacob Boyd, RBAI
Girls schools' player of the year: Scarlett Keys, Enniskillen Royal Grammar School

Future
Signings announced for next season include South African prop Steven Kitshoff, from the Stormers, and flanker Dave Ewers, from Exeter Chiefs. Flanker Jordi Murphy announced his retirement at the end of the 2022-23 season. Lock Frank Bradshaw Ryan left for Montauban. Wings Rob Lyttle and Craig Gilroy announced they would leave at the end of the season. Hooker Declan Moore and scrum-half Michael McDonald will move to Connacht on a season-long loan. Five academy players will join the senior squad on development contracts: lock Harry Sheridan, scrum-half Conor McKee, hooker James McCormick, back row forward Reuben Crothers and centre Ben Carson. Staff

Squad

Senior squad

Players in
 Frank Bradshaw Ryan from  Nevers 
 Jake Flannery from  Munster
 Michael McDonald from  Western Force
 Shea O'Brien from  City of Armagh 
 Sean Reffell from  Saracens
 Rory Sutherland from  Worcester Warriors
 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen from  Wasps

Promoted from academy
 Jude Postlethwaite

Players out
 Ross Kane to  Ealing Trailfinders 
 Mick Kearney retired
 Jack McGrath retired
 David O'Connor to  Ealing Trailfinders 
 Sean Reidy released
 Bradley Roberts to  Dragons

Academy squad

Players in
  Joe Hopes from  Regent House
  Lorcan McLoughlin from  QUB
  James McNabney from  Cambridge House
  Rory Telfer from  Coleraine Grammar School
  Scott Wilson from  Wallace High School. Players out
  Lewis Finlay to  Ampthill
  Azur Allison
  Conor Rankin to  Ampthill

Ulster 'A'
The following players, other than players from the senior squad and academy, appeared for Ulster 'A this season. 2022–23 European Rugby Champions Cup

Group stage

Round of 16

2022–23 United Rugby Championship

Quarter-final

Notes

Friendlies

Ulster 'A'

Home attendance

Senior club rugby

All-Ireland League

Ballynahinch were Ulster's only club in Division 1A, finishing fifth. City of Armagh achieved promotion by finishing first in Division 1B; Banbridge finished 9th and Malone were tenth, and both were relegated. Queen's University were promoted after finishing first in Division 2A; Ballymena were seventh. In Division 2B, Dungannon were third, Rainey Old Boys sixth, and Belfast Harlequins seventh. And in Division 2C, Instonians finished first and were promoted; Bangor were sixth and Omagh Academicals 7th. Clogher Valley were promoted to the All-Ireland League for the first time after finishing top of the Ulster Rugby Championship and winning playoffs against Leinster's Bective Rangers and Munster's Richmond. Ulster Rugby Premiership Division 1

League table

Ulster Rugby Premiership Division 2

League table

Ulster Senior Cup

References

2022-23
2022–23 in Irish rugby union
2022–23 United Rugby Championship by team
2022–23 European Rugby Champions Cup by team