Ulster Rugby is pleased to announce that seven new players will join the Ulster Rugby Academy for the 2024/25 season.
With the new season approaching, Ulster Rugby is welcoming a fresh group of talent to strengthen the province’s commitment to developing players who will advance to the senior men’s team.
This year’s academy intake is the largest in over five years, bringing the total to 20 promising young players.
Ulster Rugby Academy Manager, Gavin Hogg, commented:
“We are excited to welcome the new entrants to the Ulster Rugby Academy. The seven players joining us have shown great potential and have all participated in national pathway teams. We look forward to working with these players and aiding their development, alongside the 13 players progressing to Year 2 and Year 3 of our program.
The Ulster Rugby Pathway has demonstrated that players can progress with us and seize their opportunities in the Senior team when they arise.
In the 2023/24 season, we took great pride in seeing academy players such as Scott Wilson, James McNabney, Zac Solomon, Joe Hopes, and Lorcan McLoughlin make their senior debuts and significantly contribute to the senior team.
These players provide a great example to current academy members that opportunities to play at a higher level are available. I would like to thank all the coaches in the domestic clubs and schools who have supported these players up to the academy level.
We hope the players are excited to start their journey with us, supported by our staff, Head Coach Richie Murphy, and the senior staff, as they continue their rugby careers at Ulster Rugby.”
New Entrants (Year 1)
James McKillop (Second Row/Back Row)
James enters the academy as a player who can cover both second row and back row and is a former pupil of Foyle & Londonderry College. James returned mid-season after a shoulder injury and his performances for Queens University in AIL 1B saw him gain national selection with Ireland U20s in the U20 Six Nations. James will continue his academic studies at QUB next year.
Bryn Ward (Back Row)
Bryn enters the academy after a strong club season with Ballynahinch RFC and as a standout performer for Ireland U20s in their recent Six Nations campaign, where he was regular starter in the number 7 shirt. He is a former pupil of RBAI and played in the Danske Bank Schools’ Cup winning side alongside fellow academy talent, Jacob Boyd.
Clarke Logan (Scrum-Half)
Clarke joins the academy as a graduate from our NTS programme and is completing his studies at Coleraine GS. Clarke has represented Ulster age grade teams at U18 & U19 level and was recently capped at national level with Ireland U19s. Clarke played in the recent Development & A-team fixtures versus the New England Independents & Ireland U20s at Kingspan stadium. He is hoping to commence academic studies at QUB next year.
Jonny Scott (Centre)
Jonny joins the academy as a graduate from our NTS programme and is a former pupil of Dromore HS. Most recently he has been playing his club rugby with Banbridge RFC in AIL 2A. He has recently been capped at national level with Ireland U19s in fixtures against France and Wales. Jonny also played in the recent Development & A-team fixtures versus New England Independents & Ireland U20s at Kingspan stadium.
Jack Murphy (Fly-Half)
Jack joins the Ulster Academy as a new entrant off the back of excellent performances as part of the recent Ireland U20s squad, where he was a regular starter in the number 10 shirt. He is renowned for his strong kicking game and ability to manage a game. He is hoping to commence his academic studies at QUB next year, when he relocates to Belfast after the completion of the U20 Junior World Cup.
- Wilhelm de Klerk (Centre)
Wilhelm (Villie) joins the Ulster academy as a new entrant off the back of excellent performances as part of the recent Ireland U20s squad, where he was a regular starter in the number 13 shirt. Equally comfortable at 12, he has strong distribution skills with a sharp eye for putting himself and others into space. He is hoping to commence his academic studies at QUB next year when he relocates to Belfast, after the completion of the U20 Junior World Cup.
Sam Berman (Centre)
Sam joins the Ulster academy as a new entrant where he has had strong performances with Terenure in AIL 1A after returning from injury. He has been capped at Ireland U19s level and U20 level. Sam is equally adept at playing at 12 & 13, has excellent ability to influence attacking play and will be an exciting addition to the group.
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