Scrum-half Cooney to leave Ulster at end of season

John Cooney's 11 Ireland caps have come during his eight-year stint at Ulster

Ulster have said scrum-half John Cooney will leave the Irish province at the end of the season.

Cooney, 34, will move to Brive in France after an eight-year stint at the Kingspan Stadium club.

The Dublin-born player, who had spells at Leinster and Connacht, won his 11 Ireland caps during his time at Ulster.

Cooney quickly became a fans' favourite after joining Ulster from Connacht in the summer of 2017.

"Playing for Ulster has always been an absolute privilege for me and I have never taken for granted how much this club means to so many people," said Cooney.

Ulster head coach Richie Murphy said the Cooney "has built up a special connection with the supporters here through his passion and commitment to the jersey".

"John is a big personality in the team and we will miss having him in the building," added Murphy.

"He drives the highest standards of himself and those around him and I know he will continue that for the remainder of the season."

The Irish province's general manager Bryn Cunningham described Cooney as "one of the most influential players in the modern era for Ulster".

"On a personal level, he has more than repaid the faith we showed in him, and, with a French move always something he wanted to explore, we wish him nothing but success in the next chapter of his career," said Cunningham.

Brive are currently in third place in the French D2 table.

John Cooney won 11 caps for Ireland between 2017 and 2020

Cooney leaves huge shoes to fill at Ulster - analysis

When John Cooney arrived at Ulster in the summer of 2017, he famously said that he would rather have big boots to fill than small ones.

The scrum-half, who was joining the third province of his then nomadic career, had been brought north from Connacht to replace Ulster legend Ruan Pienaar.

The manner in which the Springbok had been forced to depart Kingspan Stadium had left a sour taste in the mouths of supporters and it says much about Cooney's early contributions that he filled the void in the nine jersey seamlessly.

The native Dubliner instantly looked at home in Belfast, seemingly quick to take the city to his heart with the Ulster fanbase responding in kind.

Across the first half of his eight years with the side, there were few scrum-halves in Europe displaying better form.

A player who seemed to lift his game on the big stage such as the Champions Cup, Covid-19 halted his progress at the worst possible time.

He had looked set to start for Ireland against Italy in the Six Nations in March of 2020 but, when the game resumed after lockdown, his chances at international level appeared to have diminished and in the end the last of his 11 caps was in the final game before the pandemic.

Losing his place in the Ulster side for the Pro12 final that same year will have been a bitter pill to swallow too but his passion for his adopted province never seemed to waver.

A Heineken Cup winner at Leinster and league champion with Connacht, the 34-year-old never managed silverware at Ulster but, neither that nor his lack of international recognition, will diminish his standing among Ulster fans.

Ultimately, the man who replaced Pienaar turned out to be the province's best signing since the South African World Cup winner.