Ulster

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Ireland wing Jacob Stockdale has ended speculation over his future by signing a new two-year deal with Ulster, keeping him at the club until 2027.

The 28-year-old had been linked with a move to France, but has committed his future to the Belfast-based club for the duration of the current World Cup cycle.

Stockdale enjoyed a strong 2023-24 season with nine tries in 16 United Rugby Championship games and has added three this term, leading to his Ireland return in last month's Autumn Nations Series win over Fiji.

The 2018 Six Nations Grand Slam winner and player of the tournament has made 127 appearances for Ulster having broken into the team in 2016.

"I'm delighted to sign for the next couple of seasons here," said Stockdale, who has 38 Ireland caps.

"I feel good about where my game is at and where this team is heading. There is a lot of excitement around the place with the young players coming up and I am enjoying my role as one of the experienced players in the team."

Stockdale has not played for Ulster since 18 October having returned from Ireland duty with what the club's head coach Richie Murphy described as a "significant" hamstring injury.

Ulster general manager Bryn Cunningham said: "Securing Jacob's future is key for us, given his importance in the team. It was no surprise to hear about interest in his signature from elsewhere, given his talent and special skillset.

"We believe we are seeing Jacob get back to the form he was showing before his long-term ankle injury a couple of years ago. He has showed great resilience and hard work to get back to that level of strength and fitness.

"A fit and confident Jacob is one of the deadliest wingers in rugby and we think the next couple of seasons will see the peak years of his career, both for Ulster and on the international stage in a green jersey."

Stockdale is the latest in a series of Ulster contract extensions in recent weeks with Ben Carson and Mike Lowry also having extended their deals. Ireland Sevens star Zac Ward also penned a three-year contract with the province after a successful trial period.

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Stuart McCloskey is set for a spell on the sidelines after sustaining a "significant hamstring injury" in Ulster's United Rugby Championship loss to Munster.

Ulster head coach Richie Murphy said the Ireland international will miss "quite a large number of weeks".

McCloskey will hope to regain fitness in time for the start of Ireland's Six Nations title defence at home to England on 1 February.

Ulster wing Zac Ward is a doubt for Saturday's interpro against Connacht after picking up an ankle knock in the Munster game.

While Stewart Moore remains out, there was some good news for Murphy as the province's long injury list appears to be easing.

Ben Carson, Ethan McIlroy, Jake Flannery and Nathan Doak, as well as Irish internationals Cormac Izuchukwu, Nick Timoney and Iain Henderson have all resumed team training following their recent injuries.

Murphy's side have lost their past five games and have just three wins from their 10 fixtures this season.

They sit 11th in the URC table ahead of the Connacht game in Galway as they seek a first win since October.

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Ulster's Werner Kok believes the side's struggles this season are an opportunity to show their character.

The province have lost their past five games and have just three wins from their 10 fixtures this season.

Sat 11th in the United Rugby Championship table after Friday's loss to Munster, they face Connacht in Galway on Saturday seeking a first win since October.

"It is tough," said Kok, who joined the side from the Sharks in the summer.

"I've been in this situation before, you can't really worry about what's on the outside and what other people say. It becomes more internal now and it actually brings out the character in the team.

"It is easy to see good character and good fight if it's going well, and it really brings out the boys' fight and character when it's not going that well. It's going to test us now."

Ulster have already beaten Connacht this season, coming out on top 32-27 when the teams met in Belfast, but Kok says they will need to be more clinical in attack this week than they were against Munster if they are to win in Galway.

"I haven't been there yet but I've heard it's pretty tough," he added.

"It's another Irish derby, so we'll sit down and see where we can improve but there are a lot of positives and whenever we get into the 22, we just have to get more points and we just have to take the game to them."

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Munster's interim head coach Ian Costello hailed the performance of centre Tom Farrell after his side beat Ulster 22-19 in Kingspan Stadium.

The summer signing from Connacht scored a hat-trick, including the winning try in the game's final minute, to help the southern province past Ulster who had prop Tom O'Toole sent off in the 31st minute.

"I can't stress enough how good Tom has been for us this season, he's played so many minutes," said Costello, whose side jumped from 11th to fifth in the United Rugby Championship [URC] table with the win.

"We were joking that he's played his quota from last season and we're not even halfway through yet.

"He's been brilliant on and off the pitch, but tonight was definitely his best on-pitch performance."

The 31-year-old has played all but 13 minutes of Munster's season so far, although will be asked to go again against Leinster on 27 December after his centre partner Alex Nankivell was injured in the incident that brought O'Toole's dismissal.

"He would have been looking for a rest soon, but Alex is going to get the next rest," added Costello.

"His hamstring isn't great after that clearout, so Tom will go another week and we'll give him a few days off after Christmas then."

Munster hooker Niall Scannell described Farrell's form as "unbelievable" since his switch to Thomond Park.

"Every time he touched the ball he was just a go-forward machine, but he's a hugely popular addition to the squad," he said.

"He's been unbelievable and I think you can see [that] when he gets on the front foot, with his skill set and particularly his handling game, he's just feeding fellas around him."

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Utility back Michael Lowry has become the latest player to commit his future to Ulster, signing a three-year extension that will keep him at the club until 2028.

The 26-year-old has made over 100 appearances for the province since his debut in 2018.

His outstanding form during the 2020-21 season earned him a place at full-back in the Pro14 dream team before marking his sole Ireland cap with two tries in the 2022 Six Nations win over Italy.

Lowry said he was "delighted" to extend his deal with Ulster.

"I am excited for the future of this group and looking forward to seeing where we can get to both as a team and individually," he added.

Ulster general manager Bryn Cunningham praised Lowry's "exemplary" attitude and professionalism.

"His versatility is also a huge strength, whether playing on the wing or at full-back, and his competitiveness on the pitch belies his physical stature," added Cunningham.

"With young backs coming through, Michael is the perfect role model for others to follow."

Lowry follows Ben Carson in extending his Ulster deal while on Thursday Ireland Sevens star Zac Ward signed a three-year contract after impressing during his trial period.

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Zac Ward has signed a three-year contract with UIster which will keep the winger at the club until 2028.

The 26-year-old joined Ulster on a trial after impressing for the Ireland Sevens side at the Paris Olympics in the summer.

Ward, whose father Andy won a European Cup with UIster in 1999, made his debut for the province in last week's Champions Cup defeat by Bordeaux.

"After the summer Olympics in Paris, I was ready for a change after some amazing experiences with the Ireland Sevens programme," said Ward, who has retained his starting spot for Friday's United Rugby Championship game with Munster.

"I always dreamed of playing for my home province as a boy, as I watched my dad play in an Ulster jersey growing up."

Ward, whose younger brother Bryn is part of Ulster's academy, added: "I'm also mates with a few of the guys who were already in the side and the others were fantastic in welcoming me into the set-up.

"With the help of the coaches, players and staff here, I want to kick on and hopefully make plenty of good memories playing for Ulster."

Ulster general manager Bryn Cunningham said: "We identified Zac as somebody who could be a good addition to the Senior squad, and we have been impressed with how he has settled into the group.

"Watching his performances in the Sevens game, we felt that he showcased a number of transferable skills for the XVs game, with his strengths in ball-carrying, his speed, aerial skills, and try-scoring ability all strong attributes for playing in the backfield.

"It's also a great example of someone who hasn't come through the traditional route into the senior men's side, so credit to Zac and the journey he has been on."

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Fit-again John Cooney has returned for Ulster's United Rugby Championship game against Munster on Friday (19:35 GMT), while academy fly-half Jack Murphy could make his debut off the bench.

Ireland Under-20 international Murphy, the son of head coach Richie Murphy, joined the Ulster academy from Leinster earlier this year.

The 20-year-old started all five of Ireland's games in this year's Under-20 Six Nations.

Scrum-half Cooney, who missed Ulster's Investec Champions Cup losses to Toulouse and Bordeaux, is recalled to partner Aidan Morgan in the half-backs.

There are four changes in the forwards. Andrew Warwick replaces Eric O'Sullivan at loosehead prop, Alan O'Connor deputises for injured captain Iain Henderson in the second row while James McNabney and Marcus Rea are recalled to the back row.

Zac Ward is retained on the left wing after making his debut in last week's defeat by Bordeaux.

As well as Henderson, Ulster are without Cormac Izuchukwu, Nathan Doak, Ben Carson, Stewart Moore and Jacob Stockdale.

Munster make six changes to the side that lost to Castres in Europe last weekend with Shane Daly, Paddy Patterson, John Ryan, Tom Ahern, Jack O'Donoghue and Gavin Coombes all recalled.

Ireland forwards Peter O'Mahony and Tadhg Beirne are not involved for Munster who, like Ulster, have three wins and four defeats in this season's URC.

Ulster: Michael Lowry; Werner Kok, Jude Postlethwaite, Stuart McCloskey, Zac Ward; Aidan Morgan, John Cooney; Andrew Warwick, Rob Herring, Tom O'Toole; Alan O'Connor (capt), Kieran Treadwell; James McNabney, Marcus Rea, David McCann.

Replacements: John Andrew, Eric O'Sullivan, Scott Wilson, Harry Sheridan, Matty Rea, Dave Shanahan, Jack Murphy, Rory Telfer.

Munster: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Shane Daly; Jack Crowley, Paddy Patterson; John Ryan, Niall Scannell, Stephen Archer; Tom Ahern, Fineen Wycherley; Jack O'Donoghue (capt), John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements: Eoghan Clarke, Dave Kilcoyne, Oli Jager, Evan O'Connell, Alex Kendellen, Ethan Coughlan, Rory Scannell, Brian Gleeson.

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Ulster centre Ben Carson has signed a three-year contract extension which will keep him at the club until 2028.

Carson, 22, made his first senior start in October and scored two tries in Ulster's United Rugby Championship defeat by Leinster at the end of November.

The Lisburn native won a Six Nations Grand Slam with the Ireland Under-20s under current Ulster head coach Richie Murphy in 2022.

"I'm so excited for what the future holds. It's been a dream of mine since I was young to play for Ulster, and this season I have earned more opportunities to stake my claim," said Carson, who missed Ulster's Investec Champions Cup loss to Bordeaux last weekend because of injury.

"For me, I want to keep developing my game and establish myself within the team in the months ahead."

Ulster general manager Bryn Cunningham said the club are "delighted" and are "excited to see how he grows in the Ulster jersey".

"He is a tenacious centre, who is busy around the park and has undoubtedly been one of the biggest improvers in our squad over the last 6-12 months," said Cunningham.

"That growth has translated into strong recent performances and Ben putting his hand up for selection every week."

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Forwards coach Jimmy Duffy says there has been a "lot of niggle" in training as Ulster look to end their disappointing run of form.

Ulster have lost their last four matches as they prepare to host inter-provincial rivals Munster in the United Rugby Championship on Friday.

Richie Murphy's side lost to Cardiff and Leinster in the URC either side of the autumn internationals, before heavy defeats by Toulouse and Bordeaux in Europe.

The defeat by Bordeaux in Belfast was particularity painful as the French side scored 26 unanswered points after Ulster worked their way into a first-half lead.

Duffy said he was focusing on the positives, rather than the negatives, and "all the signs are pointing in the right direction".

"The lads care which is the big thing," said Duffy.

"You can see it on their faces and there's been a lot of niggle in training over the last number of weeks, which is good - niggle in the right way.

"People want to get better and they want to win, so it'll come. It will come."

Despite the difficult run of form, albeit three of those matches were against some of the best teams in Europe, Duffy added that "it's not doom and gloom" within the squad.

"We've spoken about it being a young group and giving it time, but they're still ambitious.

"They've played the European champions and French finalists in the past two weekends, that is where you get burnt and get better.

"The lads are enjoying each other's company and working hard in there.

"We're on a journey as a club and we're trying to build pathways to make these guys as good as they can be."