2002–03 Ulster Rugby season

2002–03 Ulster Rugby season

Ground(s)	Ravenhill Stadium (Capacity: 12,500)
Coach(es)	Alan Solomons
Captain(s)	Andy Ward
Most appearances	Neil Doak (15)
Top scorer	David Humphreys (128)
Most tries	Neil Doak (3) Tyrone Howe (3) Neil McMillan (3)
League(s)	Heineken Cup (3rd in pool) Celtic League (semi-finalists)
← 2001–02 2003–04 →

The 2002–03 season was Ulster Rugby's eighth under professionalism, and their second under head coach Alan Solomons. They competed in the Heineken Cup and the Celtic League. No IRFU Interprovincial Championship was held this season.

In the Celtic League, they finished third in Pool A, qualifying for the playoffs. They beat Glasgow in the quarter-finals, but lost to Munster in the semi-finals. In the Heineken Cup, they finished third in Pool 6, missing out on the knockout stage. Bryn Cunningham was Ulster's Player of the Year. Flanker Neil McMillan won the IRUPA Young Player of the Year award.[1]

Staff

Position	Name	Nationality
Chief Executive	Michael Reid	Ireland
Director of Rugby	Alan Solomons	South Africa
Team manager	John McComish	Ireland
Forwards coach	Adrian Kennedy	Ireland
Backs coach	Mark McCall	Ireland
Assistant conditioning coach	John McCloskey	Ireland
Physiotherapist	Gareth Robinson	Ireland
Director of Elite Player Development	Allen Clarke	Ireland

Pre-season

Players in Neil Best from Belfast Harlequins[2] Nigel Brady from Dungannon[2] Warren Brosnihan from Natal Sharks[2] Robbi Kempson from Western Province[2] David Spence from Queen's University[3]

Players out David Allen (retired due to injury)[4] Robby Brink (retired)[5] Mark Crick (work permit expired)[6] Leopoldo de Chazal (released)[2] Brad Free (emigrated)[2] Mike Haslett to London Irish[7] Paddy Johns (retired)[8] Aidan Kearney to Leinster[9] Niall Malone (released)[2] Richard Weir (released)[2]

Squad

Ulster Rugby squad[10]
Props Robbi Kempson (14 apps, 14 starts) Justin Fitzpatrick (14 apps, 11 starts) Simon Best (8 apps, 5 starts) Clem Boyd Hookers Matt Sexton (14 apps, 14 starts, 5 pts) Paul Shields (8 apps, 1 start, 5 pts) Locks Jeremy Davidson (11 apps, 11 starts) Gary Longwell (10 apps, 10 starts) Mark Blair (11 apps, 8 starts) Paddy Johns (1 app) Matt McCullough	Back row Neil McMillan (14 apps, 14 starts, 15 pts) Warren Brosnihan (13 apps, 13 starts, 5 pts) Tony McWhirter (14 apps, 12 starts, 5 pts) Andy Ward (c) (7 apps, 5 starts, 10 pts) Russell Nelson (4 apps, 2 starts) Neil Best (7 apps, 10 pts) Scrum-halves Neil Doak (15 apps, 15 starts, 48 pts) Kieran Campbell (4 apps) David Spence Fly-halves David Humphreys (11 apps, 11 starts, 128 pts) Paddy Wallace (3 apps, 2 starts, 23 pts)	Centres Jonny Bell (10 apps, 10 starts, 5 pts) Ryan Constable (10 apps, 8 starts) Shane Stewart (10 apps, 8 starts, 5 pts) Adam Larkin (10 apps, 6 starts) Jan Cunningham (3 apps, 1 start, 5 pts) Wings James Topping (12 apps, 12 starts, 5 pts) Tyrone Howe (8 apps, 8 starts, 15 pts) Scott Young (8 apps, 5 starts, 5 pts) Sheldon Coulter (8 apps, 5 starts) Fullbacks Bryn Cunningham (14 apps, 14 starts, 8 pts)
(c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players. ^* denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality.[10]

2002–03 Heineken Cup

Main article: 2002–03 Heineken Cup

Pool 6

Team	P	W	D	L	Tries for	Tries against	Try diff	Points for	Points against	Points diff	Pts
Northampton Saints	6	4	0	2	21	10	11	172	110	62	8
Biarritz Olympique	6	4	0	2	14	5	9	138	73	65	8
Ulster	6	4	0	2	8	8	0	116	106	10	8
Cardiff	6	0	0	6	6	26	−20	78	215	−137	0

13 October 2002 16:30	Northampton Saints	32 – 9	Ulster	Franklin's Gardens
	Try: Dawson Leslie Con: Grayson (2) Pen: Grayson (5)	Report[11]	Pen: Humphreys (2) Doak	Attendance: 9,481 Referee: A. Lambardi
Ulster lineup: 1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Matt Sexton, 3. Robbi Kempson, 4. Gary Longwell, 5. Mark Blair, 6. Warren Brosnihan, 7. Neil McMillan, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Neil Doak, 10. David Humphreys (c), 11. Tyrone Howe, 12. Jonny Bell, 13. Shane Stewart, 14. James Topping, 15. Bryn Cunningham. Replacements: Adam Larkin (for Humphreys, 50)

18 October 2002 19:05	Ulster	25 – 6	Cardiff	Ravenhill
	Try: Young Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys (5) Drop: Humphreys	Report[12][13]	Pen: Harris (2)	Attendance: 11,000
Ulster lineup: 1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Matt Sexton, 3. Robbi Kempson, 4. Gary Longwell, 5. Mark Blair, 6. Warren Brosnihan, 7. Neil McMillan, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Neil Doak, 10. David Humphreys (c), 11. Tyrone Howe, 12. Jonny Bell, 13. Shane Stewart, 14. James Topping, 15. Bryn Cunningham. Replacements: Scott Young (for Howe, 9), Neil Best (for McWhirter, 59), Paul Shields (for Sexton, 65), Adam Larkin (for Bell, 75), Kieran Campbell (for Stewart, 79)

6 December 2002 19:15	Ulster	13 – 9	Biarritz	Ravenhill
	Try: Topping Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys (2)	Report[14][15]	Pen: Yachvili (2) Drop: Peyrelongue	Attendance: 11,650 Referee: Chris White
Ulster lineup: 1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Matt Sexton, 3. Robbi Kempson, 4. Gary Longwell, 5. Jeremy Davidson, 6. Warren Brosnihan, 7. Neil McMillan, 8. Andy Ward (c), 9. Neil Doak, 10. David Humphreys (c), 11. Scott Young, 12. Jonny Bell, 13. Ryan Constable, 14. James Topping, 15. Bryn Cunningham. Replacements: Adam Larkin (for Constable, 2), Sheldon Coulter (for Bell, 80)

14 December 2002 15:00	Biarritz	25 – 20	Ulster	Parc des Sports Aquil
	Try: Isaac Couzinet Cassin Con: Yachvili (2) Pen: Yachvili (2)	Report[16][17]	Try: J. Cunningham Ward Con: Doak (2) Pen: Doak (2)	Attendance: 8,000 Referee: D. Pearson
Ulster lineup: 1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Matt Sexton, 3. Robbi Kempson, 4. Gary Longwell, 5. Jeremy Davidson, 6. Warren Brosnihan, 7. Neil McMillan, 8. Andy Ward (c), 9. Neil Doak, 10. Adam Larkin, 11. Scott Young, 12. Jonny Bell, 13. Jan Cunningham, 14. James Topping, 15. Bryn Cunningham. Replacements: Sheldon Coulter (for Bell, 4), Simon Best (for Fitzpatrick, 61), Paul Shields (for Sexton, 61), Mark Blair (for Longwell, 61), Tony McWhirter (for McMillan, 61).

11 January 2003 14:45	Cardiff	21 – 33	Ulster	Cardiff Arms Park
	Try: Walne, Allen Con: Robinson Pen: Robinson (3)	Report[18][19]	Try: McMillan (2) penalty try Con: Humphreys (3) Pen: Humphreys (2) Drop: B. Cunningham	Attendance: 4,000 Referee: R. Goodcliffe
Ulster lineup: 1. Robbi Kempson, 2. Matt Sexton, 3. Simon Best, 4. Gary Longwell, 5. Jeremy Davidson, 6. Andy Ward (c), 7. Neil McMillan, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Neil Doak, 10. David Humphreys (c), 11. Sheldon Coulter, 12. Shane Stewart, 13. Ryan Constable, 14. James Topping, 15. Bryn Cunningham. Replacements: Paul Shields (for Sexton), Russell Nelson (for McWhirter).

17 January 2003 19:05	Ulster	16 – 13	Northampton Saints	Ravenhill
	Try: McMillan Con: Humphreys Pen: Doak Drop: Humphreys (2)	Report[20][21]	Try: Cohen Con: Grayson Pen: Grayson (2)	Attendance: 12,500 Referee: Joel Dume
Ulster lineup: 1. Robbi Kempson, 2. Matt Sexton, 3. Simon Best, 4. Gary Longwell, 5. Jeremy Davidson, 6. Andy Ward (c), 7. Neil McMillan, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Neil Doak, 10. David Humphreys, 11. Sheldon Coulter, 12. Shane Stewart, 13. Ryan Constable, 14. James Topping, 15. Bryn Cunningham. Replacements: Justin Fitzpatrick (for Best, 61), Russell Nelson (for McWhirter, 69).

2002-03 Celtic League

Main article: 2002–03 Celtic League

Pool A

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	Try bonus	Losing bonus	Pts
1	Munster	7	6	0	1	227	129	+98	25	12	4	0	28
2	Edinburgh	7	6	0	1	231	145	+86	24	13	2	1	27
3	Ulster	7	5	0	2	173	111	+62	15	9	1	1	22
4	Neath	7	4	0	3	153	121	+32	15	12	1	1	18
5	Llanelli	7	3	0	4	191	168	+23	23	16	3	2	17
6	Swansea	7	3	0	4	177	212	−35	18	22	3	1	16
7	Ebbw Vale	7	1	0	6	140	226	−86	16	27	1	0	5
8	Caerphilly	7	0	0	7	144	324	−180	17	42	2	1	3
Under the standard bonus point system, points are awarded as follows: 4 points for a win 2 points for a draw 1 bonus point for scoring 4 tries (or more) (Try bonus) 1 bonus point for losing by 7 points (or fewer) (Losing bonus)
Green background (rows 1 to 4) qualify for the knock-out stage. Source: RaboDirect PRO12

30 August 2002	Ebbw Vale	0 – 19	Ulster	Eugene Cross Park
19:15		Report[22]	Try: Wallace Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys (4)	Referee: Dave Pearson
Ulster lineup: 1. Robbi Kempson, 2. Matt Sexton, 3. Simon Best, 4. Gary Longwell, 5. Jeremy Davidson, 6. Andy Ward (c), 7. Warren Brosnihan, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Neil Doak, 10. David Humphreys, 11. Tyrone Howe, 12. Jonny Bell, 13. Ryan Constable, 14. Sheldon Coulter, 15. Paddy Wallace. Replacements: Mark Blair (for Davidson 30'), Justin Fitzpatrick (for S. Best 67').

6 September 2002	Ulster	18 – 19	Edinburgh	Ravenhill
19:30	Pen: Wallace (6)	Report[23]	Try: Laney Con: Laney Pen: Laney (3) Drop: Hodge	Attendance: 7,500
Ulster lineup: 1. Robbi Kempson, 2. Matt Sexton, 3. Simon Best, 4. Mark Blair, 5. Tony McWhirter, 6. Warren Brosnihan, 7. Neil McMillan, 8. Russell Nelson, 9. Neil Doak, 10. Paddy Wallace, 11. Tyrone Howe, 12. Jonny Bell, 13. Ryan Constable, 14. Sheldon Coulter, 15. Bryn Cunningham. Replacements: Justin Fizpatrick (for S. Best 21') Neil Best (for McMillan 21').

14 September 2002	Swansea	38 – 10	Ulster	St Helen's
14:30	Try: K. Morgan Robinson Gibbs Payne Con: A. Thomas (3) Pen: A. Thomas (4)	Report[24]	Try: Howe Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys	Attendance: 2,500
Ulster lineup: 1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Matt Sexton, 3. Robbi Kempson, 4. Mark Blair, 5. Jeremy Davidson, 6. Warren Brosnihan, 7. Neil McMillan, 8. Russell Nelson 9. Neil Doak, 10. David Humphreys, 11. Tyrone Howe, 12. Adam Larkin, 13. Jonny Bell (c), 14. James Topping, 15. Bryn Cunningham. Replacements: Neil Best (for Brosnihan 39-40'; for Nelson 40'), Paddy Wallace (for Humphreys 55'), Ryan Constable (for Bell 60'), Kieran Campbell (for Sexton 60'), Simon Best (for Fitzpatrick 62'), Tony McWhirter (for Davidson 65-78').

20 September 2002	Ulster	17 – 13	Neath	Ravenhill
19:30	Try: B. Cunningham Howe Con: Doak (2) Pen: Doak	Report[25]	Try: S. Williams Con: Jarvis Pen: Jarvis (2)	Attendance: 9,500
Ulster lineup: 1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Paul Shields, 3. Simon Best, 4. Mark Blair, 5. Jeremy Davidson (C), 6. Warren Brosnihan, 7. Neil McMillan, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Neil Doak, 10. Adam Larkin, 11. Tyrone Howe, 12. Shane Stewart, 13. Ryan Constable, 14. James Topping, 15. Bryn Cunningham. Replacements: Neil Best (for McWhirter 74'), Jan Cunningham (for Stewart 80').

27 September 2002	Ulster	26 – 17	Munster	Ravenhill
19:35	Try: Doak (2) Con: Doak (2) Pen: Doak (2)	Report[26]	Try: Lawler Pen: Staunton (2) Drop: Staunton Holland	Attendance: 6,000 Referee: P. Adams
Ulster lineup: 1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Matt Sexton, 3. Robbi Kempson, 4. Mark Blair, 5. Jeremy Davidson (C), 6. Warren Brosnihan, 7. Neil McMillan, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Neil Doak, 10. Adam Larkin, 11. Tyrone Howe, 12. Jonny Bell, 13. Ryan Constable, 14. James Topping, 15. Bryn Cunningham. Replacements: Scott Young (for Topping 34'), Paul Shields (for Sexton 54'), Paddy Johns (for Davidson 58'), Shane Stewart (for Bell 74'), Neil Best (for Brosnihan 80').

5 October 2002	Caerphilly	15 – 67	Ulster	Virginia Park
14:30	Try: Chiltern (2) Con: McLaughlin Pen: McLaughlin	Report[27][28]	Try: Neil Best (2) Howe Brosnihan McWhirter Stewart Bell Sexton Con: Humphreys (6) Pen: Humphreys (5)	Attendance: 750
Ulster lineup: 1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Matt Sexton, 3. Robbi Kempson, 4. Gary Longwell, 5. Jeremy Davidson, 6. Warren Brosnihan, 7. Neil McMillan, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Neil Doak, 10. David Humphreys, 11. Tyrone Howe, 12. Jonny Bell, 13. Ryan Constable, 14. Scott Young, 15. Bryn Cunningham. Replacements: Shane Stewart (for Constable 7'), Neil Best (for Fitzpatrick 50'), Mark Blair (for Longwell 55'), Kieran Campbell (for Doak 60'), Paul Shields (for McMillan 32-40', for Sexton 60'), Adam Larkin (for Bell 65').

25 October 2002	Ulster	16 – 9	Llanelli	Ravenhill
19:35	Try: Doak Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys Drop: Humphreys	Report[29]	Pen: Jones (3)	Attendance: 10,500 Referee: John Hogg
Ulster lineup: 1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Matt Sexton, 3. Robbi Kempson, 4. Gary Longwell, 5. Mark Blair, 6. Warren Brosnihan, 7. Neil McMillan, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Neil Doak, 10. David Humphreys, 11. Scott Young, 12. Adam Larkin, 13. Shane Stewart, 14. James Topping, 15. Bryn Cunningham. Replacements: Sheldon Coulter (for Topping 39'), Neil Best (for McWhirter 74').

Quarter final

30 November 2002	Glasgow	17 – 20	Ulster	Hughenden
14:45	Try: Steel Pen: Hayes (4)	Report[30]	Try: Shields Ward Con: Humphreys (2) Pen: Humphreys (2)	Attendance: 5,346
Ulster lineup: 1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Matt Sexton, 3. Robbi Kempson, 4. Mark Blair, 5. Jeremy Davidson, 6. Warren Brosnihan, 7. Neil McMillan, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Neil Doak, 10. David Humphreys, 11. Scott Young, 12. Jonny Bell, 13. Shane Stewart, 14. James Topping, 15. Bryn Cunningham. Replacements: Paul Shields (for Sexton 25'), Andy Ward (for McWhirter 47'), Ryan Constable (for Stewart 47').

Semi-final

3 January 2003	Munster	42 – 10	Ulster	Thomond Park
19:35	Try: Hayes Quinlan Kelly Mullins Galwey Con: O'Gara (3), Keane Pen: O'Gara (3)	Report[31]	Try: Humphreys Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys	Attendance: 12,000 Referee: H. Watkins
Ulster lineup: 1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Matt Sexton, 3. Robbi Kempson, 4. Gary Longwell, 5. Jeremy Davidson, 6. Warren Brosnihan, 7. Neil McMillan, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Neil Doak, 10. David Humphreys (c), 11. Sheldon Coulter, 12. Adam Larkin, 13. Shane Stewart, 14. James Topping, 15. Bryn Cunningham. Replacements: Simon Best (for McMillan 17'), Jan Cunningham (for Larkin 34'), Scott Young (for B. Cunningham 48'), Andy Ward (for McWhirter 48'), Paul Shields (for Sexton 65'), Kieran Campbell (for Doak 76').

Home attendance

Domestic League					European Cup					Total
League	Fixtures	Average Attendance	Highest	Lowest	League	Fixtures	Average Attendance	Highest	Lowest	Total Attendance	Average Attendance
2002–03 Celtic League	4	8,375	10,500	6,000	2002–03 Heineken Cup	3	11,717	12,500	11,000	68,650	9,807

Friendlies

9 August 2002	Scottish Borders	0-31	Ulster	Greenyards, Melrose
	Try: Ward Davidson Larkin B. Cunningham Con: Larkin (3)	Report[32]

16 August 2002	Ulster	29-7	Bedford Blues	Ravenhill, Belfast
	Try: B. Cunningham (2) Topping Ward Blair Con: Larkin (2)	Report[33]	Try: Pritchard Con: Pritchard
Ulster lineup: 1. Justin Fitzpatrick, Matt Sexton, 3. Clem Boyd, 4. Mark Blair, 5. Jeremy Davidson, 6. Andy Ward (c), 7. Russell Nelson, 8. Neil McMillan, 9. Kieran Campbell, 10. Adam Larkin, 11. Jan Cunningham, 12. Jonny Bell, 13. Ryan Constable, 14. James Topping, 15. Bryn Cunningham. Replacements: Paul Shields (for Sexton 40'), Robbi Kempson (for Fitzpatrick 50'), Reece Spee (for Campbell 75'), Neil Best (for Nelson 80').

23 August 2002	Ulster	19-19	Glasgow	Ravenhill, Belfast
	Try: Sexton Young (2) Con: Larkin (2)	Report[34]	Try: Hayes Con: Hayes Pen: Hayes (4)
Ulster lineup: 1. Justin Fitzpatrick, 2. Matt Sexton, 3. Clem Boyd, 4. Tony McWhirter, 5. Jeremy Davidson, 6. Andy Ward (c), 7. Warren Brosnihan, 8. Russell Nelson, 9. Neil Doak, 10. Adam Larkin, 11. Sheldon Coulter, 12. Jonny Bell, 13. Ryan Constable, 14. Shane Stewart, 15. Bryn Cunningham. Replacements: Scott Young, Seamus Mallon, Kieran Campbell, Robbi Kempson, Paul Shields, Mark Blair, Robby Brink.

27 December 2002	Ulster XV	48-12	Celtic Warriors XV	Gibson Park, Belfast
	Try: Davidson Blair McMillan Coulter Topping J. Cunningham N. Best Con: Doak (4)	Report[35]	Try: Moir Callaghan Con: Longstaff
Ulster lineup: 1. Robbi Kempson, 2. Matt Sexton, 3. Justin Fitzpatrick, 4. Mark Blair, 5. Jeremy Davidson, 6. Warren Brosnihan, 7. Neil McMillan, 8. Tony McWhirter, 9. Neil Doak, 10. Kieran Campbell, 11. Jan Cunningham, 12. Sheldon Coulter, 13. Ryan Constable, 14. James Topping, 15. Scott Young. Replacements: Neil Best (for Constable 40'), Roger Wilson (for Doak 58'), Paul Shields (for Sexton 60'), Simon Best (for Kempson 60').[36]

Ulster Rugby Awards

The Ulster Rugby Awards ceremony was held at the Ramada Hotel on 15 May 2003. Winners were:[37]

• Ulster Player of the Year: Bryn Cunningham
• Guinness Rugby Personality of the Year: Allen Clarke
• Club Ulster Supporters Player of the Year: Robbi Kempson
• Schools Player of the Year: Andrew Trimble, Coleraine Academical Institution
• Club Team of the Year: Ballymena R.F.C.
• Dorrington Faulkner Award: Ivan Coffey
• Club PRO: John Dickson
• Youth Player of the Year: Stephen Ferris
• Coach of the Year: Tom McGaw
• Club of the Year: Ballynahinch RFC
• Merit Award: Scott Gardiner, Monaghan Rugby Club

References

1. Kieran Rooney, "Players' Player is Malcolm O'Kelly", Irish Independent, 9 May 2003
2. "Kempson finally signs", BBC Sport, 25 January 2002
3. "Spence in Ulster call", BBC Sport, 22 September 2002
4. "OC in Profile: Dave Allen (OC 1996)", OCA Magazine, 27 October 2022
5. "Former Bok retires from rugby", Irish Examiner, 6 September 2002
6. Brendan Fanning, "New twist for Crick", Irish Independent, 3 March 2002
7. Tony Ward, "Haslett signs for London Irish", Irish Independent, 19 December 2002
8. "Paddy Johns Retires as Ulster Name New Squad", Irish Rugby, 26 January 2002
9. "Brennan joins Toulouse", BBC Sport, 31 May 2002
10. "Ulster's 2002/3 squad", BBC Sport, 2 July 2002
11. "Grayson kicks Saints to eighth home win in a row", The Guardian, 14 October 2002
12. "Ulster too good for Cardiff", BBC Sport, 18 October 2002
13. Gavin Mairs, "Ulster need a cutting edge", Belfast Telegraph, 19 October 2002
14. "Topping try keeps Ulster hopes alive", Irish Independent, 7 December 2002
15. "Ulster upset French champions", BBC Sport, 6 December 2002
16. Micheal McGeary, "Ulster run out of luck", Sunday Life, 15 December 2002
17. "Biarritz edge out Ulster", BBC Sport, 14 December 2002
18. "Ulster edge past Cardiff", BBC Sport, 11 January 2003
19. Micheal McGeary, "Ulster have it all to do", Sunday Life, 12 January 2002
20. "Ulster win keeps slim hopes alive", BBC Sport, 17 January 2003
21. "Victory just not enough for Ulster", Irish Independent, 18 January 2003
22. "Scrappy victory for Ulster", BBC Sport, 30 August 2002
23. Gavin Mairs "Last gasp agony for jaded Ulster", Belfast Telegraph, 7 September 2002
24. "Swansea's blistering pace exposes Ulster's deficiencies", Irish Independent, 15 September 2002
25. "Ulster edge out Neath", BBC Sport, 20 September 2002
26. "Doak one-man show just too much for Munster", Irish Independent, 28 September 2002
27. Mark McAuley, "Over and rout... Ulster whip the Welsh boyos", Sunday Life, 6 October 2002
28. "Ulster hammer Caerphilly", BBC Sport, 5 October 2002
29. "Ulster sneak past Llanelli", BBC Sport, 25 October 2002
30. "Ulster hang on for victory", BBC Sport, 30 November 2002
31. "Fitzpatrick sees red as Munster waltz into final", Irish Independent, 4 January 2003
32. Richard Mulligan, "Borders are no match for White Knights", News Letter, 10 August 2002
33. Richard Bullick, "Ulster get rid of summer cobwebs", News Letter, 17 August 2002
34. Richard Bullick, "Last-gasp Scots deny Ulster win", News Letter, 24 August 2002
35. "Rugby: Injury overshadows game", Belfast Telegraph, 28 December 2002
36. Richard Bullick, "Injuries mar Ulster's not-so-friendly victory", News Letter, 28 December 2002
37. Gavin Mairs, "Clarke lands Ulster rugby's personality of the year title", Belfast Telegraph, 16 May 2003