Hooker Declan Moore officially makes the move from Munster Rugby next season. A product of the Ulster Academy programme, Dublin-born, David Shanahan, is a livewire scrum-half known for his speed, excellent support lines, and try-scoring ability. The 28-year-old has notched up 78 appearances for the Ulster men, and is set to continue to bring his experience to the club with a new two-year contract. Former RBAI pupil, 19-year-old, Jude Postlethwaite, was the leading try-scorer in the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup in 2020, earning him a nomination for the competition’s Player of the Year. He joined the Ulster Rugby Academy in 2021 having already featured in the Ireland Under-20 Six Nations squad and represented Ireland at Sevens. The Lisburn native, who has also enjoyed success as part of the Ulster ‘A’ squad, is known for his physicality and pace, and he will continue to bring this to the province with a new deal that sees him sign a Development contract next season, followed by a 3-year Senior contract. A product of the province’s player pathway, 20-year-old, Ben Moxham made his Senior debut versus Connacht in December 2020 and has since made a further ten appearances for Ulster. The Larne man’s speed, skills, and athleticism, which have already been showcased on an international stage for the Ireland Under-20s and Ireland Sevens, resulted in his Academy contract recently being upgraded to a Development contract for the rest of this season. He will be further promoted to a Senior contract next year. New-Zealand born, and Irish-qualified, Declan Moore has recently joined-up with the Ulster squad from Munster Rugby as short-term injury cover, and has already impressed in training. The 25-year-old hooker, who grew up in Australia, made his Senior debut for Munster in their Heineken Champions Cup Round 1 fixture versus Wasps, having already lined out for Shannon RFC in the AIL and Munster ‘A’, this season. He is now signed-up to Ulster for the upcoming two seasons.
Head Coach, Dan McFarland, said:
We’re really encouraged by the squad that we’re building at Ulster. Dave has played an important role in our set-up for a number of years, and adds to the real quality we have at scrum-half. Dave’s competitiveness epitomises what we stand for in Ulster. Meanwhile, Jude and Ben are two very exciting young recruits from our successful Academy system. I look forward to seeing how they progress in the years ahead. We are also delighted to have secured Declan for the upcoming seasons who, as Irish-qualified, will be a welcome addition to our set-up that will add valuable depth to the squad.
