Ulster Rugby

Ulster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Ulster, is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from Ireland. They compete in the RaboDirect Pro12 and the Heineken Cup. The team represents the IRFU Ulster Branch, which is one of the four primary branches of the IRFU and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish province of Ulster, comprising six counties in Northern Ireland and three in the Republic of Ireland. Ulster play their home games at Ravenhill in Belfast, which has a capacity of 12,300.

Ulster turned professional along with the teams representing the other Irish provinces in 1995 and has competed in the Celtic League since it was founded in 2001, having previously competed in the annual interprovincial championship. Ulster won the Heineken Cup in 1999 and won the Celtic League in 2006.

Ulster have many youth teams and also the 'Phoenix Ulster Academy' which helps to develop talented young rugby players. The teams which Ulster field each season in various competitions are as follows: Ulster Youth (U18s), Ulster Schools (U18s), Ulster U19s, Ulster U20s, Ulster Ravens and of course the full Ulster XV.

Ulster's main shirt sponsor is Bank of Ireland. The team also has 2 other shirt sponsors, Belfast Telegraph and BT Group. The Ulster Rugby kit is manufactured by Kukri Sports.