‘Ending That Drought Has Given Us A Huge Boost’ – Hogan

Brittany Hogan and Ulster are looking to continue where they left off in last season’s Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship, having ended their long winless run at the play-off stage almost twelve months ago.

The Ulster Women return to Virgin Media Park, the scene of that uplifting 36-14 win over Connacht, when they open the new season against Munster on Saturday (kick-off 2.30pm – live on TG4/BBC iPlayer). Tickets are available here.

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Finishing third last year thanks to their first Interprovincial victory in almost 11 years means Ulster head into their second campaign under Murray Houston with plenty of enthusiasm and momentum.

Kathryn Dane has returned from almost two years out due to a brain haemorrhage. She takes over the captaincy from Beth Cregan, who is currently teaching in Australia, and Hogan’s own leadership skills will be utilised as vice-captain.

“Training has been fantastic. We have a great mix of experienced players and exciting new talent coming through,” said the Ireland back rower.

“The return of Vicky Irwin and Kathryn Dane, who is also our new captain, has been incredible. It’s a really positive atmosphere.

“I still feel like a new player myself! But it’s great to see so many young players coming through. They bring such energy and enthusiasm. I like to think I can share my experience and support them as they develop.”

There are set to be a number of changes to Ulster’s back-line, with Ella Durkan, Maeve Liston, and Niamh Marley – the starting back-three from the Connacht game – absent from this year’s squad.

That influx of youth that Hogan mentioned includes Cara O’Kane, Sophie Meeke, and Tara O’Neill, who have come up through the age-grade ranks together, and Paige Smyth and Lucy Thompson who both played for the Ireland team at June’s FISU World University Championship Rugby Sevens.

Winning in Cork last September has certainly whetted appetites within the Ulster set-up, and their head coach Houston, who came across from Scotland to Belfast three years ago, told the players this week to ‘have high expectations of yourself, because we are more than capable of achieving’.

Speaking about how important that win was in instilling more belief and confidence in the group, Hogan explained: “It was an incredible feeling to end that drought. It’s given us a huge boost in confidence.

“We want to build on that success and make Ulster a destination for ambitious players. It’s one thing to talk about winning, but it’s another to actually do it.

“Crossing that try-line gives you belief. It’s a momentum game, and we’re determined to keep that momentum going.”

Women’s and girls rugby is definitely on the up in Ulster when you consider that the province recently celebrated its 1000th female youth player, a milestone that highlights the increasing popularity of the sport among young girls in Belfast and beyond.

With bigger attendances at the Interprovincial matches, and the Ulster Women entertaining both Connacht and Leinster at Kingspan Stadium before the east Belfast ground hosts the finals days on August 31, Hogan is mindful of the positive impact these games could have on some potential stars of the future.

Continuing to increse squad depth from underage level up to the senior sides is vital across all four provinces, and with Ireland competing in WXV1, the Guinness Women’s Six Nations, and the Women’s Rugby World Cup over the coming year, the platform is there to grow both the elite and grassroots game here.

“It’s fantastic to see so many young girls getting involved in the game,” acknowledged the Killinchy woman, who was an Under-18 Interprovincial title winner with Ulster in 2016, alongside the likes of Irwin, Neve Jones, Claire Boles, and Kelly McCormill.

“The progression it’s made in such a short number of years has been a credit to our Development Officers. We need to continue to create pathways for these players to progress to senior level. The more players we have, the stronger our squads will be.”

2023/24 marked Hogan’s best season to date, going from that historic Ulster win to winning silverware with Ireland (WX3) and the Wolfhounds (Celtic Challenge), and then a third place finish in the Six Nations that earned qualification for WXV1 and the 2025 World Cup.

She delivered consistently strong performances, particularly on home soil at Kingspan Stadium where she was the player-of-the-match when Scott Bemand’s charges closed out the Six Nations with that hugely important 15-12 triumph over Scotland in April.

Ever-present at number 8 during the 2023 Six Nations, she added to her individual accolades when being crowned the Ulster Women’s Player of the Year. In addition, she was nominated for the Rugby Player Ireland Women’s 15s Player of the Year award.

Aiming to continue on an upward trajectory in the white and green jerseys, the 25-year-old added: “Winning WXV3 gave us the platform to build confidence for the Six Nations. The new coaching staff and leadership brought us together as a team.

“We’re excited to test ourselves against the best in WXV1. We’ve created a strong sense of belonging, we know each other on and off the field. That connection is crucial for performance. When the pressure is on, you know you have your team-mates’ backs.

“Winning player-of-the-match against Scotland was unexpected. It’s a team game, and I owe it to my team-mates. Being named Ulster Women’s Player of the Year was incredibly humbling.

“To be nominated alongside players like Niamh Marley and Ella Durkan, who both had amazing Interpros, was surreal. I couldn’t believe it.

“I texted Beth Cregan, our captain last year, she’s my best friend. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve actually won this’. We met through playing at Ulster together, and it was such a proud thing for me.”