Ulster have confirmed that Ireland international forwards Rob Herring and Nick Timoney are to stay with the province until the summer of 2025 at the earliest after the duo signed new deals on Thursday
South African-born hooker Herring and versatile backrower Timoney from Dublin will both be in action over the coming days, with Timoney named at openside for Ireland A for Friday night’s game against a New Zealand XV at the RDS and Herring named on the bench for Saturday’s November international against the Springboks at the Aviva Stadium.
A graduate of the Ulster Rugby Academy, 27-year-old Timoney topped the URC tackle chart last season with a 98 per cent success rate.
“I’m delighted to be extending my time at Ulster. We’ve got an incredibly exciting group at the moment, and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve over the next couple of years,” said Timoney.
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Herring, who has over 200 caps for Ulster to his name, said: “I’m delighted to sign on again with Ulster, a province I’m really proud to represent. From players to support staff, the club is full of great people whose standards and ambition to win are very high. That’s something I’m excited to continue to be a part of over the next couple seasons.”
On the news of retaining two key members of Ulster’s pack, head coach Dan McFarland said: “Both Nick and Rob exemplify the pace and physicality that we want to see from our forwards. They are first-class operators on the pitch and demonstrate that week-in, week-out for the club, as well as in an international setting.
“I look forward to both playing a key role in driving forward our ambitions in the seasons ahead, with their influence on our club extending far beyond what happens for 80 minutes on the pitch. It’s going to be an exciting couple of seasons ahead for these two players, and us as a collective.”
