2019–20 Ulster Rugby season
The 2019–20 season was Ulster's 26th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and Dan McFarland's second season as head coach. Lock Iain Henderson was named captain in place of retired hooker Rory Best. They competed in the Pro14 and the European Rugby Champions Cup. Both competitions were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, he later stages being played in August, September and October 2020. In the Pro14, Ulster finished second in Conference A, making the playoffs and qualifying for next season's Champions Cup. They beat Edinburgh in the semi-final, but lost to Leinster in the final. They finished second in Pool 3 in the Champions Cup, qualifying for the quarter-finals, where they were beaten by Toulouse.
| 2019–20 season | ||||
| Head Coach | Dan McFarland | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations Director | Bryn Cunningham | |||
| Captain | Iain Henderson | |||
| Pro14 | Final | |||
| European Rugby Champions Cup | Quarter-final | |||
| Top try scorer | All: John Cooney (10) | |||
| Top points scorer | All: John Cooney (180) | |||
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Academy players who made their debuts this season included centre Stewart Moore and wing Ethan McIlroy. Ulster led the league in defence. Scrum-half John Cooney and centre Stuart McCloskey made the Pro14 Dream Team. Cooney and number eight Marcell Coetzee were nominated for European Player of the Year. Cooney was leading scorer with 180 and leading try scorer with ten, and was named Ulster's Player of the Year.