Steven Hutton: Team Manger

How did you get involved with the Ulster women’s rugby squad, and what was your pathway to your new role as Team Manager?

I had previously been involved in managing various U16 Youth Rep. squads over the last couple of seasons and noticed the advertisement for Team Manager on the website. I submitted my CV, went through a formal interview process and was selected as Team Manager.

Does your experience of managing men’s rugby differ any from women’s?

As I stated I had been involved with different U16 Youth Rep squads over the past couple of seasons and in my mind, there are no differences in managing the women’s squad- at the end of the day rugby players are rugby players!

What is your main aim as a management team in seeing the women through their Inter-pro campaign?

We want to ensure that the team is fully prepared, both physically and mentally, that they are well organised, with a clear game plan, and that they are supported by the management throughout the campaign. We also want to see the players develop individually and collectively as a team.

By delivering on these it should also increase the number of Ulster players in the Irish set-up.

What are you most looking forward to as a management team working towards the Inter-pros? What do you think will be your biggest challenges?

 I think delivering the results to reflect the hard work put in by everyone involved is what we’re all looking forward to- it’s great to be able to see the outcome of several months’ hard work and training.  Probably the biggest challenge, as I mentioned previously, will be ensuring that the team has the confidence and self-belief to achieve the results they deserve.

Are you interested in rugby outside of the ladies’ squad duties?

Absolutely! I’ve played rugby all my life, having had 17 seasons of senior rugby at N.I.F.C. and I’ve also been lucky enough to gain various representative honours throughout my career. I am currently a member of Belfast Harlequins RFC.

Graham Cloke: Head Coach

How did you get involved with the Ulster women’s squad, and what was your pathway to your new role?

I have been involved in coaching now from 2001, initially taking Larne U18s for a season, followed by 5 years coaching Larne Rugby 1st XV. I have my Level 1 accreditation and have nearly completed my level 2. I was involved in assisting the U16 Youth rep squads in 2007/8 season and was told about the position of Head Coach by a clolleague. I submitted my CV, went through being interviewed and was successful in gaining the post.

You’ve mentioned being involved in coaching men’s’ rugby- do you find that it differs much from women’s rugby in terms of coaching?

As stated above, I’ve been involved in the men’s game, and as far as differences go it is probably too early to say. One early point, though, would be that the women seem really eager to learn and have less pre- conceived ideas.

What is your main aim as part of the management team in seeing the women through their Inter-pro campaign?

We would like to improve the squad on a number of counts- namely numbers, fitness, organisation (on and off field) and support from the management team.

What are you most looking forward to about coaching the women towards the Inter-pros? What do you think will be your biggest challenges?

I think the biggest thing we’re looking forward to as a management team is achieving our goals and increasing the team’s performance. Perhaps the biggest challenge will be knitting the squad together and producing the right balance to match our game plan.

Are you interested in rugby outside of your coaching duties?

Unfortunately yes! I’ve played from school through to senior (Academy, Ards and NICFC), and veterans (Perennials), to now being Rugby Development officer at Larne Rugby Club. I also have two sons, both of whom have caught the bug already at mini level!