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The 42
5 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
Niall Annett leaving Bath to take up coaching job with Ulster
NIALL ANNETT IS leaving Bath to take up a coaching role with Ulster, his home province. The 34-year-old hooker began his career with Ulster in 2011 before moving to Worcester Warriors in 2014. Annett, a former captain of the Ireland U20 team, joined Bath from Worcester in 2022 and has made 23 appearances this season. He came off the bench in the final quarter this month when Bath beat Lyon in the Champions Cup final. Advertisement Annett, as well as provincial pathway coach Jonathon Graham, have been appointed as Ulster's new elite player development officers. Both Annett and Graham will focus on developing forwards, with Annett specialising in set piece work and scrummaging, according to Ulster. In 2021 Annett completed the England Rugby Advanced Coaching Award, the highest qualification achievable while playing professionally. Bath's head of rugby Johann van Graan said: 'I first met Niall on his podcast, and he made an immediate impression on me. 'Niall joined our journey on day one, July 11, 2022, and has made a massive contribution across the last three years on and off the field. 'He is tough to beat, and he will make a fantastic coach. Niall is a family man, and I wish them the very best.' Annett said: 'The Rec will always hold a special place in our hearts. Claire and I came here with a little baby girl, and now we're leaving with a little woman (with a lovely English accent) and as a family will have memories that will last a lifetime. 'To all the players, staff, and everyone behind the scenes – thanks so much. It's been a pleasure being part of the club. I've loved every minute. 'We as a family are very excited to be coming back home to Belfast and starting a new chapter with Ulster Rugby. 'I've had some brilliant playing experiences and been part of some great clubs in my playing career and I'm now eager to apply that knowledge into coaching and challenge myself. 'I'm excited to work alongside all the quality existing coaches and players and help develop talent throughout Ulster Rugby.'
Belfast Telegraph
5 days ago
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Former Ulster hooker to take up development role with province after retiring from playing
The 34-year-old brings down the curtain on his 14-year professional career that saw him play three seasons for his home province before moving to Worcester Warriors in 2014, for whom he made over 100 appearances, and then finish his career at Bath, as well as making one appearance for the Barbarians. Annett retires off the back of winning the Challenge Cup with Bath last week, coming off the bench as a substitute in their victory over Lyon in the Final, and could yet end the year by doing the double, with Johan van Graan's side guaranteed top seeding in the Premiership Play-Offs, which begin next weekend. As well as playing while in England, the former Methodist College student also progressed in his coaching ambitions by achieving his England Rugby Advanced Coaching Award in 2021, paving the way for him to take up his new role with Ulster. Annett delivered an emotional retirement post on X, and commented on returning to the province where it all started: 'We as a family are very excited to be coming back home to Belfast and starting a new chapter with Ulster Rugby. 'I've had some brilliant playing experiences and been part of some great clubs in my playing career and I'm now eager to apply that knowledge into coaching and challenge myself. "I'm excited to work alongside all the quality existing coaches and players and help develop talent throughout Ulster Rugby.' We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Annett will be joined in the role by Jonathon Graham, who has been promoted to the same position having previously been a provincial pathway coach with Ulster in which he pioneered the Talent ID programme within the province. 'I'm really excited to get stuck into this new role. Having been involved in the pathway for a number of years, I can see the talent coming through and my goal is to help prepare these players for senior rugby as much as possible,' commented Graham, who also coaches the Ulster Schools side. 'It's always a great source of pride to see players who come through the pathway play for the senior side and we want to develop the next generation of Ulster players.' Ulster's general manager Bryn Cunningham added: 'We are delighted that Niall and Jonny have taken up the opportunity to become our EDPOs. These roles are key in our strategy for the next few years, and we want to help deliver top-class coaching to our young forwards. 'It's great to welcome Niall back home, particularly as he brings significant set-piece expertise around the scrum and lineout, having been at the coalface for so many years in several high-performance environments. 'Jonny has been doing great work at Ulster Rugby over the past number of years, specifically within our age-grade coaching department and talent ID programme. "Both are ambitious coaches, with a real passion for nurturing talent and we look forward to seeing them both play a big part in developing the players of the future.'
