David McCann and Ross Kane commit their futures to Ulster

David McCann and Ross Kane become the latest pair to commit their futures to Ulster ahead of the 2021/22 season.

A natural leader, David McCann, took his schools’ rugby team at RBAI to the semi-finals of the 2018 Danske Bank Ulster Schools Cup. The Belfast native has also captained at Ireland U19 and U20 level and, more recently, has led the Ulster ‘A’ squad.

The 20-year old back row, who made his senior debut against Benetton in October, will spend one year as a Development player before being upgraded to a Senior Professional contract. On his deal, McCann, said:

“I’m delighted to have graduated from the Academy to become a member of the Senior squad. There is a strong group, and I am proud to be a part of that moving forward.”

Ulster Rugby Head Coach, Dan McFarland, said:

“David is a promising young back-rower, who at 20 years old, has already shown his leadership qualities by captaining the Irish U20s, and the Ulster ‘A’ team this season. A dynamic ball-carrier with a good footballing brain, we are confident that David will continue to develop into an excellent player.”

26-year-old Ross Kane from Bangor captained the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup-winning Methodist College team in 2013 and went on to represent Ireland at Under-20 level. A product of the Ulster Rugby Academy, the tighthead prop made his senior Ulster debut versus Dragons in September 2016. He made his 50th appearance for the province during last weekend’s victory over Ospreys.

“I’m delighted to have signed-on with Ulster for another year, and to continue to represent my home club. This next year will be extremely exciting for the squad as we continue to improve and push for trophies.”

McFarland added: “It’s great to have Ross continuing with Ulster. He has an excellent knowledge of the game, and his strong scrummaging and ability to play ball in hand gives us real competition on the right hand side of the scrum.”