Former World 7s Player of the Year and Wallaby among Ulster leavers

South African former World 7s Player of the Year Werner Kok and Wallaby prop Angus Bell headline the list of 11 senior players leaving Ulster at the end of the season.

Two Ulster centurions will also say farewell – hooker John Andrew and scrum-half David Shanahan, who’ve made 137 and 104 appearances for the province, respectively.

“I had the privilege of being teammates with both John and Dave, both of whom have made a big impact both on and off the pitch and have been valuable stalwarts of the senior squad,” said Ulster general manager Rory Best.

“Both have made over 100 appearances in the jersey and have been fantastic teammates, setting a high level of professionalism for others to follow.”

Kok, a Commonwealth and Olympic medallist in the shortened format of the game, joined Ulster on a two-year deal in 2024 and has scored 12 tries in 33 games.

Meanwhile, Bell has been in Belfast on a short-term sabbatical since December, and has made 15 appearances.

The departees will be thanked for their service to the club at tonight’s URC Round 18 fixture against Glasgow Warriors at Affidea Stadium.

Ulster leavers (senior caps in brackets):

John Andrew (137)
Angus Bell (15)
Matthew Dalton (23)
James Humphreys (8)
Werner Kok (33)
Ben Moxham (41)
Rory McGuire (1)
Bryan O’Connor (5)
Marcus Rea (59)
Sean Reffell (16)
David Shanahan (104)