Ulster Rugby is delighted to announce that fly-half Billy Burns has signed a two-year contract extension, keeping him at Kingspan Stadium until at least the summer of 2022.
Burns began his professional career as a 17-year-old at Gloucester, where he went on to make over 100 senior appearances for the Cherry and Whites before making the move to Ulster in the summer of 2018. Since then, he has cemented his place in the squad, amassing 28 appearances to date and contributing 54 points for the Province.
An exceptionally talented player, Burns quickly struck up a strong partnership with scrum-half John Cooney as Ulster’s first choice half-back pairing, and have already started together on 20 occasions. This season, Burns has started four of Ulster’s six games, including the home win over Cardiff when he captained the side for the first time.
Head Coach, Dan McFarland, said of the deal, “It is great news that Billy has committed to Ulster. He is still a young man who is desperate to keep learning and developing both as a player and athlete. He has already contributed hugely on the pitch throughout last year’s campaign and has demonstrated an excellent ability to lead a team. We’re all looking forward to Billy being a driving force in our group into the future.”
Burns commented on the extension,
“Since joining Ulster last summer, I’ve made it my home and have really enjoyed my time here. The support I’ve had has been incredible and we have a great group of players, so it was a no-brainer for me to extend my contract. Kingspan Stadium is a great place to play rugby and I’m really pleased that I’ve got at least another couple of years of that to look forward to.”
In injury news, it’s a bad update from the Ulster Medical department with several players set to spend time on the sidelines.
Sam Carter suffered a shoulder dislocation in last weekend’s Champions Cup Round 1 win over Bath. He will require surgery and is expected to be ruled out for approximately 3 months.
Jack McGrath is also due to undergo surgery for a thumb injury, and his availability to play will be monitored over the coming weeks.
Rob Lyttle sustained a shoulder injury, which will sideline him for an estimated 6-8 weeks.
Marcus Rea suffered a fractured jaw playing for Ballynahinch RFC. It is anticipated that he will return to play in approximately 6 weeks.
