Belfast Telegraph

Ah You eager to revive his career after leaving to join Newcastle

- BY JONATHAN BRADLEY

ULSTER prop Rodney Ah You has left Kingspan Stadium to join Newcastle Falcons in the Aviva Premiershi­p.

The 30-year old joined from Connacht in the summer of 2016, making 35 appearance­s for the side in two and a bit seasons.

The native Kiwi won three caps for Ireland, all before his time in Ulster, making his debut against Argentina in the summer of 2014.

He didn’t feature for the senior side this season however, and indeed his last act in an Ulster jersey was a red card in an A game.

“I’m pretty stoked that Dean Richards came after me,” said Ah You. “I’ve played at Newcastle a couple of times with Connacht. I’ve watched them get a couple of really good wins recently in the Champions Cup and there are a lot of good things going on around the place.

“I can play on both sides of the front row if needed. Tighthead is where I have been playing mainly but I can jump over if the coaches need me to.”

The Falcons were last season’s surprise package in England, making the end-of-season playoffs, but have struggled in the league this term and currently sit bottom of the table with just one win so far.

Their Director of Rugby Dean Richards said: “Rodney has been a proven performer at a high level for a number of years now and he will definitely add to what we already have here.”

Ah You becomes the fourth player to leave Ulster since the start of the season, following the retirement­s of Chris Henry, Pete Browne and Jean Deysel.

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