Ulster Pull Of Deal For Player Who Was Set To Join Them In The Summer

Change of plans.

Ulster Rugby have revealed that Arno Botha will not join the club this summer as planned, following a detailed medical assessment on the player

The back-row forward was set to join the province on a two-year deal. The news means Ulster now have an extra NIQ spot ahead of next season, with another player surely set to take his place.

Commenting on the decision, Operations Director, Bryn Cunningham said:

“It’s unfortunate for both Arno and Ulster Rugby that we’ve had to come to this decision as we were looking forward to welcoming him to Kingspan Stadium. However, we have acted with the best interests of team performance in mind.

“We have meticulous processes in place for all player recruitment and having commissioned an independent medical assessment in South Africa, it was recommended that the risk had increased following his most recent injury. This view was shared by our own medical team.

“Everyone associated with Ulster Rugby sincerely hopes that Arno will go on to have a long and successful career.

“Once this decision was reached, we compiled an extensive list of potential targets and we will announce a signing to bolster the forward pack in due course.”