Ulster Coach Richie Murphy Addresses Potential Departures of Stockdale and Cooney

Ulster head coach Richie Murphy has stated that the club wishes for Jacob Stockdale and John Cooney to remain, despite reports linking both players with transfers to the French Top 14. Murphy also noted that the “group will move on without” any player who chooses to depart. French media outlets have reported potential moves to the Top 14 for Ireland wing Stockdale and scrum-half Cooney, whose contracts are set to expire at the conclusion of the current season. Stockdale, aged 28, recently rejoined the Ireland squad, featuring in the starting lineup for the November Test victory against Fiji. Cooney, 34, has been an integral member of the Ulster team since his transfer from Connacht in 2017. Nevertheless, his most recent of 11 Ireland caps was earned during the 2020 Six Nations. During a news conference held prior to Ulster’s Investec Champions Cup match against Toulouse on Sunday (15:15 GMT), Murphy commented, “They’ve both been brilliant players.” He continued, “At this time of year, with players off contract, there’s always going to be conversations about those things. “We don’t want to see them go. It’s like anything, if people decide to move on, well the group here will move on without them. “We’re trying to build something here going forward over the next number of years, hopefully the guys might want to be a part of that.”” Both Cooney and Stockdale are currently sidelined due to injury and will therefore be unavailable for Ulster’s upcoming fixture against the Champions Cup holders, Toulouse.