Ulster, and in particular, Dan McFarland, are really sitting on Aaron Sexton. The guy never plays.
Peter O'Reilly wrote an article in the Sunday Times about Irish wingers and a lack of pace, and I was surprised that he didn't mention Sexton in it, even in passing. He's got a properly timed 10.4 100m to his name: he is literally the fastest player to ever play provincial rugby in this country.
I thought that it was a glaring omission. I then reflected on just how few chances McFarland gives him.
Ulster brought him into the academy before the 2019-20 season [source:
https://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/ ... 38154.html ], announced that he was going to a development deal for next season in January 2021 – so for the 2021-22 season [source:
https://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/ ... 09159.html] - and that that deal would automatically become a senior deal for the 2022-23 season. He signed a renewal in April 2023 to keep him at Ulster until the end of the 2024-25 season.
2019-20: 0+0 [0 mins] - Academy Year 1
2020-21: 0+1 [72 mins] - Academy Year 2
2021-22: 0+2 [28 mins] - Development Contract
2022-23: 3+2 [233 mins] - Senior Contract
2023-24: 1+0 [80 mins] - Senior Contract