Aidan Morgan has finished up at Ulster just a single season into his two-year deal with the United Rugby Championship club.
It was May 2024 when the province trumpeted the signing of the Irish-qualified out-half from the Hurricanes through to the summer of 2026
However, his maiden season in Belfast hasn’t worked out as well as he would have liked, and Morgan has now given an early release from his contract.
Morgan leaves Ulster
Ulster had high hopes for Morgan after he showed promise in his 25 Super Rugby Pacific appearances. But after a run of a dozen starts as the Irish side’s preferred No. 10, he fell down the pecking order and his final run for the club came as a sub in their Investec Champions Cup round of 16 loss away to Bordeaux in early April.
Morgan’s case wasn’t helped by the rapid first-team emergence of Jack Murphy, the son of head coach Richie, who was signed last summer to the Ulster academy.
Rather than a year of learning the ropes in the shadows, the 2024 World Rugby U20 Championship semi-finalist with Ireland quickly became the club’s first choice 10, starting in 11 of his 13 appearances since a December debut off the bench against Munster.
The situation at out-half was further complicated by the presence of James Humphreys, the son of IRFU high-performance boss David, in the first-team squad Murphy inherited from his predecessor, Dan McFarland.
“Aidan has been the consummate professional…”
A statement read: “Ulster can confirm that fly-half Aidan Morgan will depart the province this summer by mutual consent. The 23-year-old fly-half from Auckland joined the province last summer from the Super Rugby side, Hurricanes.”
Ulster general manager Bryn Cunningham said: “Aidan has been the consummate professional during his time here, but as the season unfolded, with opportunities more limited, we have mutually agreed to an early release, which we very amicably believe is in the best interests of both parties.
“We thank Aidan for all his efforts over the past season and wish him and his partner all the very best for their next chapter. Going into the 2025/26 season, we will have three fully contracted fly-halves, between 21 and 26 years of age, all of which we need to continue to develop and get the very best out of in the seasons ahead.”
Morgan added: “I want to thank Ulster fans, the players and staff for the part they have played in welcoming me in since joining last summer.
“I have enjoyed my time here in Belfast with Ulster, learning and growing as a player and a person. Thank you for the great memories and I wish everyone all the best for the future.”
