Stuart Olding

Stuart Olding (born 11 March 1993) is an Irish rugby union footballer.

A versatile back, who played at out-half, centre, and full-back, Stuart Olding represented Ireland at both Under 18 and Under 20 level. He made his debut for Ulster as a substitute against Leinster in December 2011, but just over a year later he established himself as a member of the senior squad. He scored his first try for Ulster, against Glasgow, in February 2013 and Olding scored four further tries in quick succession. Man-of-the-match awards against the Dragons and Connacht soon followed and Olding was regarded as one of the most exciting young players in Irish Rugby. His contract with Ulster Rugby was revoked in April 2018.

Rape and sexual assault case

On 25 July 2017, Olding and fellow Ulster Rugby player Paddy Jackson were accused of rape. Two other men faced charges of intent to pervert the course of justice and exposure with all four men charged together. The Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland stated: "it has been decided that there is sufficient evidence to prosecute four individuals." The case, which was scheduled to last for five weeks, was heard before Judge Patricia Smyth. Initially a jury of nine men and three women were sworn in, subsequently reduced to eleven as one male jury member was discharged on the grounds of ill-health.^[1] The trial started in January 2018, with prosecution and defence concluding their cases in late March. On 28 March 2018, after less than 4 hours of deliberation, the jury delivered a unanimous verdict of Not Guilty (following a direction from the judge that a unanimous verdict was required).^[2]

Olding's and Jackson's contracts were revoked by Ulster Rugby and the IRFU on 14 April 2018, following a review. A statement from the IRFU stated "In arriving at this decision, the Irish Rugby Football Union and Ulster Rugby acknowledge our responsibility and commitment to the core values of the game: Respect, Inclusivity and Integrity. It has been agreed, as part of this commitment, to conduct an in-depth review of existing structures and educational programmes, within the game in Ireland, to ensure the importance of these core values is clearly understood, supported and practised at every level of the game."^[3]

CA Brive

In May 2018 Olding signed for French club CA Brive who are managed by former Irish & Ulster player Jeremy Davidson. Olding & fellow clubmate had been lined with a move to Sale Sharks but the deal fell through after the club's raised concerns about the duo's image. ^[4]

References