It has been a tumultuous 2024 for Ulster rugby.
Reported financial issues and off-field uncertainty saw CEO John Petrie leave his post, while the results on the pitch have taken a dip since their New Year's Day victory in the RDS against Leinster, somethin saw Head Coach Dan McFarland leave by mutual consent.
Now, star signing Steven Kitshoff is leaving the province less than six months after arriving in Belfast.
The two-time World Cup winner hasn't set the world alight since making his debut for Ulster in November, and with him now leaving so soon after arriving, it's hard to call the move anything but a flop for Ulster.
Having penned a three-year deal last summer, looking to get out of it less than one season in is not a good sign of how things are going at the Kingspan Stadium. It also shows how poor the previous management was to sign such a deal to then be in financial difficulties and unable to re-sign key players like Billy Burns.
Steven Kitshoff 'has been exposed' tt Ulster according to Ferris
Stephen Ferris doesn't have too many kind words to say about Kitshoff's less than exciting spell in Belfast and like many Ulster fans, is tired of all the bad news coming from the province.
I'm sick of talking about the negatives of Ulster rugby, it seems to be never ending.
There were rumours before that Ulster might try get him off the wage bill even though he's only been in Northern Ireland not even the guts of six months, I believe.
It's a weird one because everybody was so excited to get this double World Cup-winning loosehead prop who's going to bring so much to the table, Ulster were going to leap on and that hasn't happened. If anything Steven Kitshoff has been dominated in the scrum.
I'm not saying it's down to him, whether it's Rob Herring or Tom Stewart scrumming down beside him as well as Tom O'Toole, they are getting under massive pressure and under the pump and he's (Kitshoff) certainly been exposed as well.
Ulster still have a chance to turn their season around. With Richie Murphy at the helm they have a coach who has shown that he can work wonders with young players and Ulster have a squad good enough to win the Challenge Cup.
There's surely some light at the end of the tunnel for the Ulstermen.
SEE ALSO: Stephen Ferris On Petrie Exit: 'I Thought He'd Go Before Dan McFarland'
