Ulster Rugby team managed to overcome their recent troubles, achieving a notable victory in Europe that will see them progress to the next stage of the European Challenge Cup – the quarter-finals. Here, they are to face Clermont in the upcoming weekend. This much-needed win marks the first for Richie Murphy, the interim head coach, who took charge following Dan McFarland’s departure from the role, after three challenging games.
Ulster’s triumph was significantly influenced by Montpellier’s downfall in the latter half of the match – a team also grappling with their own difficult season. Their struggle was ignited after the dismissal of their captain, Paul Willemse, due to a red card. This subsequently left the team depleted to just 12 players after referee Ben Whitehouse served two yellow cards in a short period. The hosting team, rebuilding to a 14-strong squad, faced an additional setback with a further yellow card awarded to Gabriel Ngandebe.
A scrappy game ended in a penalty try awarded for Ulster, who had already made five successful tries, despite their struggles to capitalise on their numerical advantage. The match had begun on a rough note for Ulster who had to tackle numerous last-minute dropouts. Their difficulties were exacerbated when they offered Montpellier a scoring opportunity, courtesy of a poorly executed breakdown and Will Addison’s misstep in his own goal area, which Montpellier seized from the resulting scrum.
Sam Simmonds took the ball from the base to feed it to Willemse after several phases. In close range, he overpowered John Cooney to score, with the ninth-minute score being converted by Louis Foursans-Bourdette. The hosting team scored yet again following a period of disjointed play. Exploiting space on the flank, Aubin Eymeri received the ball and outplayed Rob Herring before creating an opportunity with his clever move over Addison, further piling the pressure onto the struggling Ulster team.
However, Ulster rallied back with Nathan Doak setting Robert Baloucoune free on a gap from a scrum. Despite being stopped short of the line, Addison seized the chance to score. The first half concluded disappointingly for Ulster with Steven Kitshoff’s penalty at the scrum allowing Foursans-Bourdette to secure a long-range penalty, giving Montpellier a 10-point lead at halftime.
The second half began in the most devastating fashion for the home side. Willemse, going for a needless tackle, made a head-on collision with Addison, which resulted in an undisputable red card. Ulster swiftly capitalised through smart play from James Hume and Nathan Doak. This enabled Stewart Moore to assist Baloucoune in scoring at the corner, though the conversion by Cooney hit the post.
The red card appeared to swing the momentum in Ulster’s favour with their scrum taking control. Despite this, Nick Timoney was stopped short of the line following an advanced set-piece, and likewise, Kitshoff was close but failed to score. Montpellier managed to regain some control by securing a fortunate turnover against Doak, while Ulster faltered in possession.
The continued pressure finally yielded results for Ulster. Substitute prop Scott Wilson managed to force his way through the defence after Ulster was awarded a quick penalty on the 63rd-minute mark. Cooney’s successful conversion flip-flopped the lead to Ulster’s favour for the first time.
Montpellier’s defensive struggle led to lock Florian Verhaeghe receiving a yellow card for intentionally stamping James Hume. Things worsened for the home side when substitute hooker Vano Karkadze was handed another yellow card for illegal entry.
Ulster capitalised again with David McCann driving over on the 66th minute; Cooney’s extra points extended Ulster’s lead to 26-17. Ulster continued pressing even with Montpellier recovering to 14, culminating in Stuart McCloskey’s late try. Unfortunately, the match closed with Montpellier suffering a penalty try for intentionally slapping the ball down and Gabriel Ngandebe receiving a third yellow card.
Montpellier recorded tries by P Willemse and A Eymeri, with L Foursans-Bourdette responsible for two conversions and a penalty. On the other hand, Ulster noted tries from W Addison, R Baloucoune, S Wilson, and S McCloskey, including a penalty try, with Cooney successfully making four conversions.
Substitutions included V Karkadze replacing Tolofua after 47 minutes, B Erdocio stepping in for Fichten at the same time. L Macharashvili and T Duguid entered the game for Williams and Simmonds respectively, during the 46th minute. Y Camara was subbed in for Becognee after 48 minutes, followed by L Carbonel for Foursans-Bourdette in the 59th minute. Shortly after, M Dakuwaqa filled in for Lucas during the 54th minute, whereas J Tisseron took Doumenc’s place at minute 65. At minute 70, Tolofua swapped in for Ngandebe, who later came back for Karkadze at minute 77.
The match had a rather intense moment when P Willemse received a red card during the 41st minute. F Verhaeghe, V Karkadze and G Ngandebe faced the consequences of rough play when they were shown yellow cards at minutes 65, 66 and 81, in that order.
The Ulster team was comprised of W Addison, R Baloucoune, J Hume, S McCloskey and S Moore. The lineup included N Doak, J Cooney, S Kitshoff, R Herring, T O’Toole, A O’Connor, I Henderson (Capt), Matty Rea, D McCann and N Timoney as well.
Substantial substitutes took place in this team as well, with J Andrew coming in for Herring at the 65th minute, A Warwick replacing Kitshoff at the 64th minute and S Wilson stepping in for O’Toole during the 57th minute. In the succeeding moments, H Sheridan filled in for O’Connor after 49 minutes, C Izuchukwu replaced Henderson at the 78th minute, followed by J Flannery for Addison between the 41st and 52nd minute, and again for Hume after 75 minutes. Lastly, D Shanahan took Cooney’s spot during the 79th minute. The match was officiated by referee Ben Whitehouse from Wales.