Ulster 26-59 Montpellier: Irish side fall to humiliating history-defining defeat in scorching Bilbao heat.

Friday, 22 May 2026 at 21:42

byLiam Reynolds

Montpellier methodically blitzed Ulster to rack up six tries over an Ulster side who struggled to deal with the monumental Bilbao heat in the most important game of the province's history in over 20 years. A string of horrid errors and tired defense allowed Donovan Taoifefuna to run riot as the French side lifted the first of potentially two trophies this season, with the Top 14 playoffs on the horizon.

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Ulster managed to open the score with an early try from Nick Timoney in what looked like it was about to be a back-and-forth game of Rugby. Instead, it was Montpellier that showed their class as they ran rampant in the second half to hand the province a heavy defeat in their final game of the season.

SCROLL DOWN FOR 5 THINGS YOU MISSED FROM THE San Mamés Stadium

THE ON-FIELD ACTION: ULSTER 26-59 MONTPELLIER

By Liam Reynolds at the San Mamés Stadium

With the opportunity of their first trophy in over 20 years on the line, Ulster were dealt a significant blow before a whistle was even blown. This was after it was finally confirmed that both 2026 Six Nations player of the tournament nominee Stuart McCloskey and veteran Rob Herring would not be playing any part. Additionally, club captain Iain Henderson was still suffering the repercussions of his red card vs the Stormers, being suspended for one of the biggest games in the club's history.

Despite that, Murphy's men did not shy from the challenge of one of the most physically dominant packs in Europe, with an early botched contested ball setting the stage for Ulster to gradually edge their way closer to the line, as Henderson's replacement skipper, Nick Timoney, crashed over the line to give Ulster an early lead.

However, with two of the most clinical sides in Europe locking horns, the Top 14 side managed to level the score in just a matter of minutes, with Ulster's inexperience costing them as starlet Zac Ward bit in early on a beautiful offload from Mohamed Haouas, allowing Montpellier to crash over, setting the stage for an electric affair for the remaining 75 minutes.

After the electric start to the game, the Top 14 side shifted the game into a pace that better matched their slow yet clinical style of rugby, wearing Ulster down in the Bilbao heat to allow Donovan Taoifefunua to crash over unchallenged as they went through the motions, with Miotti converting to put them a score ahead.

In the humid Spanish heat, Montpellier continued to wear Ulster, who continued to exhaust themselves throwing themselves at the intense French defense. Eventually, it paid dividends, with the Top 14 side unable to withstand the electric wave of pressure from the Northern Irish province. Following a brief break in play, Ward managed to right his previous wrong, with an intelligent pass on his inside, allowing Izuchukwu to break the line and crash over. However, a missed conversion meant that the Irish side still trailed.

With Ulster looking like a resurgent side in the match following the break in play, Montpellier showcased why they were the top attacking side in the competition, answering a moment later with their captain crashing over following a methodical dismantling of Ulster's back 3 once again. A second score on the brink of halftime meant that Ulster would go into the dressing room with their heads hung low.

Eventually, a scrum platform to begin the second half once again allowed Montpellier a perfect platform to methodically spread the ball out wide, allowing Taofifenua to repeat his first-half score in the corner. Methodical and repeated, while Ulster struggled with the same issues, Montpellier continued to run rampant, the story of the day as the French side lifted the trophy.

ULSTER: 26

TRIES: 4 Timoney (4'), Izuchukwu (27'), Balocoune (55'), Lowry (72')

CONVERSIONS: 3 Doak (4') (55') Flannery (73')

PENALITES: 0

DROP GOALS: 0

YELLOW CARDS: 0

RED CARDS: 0

STARTING XV: 15. Mike Lowry 14. Rob Baloucoune 13. James Hume 12. Jude Postlethwaite 11. Zac Ward 10. Jack Murphy 9. Nathan Doak 1. Angus Bell 2. Tom Stewart 3. Tom O'Toole 4. Harry Sheridan 5. Cormac Izuchukwu 6. David McCann 7. Nick Timoney (C) 8. Juarno Augustus

REPLACEMENTS: 16. James McCormick 17. Eric O'Sullivan 18. Scott Wilson 19. Charlie Irvine 20. Bryn Ward 21. Conor McKee 22. Jake Flannery 23. Ethan Mcllroy

MONTPELLIER : 59

TRIES: 9 Ngandebe (5') Taoifefunua (14' 44') Vunipola (31') Becognee (37') Nouchi (48') Erdocio (58') Hounkpatin (63') Vincent (78')

CONVERSIONS: 6 Miotti (5') (15') (31') (45') (58') Coly (64')

PENALTIES: 0

DROP GOALS: 0

YELLOW CARDS: 0

RED CARDS: 0

STARTING XV: 15. Tom Banks 14. Gabriel N'Gandebe 13. Arthur Vincent 12. Auguste Cadot 11. Donovan Taoififenua 10.. Domingo Miotti 9. Ali Price 1. Enzo Forletta 2. Jordan Uelese 3. Mohamed Haouas 4. Florian Verhaege 5. Tyler Duguid 6. Lenni Nouchi 7. Alexandre Becognee 8. Billy Vunipola (C)

REPLACEMENTS: 16. Lyam Akrab 17. Baptise Eerdocio 18. Wilfrid Hounkpatin 19. Adam Beard 29. Marco Tualeigne 21. Leo Coly 22. Thomas Darmon 23. Jon Echegaray

5 THINGS YOU MISSED: ULSTER 26-59 MONTPELLIER

ROBERT BALOUCOUNE 'HEROICS' FAIL TO MAKE IMPACT RETURNING FROM INJURY FOLLOWING SIX NATIONS DUTY

Coming back into the squad after being named as Ireland's emerging player of the tournament, the return of the now international-caliber winger was the most significant boost for Ulster going into the Final. Instead, a quiet, almost invisible performance in the first half piled the pressure on an already struggling attack to break down one of the toughest defenses in the tournament.

Being limited to zero line-breaks and just three carries in the opening 40 minutes, Balocuoune was practically put lethargic in the 33-degree heat coming off his injury, while his opposite wing also struggled.

Eventually managing to open his day with a score, it was far too little and far too late for the Ireland international to make any real impact on the score, still trailing by 23 points as the French side began to exhaust their bench.

YACOUBA CAMARA SORELY MISSED DESPITE MONTPELLIER TRIUMPH AS ULSTER BACKROW SHINES IN FIRST HALF DEFEAT.

With French international Yacouba Camara being rested with Montpellier Herault focusing on their Top 14 campaign, the lack of international experience in the French side's backrow allowed Ulster's young backrow to shine despite the province's defeat. With Harry Sheridan being asked to play a significant role once again in the absence of Henderson, the Ireland A star finished the game with

While Ulster struggled outside a few moments of brilliance, Ulster's second and backrow were the few who could keep their head high, with Sheridan leading the first half in carries, while Nick Timoney crashed over to begin the half, as McCann narrowly trailed Sheridan in carrying.

ULSTER YOUNGSTERS FAIL TO PERFORM IN TORRID MONTPELLIER EFFORT

On one of the biggest days in the province's history, with 3 of Ulster's most experienced options missing out, the pressure fell on the shoulders of the team's youngsters. With the likes of Zac Ward and Harry Sheridan coming into the team, as well as Jude Postlethwaite coming in at 12 to replace McCloskey, a shaky start following a poor attempted tackle by Ward meant that the province's prospects already had their backs against the wall.

While Sheridan played his part, it was the ultimate mixed bag for one of Ulster's most talented players. As Ward, Ulster's URC top try scorer, was doing his business in attack to set up the Irish side's second try, a second immediate lapse in defense wiped his effort off the board. A tough lesson for one of the most electric talents in the country, with multiple lost turnovers to boot.

With another one of the province's prospects making a vital mistake, as Tom Stewart, despite his experience over the last few years, overthrew a line-out five meters from his own line to set up a Montpellier score. It was ultimately a mistake-led performance from an inexperienced yet exciting Ulster side that led to their failure on the big day.

MONTPELLIER ULTIMALLY DEMOLISHES ULSTER IN METHODICAL EFFORT AS MARK SEXTON ATTACKING FLAIR FAILS TO IMPRESS

With two of the most clinical attacking sides in Europe locking horns, with 67 tries between them across the tournament, an early open start forced Ulster prodigy attack coach Mark Sexton to put out his best game plan if the Northern Irish side wanted to win their first trophy in 20 years.

However, after a tiring sequence of methodical attacking rugby from Montpellier, going behind in the first half, Ulster failed to make any real dent against a stalwart French defense, with the Spanish heat playing a significant factor as the Irish side struggled to open up their usual dynamic and intense style of play.

Meanwhile, it was the French side that ran rampant over a heat-exhausted Ulster defense as they methodically repeated the same platform and try on three different occasions, as Taoifefuna doubled up in scoring in a cold yet calculated bit of flair from the Top 14 hopefuls.

ULSTER SEASON ENDS IN FAILURE DESPITE EXCITING START.

After a monumental start to the season that earned head coach Richie Murphy both plaudits and a new contract, a string of poor results in the middle of the season against Scarlets, Ospreys, and Cardiff laid the path for an ultimate collapse for the Irish side. Falling out of the playoffs after a narrow loss to Glasgow, their hopes of a successful season died in Bilbao.

While there were a number of positives to the season, with young talents like Zac and Bryn Ward emerging, their failure to perform today in the absence of more experienced players leaves Ulster with far more questions than answers for their future.

Rugby Quiz: Can you name every previous Champions Cup winner?

Every season has added another name to the roll of honour, a roll call of the teams that have stood tallest in Europe when it mattered most.

Ahead of this weekend’s final in Bilbao, where Leinster and Union Bordeaux Bègles meet for continental glory, this quiz challenges you to go back through the history books and name every Champions Cup winner since the competition began.

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