Montpellier 17-40 Ulster

ULSTER WILL TRAVEL to meet Clermont in the quarter-finals of the European Challenge Cup after fighting back to win a bizarre game at Montpellier during which the hosts were shown one red card and three yellows.

Trailing 17-7 at half-time, Ulster came back to claim a rare European win – and the first of interim coach Richie Murphy’s tenure – after Paul Willemse was sent off and then yellow cards were shown in quick succession by referee Ben Whitehouse to Florian Verhaeghe and Vano Karkadze, reducing Montpellier to 12 players.

Ulster, who had their issues with being accurate and clinical, scored second-half tries from Robert Baloucoune, Scott Wilson, David McCann and Stuart McCloskey before right at the end being awarded a penalty try which resulted in a yellow for Gabriel Ngandebe.

Ulster – badly disrupted by late changes prior to kick-off – started badly, allowing their hosts make early inroads on the scoreboard. 

Will Addison – called in at fullback in one of several late positional switches – managed to knock the ball on behind his own goal line and from the scrum, Montpellier struck.

Sam Simmonds made the initial carry before skipper Willemse powered through the defensive mismatch with John Cooney and Louis Foursans-Bourdette converted after nine minutes.

Thirteen minutes later the French struck again, Aubin Eymeri claiming the try after Montpellier had moved the ball to the right wing, allowing the scrumhalf chip over Addison into space and collect to touch down. Foursans-Bourdette again supplied the two points.

At 14-0 down, Murphy’s side had to get some access to the game and did so off a scrum just before the 30-minute mark, Baloucoune being tackled just short of the line and Addison pouncing on the loose ball.

Cooney’s conversion brought Ulster back though it came against the run of play, but the half ended badly for the Irish province, the soon-to-depart Steven Kitshoff being pinged at a scrum allowing Foursans-Bourdette a long range shot which he nailed to give Montpellier a 17-7 lead at the break.

Willemse’s red card one minute after the restart when he made head contact with Addison changed the game.

Baloucoune and Wilson scored – Cooney’s conversion of the latter putting Ulster in the lead for the first time – and then McCann was driven over after Montpellier were shown two yellows.

With 14 men back on the park, Stuart McCloskey dotted down in the 78^th minute – Cooney kicking his fourth conversion – before it all ended with the penalty try.

Montpellier: A De Nardi; G Ngandebe, P Lucas, A Cadot, B Lam; L Foursans-Bourdette, A Eymeri; G Fichten, C Tolofua, H Williams, F Verhaeghe, P Willemse (capt), A Becognee, C Doumenc, S Simmonds.

Replacements: V Karkadze for Tolofua 47mins, B Erdocio for Fichten 47mins, L Macharashvili for Williams mins, T Duguid for Simmonds 46mins, Y Camara for Becognee 48mins, L Carbonel for Foursans-Bourdette 59mins, M Dakuwaqa for Lucas 54mins, J Tisseron for Doumenc 65mins.Tolofua for Ngandebe 70mis, Ngandebe for Karkadze 77mins

Ulster: W Addison; R Baloucoune, J Hume, S McCloskey, S Moore; N Doak, J Cooney; S Kitshoff, R Herring, T O’Toole, A O’Connor, I Henderson (capt), Matty Rea, D McCann, N Timoney.

Replacements: J Andrew for Herring 65mins, A Warwick for Kitshoff 64mins, S Wilson for O’Toole 57mins, H Sheridan for O’Connor 49mins, C Izuchukwu for Henderson 78mins, J Flannery for Addison 41-52mins and for Doak 79mins, D Shanahan for Cooney 79mins, D Ewers for Rea 49mins

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wal)