Ulster tried to create one more attack before the break but are turned over as the referee awards a penalty to Montpellier which they kick to touch to see out the half.
It’s been a tough outing so far for Richie Murphy’s side. After that brilliant start when Nick Timoney went over, they conceded almost straight away through Gabriel N’Gandebe.
Donovan Taofifenua then put the French side in front before Cormac Izuchukwu responded to cut the deficit to two.
But Billy Vunipola and Alex Becognee added two more tries for Montpellier to firmly put Montpellier in control at the break.
Montpellier are really motoring now. Alex Becognee forces his way over from a lineout maul, and for the first time tonight, Domingo Miotti misses a conversion kick.
Billy Vunipola moving a bit gingerly after taking some hits and is down receiving treatment. There’s a break in play while that takes place and the players desperately need to take on water in that heat.
1 hr ago
8:28PM
25 mins: Ulster 7-14 Montpellier
Penalty for Montpellier as Ulster fail to get their set-up right in the scrum. The referee issued a warning and reset the scrum but punished them on the second whistle and Montpellier will get the clearance out.
1 hr ago
8:24PM
21 mins: Ulster 7-14 Montpellier
That’s a big blow for Ulster. An overthrow from their lineout puts them under pressure and Donovan Taofifenua completes the move as he collects the pass out wide and dives over.
The teams are out on the field now and it is sweltering in the stadium.
1 hr ago
7:59PM
As Leinster prepare for the Champions Cup final tomorrow against Bordeaux-Begles, can Ulster get the weekend off to a winning start for Irish provinces this evening?
The big news for Ulster is that Robert Baloucoune will make his first start for the province since getting injured against Scotland in March.
As expected, Jacob Stockdale, Stuart McCloskey and Rob Herring are all sidelined, with Iain Henderson missing out through suspension. Werner Kok also misses out on his final game for Ulster.
Ulster Rugby:
15. Mike Lowry
14. Robert 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. Dave 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 Mcilroy
2 hrs ago
7:05PM
Hello and welcome along to our coverage of the Challenge Cup final as Ulster take on Montpellier.
This could be a great night for Ulster who won the Heineken Cup in 1999, and the Celtic League in 2006. Richie Murphy’s side will contest this final for the first time this evening against a team who have won this competition twice.
If you’re attending the game this evening, or just want to get involved in the coverage, do leave a comment below and enjoy the updates as they happen.
We’ll have team line-ups for you in the next few minutes as we gear up for the 8pm kick-off in Bilbao.
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LIVE: Ulster v Montpellier, Challenge Cup final
42 mins: Ulster 12-26 Montpellier
Good kick from Tom Banks to get Montpellier down to Ulster’s 22. And they’ll set up the maul here.
Second Half: Ulster 12-26 Montpellier
https://www.the42.ie/ulster-v-montpellier-live-scores-7048370-May2026/
The teams are returning to the field. Can Ulster turn this around?
Ulster 12-26 Montpellier
Ulster tried to create one more attack before the break but are turned over as the referee awards a penalty to Montpellier which they kick to touch to see out the half.
It’s been a tough outing so far for Richie Murphy’s side. After that brilliant start when Nick Timoney went over, they conceded almost straight away through Gabriel N’Gandebe.
Donovan Taofifenua then put the French side in front before Cormac Izuchukwu responded to cut the deficit to two.
But Billy Vunipola and Alex Becognee added two more tries for Montpellier to firmly put Montpellier in control at the break.
Half-Time! Ulster 12-26 Montpellier
41 mins: Ulster 12-26 Montpellier
Montpellier are really motoring now. Alex Becognee forces his way over from a lineout maul, and for the first time tonight, Domingo Miotti misses a conversion kick.
TRY! Ulster 12-26 Montpellier (Alex Becognee ’37)
34 mins: Ulster 12-21 Montpellier
Another burst of scores as Cormac Izuchukwu gets in for Ulster’s second try but the conversion is missed by Nathan Doak.
But then there’s another blow for Ulster as Billy Vunipola powers through and Miotti adds another conversion.
TRY! Ulster 12-21 Montpellier (Billy Vunipola ’32)
TRY! Ulster 12-14 Montpellier (Cormac Izuchukwu ’28)
27 mins: Ulster 7-14 Montpellier
Billy Vunipola moving a bit gingerly after taking some hits and is down receiving treatment. There’s a break in play while that takes place and the players desperately need to take on water in that heat.
25 mins: Ulster 7-14 Montpellier
Penalty for Montpellier as Ulster fail to get their set-up right in the scrum. The referee issued a warning and reset the scrum but punished them on the second whistle and Montpellier will get the clearance out.
21 mins: Ulster 7-14 Montpellier
That’s a big blow for Ulster. An overthrow from their lineout puts them under pressure and Donovan Taofifenua completes the move as he collects the pass out wide and dives over.
Domingo Miotti adds the extras.
TRY! Ulster 7-14 Montpellier (Donovan Taofifenua ’16)
14 mins: Ulster 7-7 Montpellier
Great grubber kick from Arthur Vincent to push Ulster back into their own corner.
11 mins: Ulster 7-7 Montpellier
What a start for both teams!
Nick Timoney finishes off that brilliant break from Augustus and Nathan Doak adds the conversion.
But Montpellier strike back almost straight away through Gabriel N’Gandebe after a lovely offload from Lennox Anyanwu.
Ulster thought they had a second try then when Harry Sheridan went over but referee Matthew Carley immediately stepped in to signal a knock-on.
TRY! Ulster 7-7 Montpellier (Gabriel N’Gandebe ’6)
TRY! Ulster 7-0 Montpellier (Nick Timoney ’3)
2 mins: Ulster 0-0 Montpellier
A misread in the air sees Juarno Augustus make a break along the touchline. Ulster are already in the Montpellier five-metre line.
Could we be on for an early try? What a start that would be.
1 min: Ulster 0-0 Montpellier
And the 2026 Challenge Cup final is underway as Ulster win a penalty to get things started from a Montpellier kick-off.
Kick-Off! Ulster v Montpellier
The teams are out on the field now and it is sweltering in the stadium.
As Leinster prepare for the Champions Cup final tomorrow against Bordeaux-Begles, can Ulster get the weekend off to a winning start for Irish provinces this evening?
Call it here!
Poll Results:
Pre-match reading:
And here is how Montpellier are named to start:
Replacements:
The big news for Ulster is that Robert Baloucoune will make his first start for the province since getting injured against Scotland in March.
As expected, Jacob Stockdale, Stuart McCloskey and Rob Herring are all sidelined, with Iain Henderson missing out through suspension. Werner Kok also misses out on his final game for Ulster.
Ulster Rugby:
Replacements:
Hello and welcome along to our coverage of the Challenge Cup final as Ulster take on Montpellier.
This could be a great night for Ulster who won the Heineken Cup in 1999, and the Celtic League in 2006. Richie Murphy’s side will contest this final for the first time this evening against a team who have won this competition twice.
If you’re attending the game this evening, or just want to get involved in the coverage, do leave a comment below and enjoy the updates as they happen.
We’ll have team line-ups for you in the next few minutes as we gear up for the 8pm kick-off in Bilbao.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
challenge cup final live scores Liveblog Minute-by-Minute Montpellier Rugby Rugby Ulster