THE STORY SO FAR

ROUTE TO THE LAST FOUR

In a unique season, with a new format for the European club competitions revealed before kick-off back in December due to the impact of Covid-19, further changes were required after Christmas. But now it comes down to a straight shoot-out for a place in the Final. Let’s look at how today’s teams made it this far…

round 1

Tigers Brive

39 17

Jasper Wiese credited all 23 men in the squad for their role in getting Tigers off to a winning start in Europe.

Two late tries ensured a bonus-point win in the first meeting with Brive since the 1997 European Cup Final and the French club’s first-ever visit to Mattioli Woods Welford Road.

After being named EPCR Man of the Match, No8 Wiese said: “The guys starting did really well and wore them down in the first 40 minutes. Then the guys came off the bench and made a great impact and finished it well.”

Six internationals made their first appearance of the season as scores from Tom and Ben Youngs in each half set the platform for victory before the hosts pulled away in the last 10 minutes with Cyle Brink claiming his first try for the club and, finally, Nemani Nadolo with the vital bonus-point effort.

Respective fly-halves Joaquin Diaz Bonilla and Enzo Herve had traded early penalties before captain Tom Youngs burst out of a maul to score on the way to a 14-6 lead at half-time.

The pattern continued after the break, with replacement George Ford kicking penalties to punish Brive before international team-mate Ben Youngs finished a sparkling attack featuring Hanro Liebenberg and debutant Matias Moroni with quarter of an hour remaining.

Brive’s reply came on 70 minutes with a try from former Leicester academy wing Wesley Douglas, but Tigers ensured the victory with the late double.

Ulster 22 Toulouse 29

On the opening evening of action in the Heineken Champions Cup, Toulouse battled back from 12-0 down to record a crucial away success in Belfast.

Ulster coach Dan McFarland said: “There was a lot of effort there and we were playing a top-class side. Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it won’t.

“But we weren’t good enough. From our perspective that game was winnable.

“We had areas we were pretty dominant in and unfortunately in the first half we gave up two tries off bouncing balls. It was too easy for them.

“We were pretty close in the end but we weren’t quite there.”

Two tries from man-of-the-match Cheslin Kolbe provided the key to victory in Pool B after Ulster had dominated the opening quarter.

Tries from Rob Herring and Ian Madigan got the home side off to a solid start but a 12-lead lasted for just seconds before Kolbe sprinted clear from inside his own half to score and then, just before the break, scrum-half Antoine Dupont ducked and dived his way over the tryline.

After a Rory Arnold try from a maul for Toulouse, Herring’s reply put Ulster in front by a solitary point.

The visitors, though, released Kolbe to find his way over for the next try and Thomas Ramos added a penalty from inside his own half to secure a sevenpoint victory.

round 2

Bayonne 20 Tigers 28

Three tries and determined defence in the face of three yellow cards carried Tigers to victory in the first-ever European meeting with Bayonne on the weekend before Christmas.

“It’s a tough, physical sport with 15 on the field so to have 13 requires a huge effort from the boys,” said forward Ollie Chessum after his European debut.

“It took a massive effort from everyone, you could see that. James Whitcombe had never played before, lads like myself had not played in Europe – but Jaco [Taute] got everyone together on the same page and it was a huge team performance. I’ve sat in the stands and watched European games, and to win away in that shirt is very emotional.”

A try from Tommy Reffell provided an early lead and Dan Kelly then drove over from close range as Tigers led 17-6 after half an hour’s play.

But Bayonne combined pressure from their forward pack with dangerous back-play to manufacture a try for scrum-half Hugo Zabalza on the stroke of half-time with Tigers props Joe Heyes and Nephi Leatigaga in the sin bin.

Outstanding work off the ball not only defended that lead but also gained the penalties which allowed Zack Henry to add to the advantage before Kini Murimurivalu latched on to the fly-half’s crosskick to push Tigers 15 points in front on the hour.

A try from Andrie Gorin and a yellow card for Cyle Brink set up a tense closing spell as Tigers secured a first win in France since 2013.

Gloucester 38 Ulster 24

Fly-half Billy Burns confessed: “It’s probably as dark a changing room as I’ve been in” after Champions Cup defeat at Kingsholm, sealed with a late Gloucester try.

But the former Gloucester player said the disappointment would have to be used for future improvement, telling the Belfast Telegraph: “If that’s what it’s got to be for us to learn and take lessons going forward then that’s the way.

“It’s hard to look at now, but we’ll be better for this in the future, I can guarantee you that.”

A try well into the red zone with 80 minutes gone from George Barton gave Gloucester a dramatic victory in a match which swung back-andforth throughout.

The hosts started positively with a try from wing Louis Rees-Zammit, but Burns got on the scoresheet before Gloucester got back on the front foot with a penalty try while Ulster lost Rob Herring and Alan O’Connor to the sin bin.

They stretched that advantage at the start of the second period as Mark Atkinson finished from a forward drive to lead 24-10.

Ulster then found fresh momentum with tries from Michael Lowry and John Cooney, plus their own penalty try to lead 34-24.

A third penalty try – this time for Gloucester – cut the gap again and Ulster lost Ethan McIlroy to the sin bin after a deliberate knock-on.

Finally, Gloucester dealt the telling blow just five minutes from the end as Barton dotted down.

ROUND OF 16

Tigers 48 Connacht 32

After scoring seven tries to secure place in the last eight of the Challenge Cup, captain Ben Youngs said the squad were still looking to improve in different areas.

Despite falling behind early on to a Kieran Marmion try, Tigers bounced back with four scores in half an hour to lead 24-11 at half-time on a rollercoaster evening and Youngs, on his return from the Six Nations, said: “The effort and attitude were great, but we’re also looking to see where we could get better – we conceded too many penalties and gave away points too easily at times.

“I was excited to be back and to contribute, and it’s a privilege every time you captain this club.”

Charlie Clare set the ball rolling with his opening try from a maul before Guy Porter, Matías Moroni and Zack Henry all celebrated their first tries for the club. But Connacht, with a strong record away from home, clawed their way back into the contest as tries by Eoghan Masterson and Alex Wootton brought the score to 27-25.

They missed a penalty which would have snatched the lead but, after a second score from Clare, the visitors came back again to trail by just two points inside the last 10 minutes.

Harry Wells then forced his way over for Tigers and Jasper Wiese crashed over from the base of a scrum to put the outcome beyond doubt, though Johnny McPhillips was denied a solo score which would have broken the half-century mark as he was held up under the posts.

Harlequins 21 Ulster 57

Ulster cruised into the quarter-finals with a big win at Twickenham Stoop in their firstever Challenge Cup outing.

Stuart McCloskey ran in the first of eight tries on the final evening of the Round of 16, but it was the driving maul that did significant damage as it presented scores for Rob Herring and then Sean Reid.

Head coach Dan McFarland told BT Sport: “We needed to find a hammer in some aspect of the game that was going to put them under the cosh and the maul was it.

“[Forwards coach] Roddy Grant has done a really good job on the forwards. We’ve had a lot of success in our line-out and our line-out defence and our maul.”

Tom Lawday provided a reply for the underpowered hosts but a solo score from full-back Michael Lowry put Ulster 22 points in front at half-time.

International hooker Herring claimed his second from another maul and an interception try from Billy Burns increased the daylight between the teams.

The final 20 minutes saw the teams trade scores with Jack Kenningham and Jordan Els for Quins, and Alby Mathewson and Reidy again for their visitors.

QUARTER-FINALS

Tigers 39 Newcastle 15

A dominant scrum provided a platform for Tigers victory which secured a place in the Challenge Cup semi-finals for a second successive year, but skipper Richard Wigglesworth said the all-round threat in attack was the most pleasing aspect of a successful afternoon.

Wigglesworth said: “The scrum was unbelievably impressive. Falcons were down a few numbers there but that gave us a platform to have a lot of field position.

“We want to pressure teams in a variety of ways. Today we got that right, the first 15-20 minutes is where we want to be, but we just dropped off a little bit with standards and execution. But it is a sign of where we are that we are a bit frustrated by it.”

Harry Potter provided the opening score as he got on to the end of a kick in behind the Falcons defence from Johnny McPhillips and then referee Romain Poite awarded a penalty try when a maul was pulled down as it reached the tryline.

Falcons skipper Mark Wilson was sin-binned, but a George Wacokecoke try brought them back into the game at 15-8 before half-time.

Matías Moroni ran in a third try but Tigers had to wait to pull away as a second penalty try from a maul followed, plus two more yellow cards, and then Potter capitalised on space out wide to score his second.

Northampton 27 Ulster 35

Head coach Dan McFarland said Ulster’s knowledge in negotiating tight games helped them come from eight points down with two scores in the final quarter to eventually win at Franklin’s Gardens.

“This is a group of players who have been to the well in tight games over the course of the last three years so they know how to win in tight situations,” he said.

“They know how to show a bit of bite and they did that.”

A try from Alex Mitchell got Saints off to a good start, but Nick Isiekwe, Sam Matavesi and Dave Ribbans all received yellow cards as Ulster fought back with a penalty try and anothr Rob Herring score from a maul.

But European debutant Tommy Freeman ran in two tries in three minutes to push Saints eight points in front at half-time.

Ulster were out of the blocks first after the restart with a score from Marty Moore, but they trailed by six points when Ollie Sleightholme ran free to score in the corner before finally regaining the initiative with two decisive scores in the closing 20 minutes of the game.

Cooney capitalised on smart work at a lineout to score and then Billy Burns sent Stockdale through a gap to finally settle the contest.