Ulster Beat Exeter Chiefs 29-12 to Reach Rugby Union Final
Ulster reached the Challenge Cup final with a 29-12 rugby union win over Exeter Chiefs in Belfast, moving within one victory of their first silverware in 20 years. The result sends Richie Murphy’s side to Bilbao on 22 May, where they will face either Montpellier or Dragons.
Murphy’s side breaks through
Ulster controlled the semi-final enough to turn past disappointment into a result that has been missing since 2006. Their last trophy came when they lifted the Celtic League, and this run has now carried them to a final for the first time in two decades.
Murphy pointed straight at the pressure around the team after the win. “I heard it all week, 'Ulster are never good in semi-finals. They don't win semi-finals'” he said. He added, “one thing I would love is for people to be a bit more positive about things” and, on a side he described as new to this stage, “Well, this Ulster team has never been in a semi-final before.”
Exeter Chiefs held off
The 29-12 scoreline mattered because Ulster had taken a different path this time. Only five players from the starting team that lost to the Stormers in the 2022 United Rugby Championship semi-final in Cape Town featured against Exeter, a clear sign of how much the group has changed since that defeat.
That turnover also sits beside another recent setback: Ulster lost the Challenge Cup semi-final to Leicester Tigers in 2021. Murphy has now put one of those semi-final frustrations behind them, saying, “We've managed to win, which is fantastic, and we have a big task to go and try and win a final,”.
Bilbao awaits Ulster
The final now comes on 22 May, and Ulster enter it knowing the next step is the biggest one left. Murphy said, “When we get to that in three weeks' time, we'll be doing everything that we can to make sure that we're at our very best over there.”
For Ulster, the immediate gain is simple: they have ended another semi-final barrier and now get a shot at a first trophy since 2006. The final against Montpellier or Dragons offers the clearest measure yet of whether this younger group can finish the job it started in Belfast.
