Ulster

Joel Bell
BBC Sport NI

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Having been deprived of a game last weekend, Ulster's Harry Sheridan is looking forward to a "massive fixture" against Stade Francais on Saturday at Affidea Stadium (13:00 GMT).

Second place Ulster take on pool leaders Stade Francais in a top of the table clash in the European Challenge Cup.

Ulster, who won their opening game against Racing 92, were awarded a 28-0 win and five points last weekend following the weather-enforced cancellation of their game against the Cheetahs in the Netherlands.

Sheridan says the squad are hoping to bounce back from the frustration of last weekend even though they have already qualified for the next round.

"We were going over there expecting to do a job. All we wanted to do was go down and play the game and obviously the game was called off last minute, it was unfortunate," said the 24-year-old second row, who has started nine games for Ulster this season.

''But we'll take five points every day of the week and change our focus now to Stade Francais. It's a massive fixture for us at home in front of our fans. I'm really looking forward to it.''

Sheridan's parents were part of Ulster's travelling support in the Netherlands last weekend and he is hoping Richie Murphy's side can produce a top performance to make up for last weekend's disruption.

''We've got to put an even better show on this weekend and really deliver," added Sheridan.

"We're looking to really show them and put in a performance that they can be proud of this weekend.

''We're aiming to get the maximum points against a tough opposition. That would put us in a great position to get home, round of 16, quarter, semi-finals going into this Challenge Cup competition, which is so highly revered.''

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Ulster hooker Tom Stewart has signed a two-year contract extension to keep him at the province until the summer of 2028.

The 25-year-old has played a key role in Ulster's impressive season and has registered six tries in all competitions so far.

Ireland international Stewart has been capped five times for Andy Farrell's side and captained an Ireland XV during their victory over Spain in November.

The Belfast native is due to start on Saturday as Ulster face Stade Francais at Affidea Stadium (13:00 GMT) in the Challenge Cup as Richie Murphy's outfit aim to secure top spot in Pool Three and a home draw in the last-16.

"Ulster Rugby is my home club and the team I always grew up wanting to play for," Stewart said after the announcement.

"I'm honoured to sign on for a further two seasons, and I'm fully focused on continuing to improve my game to help the team move forward.

"I'm hugely ambitious about what we can achieve as a club in the future and what we continue to push for this season."

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Jacob Stockdale has returned from injury as Ulster name a strong team to face Stade Francais in the Challenge Cup in Belfast on Saturday [13:00 GMT].

Both sides have already qualified for the knockout stages but the French side hold a one-point advantage over Ulster at the top of Pool Three.

Ulster were awarded a 28-0 win over the Cheetahs in their penultimate fixture after sub-zero temperatures in the Netherlands meant the game could not be played.

Head coach Richie Murphy has made 10 changes from the starting team which was set to take on the Cheetahs.

Harry Sheridan, David McCann, Nathan Doak, Zac Ward and James Hume are the only players to retain their starting jerseys for the game at Affidea Stadium.

Stockdale returns at full-back after he sustained a rib injury against Munster while Robert Baloucoune and Ward make up the back three.

Stuart McCloskey and Hume will form the centre partnership as Jack Murphy returns at fly-half alongside Doak.

Australian prop Angus Bell starts with Tom Stewart and Tom O'Toole, while Iain Henderson will captain the side from the second row with Harry Sheridan.

McCann, Nick Timoney and Bryn Ward will start in the back row as hooker Rob Herring, who signed a new contract extension, is named on the bench.

Ulster: J Stockdale; R Baloucoune; J Hume, S McCloskey; Z Ward; J Murphy, N Doak; A Bell, T Stewart, T O'Toole; I Henderson, H Sheridan; D McCann, N Timoney, B Ward.

Replacements: R Herring, E O'Sullivan, S Wilson, M Dalton, S Reffell, C McKee, J Flannery, J Postlethwaite.

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Ulster hooker Rob Herring has signed a contract extension to remain at the province until the summer of 2027.

The 35-year-old is Ulster's record appearance holder, having played 261 times for the province since his debut in 2012.

South Africa-born Herring has also won 43 caps for Ireland and was part of the side that won the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2023.

He follows the likes of Cormac Izuchukwu and Nathan Doak who have recently committed their futures to Richie Murpy's side.

"I'm delighted to be re-signing with Ulster. This club and supporters have given me so much over the years and feels like an adopted home for me and my family," Herring told Ulster's website.

"The hunger to keep improving, competing, and pushing this team forward is as strong as ever. With the group we have, I'm incredibly excited about what lies ahead and grateful for the continued trust Ulster has shown in me."

Loosehead prop Sam Crean has also extended his stay at Ulster until 2028.

The 25-year-old Englishman arrived from Saracens initially on loan in February 2025 before signing a permanent deal with the province last summer.

Richard Petrie
BBC Sport NI Journalist

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Ulster fly-half Jake Flannery says players being "very clear" over their roles has helped improve the team's performances and results this season.

Richie Murphy's side have won six of their first eight United Rugby Championship encounters in 2025-26 to sit third in the table, while they have seen off Racing 92 at home and lost to Cardiff away in the European Challenge Cup.

The introduction of Mark Sexton as attack coach and Willie Faloon as his defensive counterpart has been significant, Flannery explained in an interview with BBC Sport NI.

"I think the biggest thing is clarity. We are very clear on our roles as a team, whether it be attack or defence. The two lads [Sexton and Faloon], every training session, are just driving standards and driving clarity every minute of every session. It's constant, room for growth and constant development happening all the time.

"I think you're seeing that coming out on the pitch and I think the exciting thing is we're not even close to the finished product. There's so much growth to go.

"It's an exciting group to be part of."

Flannery scored one of Ulster's three tries in their 28-3 victory over Munster at Affidea Stadium last week, the latest positive result for the Irish province as they prepare to resume their European campaign.

"The attack is brilliant, and is really coming on, but I think the defence are really keen to get the ball back for the attack, and it drives both sides of your game on.

"We're just really eager to get the ball because we believe we are in a position to really challenge teams and score points every time we get the ball."

The 26-year-old believes that the opportunity to play a different team in the form of the Cheetahs - in a game which has been moved from Amsterdam to s-Hertogenbosch because of weather conditions - this weekend brings a freshness to the game.

"A new experience for a load of guys, including myself. A new place to play, probably haven't the luxury of seeing 10 games from the Cheetahs, only probably a couple of Challenge Cup and a couple in the Toyota Challenge as well.

"So yeah, new team that we don't see too often, new location, it'll be a cool weekend."

In the Cheetahs' corner this weekend will be Ulster legend Ruan Pienaar, who is now an attack coach with the South African side.

"When I was playing for Emerging Ireland against the Cheetahs a few years ago he was actually playing, which was mad. Doaky got a picture with him and it was cool," enthused Flannery.

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Sunday's Challenge Cup fixture between Cheetahs and Ulster has been moved to Dukes Rugby Club in s-Hertogenbosch and will now be played at 13:00 GMT.

The sides were due to meet in Amsterdam with kick-off at 15:15, but with sub-zero temperatures expected in the capital, the game has been relocated to the south of the Netherlands with the NRCA Stadium deemed unplayable.

Governing body European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) has also confirmed that the match will also now be played behind closed doors.

"EPCR, Rugby Nederland and Toyota Cheetahs are continuing to monitor weather conditions, should these further impact the fixture," read a statement from Ulster.

"Ulster Rugby is seeking further clarification from tournament organisers regarding the implications of this decision and next steps, particularly for supporters who have already made travel arrangements."

Ulster return to European action after victories against Connacht and Munster in the United Rugby Championship.

The northern province hammered Racing 92 in their opening Challenge Cup game before losing to Cardiff.

The Cheetahs have struggled with their form this season and will aim to end their five-game losing streak against Richie Murphy's outfit.

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Ulster full-back Jacob Stockdale has been ruled out of Sunday's Challenge Cup pool game against the Cheetahs (15:15 GMT) with a rib injury.

The Ireland back suffered the injury in last week's United Rugby Championship win over Munster and was forced off early in the second half.

The 29-year-old joins Juarno Augustus, Michael Lowry, Rory McGuire (all ankle), Charlie Irvine (calf), Ethan McIlroy (ribs), James McNabney (knee), Stewart Moore (hand) on Ulster's injury list.

In more positive news, Ben Moxham is available for selection for Sunday's game in Amsterdam after recovering from a serious knee injury.

The 24-year-old winger has not played since tearing an anterior cruciate ligament during Ulster's loss to Leinster in November 2024.

Speaking to BBC Sport NI, Ulster defence coach Willie Faloon indicated that back-row Augustus may not be absent for as long as first thought after he was initially diagnosed with "a significant ankle ligament injury".

"He saw a specialist last Friday and hopefully we'll see in the next couple of weeks when he'll be back. We're hoping it will be a little more positive," said Faloon.

Ulster opened their Challenge Cup campaign with a resounding 61-7 win over Racing 92 but fell to a 29-26 loss to Cardiff.

Since then, Richie Murphy's side lost to Leinster before beating Connacht and Munster in the festive inter-provincial derbies in the United Rugby Championship.

Faloon added that this week's meeting with the Cheetahs offers something of a change of venue and opposition for the Irish province.

"Looking forward to it, looking forward to putting in a performance there, but it's different, travelling to Amsterdam, playing against a team that we don't face regularly, it's an exciting challenge.

"We want to go as well in the Challenge Cup as we can so it's really important that we win this game and put ourselves in a good position."

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Munster head coach Clayton McMillan felt his side were "poor" in their United Rugby Championship loss against Ulster on Friday night but said his side will "bounce back" from a poor run.

After making a strong start to the campaign, Munster have struggled over recent weeks and have now lost four of their past six including back-to-back Irish derbies against Leinster and Ulster.

Against the latter at Affidea Stadium, Richie Murphy's side had only a narrow 6-3 lead at half-time before tries from Tom Stewart, Jake Flannery and Bryn Ward after the restart secured a comfortable 28-3 win for the hosts.

The result put an end to Munster's three-game winning run against Ulster and saw the northern province jump above their Irish rivals in the table.

"We trained well during the week and expected a much better performance across the board," McMillan told BBC Sport NI.

"We didn't get it, and we weren't allowed to get it through a quality, physical Ulster side, so full credit to them.

"They [Ulster] won the scraps on the ground and were able to build a little bit of momentum off that, the breakdown was poor, we lost races and we carried high. We had a couple of good moments but, overall, were poor again."

The defeat dropped Munster to sixth in the URC table before they turn their attention to the Champions Cup and Sunday's game against Top 14 side Toulon (13:00 GMT).

McMillan added he needs to "find out what will bring a turn of form" before their trip to the Stade Mayol.

"It is just our execution, which is becoming a recurring theme so, first and foremost, the coaches will look at ourselves before we look at the players," said the head coach in his first season at Thomond Park.

"We need to reflect again and start thinking about what will bring a turn of form. We are hanging in there, but we haven't been that compelling with anything that we have done.

"We have a good group and we will bounce back, but you would like to have a bit more consistency and not have to go through performances like that to get a response."

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Ulster head coach Richie Murphy says there is a "great buzz" around the northern province this season.

Friday night's 28-3 interpro triumph over Munster lifted the side into second place in the United Rugby Championship and they have won six of eight games played in the league this season.

Having finished 14th last season, above only Zebre and Dragons in the table, it has been a dramatic turnaround at the Affidea Stadium so far in 2025-26.

"There's a great buzz down in the changing room," said the head coach in his second full season in the job.

"There's confidence growing. There's a real belief. There's a real hunger. The atmosphere on a daily basis is great.

"The lads are turning up and they're hungry for work."

Murphy has been impressed by the contributions of 21-year-old pair Bryn Ward and Joe Hopes in recent weeks and feels it was important to increase the depth of his panel this season after a host of experienced departures in recent summers.

"There's a few others that we want to try and get in over these next couple of weeks to try and build out our squad because that's one of the things that is going to be really important come the back end of the tournament.

"The challenge in training is a lot better now because, one, we've a healthier squad than we did last year and those young guys are learning from the experience.

"Our older guys, the Iain Hendersons, the Rob Herrings, the Jacob Stockdales, Nick Timoneys, they're really driving the place forward.

"The young lads are really hungry as well, so it's great."

In their latest victory, Ulster had led only 6-3 at half-time in snowy conditions but made their dominance count in the second half with three tries and 22 unanswered points to ensure they would leapfrog Munster in the table despite not picking up the four-try bonus point in the final minutes.

"Just early on in the game, we couldn't quite break them down and we didn't look after the ball quite well enough, but we put them under a hell of a lot of pressure and I suppose that told in the second half," Murphy added.

"I still think we tried and we tried hard to play [in the first half].

"We were the team that were trying to move the ball to space and get our big ball carrying wingers into the game and I thought we'd done that really well, just probably a little bit disappointed that we couldn't get that final try."