Zac Ward and Tom Stewart among those with games to forget in Challenge Cup final
15 Mike Lowry Showed good footwork with his handful of carries to find soft shoulders. Recovered well to win a race to a ball over his own line.
Missed a tired looking tackle in the build-up to a score, but injected some attacking tempo to support Baloucoune for a late consolation. Comfortably Ulster’s best player. Nearly always a threat on the few times the ball found him, beating the most defenders of anyone on the park. Effective in the air – another element Ulster could have used more often.
Showed his pace for his score and was unlucky that an off-balance grubber went dead instead of sitting up for another. Added a fantastic offload assist for Lowry. Ulster v Montpellier live updates: Ulster well beaten in Challenge Cup finalPut Izuchukwu away for his try well. A handful of errors, not least when missing a man-and-ball tackle, failing to end an attack that ultimately ended with a try in the corner.
With Ireland needing centre depth, this was a big chance to cement his place in the pecking order ahead of the summer tour. Carried well on occasion, but ultimately Ulster did not get an equivalent gain line presence to what McCloskey offers in this position. Taken off on the hour mark. Another who needed to get on the ball more often.
A handful of errors clouded his day, in particular a missed tackle in the lead up to Montpellier’s first score. When Murphy went short with kickoffs, Baloucoune looked like winning it back. When going long, Montpellier’s exits negated any attempt at gaining territory. Along with Doak, needed to manage this game better as Ulster’s attack played too many phases without tempo.
Started off managing the game well, using the boot effectively with both box and grubber kicks. Offered a carrying threat around the breakdown too. Both elements disappeared after a strong opening quarter. Another who started well, showing power and footwork in contact in Ulster’s strong early forays.
Much like the positives in Ulster’s game, he fell off too quickly. Good defensive work rate. Be it his fault, his jumper or the lifter, a lost lineout inside the 22 led to one of Montpellier’s first half scores. Lost his scrum battle to Forletta.
Part of a tired looking pack that struggled the more the game went on. Spilled a crucial lineout close to his own line and had the ball punched out of his grasp by Uelese when he should have scored. Unlikely to have mattered given the power disparity between the sides, but the botched try still felt like a momentum killer. Took his try well, showing off the athleticism that has Ireland interested in a fast, powerful secondrow.
Gave away a maul penalty that ultimately saw Montpellier score. Mixed bag. Brilliant footwork when carrying saw him break the gain line but he lost a few defensive collisions. Fed Baloucoune for his try nicely.
Difficult to fault the defensive effort. Formed one half of a double tackle with Stewart that flattened Vunipola, one of the only occasions Ulster limited him on the night. Took his try well with a powerful, low finish. An early bust while hoovering up kicking scraps aside, Ulster needed more from their ball-carrying eight.
Failed to provide front foot ball and was guilty of a few errors, including a botched tip-on pass and a breakdown penalty. A thankless task, really, trying to turn this one around. The deficit was 28 points by the time any replacements entered the fray. Bryn Ward had a familiar bust off a scrum while Eric O’Sullivan won an important turnover in the 22.
No changes until the score was 40-12 on 51 minutes. Perhaps they thought the half-time break would re-energise the starting XV. It did not. Early game plan appeared to focus on avoiding overplaying, but they still fell into the trap.
Hard to gameplan for such a power deficit in sapping heat. Ulster v Montpellier live updates: Ulster well beaten in Challenge Cup finalScar tissue or ravenous hunger? Leinster prepare for Champions Cup final with a lot of motivationMOST READ‘Selfless’ Alexander Coughlan, who died after assault in Blanchardstown, will be ‘deeply missed’Ulster v Montpellier live updates: Ulster well beaten in Challenge Cup finalByelection turnout at 34% in Dublin Central, 38% in Galway West as polls approach close
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