Ulster advance in Challenge Cup after Willemse red

Ulster eventually put Montpellier away in the second half

Ulster came from behind to beat Montpellier and reach the last 16 of the European Challenge Cup.

As their discipline unravelled, Montpellier would spend a period with 12 men after three second-half yellow cards.

Ulster will now face Clermont away in the quarter-finals.

Both sides were forced into changes before kick-off, with Montpellier losing former All Black George Bridge from the team they had named on Friday.

Ulster meanwhile, were without Ethan McIlroy which brought Will Addison into the starting side having not originally been set to be involved at all.

The visitors had appeared to cope well with the upheaval in the early stages, making a strong start only to be undone by a strong Clement Doumenc turnover.

Montpellier's superiority at the breakdown would become a running theme of the first half.

• •As it happened: Montpellier 17-40 Ulster

When the Top 14 strugglers took the lead, Ulster had a huge hand in gifting their opponents the opening score.

Addison knocked on behind his own try-line when chasing back a long kick, giving Montpellier a scrum five metres out.

The French side's power in the close exchanges was to the fore with captain Paul Willemse barging over.

If that score was all about brute force, Montpellier's second was full of guile.

Alex Becognee, who had been a huge thorn in Ulster's side defensively, showed his skills with ball in hand as he popped up a pass for Aubin Eymeri.

The scrum-half still had plenty to do but his measured chip and chase saw him across the try line.

Ulster were rocking on their heels but Will Addison's try just before the half hour mark dragged them back into the game.

Rob Baloucoune had looked set to score himself but was hauled down just short of the line by his opposite number Gabriel N'Gandebe.

While the ball came loose in the tackle, referee Ben Whitehouse adjudged it had gone backwards and Addison scooped up and scored.

Montpellier extended their advantage on the cusp of half-time, Louis Foursans knocking over a penalty after Ulster were whistled at the scrum. Those would be Montpellier's final points of the day.

Only a minute into the second half, Willemse saw red for his high tackle on Addison.

Ulster quickly made the extra man count with Baloucoune scoring out wide off Stewart Moore's diving pass out of the tackle only two minutes later.

Against only seven Montpellier forwards, Ulster started to get a real edge off the scrum but the province were frustrated time and time again as they sought their first lead of the game.

Having scored so quickly after the red card, it would be another 20 minutes before they crossed again.

After a series of Montpellier penalties, Ulster used a five-metre tap to set up a rolling maul which, although stopped short, preceded replacement prop Scott Wilson driving over.

John Cooney's second conversion of the day gave Ulster the lead just past the hour mark.

In an increasingly ill-tempered contest, Florian Verhaeghe and Vano Karkadze were sent to the sin bin in quick succession, leaving Montpellier with only 12 men for just over nine of the final 15 minutes.

Moments after the latter was yellow carded for coming in at the side of the maul, David McCann's close-range try and Cooney's subsequent conversion made the game safe for Ulster.

Stuart McCloskey's 78th minute score and a penalty try with the clock in the red added gloss to the final score.

Line-ups

Montpellier: De Nardi; N'Gandebe, Lucas, Cadot, Lam; Foursana-Bourdette, Eymeri; Fichten, Tolofua, Williams; Verhaeghe, Willemse (capt); Becognee, Doumenc, Simmonds.

Replacements: Karkadze, Erdocio, Macharashvili, Duguid, Camara, Carbonel, Dakuwaqa, Tisseron.

Sin bin: Verhaeghe (65), Karkadze (66), N'Gandbebe (81)

Red card: Willemse (41)

Ulster: Addison; Baloucoune, Hume, McCloskey, Moore; Doak, Cooney; Kitshoff, Herring, O'Toole; O'Connor, Henderson (capt); Rea, McCann, Timoney.

Replacements: Andrew, Warwick, Wilson, Sheridan, Izuchukwu, Shanahan, Flannery, Ewers

Match officials

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WAL)

TMO: Daniel Jones (ENG)

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