Ireland international Rob Herring is pictured on the attack during Ulster's most recent trip to France, back when they faced Clermont Auvergne during this season's pool stages of the Heineken Champions Cup ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan
Ulster are aiming to put their Guinness PRO14 final disappointment behind them and reach their first Heineken Champions Cup semi-final since 2012, but an unbeaten Toulouse side present a very tough challenge.
HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP QUARTER-FINAL: Sunday, September 20
TOULOUSE (1st, Pool 5) v ULSTER (2nd, Pool 3), Stade Ernest Wallon, 1.30pm local time/12.30pm Irish time (live BT Sport 3/Virgin Media One/Channel 4/FR2/beIN Sports/BBC Radio Ulster/Newstalk/highlights Virgin Media One)
Team News: Former Ireland Sevens international Nick Timoney will pack down at number 8 when Ulster visit four-time champions Toulouse in Sunday’s Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final at Stade Ernest Wallon.
With Marcell Coetzee missing out through injury, Timoney is drafted into the back row along with Jordi Murphy, who was also a second half replacement during last week’s Guinness PRO14 final defeat to Leinster.
John Cooney, the Champions Cup’s current top scorer with 71 points, and Jack McGrath are promoted from the bench too as head coach Dan McFarland makes four changes for the resumption of their promising European campaign.
Cooney’s inclusion – at the expense of former All Black Alby Mathewson – is the only alteration in an otherwise unchanged back-line which has Billy Burns at out-half and Michael Lowry at full-back.
It will be the 22-year-old Lowry’s fourth European start, while there is a third for young winger Rob Lyttle (23), and a Champions Cup debut is the reward for 22-year-old James Hume’s impressive form in midfield.
Ireland internationals Jacob Stockdale and Stuart McCloskey complete the backs division, with McGrath rejoining Rob Herring and 21-year-old tighthead Tom O’Toole in the front row.
Fresh from his return from a shoulder operation, captain Iain Henderson remains a vital cog in the second row alongside Alan O’Connor. Sean Reidy switches to the blindside role in an athletic back row.
McFarland has again gone for a six-two split on the bench, the forward options provided by John Andrew, Eric O’Sullivan, Martin Moore, Sam Carter, Kieran Treadwell and Matthew Rea. Kiwi pair Mathewson and Matt Faddes complete the matchday 23.
Meanwhile, Joe Tekori and Cyril Baille return to the Toulouse pack having missed the opening win of their 2020/21 domestic season last week – a 39-23 home defeat of La Rochelle which saw South African flyer Cheslin Kolbe touch down twice.
Full-back Thomas Ramos also impressed with the boot, finishing with 24 points from nine successful kicks. He is part of an unchanged back-line which is led by talented young France half-backs Romain Ntamack and Antoine Dupont.
With the return of Samoan powerhouse Tekori, captain Jerome Kaino reverts to his favoured blindside flanker role. Another New Zealander, Pita Ahki, is a familiar face in the centre as he played eight times for Connacht during the 2017/18 season.
TOULOUSE: Thomas Ramos; Yoann Huget, Sofiane Guitoune, Pita Ahki, Cheslin Kolbe; Romain Ntamack, Antoine Dupoint; Cyril Baille, Peato Mauvaka, Charlie Faumuina, Rory Arnold, Joe Tekori, Jerome Kaino (capt), Francois Cois, Selevasio Tolofua.
Replacements: Julien Marchand, Rodrigue Neti, Dorian Aldegheri, Emmanuel Meafou, Alban Placines, Zack Holmes, Alexis Bales, Matthis Lebel.
ULSTER: Michael Lowry; Rob Lyttle, James Hume, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Billy Burns, John Cooney; Jack McGrath, Rob Herring, Tom O’Toole, Alan O’Connor, Iain Henderson (capt), Sean Reidy, Jordi Murphy, Nick Timoney.
Replacements: John Andrew, Eric O’Sullivan, Martin Moore, Sam Carter, Kieran Treadwell, Alby Mathewson, Matt Faddes, Matthew Rea.
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees: Alexandre Ruiz, Thomas Charabas (both France)
Television Match Official: Eric Gauzins (France)
Pre-Match Quotes: Dan McFarland (Ulster) –
We have chatted a bit about it (the last Ulster game away to Toulouse in December 2015 when they won 25-23) and there were a lot of guys in the room who had played and won in Toulouse. It’s a different era now, it’s five years later and we’re playing the current French champions.
“As is wanton in the French league they rotate a lot of their players so they are a very different team to what they were back then, and we can only focus on the team that is in front of us now and the style they are playing.
“It’s good to have the experience though, to have the experience of those guys who have played in the Champions Cup against big French opposition and know how to win games.
“We’ve played Edinburgh, Leinster twice and Connacht in the first game (since the return of rugby) and they are good scoring teams so we have come under the cosh a bit (in defence).
“We have definitely got to improve in that area, I think a lot of our defence, but we have had lapses – some of them of set piece and some of them in our own 22. It is certainly something we need to improve and it will improve, it will need to get a lot better or we’ll be leaking a lot tries.”
Pita Ahki (Toulouse) –
Ulster are a very hard-working team, just looking at the PRO14 semi-finals. They were down for the whole game, away to Edinburgh, and managed to grind it out.
“They have big ball carriers like Stuart McCloskey, who can offload so we’ll be keeping an eye on them. That’s as well as players like (John) Cooney and (Alby) Mathewson off the bench.
“To be fair, we’ve been a bit shaky in the first half of (our two most recent) games. We are still trying to find our feet a bit, but this quarter-final was always in our minds and we will be ready for Sunday.”
Current Form – Toulouse – Played 25, Won 15, Drawn 1, Lost 9 – (Top 14 Championship): Lost 30-25 v Bordeaux-Bègles (away), Lost 22-12 v Lyon (away), Won 20-17 v Racing 92 (home), Lost 28-13 v La Rochelle (away), Won 24-23 v Pau (home), Lost 23-9 v Brive (away), Won 36-15 v Castres Olympique (home), Lost 33-22 v Montpellier (away); (Heineken Champions Cup): Won 25-20 v Gloucester (away), Won 32-17 v Connacht (home); (Top 14 Championship): Won 34-8 v Clermont Auvergne (home); (Heineken Champions Cup): Won 23-9 v Montpellier (home), Won 26-18 v Montpellier (away); (Top 14 Championship): Won 45-10 v Bayonne (home), Won 13-8 v Agen (away), Drew 13-13 v Toulon (home), Lost 30-18 v Stade Francais (away); (Heineken Champions Cup): Won 21-7 v Connacht (away), Won 35-14 v Gloucester (home); (Top 14 Championship): Won 22-14 v Bordeaux-Bègles (home), Lost 30-27 v Racing 92 (away), Won 25-7 v Montpellier (home), Lost 20-10 v Bayonne (away); 2020/21 Season – (Top 14 Championship): Lost 33-30 v Clermont Auvergne (away), Won 39-23 v La Rochelle (home)
Ulster – Played 23, Won 14, Drawn 1, Lost 8 – (Guinness PRO14): Won 38-14 v Ospreys (home), Lost 63-26 v Toyota Cheetahs (away), Won 42-17 v Isuzu Southern Kings (away), Won 23-14 v Cardiff Blues (home), Won 22-7 v Zebre (home), Lost 22-16 v Munster (away); (Heineken Champions Cup): Won 17-16 v Bath (away), Won 18-13 v Clermont Auvergne (home); (Guinness PRO14): Won 29-5 v Scarlets (home); (Heineken Champions Cup): Won 25-24 v Harlequins (home), Won 34-10 v Harlequins (away); (Guinness PRO14): Lost 54-42 v Leinster (away), Won 35-3 v Connacht (home), Won 38-17 v Munster (home); (Heineken Champions Cup): Lost 29-13 v Clermont Auvergne (away), Won 22-15 v Bath (home); (Guinness PRO14): Lost 26-24 v Ospreys (away), Won 20-10 v Toyota Cheetahs (home), Drew 0-0 v Benetton Rugby (away), Lost 26-20 v Connacht (away), Lost 28-10 v Leinster (home); (Guinness PRO14 semi-final): Won 22-19 v Edinburgh (away); (Guinness PRO14 final): Lost 27-5 v Leinster (away)
Top Scorers – 2019/20 Heineken Champions Cup: Toulouse – Points: Thomas Ramos 61; Tries: Romain Ntamack 5; Ulster – Points: John Cooney 71; Tries: John Cooney 5
Previous European Meetings: 9
Sunday, December 20, 2015 – Pool 1 – Toulouse 23 Ulster 25, Stade Ernest Wallon
Friday, December 11, 2015 – Pool 1 – Ulster 38 Toulouse 0, Kingspan Stadium
Sunday, January 21, 2007 – Pool 5 – Toulouse 28 Ulster 13, Stade Ernest Wallon
Saturday, October 21, 2006 – Pool 5 – Ulster 30 Toulouse 3, Ravenhill
Friday, October 27, 2000 – Pool 3 – Ulster 25 Toulouse 29, Ravenhill
Sunday, October 22, 2000 – Pool 3 – Toulouse 35 Ulster 35, Stade Municipal
Friday, December 11, 1998 – Quarter-final – Ulster 15 Toulouse 13, Ravenhill
Friday, October 16, 1998 – Pool C – Ulster 29 Toulouse 24, Ravenhill
Saturday, September 26, 1998 – Pool C – Toulouse 39 Ulster 3, Stade Ernest Wallon
Match Facts –
– Toulouse have reached the knockout rounds for the 18th time in their history, the joint most of any team along with Munster
– Ulster have won two of their six previous quarter-finals, although one of their two victories at this stage was against Toulouse during their European Cup-winning campaign in 1998/99 (also v Munster in 2012)
– Toulouse are unbeaten in their last nine home games in the Heineken Champions Cup, winning their last eight in a row (D1), while Ulster have lost their last five games in France, each of those defeats coming by 15-plus points
– Ulster have conceded just two first half tries this season, fewer than any other side, while Toulouse have conceded the fewest in the second half of matches (1)
– Ulster retained 31 of their 167 kicks from hand in the pool stages, more than any other side and almost double Toulouse’s tally (16). Only La Rochelle (21%) retained a higher proportion of their kicks than the Ulstermen (19%)
– Ulster are the only side yet to be shown a card of any colour in the Heineken Champions Cup this season
– Toulouse have won 12 opposition lineouts, three more than any other side and 10 more than Ulster. Individually, no one has stolen more than François Cros (5, level with Scott Cummings, Peter O’Mahony and Gerbrandt Grobler)
– Only Racing 92’s Camille Chat (27) has made more dominant carries this season than Ulster duo Marcell Coetzee and Stuart McCloskey (20 each)
– Just eight players have played every minute in this season’s Heineken Champions Cup pool stages, and half are from Ulster (Iain Henderson, Jacob Stockdale, Luke Marshall and Stuart McCloskey). Toulouse’s Sofiane Guitoune is one of the other four (also Scott Cummings, James Lowe and Boris Palu)
European Cup Records:
Toulouse –
2018/19: Reached the semi-finals
2016/17: Reached the quarter-finals
2015/16: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
2014/15: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
2013/14: Reached the quarter-finals
2012/13: Failed to qualify from Pool 2
2011/12: Reached the quarter-finals
2010/11: Reached the semi-finals
2009/10: Champions
2008/09: Reached the quarter-finals
2007/08: Runners-up
2006/07: Failed to qualify from Pool 5
2005/06: Reached the quarter-finals
2004/05: Champions
2003/04: Runners-up
2002/03: Champions
2001/02: Failed to qualify from Pool 6
2000/01: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
1999/00: Reached the semi-finals
1998/99: Reached the quarter-finals
1997/98: Reached the semi Finals
1996/97: Reached the semi-finals
1995/96: Champions
Ulster –
2018/19: Reached the quarter-finals
2017/18: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
2016/17: Failed to qualify from Pool 5
2015/16: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
2014/15: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
2013/14: Reached the quarter-finals
2012/13: Reached the quarter-finals
2011/12: Runners-up
2010/11: Reached the quarter-finals
2009/10: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
2008/09: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
2007/08: Failed to qualify from Pool 2
2006/07: Failed to qualify from Pool 5
2005/06: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
2004/05: Failed to qualify from Pool 6
2003/04: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
2002/03: Failed to qualify from Pool 6
2001/02: Failed to qualify from Pool 2
2000/01: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
1999/00: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
1998/99: Champions
1997/98: Failed to qualify from Pool B
1996/97: Failed to qualify from Pool C
1995/96: Failed to qualify from Pool B
This website uses cookies.
Read More