2017–18 Ulster Rugby season

The 2017–18 season was Ulster's 24th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and Jono Gibbes' only season as head coach. Rory Best was captain. They competed in the inaugural Pro14 (successor competition to the Pro12) and the European Rugby Champions Cup.

Ulster Rugby

2017–18 season
Head Coach	Jono Gibbes
Director of Rugby	Les Kiss
Captain	Rory Best
Pro14	4th in Conference B
European Rugby Champions Cup	3rd in Pool 1
Top try scorer	All: Craig Gilroy (11)
Top points scorer	All: John Cooney (225)
Home colours Away colours Third colours
← 2016–17 2018–19 →

Events

Personnel changes

After the departure of Neil Doak, Jono Gibbes joined Ulster as head coach,^[1] with Dwayne Peel joining him as assistant coach,^[2] replacing Allen Clarke, who had left to join the coaching staff at Ospreys.^[3] Aaron Dundon joined as scrum coach,^[4] with Niall Malone remaining as skills coach.

Out-half Paddy Jackson and centre Stuart Olding were charged with rape and suspended from playing pending trial^[5] (both would be acquitted, but have their contracts revoked).^[6] Australian out-half Christian Lealiifano was signed on a five-month loan to cover.^[7] Rory Best was restored to the captaincy.^[8] The IRFU had blocked South African scrum-half Ruan Pienaar extending his contract as part of their restrictions on foreign players,^[9] and he left for Montpellier. John Cooney was signed from Connacht to replace him.^[10] Other new arrivals were two South Africans, prop Schalk van der Merwe, signed from the Southern Kings, and loose forward Jean Deysel, signed from the Sharks. Back row forward Roger Wilson retired, lock Conor Joyce and centre Mark Best moved to Jersey Reds, hooker Johnny Murphy went to Rotherham Titans, and lock John Donnan, flankers Lorcan Dow and Stephen Mullholand, and prop Ricky Lutton were released.

Players joining the academy this year were out-half Michael Lowry and centre James Hume, from RBAI's three-time Schools' Cup-winning team; prop Tom O'Toole from Campbell College; lock/back row Matthew Dalton, from BRA, hooker Alexander Clarke (son of former Ulster hooker and assistant coach Allen Clarke), from Ballymena Academy; flanker Joe Dunleavy, from City of Derry R.F.C.; lock John McCusker, from Rainey Old Boys R.F.C.; lock Jack Regan; flanker Greg Jones and prop Eric O'Sullivan.^[11] Wing Robert Baloucoune and scrum-half Graham Curtis joined later in the season.^[12]

Season

After a poor run of form, with eighteen tries conceded in four matches over the Christmas period,^[13] Director of Rugby Les Kiss left in January, with Gibbes assuming all coaching responsibility of the team for the remainder of the season.^[14] Ulster finished third in Pool 1 of the Champions Cup, failing to qualify for the knockout stage. They finished fourth of seven in Conference B of the Pro14, failing to qualify for the playoffs, and having to beat Ospreys in a playoff to qualify for next season's Champions Cup. Gibbes cut short his contract at the end of the season.^[15] Former Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll described the province as "a bit of a basket case", facing "Administration issues, senior players retiring, the well documented court case, now no number 10 to build the team around, no coach next year, struggling for Champions Cup rugby next season."^[16]

Academy flanker Nick Timoney had a breakthrough season, making twenty appearances and scoring five tries. John Cooney was Ulster's leading scorer with 225 points; he was the Pro14's top scorer with 175 points, and made the Pro14 Dream Team. Wing Craig Gilroy was the team's leading try scorer with eleven. Lock Alan O'Connor was leading tackler with 226.^[17] John Cooney was Ulster's Player of the Year.

This was fullback Charles Piutau's last season with Ulster: he moved to Bristol Bears at the end of the season. Wings Tommy Bowe and Andrew Trimble and flanker Chris Henry retired. Centre Jared Payne also retired as a player, and was appointed defence coach.

Staff

Position	Name	Nationality
Chief executive officer	Shane Logan	Ireland
Director of Rugby	Les Kiss	Australia
Operations director	Bryn Cunningham	Ireland
Head coach	Jono Gibbes	New Zealand
Assistant coach	Dwayne Peel	Wales
Scrum Coach	Aaron Dundon	New Zealand
Skills Coach	Niall Malone	Ireland
Head of Strength & Conditioning	Jonny Davis	Ireland
Strength & conditioning coach	Kevin Geary	Ireland

Squad

Senior squad

Players In   John Cooney from   Connacht^[18]   Jean Deysel from   Sharks^[19]   Christian Lealiifano from   Brumbies^[20]   Schalk van der Merwe from   Southern Kings^[21] Promoted from academy   David Busby^[22]   Aaron Cairns^[22]   Ross Kane^[22]   Rob Lyttle^[22]   Tommy O'Hagan^[22]   Jack Owens^[22]

Players Out   Mark Best to   Jersey Reds^[23]   John Donnan released   Lorcan Dow released   Conor Joyce to   Jersey Reds^[24]   Christian Lealiifano to   Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi   Angus Lloyd to Munster^[25]   Ricky Lutton released   Stephen Mulholland released   Jonny Murphy to   Rotherham Titans^[26]   Ruan Pienaar to   Montpellier^[27]   Johnny Simpson released   Franco van der Merwe to Cardiff Blues^[28]   Roger Wilson retired^[29]

Ulster Rugby squad^[30]
Props   Wiehahn Herbst* (18 apps, 14 starts, 5 pts)   Callum Black (18 apps, 13 starts)   Andrew Warwick (20 apps, 8 starts)   Rodney Ah You (18 apps, 7 starts)   Kyle McCall (12 apps, 6 starts)   Ross Kane (11 apps, 5 starts))   Tom O'Toole (4 apps, 2 starts)   Schalk van der Merwe (2 apps, 1 start)   Tommy O'Hagan (no apps) Hookers   Rob Herring (24 apps, 15 starts)   John Andrew (17 apps, 7 starts, 15 pts)   Rory Best (c) (9 apps, 6 starts, 15 pts)   Adam McBurney (3 apps) Locks   Alan O'Connor (24 apps, 22 starts, 10 pts)   Kieran Treadwell (21 aps, 17 starts, 10 pts)   Iain Henderson (16 apps, 15 starts, 5 pts)   Matthew Dalton (7 apps, 2 starts)   Peter Browne* (3 apps, 2 starts)   Jack Regan (1 app)	Back row   Sean Reidy (22 apps, 19 starts, 20 pts)   Nick Timoney (20 apps, 17 starts, 25 pts)   Jean Deysel (11 apps, 11 starts)   Matty Rea (18 apps, 9 starts)   Chris Henry (19 apps, 8 starts)   Robbie Diack (13 apps, 8 starts, 5 pts)   Clive Ross (8 apps, 4 starts, 5 pts)   Greg Jones (3 apps, 2 starts)   Marcell Coetzee (1 app, 1 start)   Aaron Hall (1 app, 1 start) Scrum-halves   John Cooney (25 apps, 22 starts, 233 pts)   Paul Marshall (11 apps, 3 starts)   David Shanahan (7 apps, 1 start, 10 pts)   Johnny Stewart (3 apps, 1 start)   Aaron Cairns (1 app, 1 start) Fly-halves   Christian Lealiifano (17 apps, 17 starts, 41 pts)   Johnny McPhillips (12 apps, 9 starts, 19 pts)   Peter Nelson (10 apps, 3 starts, 20 pts)   Angus Curtis (2 apps)   Brett Herron* (1 app, 2 pts)   Paddy Jackson (suspended)	Centres   Stuart McCloskey (24 apps, 24 starts, 35 pts)   Luke Marshall (14 app, 13 starts, 5 pts)   Darren Cave (16 apps, 9 starts, 22 pts)   Stuart Olding (suspended)   Jared Payne (no apps)   Callum Patterson (no apps) Wings   Louis Ludik* (24 apps, 19 starts, 5 pts)   Jacob Stockdale (19 apps, 18 starts, 50 pts)   Craig Gilroy (13 app, 13 start, 55 pts)   Tommy Bowe (17 apps, 11 starts, 15 pts)   Andrew Trimble (12 apps, 9 starts, 30 pts)   Rob Lyttle (5 apps, 2 starts, 20 pts)   Jack Owens (no apps) Fullbacks   Charles Piutau (21 apps, 21 starts, 15 pts)   David Busby (1 app)
(c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players. Italics denotes academy players who appeared in the senior team. ^* denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality. Players and their allocated positions from the Ulster Rugby website.^[31]^[32]

• Internationally capped players in bold
• Players qualified to play for Ireland on dual nationality or residency grounds*
• Irish Provinces are currently limited to four non-Irish eligible (NIE) players and one non-Irish qualified player (NIQ or "Project Player").^[33]

Academy squad

Players in   Michael Lowry from   RBAI^[11]   James Hume from   RBAI^[11]   Tom O'Toole from   Campbell College^[11]   Eric O'Sullivan from   Dublin University^[11]   Robert Baloucoune from   Portora Royal School/Enniskillen RFC^[12]   Greg Jones from   University College Dublin R.F.C.^[11]   Matthew Dalton, from   BRA^[11]   Jack Regan from   University College Dublin R.F.C.^[11]   Graham Curtis from   Hilton College^[12]   Alexander Clarke from   Ballymena Academy^[11]   Joe Dunleavy from   City of Derry R.F.C.^[11]   John McCusker from   Rainey Old Boys R.F.C.^[11]

Players out   Michael Lagan   Craig Trenier   Alex Thompson   Conall Boomer   Andy McGrath

Position^[34]	Name	Nationality
Head coach	Kieran Campbell	Ireland
Strength & conditioning coach	Matthew Maguire	Ireland
Strength & conditioning coach	Matthew Godfrey	Ireland
Strength & conditioning coach	Amy Davis	Ireland
Representative Team Performance Manager	Michael Black	Ireland
Talent Development Officer	Jonny Gillespie	Ireland
Elite Player Development Officer/Head Coach Ulster 'A'	Alex Codling	Ireland
Elite Player Development Officer	James Topping	Ireland
Lead Strength & Conditioning Coach	David Drake	Ireland

Ulster Rugby Academy squad^[35]
Props   Peter Cooper (3)   Eric O'Sullivan (1)   Tom O'Toole (1) (5 apps, 2 starts) Hookers   Alexander Clarke (1)   Adam McBurney (2) (3 apps)   Zack McCall (2) Locks   Matthew Dalton (1) (8 apps, 2 starts)   John McCusker (1)   Jack Regan (1)	Back row   Joe Dunleavy (1)   Aaron Hall (2) (1 app, 1 start)   Marcus Rea (2)   Nick Timoney (3) (20 apps, 17 starts, 25 pts)   Greg Jones (1) (4 apps, 2 starts) Scrum-halves   Johnny Stewart (2) (4 apps, 1 start)   Graham Curtis (1) Fly-halves   Angus Curtis (2) (2 apps)   Michael Lowry (1)	Centres   Rory Butler (2)   James Hume (1) Wings   Robert Baloucoune (1) Fullbacks None
(c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players, number in brackets indicates players stage in the three-year academy cycle. ^* denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality. Players and their allocated positions from the Ulster Rugby website.^[36]

Ulster 'A'

The following players, other than players from the senior squad and academy, appeared for Ulster 'A' this season.

Players used by Ulster 'A'
Props   Michael Cromie   Johnny Simpson Back row   Matthew Agnew   Azur Allison   Caleb Montgomery	Scrum-halves   Michael Stronge Centres   Stewart Moore   Chris Swash Wings   Angus Kernohan

European Rugby Champions Cup

Main article: 2017–18 European Rugby Champions Cup

Team v t e	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	Diff	TF	TA	TB	LB	Pts
La Rochelle (5)	6	4	0	2	156	121	+35	18	17	3	1	20
Wasps	6	3	0	3	154	121	+33	21	15	4	1	17
Ulster	6	4	0	2	132	118	+14	15	15	1	0	17
Harlequins	6	1	0	5	106	188	–82	15	22	2	1	7

13 October 2017	Ulster	19–9	Wasps	Kingspan Stadium
19:45	Try: Stockdale 54' m McCloskey 56' m Pen: Cooney (1/2) 14' Lealiifano (2/2) 69', 74'	Report^[37] Highlights	Pen: Daly (1/1) 3' Gopperth (2/2) 40', 46'	Attendance: 15,291 Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Kyle McCall, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Wiehahn Herbst, 4. Kieran Treadwell, 5. Iain Henderson, 6. Robbie Diack, 7. Sean Reidy, 8. Jean Deysel, 9. John Cooney, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Luke Marshall, 14. Louis Ludik, 15. Charles Piutau. Replacements: 16. John Andrew, 17. Callum Black, 18. Rodney Ah You (for Herbst 64), 19. Matthew Rea, 20. Clive Ross (for Deysel 64), 21. Paul Marshall (for Cooney 64), 22. Peter Nelson, 23. Tommy Bowe (for L. Marshall 68).

22 October 2017	(1 BP) La Rochelle	41–17	Ulster	Stade Marcel-Deflandre
16:15	Try: Sinzelle 2' c Vito 50' c Gourdon 59' c Aguillon 62' c Eaton 65' c Con: Lamb (1/1) 3' Balès (2/2) 51', 60' Goillot (2/2) 64', 66' Pen: Balès (2/2) 22', 27'	Report^[38] Highlights	Try: Lealiifano 9' c Bowe 69' c Con: Lealiifano (1/1) 10' Pen: Lealiifano (1/1) 15'	Attendance: 16,000 Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Callum Black, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Wiehahn Herbst, 4. Kieran Treadwell, 5. Alan O'Connor, 6. Iain Henderson, 7. Chris Henry, 8. Sean Reidy, 9. Paul Marshall, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Tommy Bowe, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Darren Cave, 14. Andrew Trimble, 15. Charles Piutau. Replacements: 16. Rory Best (for Herring 61), 17. Andrew Warwick (for Black 70), 18. Rodney Ah You (for Herbst 52), 19. Robbie Diack (for O'Connor 56), 20. Matty Rea (for Reidy 67), 21. John Cooney (for Lealiifano 47), 22. Luke Marshall (for Cave 64), 23. Jacob Stockdale (for Trimble 52).

10 December 2017	Harlequins	5–17	Ulster	Twickenham Stoop
13:00	Try: Sinckler 49' m	Report^[39] Highlights	Try: Stockdale 25' m Pen: Cooney (4/5) 5', 61', 65', 78'	Attendance: 8,327 Referee: Pascal Gaüzère (FFR)
Ulster lineup: 1. Callum Black, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Wiehahn Herbst, 4. Alan O'Connor, 5. Kieran Treadwell, 6. Iain Henderson, 7. Sean Reidy, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Tommy Bowe, 14. Craig Gilroy, 15. Charles Piutau. Replacements: 16. John Andrew, 17. Andrew Warwick (for Black 70), 18. Rodney Ah You (for Herbst 63), 19. Matty Rea, 20. Chris Henry (for Treadwell 51), 21. Paul Marshall, 22. Peter Nelson, 23. Louis Ludik (for Bowe 47).

15 December 2017	(1 BP) Ulster	52–24	Harlequins (1 BP)	Kingspan Stadium
19:45	Try: McCloskey 17' c Gilroy 43' c Piutau 55' m O'Connor 61' c Cooney 71' c Trimble 79' c Con: Cooney (5/6) 18', 45', 62', 72', 80' Pen: Cooney (4/4) 4', 9', 33', 50'	Report^[40] Highlights	Try: Smith 13' m Walker 29' c Chisholm 58' m Ward 66' c Con: Smith (2/4) 30', 67'	Attendance: 15,646 Referee: Alexandre Ruiz (FFR)
Ulster lineup: 1. Callum Black, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Wiehahn Herbst, 4. Alan O'Connor, 5. Kieran Treadwell, 6. Iain Henderson, 7. Chris Henry, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Louis Ludik, 14. Craig Gilroy, 15. Charles Piutau. Replacements: 16. John Andrew (for Herring 34-44, 52), 17. Andrew Warwick (for Black 41), 18. Ross Kane (for Herbst 41), 19. Matty Rea (for Treadwell 68), 20. Sean Reidy (for Timoney 55), 21. Paul Marshall (for Cooney 75), 22. Peter Nelson (for Stockdale 65), 23. Andrew Trimble (for Piutau 60).

13 January 2018	Ulster	20–13	La Rochelle (1 BP)	Kingspan Stadium
13:00	Try: Best 27' m Stockdale 34' m Timoney 44' c Con: Cooney (1/3) 45' Pen: Cooney (1/1) 49'	Report^[41] Highlights	Try: Balès 42' c Con: Balès (1/1) 43' Pen: Balès (2/2) 8', 15'	Attendance: 15,004 Referee: Wayne Barnes (RFU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Callum Black, 2. Rory Best, 3. Rodney Ah You, 4. Alan O'Connor, 5. Iain Henderson, 6. Matty Rea, 7. Sean Reidy, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Louis Ludik, 14. Craig Gilroy, 15. Charles Piutau. Replacements: 16. Rob Herring (for Best 72), 17. Kyle McCall (for Black 57), 18. Ross Kane (for Ah You 63), 19. Kieran Treadwell (for Rea 57), 20. Chris Henry (for Reidy 63), 21. David Shanahan, 22. Jonny McPhillips (for Lealiifano 72), 23. Darren Cave (for Gilroy 26).

21 January 2018	(1 BP) Wasps	26–7	Ulster	Ricoh Arena
15:15	Try: Thompson 10' c Cruse 31' c Le Roux 46' m Cooper-Woolley 55' c Con: Cipriani (3/4) 11', 32', 56'	Report^[42]Highlights	Try: Reidy 23' c Con: Cooney (1/1) 24'	Attendance: 13,124 Referee: Jérôme Garcès (FFR)
Ulster lineup: 1. Kyle McCall, 2. Rory Best, 3. Rodney Ah You, 4. Alan O'Connor, 5. Kieran Treadwell, 6. Iain Henderson, 7. Sean Reidy, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Darren Cave, 14. Louis Ludik, 15. Charles Piutau. Replacements: 16. Rob Herring (for Best 56), 17. Andrew Warwick (for McCall 54), 18. Wiehahn Herbst (for Ah You 50), 19. Matty Rea (for Treadwell 56), 20. Chris Henry (for Timoney 65), 21. David Shanahan (for Lealiifano 72), 22. Jonny McPhillips (for Ludik 32), 23. Rob Lyttle (for Stockdale 17).

Pro14

Main article: 2017–18 Pro14

2017–18 Pro14 tables view · watch · edit · discuss
Conference A
	Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	TBP	LBP	PTS
1	Glasgow Warriors (SF)	21	15	1	5	614	366	+248	81	38	12	2	76
2	Munster (SF)	21	13	1	7	568	361	+207	78	42	10	5	69
3	Cheetahs (QF)	21	12	0	9	609	554	+55	75	68	10	5	63
4	Cardiff Blues	21	11	0	10	502	482	+20	56	59	5	5	54
5	Ospreys	21	9	0	12	390	487	−97	44	60	5	3	44
6	Connacht	21	7	0	14	445	477	−32	53	54	5	6	39
7	Zebre	21	7	0	14	408	593	–185	50	78	4	4	36
Conference B
	Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	TBP	LBP	PTS
1	Leinster (CH)	21	14	1	6	601	374	+227	83	46	10	2	70
2	Scarlets (RU)	21	14	1	6	528	365	+163	69	43	9	3	70
3	Edinburgh (QF)	21	15	0	6	494	375	+119	62	44	7	1	68
4	Ulster (PO)	21	12	2	7	538	482	+56	68	61	8	2	62
5	Benetton	21	11	0	10	415	451	−36	51	55	6	5	55
6	Dragons	21	2	2	17	378	672	−294	43	94	4	4	20
7	Southern Kings	21	1	0	20	378	829	−451	48	119	4	3	11
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order -^[43] number of matches won the difference between points for and points against the number of tries scored the most points scored the difference between tries for and tries against the fewest red cards received the fewest yellow cards received
Green background indicates teams that competed in the Pro14 play-offs, and also earned a place in the 2018–19 European Champions Cup (excluding South African teams who are ineligible) Blue background indicates teams outside the play-off places that earned a place in the 2018–19 European Champions Cup, including the winner of the play-off between the two fourth-ranked European teams in each conference Yellow background indicates the loser of the play-off between the two fourth-ranked European teams in each conference, that earned a place in the 2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup. Plain background indicates teams that earned a place in the 2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup. (CH) Champions. (RU) Runners-up. (SF) Losing semi-finalists. (QF) Losing quarter-finalists. (PO) Champions Cup play-off winners.

1 September 2017	(1 BP) Ulster	42–19	Cheetahs	Kingspan Stadium
19:35	Try: Bowe 18' m O'Connor 26' c McCloskey 29' c Piutau 32' m Ludik 41' m Nelson 74' c Con: Cooney (2/5) 27', 30' Nelson (1/1) 75' Pen: Cooney (2/2) 8', 55'	Report^[44] Highlights	Try: Blommetjies 15' c Mapimpi 20' c Petersen 49' m Con: Small-Smith (2/3) 17', 22'	Attendance: 14,448 Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Kyle McCall, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Wiehahn Herbst, 4. Robbie Diack, 5. Alan O'Connor, 6. Jean Deysel, 7. Chris Henry, 8. Marcell Coetzee, 9. John Cooney, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Louis Ludik, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Tommy Bowe, 14. Andrew Trimble, 15. Charles Piutau. Replacements: 16. John Andrew (for Herring 68'), 17. Callum Black (for McCall 68'), 18. Rodney Ah You (for Herbst 60'), 19. Matthew Rea (for O'Connor 60'), 20. Sean Reidy (for Coetzee 51'), 21. David Shanahan (for Cooney 75'), 22. Peter Nelson (for Lealiifano 51'), 23. Darren Cave (for Piutau 68').

9 September 2017	(1 BP) Benetton	14–21	Ulster	Stadio Comunale di Monigo
18:05	Try: Ruzza 64' c, McKinley 70' c Con: McKinley (2/2) 65', 72'	Report^[45] Highlights	Try: Trimble (2) 8' c, 23' c Stockdale 60' c Con: Cooney (3/3) 9', 24', 61'	Attendance: 2,600 Referee: Dan Jones (WRU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Callum Black, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Wiehahn Herbst, 4. Robbie Diack, 5. Kieran Treadwell, 6. Matthew Rea, 7. Sean Reidy, 8. Jean Deysel, 9. John Cooney, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Tommy Bowe, 14. Andrew Trimble, 15. Louis Ludik. Replacements: 16. John Andrew (for Herring 61'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for Black 50'), 18. Rodney Ah You (for Herbst 61'), 19. Pete Browne (for Treadwell 73'), 20. Chris Henry (for Deysel 49'), 21. David Shanahan (for Cooney 65'), 22. Peter Nelson (for Lealiifano 61'), 23. Luke Marshall (for Trimble 49').

15 September 2017	Ulster	27–20	Scarlets (1 BP)	Kingspan Stadium
19:35	Try: Stockdale 63' m Andrew 75' c Con: Lealiifano (1/1) 77' Pen: Cooney (4/4) 18', 31', 33', 51' Lealiifano (1/1) 71'	Report^[46] Highlights	Try: McNicholl 60' c J. Davies 67' c Con: Halfpenny (2/2) 62', 68' Pen: Halfpenny (2/2) 3', 57'	Attendance: 12,712 Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR)
Ulster lineup: 1. Kyle McCall, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Wiehahn Herbst, 4. Kieran Treadwell, 5. Alan O'Connor, 6. Matthew Rea, 7. Chris Henry, 8. Sean Reidy, 9. John Cooney, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Luke Marshall, 14. Andrew Trimble, 15. Louis Ludik. Replacements: 16. John Andrew (for Herring 57'), 17. Andrew Warwick, 18. Rodney Ah You (for Herbst 66'), 19. Robbie Diack (for Treadwell 58'), 20. Clive Ross (for Henry 66'), 21. Paul Marshall (for Cooney 70'), 22. Peter Nelson (for Stockdale 72'), 23. Tommy Bowe (for Ludik 51').

22 September 2017	(1 BP) Ulster	52–25	Dragons	Kingspan Stadium
19:35	Try: McCloskey 2' m Nelson 11' c Penalty try 19' Timoney (2) 24' c, 48' c Herbst 28' c Stockdale 43' m Shanahan 62' c Con: Nelson (4/6) 12', 25', 29', 49' Herron (1/1) 63'	Report^[47] Highlights	Try: Buckley 34' c Blacker 56' c Talbot-Davies 79' m Con: Jones (1/1) 34' O'Brien (1/2) 57' Pen: Jones (2/2) 6', 15'	Attendance: 12,291 Referee: Dan Jones (WRU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Kyle McCall, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Rodney Ah You, 4. Robbie Diack, 5. Alan O'Connor, 6. Clive Ross, 7. Chris Henry, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. Paul Marshall, 10. Peter Nelson, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Darren Cave, 14. Tommy Bowe, 15. Charles Piutau. Replacements: 16. John Andrew (for Herring 49'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for McCall 41'), 18. Wiehahn Herbst, 19. Iain Henderson (for O'Connor 58'), 20. Matty Rea (for Ross 52'), 21. David Shanahan, 22. Brett Herron (for Cave 52'), 23. Rob Lyttle (for Piutau 49').

30 September 2017	Zebre	27–23	Ulster (1 BP)	Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
15:35	Try: Licata 47' c Bellini 52' c Giammarioli 71' c Con: Canna (1/1) 49' Violi (2/2) 53', 73' Pen: Canna (2/4) 3', 21'	Report^[48] Highlights	Try: Trimble 16' c Cave 78' c Con: Cooney (1/1) 18' Cave (1/1) 78' c Pen: Cooney (3/3) 32', 39', 62'	Attendance: 3,100 Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Callum Black, 2. John Andrew, 3. Rodney Ah You, 4. Pete Browne, 5. Iain Henderson, 6. Matty Rea, 7. Sean Reidy, 8. Jean Deysel, 9. John Cooney, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Louis Ludik, 12. Luke Marshall, 13. Darren Cave, 14. Andrew Trimble, 15. Charles Piutau. Replacements: 16. Adam McBurney (for Andrew 77'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for Black 49'), 18. Wiehahn Herbst (for Ah You 49'), 19. Kieran Treadwell (for Browne 27'), 20. Nick Timoney (for Deysel 54'), 21. David Shanahan (for Cooney 63'), 22. Peter Nelson, 23. Rob Lyttle.

6 October 2017	Ulster	16–8	Connacht	Kingspan Stadium
19:35	Try: Stockdale 56' c Con: Cooney (1/1) 56' Pen: Cooney (3/3) 28', 44', 53'	Report^[49] Highlights	Try: McCartney 35' m Pen: J. Carty (1/1) 49'	Attendance: 14,363 Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Callum Black, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Wiehahn Herbst, 4. Alan O'Connor, 5. Kieran Treadwell, 6. Iain Henderson, 7. Chris Henry, 8. Jean Deysel, 9. John Cooney, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Stuart McCloskey, 12. Jacob Stockdale, 13. Luke Marshall, 14. Tommy Bowe, 15. Charles Piutau. Replacements: 16. John Andrew (for Herring 75'), 17. Andrew Warwick, 18. Rodney Ah You (for Herbst 67'), 19. Robbie Diack (for O'Connor 50'), 20. Sean Reidy (for Henry 54'), 21. Paul Marshall, 22. Peter Nelson, 23. Louis Ludik (for Bowe 59').

28 October 2017	Ulster	10–25	Leinster	Kingspan Stadium
18:30	Try: Reidy 27' c Con: Lealiifano (1/1) 28' Pen: Lealiifano (1/1) 6'	Report^[50] Highlights	Try: Larmour 15' c L. McGrath (2) 58' m, 78' c Con: R. Byrne (1/2) 15' Marsh (1/1) 78' Pen: R. Byrne (2/3) 30', 37'	Attendance: 17,631 Referee: John Lacey (IRFU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Callum Black, 2. Rory Best, 3. Rodney Ah You, 4. Alan O'Connor, 5. Iain Henderson, 6. Sean Reidy, 7. Chris Henry, 8. Jean Deysel, 9. Aaron Cairns, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Luke Marshall, 14. Tommy Bowe, 15. Charles Piutau. Replacements: 16. Rob Herring (for Best 56'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for Black 56'), 18. Ross Kane (for Ah You 74'), 19. Kieran Treadwell (for O'Connor 62'), 20. Robbie Diack (for Deysel 16'), 21. Johnny Stewart (for Cairns 61'), 22. Peter Nelson (for Lealiifano 67'), 23. Louis Ludik (for McCloskey 70').

4 November 2017	(2 BP) Southern Kings	36–43	Ulster (1 BP)	Wolfson Stadium
15:00	Try: B. Klaasen (2) 3' m, 62' c Penxe (2) 6' c, 73' c Makase 28' c Con: Zono (3/4) 7', 29', 63' Coleman (1/1) 74' Pen: Zono (1/1) 23'	Report^[51] Highlights	Try: Reidy 18' m Andrew (2) 26' m, 49' m Cooney 53' c Trimble 68' c Ross 72' c Diack 75' c Con: Cooney (1/4) 54' Lealiifano (3/3) 69', 72', 76'	Attendance: 2,836 Referee: Quinton Immelman (SARU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Andrew Warwick, 2. John Andrew, 3. Wiehahn Herbst, 4. Kieran Treadwell, 5. Alan O'Connor, 6. Matty Rea, 7. Chris Henry, 8. Sean Reidy, 9. John Cooney, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Andrew Trimble, 12. Darren Cave, 13. Louis Ludik, 14. Craig Gilroy, 15. Charles Piutau. Replacements: 16. Adam McBurney (for Andrew 72'), 17. Callum Black (for Warwick 60'), 18. Ross Kane (for Herbst 36'), 19. Robbie Diack (for Rea 64'), 20. Clive Ross (for Hery 55'), 21. Johnny Stewart, 22. Peter Nelson, 23. Tommy Bowe.

24 November 2017	Ulster	23–22	Benetton (1 BP)	Kingspan Stadium
19:05	Try: Bowe 17' c Trimble 77' c Con: Cooney (1/1) 18' Lealiifano (1/1) 78' Pen: Cooney (2/3) 22', 31' Lealiifano (1/1) 63'	Report^[52] Highlights	Try: Barbieri 55' c Con: Allan (1/1) 57' Pen: Allan (4/5) 4', 12', 38', 51' Banks (1/1) 72'	Attendance: 14,544 Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Callum Black, 2. John Andrew, 3. Ross Kane, 4. Kieran Treadwell, 5. Alan O'Connor, 6. Clive Ross, 7. Aaron Hall, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Peter Nelson, 11. Craig Gilroy, 12. Christian Lealiifano, 13. Louis Ludik, 14. Tommy Bowe, 15. Charles Piutau. Replacements: 16. Rob Herring (for Andrew 52'), 17. Schalk van der Merwe (for Black 45'), 18. Andrew Warwick (for Kane 52'), 19. Matthew Dalton (for Hall 70'), 20. Greg Jones (for Ross 34'), 21. Paul Marshall (for Cooney 53'), 22. Darren Cave (for Nelson 53'), 23. Andrew Trimble (for Bowe 74'.

1 December 2017	(1 BP) Dragons	32–32	Ulster (1 BP)	Rodney Parade
19:35	Try: Screech 19' c Hewitt (2) 27' m, 77' m Belcher 66' m O'Brien 71' c Con: Henson (2/5) 20', 72' Pen: Henson (1/1) 24'	Report^[53] Highights	Try: Gilroy (2) 9' m, 54' c Penalty try 32' L. Marshall 41' m Lealiifano 80' m Con: Lealiifano (1/4) 56' Pen: Lealiifano (1/1) 4'	Attendance: 4,477 Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR)
Ulster lineup: 1. Schalk van der Merwe, 2. John Andrew, 3. Ross Kane, 4. Alan O'Connor, 5. Kieran Treadwell, 6. Greg Jones, 7. Sean Reidy, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. Paul Marshall, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Louis Ludik, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Tommy Bowe, 14. Craig Gilroy, 15. Charles Piutau. Replacements: 16. Rory Best (for Andrew 52'), 17. Callum Black (for Van der Mwerwe 52'), 18. Andrew Warwick (for Kane 52'), 19. Matthew Dalton (for Treadwell 73'), 20. Chris Henry (for Jones 57'), 21. John Cooney (for P Marshall 53'), 22. Peter Nelson, 23. Andrew Trimble (for Ludik 76').

23 December 2017	(1 BP) Connacht	44–16	Ulster	Galway Sportsgrounds
19:35	Try: E. Masterson 2' m Aki 7' c O'Halloran 24' m Dillane (2) 54' c, 75' c Butler 59' c Con: J. Carty (4/6) 8', 56', 61', 76' Pen: J. Carty (2/2) 40', 47'	Report^[54] Highlights	Try: Gilroy 65' m Lyttle 79' m Pen: Cooney (2/2) 23', 32'	Attendance: 7,629 Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Andrew Warwick, 2. John Andrew, 3. Wiehahn Herbst, 4. Matthew Dalton, 5. Robbie Diack, 6. Iain Henderson, 7. Sean Reidy, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Peter Nelson, 11. Andrew Trimble, 12. Darren Cave, 13. Louis Ludik, 14. Craig Gilroy, 15. Jacob Stockdale. Replacements: 16. Adam McBurney (for Andrew 48'), 17. Schalk van der Merwe, 18. Ross Kane (for Herbst 52'), 19. Matty Rea (for Diack 65'), 20. Clive Ross, 21. Paul Marshall (for Nelson 53'), 22. Johnny McPhillips, 23. Rob Lyttle (for Cooney 62').

1 January 2018	(1 BP) Ulster	24–17	Munster (1 BP)	Kingspan Stadium
17:35	Try: Cave 57' c Gilroy (2) 61' m, 73' c Lyttle 79' m Con: Cooney (2/4) 58', 74'	Report^[55] Highlights	Try: N. Scannell (2) 13' m, 24' m Penalty try 33'	Attendance: 17,594 Referee: Sean Gallagher (IRFU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Kyle McCall, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Rodney Ah You, 4. Alan O'Connor, 5. Kieran Treadwell, 6. Greg Jones, 7. Nick Timoney, 8. Jean Deysel, 9. John Cooney, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Rob Lyttle, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Darren Cave, 14. Craig Gilroy, 15. Charles Piutau. Replacements: 16. Adam McBurney, 17. Callum Black (for McCall, 40'), 18. Wiehahn Herbst (for Ah You 40'), 19. Robbie Diack (for Treadwell 75'), 20. Matty Rea (for Deysel 45'), 21. Paul Marshall, 22. Johnny McPhillips, 23. Andrew Trimble.

6 January 2018	(1 BP) Leinster	38–7	Ulster	RDS Arena
17:35	Try: Larmour (2) 5' c, 66' m B. Daly 15' m McFadden (2) 47' c, 51' c Sexton 81' c Con: R. Byrne (3/4) 6', 48', 53' Sexton (1/2) 82'	Report^[56] Highlights	Try: Stockdale 72' c Con: Cooney (1/1) 74'	Attendance: 17,373 Referee: George Clancy (IRFU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Callum Black, 2. Rory Best, 3. Rodney Ah You, 4. Pete Browne, 5. Iain Henderson, 6. Matty Rea, 7. Sean Reidy, 8. Jean Deysel, 9. Johnny Stewart, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Darren Cave, 14. Andrew Trimble, 15. Charles Piutau. Replacements: 16. Rob Herring (for Best 64'), 17. Kyle McCall (for Black 61'), 18. Wiehahn Herbst (for Ah You 47-73'), 19. Alan O'Connor (for Browne 52'), 20. Nick Timoney (For Reidy 56'), 21. John Cooney (for J Stewart 52'), 22. Johnny McPhillips (for Lealiifano 55'), 23. Tommy Bowe (for Piutau 55-73').

9 February 2018	(1 BP) Ulster	59–10	Southern Kings	Kingspan Stadium
19:35	Try: Gilroy (3) 6' c, 38' c, 54' m McCloskey 17' c McPhillips 42' c Lyttle (2) 49' c, 58' m Treadwell 73' c Cave 76' c Con: Cooney (7/9) 7', 18', 39', 43', 50', 74', 77'	Report^[57] Highlights	Try: H. Klaasen 70' c Con: Van Rensburg (1/1) 70'	Attendance: 13,759 Referee: Joy Neville (IRFU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Andrew Warwick, 2. John Andrew, 3. Wiehahn Herbst, 4. Alan O'Connor, 5. Kieran Treadwell, 6. Matty Rea, 7. Sean Reidy, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Johnny McPhillips, 11. Rob Lyttle, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Luke Marshall, 14. Craig Gilroy, 15. Charles Piutau. Replacements: 16. Rob Herring (for Andrew 55'), 17. Kyle McCall (for Warwick 55'), 18. Rodney Ah You (for Herbst 55'), 19. Matthew Dalton (for Lyttle 59'), 20. Chris Henry (for Reidy 34'), 21. Johnny Stewart (for McPhillips 55'), 22. Darren Cave (for McCloskey 55'), 23. Louis Ludik (for Piutau 20').

16 February 2018	(1 BP) Ulster	16–17	Edinburgh	Kingspan Stadium
19:35	Try: Cooney 8' c Con: Cooney (1/1) 9' Pen: Cooney (3/3) 42', 55', 66'	Report^[58] Highlights	Try: Harries 33' c Carmichael 62' c Con: Hidalgo-Clyne (2/2) 35', 63' Drop: Weir (1/1) 80'	Attendance: 14,497 Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Andrew Warwick, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Wiehahn Herbst, 4. Alan O'Connor, 5. Kieran Treadwell, 6. Matty Rea, 7. Nick Timoney, 8. Sean Deysel, 9. John Cooney, 10. Johnny McPhillips, 11. Tommy Bowe, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Luke Marshall, 14. Craig Gilroy, 15. Louis Ludik. Replacements: 16. Rob Andrew (for Herring 55'), 17. Kyle McCall (for Warwick 53'), 18. Rodney Ah You (for Herbst 53'), 19. Matthew Dalton (for Treadwell 67'), 20. Chris Henry (for Deysel 56'), 21. Johnny Stewart, 22. Darren Cave, 23. David Busby.

24 February 2018	(1 BP) Scarlets	34–10	Ulster	Parc y Scarlets
19:35	Try: Nicholas 43' c Conbeer 57' c Asquith 64' c Beirne 76' c Con: Jones (4/4) 44', 58', 65', 76' Pen: Jones (2/2) 9', 55'	Report^[59] Highlights	Try: McCloskey 2' c Con: Cooney (1/1) 3' Pen: Cooney (1/1) 50'	Attendance: 6,941 Referee: Ian Davies (WRU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Andrew Warwick, 2. John Andrew, 3. Wiehahn Herbst, 4. Alan O'Connor, 5. Kieran Treadwell, 6. Matty Rea, 7. Nick Timoney, 8. Sean Deysel, 9. John Cooney, 10. Johnny McPhillips, 11. Tommy Bowe, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Luke Marshall, 14. Andrew Trimble, 15. Louis Ludik. Replacements: 16. Rob Herring (for Andrew 51'), 17. Kyle McCall (for Warwick 51'), 18. Rodney Ah You (for Herbst 62'), 19. Matthew Dalton, 20. Chris Henry (for Deysel 45'), 21. Paul Marshall (for Cooney 73'), 22. Peter Nelson (for Trimble 65'), 23. Darren Cave (for Marshall 67').

24 March 2018	(1 BP) Cardiff Blues	35–17	Ulster	Cardiff Arms Park
15:15	Try: Evans 1' c Scully 12' c Dacey 56' m D. Lewis 80' c Con: Evans (4/5) 2', 13', 62', 80' Pen: Evans (2/2) 40', 70'	Report^[60] Highlights	Try: Shanahan 78' m Pen: Cooney (4/5) 5', 38', 45', 52'	Attendance: 5,763 Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Andrew Warwick, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Wiehahn Herbst, 4. Alan O'Connor, 5. Kieran Treadwell, 6. Iain Henderson, 7. Clive Ross, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Johnny McPhillips, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Luke Marshall, 14. Craig Gilroy, 15. Charles Piutau. Replacements: 16. John Andrew (for Herring 61') 17. Callum Black (for Warwick 71'), 18. Ross Kane (for Herbst 31'), 19. Matthew Dalton (for Treadwell 66'), 20. Matty Rea, 21. David Shanahan (for Cooney 74'), 22. Peter Nelson (for McCloskey 74'), 23. Louis Ludik (for Marshall 62').

6 April 2018	Edinburgh	20–32	Ulster (1 BP)	Murrayfield Stadium
19:35	Try: Weir 30' c Penalty try 57' Con: Weir (1/1) 31' Pen: Weir (2/2) 9', 15'	Report^[61] Highlights	Try: Cave 12' c Piutau 19' m Cooney 23' c Henderson 78' c Con: Cooney (3/4) 13', 25', 79' Pen: Cooney (2/2) 50', 64'	Attendance: 4,989 Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Andrew Warwick, 2. Rory Best, 3. Tom O'Toole, 4. Matthew Dalton, 5. Iain Henderson, 6. Matty Rea, 7. Nick Timoney, 8. Jean Deysel, 9. John Cooney, 10. Johnny McPhillips, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Darren Cave, 14. Louis Ludik, 15. Charles Piutau. Replacements: 16. Rob Herring (for Best 74), 17. Tommy O'Hagan', 18. Rodney Ah You (for O'Toole 60'), 19. Alan O'Connor (for Dalton 46'), 20. Sean Reidy (for Reidy 72'), 21. David Shanahan, 22. Angus Curtis, 23. Tommy Bowe (for Ludik 38'.

13 April 2018	Ulster	8–0	Ospreys	Kingspan Stadium
19:35	Try: Stockdale 79' m Pen: Cooney (1/1) 6'	Report^[62]		Attendance: 13,267 Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Callum Black, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Ross Kane, 4. Alan O'Connor, 5. Kieran Treadwell, 6. Robbie Diack, 7. Sean Reidy, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Johnny McPhillips, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Luke Marshall, 14. Louis Ludik, 15. Charles Piutau. Replacements: 16. John Andrew (for Timoney 73'), 17. Andrew Warwick, 18. Tom O'Toole, 19. Jack Regan (for Cooney 76'), 20. Chris Henry (for Diack 63'), 21. David Shanahan, 22. Darren Cave (for L Marshall 57'), 23. Craig Gilroy.

21 April 2018	(1 BP) Ulster	36–15	Glasgow Warriors	Kingspan Stadium
18:05	Try: Cooney 11' c Timoney (2) 54' c, 82' m Reidy 60' m Con: Cooney (1/1) 12' McPhillips (1/2) 56' Pen: Cooney (3/3) 4', 39', 40' McPhillips (1/1) 68'	Report^[63] Highlights	Try: Gibbins (2) 21' c, 46' m Con: Russell (1/2) 21' Pen: Russell (1/1) 18'	Attendance: 16,186 Referee: Stuart Berry (SARU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Andrew Warwick, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Ross Kane, 4. Alan O'Connor, 5. Iain Henderson, 6. Nick Timoney, 7. Sean Reidy, 8. Jean Deysel, 9. John Cooney, 10. Johnny McPhillips, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Luke Marshall, 14. Louis Ludik, 15. Charles Piutau. Replacements: 16. Rory Best (for Herring 61'), 17. Kyle McCall (for Warwick 54'), 18. Tom O'Toole (for Kane 61'), 19. Kieran Treadwell, 20. Clive Ross (for Deysel 16'), 21. Paul Marshall (for Cooney 40'), 22. Angus Curtis (for McPhillips 72'), 23. Tommy Bowe (for L Marshall 69').

28 April 2018	Munster	24–24	Ulster	Thomond Park
17:35	Try: Williams 1' c Scott 26' c Copeland 48' c Con: Hanrahan (3/3) 2', 28', 49' Pen: Hanrahan (1/1) 67'	Report^[64] Highlights	Try: McCloskey 4' c Best (2) 32' c, 40' c Con: McPhillips (3/3) 5', 34', 40' Pen: McPhillips (1/1) 15'	Attendance: 16,178 Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)
Ulster lineup: 1. Callum Black, 2. Rory Best, 3. Ross Kane, 4. Alan O'Connor, 5. Iain Henderson, 6. Clive Ross, 7. Sean Reidy, 8. Nick Timoeny, 9. David Shanahan, 10. Johnny McPhillips, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Luke Marshall, 14. Craig Gilroy, 15. Louis Ludik. Replacements: 16. Rob Herring (for Best 69'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for Black 55'), 18. Tom O'Toole (for Kane 64'), 19. Kieran Treadwell (for Henderson 22'), 20. Chris Henry (for Timoney 72'), 21. Paul Marshall (for Shanahan 45'), 22. Angus Curtis (for McCloskey 30'), 23. Tommy Bowe (for Gilroy 69').

Play-off for the 7th Champions Cup place

The South African teams cannot compete in the European Rugby Champions Cup. The top three eligible teams in each conference automatically qualify for following year's Champions Cup. The fourth ranked eligible team in each conference meet in a play-off match with the winner taking the seventh Champions Cup place.

Ulster had home advantage against Ospreys by virtue of finishing with the greater number of points accumulated during the PRO14 regular league (62, as opposed to Ospreys’ 44). The match was played on Sunday 20 May, at the Kingspan Stadium.^[65]

20 May 2018	Ulster	35–17	Ospreys	Kingspan Stadium
15:05	Try: Gilroy (2) 34' m, 41' c Treadwell 52' c Stockdale 72' c Con: Cooney (3/4) 42', 53', 73' Pen: Cooney (3/3) 26', 64', 70'	Report^[66] Highlights	Try: A. W. Jones 15' c Dirksen 61' m Biggar 77' m Con: Biggar (1/3) 16'	Attendance: 7,014 Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR)
Ulster lineup: 1. Callum Black, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Tom O'Toole, 4. Alan O'Connor, 5. Kieran Treadwell, 6. Robbie Diack, 7. Sean Reidy, 8. Nick Timoney, 9. John Cooney, 10. Johnny McPhillips, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Luke Marshall, 14. Craig Gilroy, 15. Louis Ludik. Replacements: 16. John Andrew (for Timoney 76'), 17. Andrew Warwick (for Black 23'), 18. Rodney Ah You, 19. Jack Regan, 20. Chris Henry (for Diack 62'), 21. David Shanahan (for Cooney 75'), 22. Darren Cave (for L Marshall 56'), 23. David Busby (for Ludik 18').

End of season awards

John Cooney was the competition's top scorer with 175 points, and was named at scrum-half on the Pro14 Dream Team.^[67]

Friendlies

1 June 2017	Ulster	28–43	Barbarians	Kingspan Stadium, Belfast^[68]
19:30 IST (UTC+01)	Try: McCloskey 5' c Keane 10' c Patterson 34' c O'Connor 42' c Con: Wilson (1/1) 6' Pienaar (2/2) 11', 35' Herron (1/1) 43'	Report^[69]	Try: Flynn 19' m Nayacalevu (2) 23' c, 60' c King (2) 31' m, 39' m Penalty try 54' c Tekori 77' c Con: Agulla (1/3) 24' Madigan (2/3) 54', 60' Dusautoir (1/1) 78'	Attendance: 15,500 Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

17 August 2017	Ulster	15–26	Wasps	Kingspan Stadium, Belfast
	Try: Browne Patterson Con: Nelson Pen: Herron	Report^[70]^[71]	Try: Hampson McIntyre Bassett Cipriani Con: Cipriani (3)

Ulster A

British and Irish Cup

Main article: 2017–18 British and Irish Cup

Pool 5

Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TB	LB	Pts
Ulster A (Q)	6	5	0	1	143	111	32	3	0	23
Cornish Pirates (Q)	6	4	0	2	162	86	76	3	0	19
Scarlets Premiership Select	6	2	0	4	107	158	-51	1	1	10
Hartpury College	6	1	0	5	124	180	-56	2	2	8
Source: Updated: 3 February 2018 Points breakdown: *4 points for a win *2 points for a draw *1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less *1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match

14 October 2017	Ulster A	24–18	Scarlets Premiership Select (BP)	Rifle Park, Banbridge
14:30	Try: Cairns Dunleavy Owens Con: McPhillips (3) Pen: McPhillips	Report^[72]	Try: Prydie Condy Helps Pen: Jones	Attendance: 600 Referee: Karl Dickson
Ulster 'A' lineup: 1. Andrew Warwick, 2. Adam McBurney, 3. Ross Kane (c), 4. Jack Regan, 5. Peter Browne, 6. Caleb Montgomery, 7. Aaron Hall, 8. Joe Dunleavy, 9. Aaron Cairns, 10. Johnny McPhillips, 11. Angus Kernohan, 12. Rory Butler, 13. Callum Patterson, 14. David Busby, 15. Jack Owens. Replacements: 16. Zack McCall, 17. Michael Cromie, 18. Matthew Dalton, 19. Greg Jones, 20. Johnny Stewart, 21. Brett Herron, 22. Michael Lowry.

22 October 2017	Cornish Pirates	23–14	Ulster A	Mennaye Field
14:30	Try: Cowan-Dickie (2) 48' 64' Con: Cargill (2) 49' 65' Pen: Cargill (3) 39' 76' 80'	Report^[73]	Try: Gilroy 52' Jones 77' Con: Nelson (2) 53' 78'	Attendance: 1,074 Referee: Mike English
Ulster 'A' lineup: 1. Schalk van der Merwe, 2. Adam McBurney, 3. Ross Kane, 4. Jack Regan, 5. Matthew Dalton, 6. Clive Ross, 7. Aaron Hall, 8. Joe Dunleavy, 9. Johnny Stewart, 10. Peter Nelson, 11. David Busby, 12. Rory Butler, 13. Callum Patterson, 14. Craig Gilroy, 15. Jack Owens. Replacements: 16. Zack McCall, 17. Jonny Simpson (for S. van der Merwe 70'), 18. Greg Jones (for Dalton 71'), 19. Caleb Montgomery (for Hall 53'), 20. Aaron Cairns (for Stewart 53'), 21. Rob Lyttle (for Owens 32'), 22. Johnny McPhillips (for Patterson 70').

9 December 2017	(2BP) Hartpury College	24–29	Ulster A (BP)	College Stadium
14:30	Try: Murphy 21' Eves 32' Cochrane 56' Dyer 67') Con: Evans (2) 33' 57'	Report^[74]	Try: Dalton 13' Patterson 42' Lyttle 48' McBurney 58' Busby 80' Con: McPhillips (2)	Attendance: 375 Referee: Karl Dickson
Ulster 'A' lineup: 1. Tommy O'Hagan, 2. Adam McBurney, 3. Tom O'Toole, 4. Peter Browne, 5. Matthew Dalton, 6. Clive Ross, 7. Aaron Hall, 8. Greg Jones, 9. Johnny Stewart, 10. Johnny McPhillips, 11. Rob Lyttle, 12. Rory Butler, 13. Callum Patterson, 14. David Busby, 15. Jack Owens. Replacements: 16. Zack McCall, 17. Eric O'Sullivan, 18. John McCusker, 19. Marcus Rea, 20. Aaron Cairns, 21. David Shanahan, 22. Angus Kernohan.

16 December 2017	(BP) Ulster A	27 – 19	Hartpury College	Eaton Park, Ballymena
14:30	Try: McBurney (4) Con: McPhillips (2) Pen: McPhillips	Report^[75]	Try: Dyer Holden Penalty try Con: Perry	Attendance: 450 Referee: Hamish Smales
Ulster 'A' lineup: 1. Tommy O'Hagan, 2. Adam McBurney, 3. Tom O'Toole, 4. Peter Browne, 5. Matthew Dalton, 6. Clive Ross, 7. Aaron Hall, 8. Greg Jones (c), 9. Johnny Stewart, 10. Johnny McPhillips, 11. David Busby, 12. Brett Herron, 13. Jack Owens, 14. Angus Kernohan, 15. Rob Lyttle. Replacements: 16. Zack McCall, 17. Eric O'Sullivan, 18. Caleb Montgomery, 19. Matthew Agnew, 20. David Shanahan, 21. Stewart Moore, 22. Aaron Cairns.

12 January 2018	(BP) Ulster A	25 – 14	Cornish Pirates	Shaw's Bridge, Belfast
17:00	Try: Lyttle (2) 22' 75' Andrew 26' Z. McCall 44' Con: Nelson 22' Pen: Lyttle 68'	Report	Try: O'Meara 42' Pen: May (3) 12' 36' 66'	Attendance: 781 Referee: Elgan Williams
Ulster 'A' lineup: 1. Tommy O'Hagan, 2. John Andrew, 3. Ross Kane, 4. Peter Browne, 5. Clive Ross, 6. Caleb Montgomery, 7. Matthew Agnew, 8. Marcus Rea, 9. Johnny Stewart, 10. Peter Nelson, 11. Aaron Cairns, 12. Rory Butler, 13. Callum Patterson, 14. Rob Lyttle, 15. Jack Owens. Replacements: 16. Zack McCall (for Andrew), 17. Eric O'Sullivan (for O'Hagan), 18. Tom O'Toole, 19. Azur Allison (for Rea), 20. David Shanahan, 21. Chris Swash, 22. Angus Kernohan (for Owens).

20 January 2018	Scarlets Premiership Select	13 – 24	Ulster A	Church Bank Playing Fields, Llandovery
14:00	Try: Baldwin Con: Botica Pen: Botica (2)	Report^[76]	Try: Ross Penalty try Andrew Con: Nelson (3) Pen: Nelson	Attendance: 50 Referee: Fergal Kirby
Ulster 'A' lineup: 1. Tommy O'Hagan, 2. John Andrew (c), 3. Tom O'Toole, 4. Peter Browne, 5. Clive Ross, 6. Caleb Montgomery, 7. Matthew Agnew, 8. Marcus Rea, 9. Johnny Stewart, 10. Peter Nelson, 11. Aaron Cairns, 12. Callum Patterson, 13. Luke Marshall, 14. Angus Kernohan, 15. Jack Owens. Replacements: 16. Zack McCall, 17. Eric O'Sullivan, 18. Matthew Dalton, 19. Aaron Hall, 20. Greg Jones, 21. Michael Stronge, 22. Rory Butler.

Quarter-final

31 March 2018	Bedford Blues	16 – 10	Ulster A	Goldington Road
15:00	Try: Lane Con: Hooley Pen: Hooley (3)	Report	Try: McBurney Con: Nelson Pen: Nelson	Attendance: 2,323 Referee: Mike English
Ulster lineup: 1. Tommy O'Hagan, 2. Adam McBurney, 3. Ros Kane (c), 4. Matthew Dalton, 5. Peter Browne, 6. Marcus Rea, 7. Clive Ross, 8. Greg Jones, 9. David Shanahan, 10. Peter Nelson, 11. Aaron Cairns, 12. Angus Curtis, 13. Callum Patterson, 14. Angus Kernohan, 15. Jack Owens. Replacements: 16. Alexander Clarke, 17. Eric O'Sullivan, 18. Tom O'Toole, 19. Jack Regan, 20. Matthew Agnew, 21. Johnny Stewart, 22. James Hume.

Home attendance

Domestic League					European Cup					Total
League	Fixtures	Average Attendance	Highest	Lowest	League	Fixtures	Average Attendance	Highest	Lowest	Total Attendance	Average Attendance
2017–18 Pro14	12*	14,026	17,631	7,014	2017–18 European Rugby Champions Cup	3	15,314	15,646	15,004	214,247	14,283

Ulster Rugby Awards

The Heineken Ulster Rugby Awards ceremony was held at the La Mon Hotel and Country Club, Castlereagh, on 10 May 2018. Winners were:^[77]

• Ulster Player of the Year: John Cooney (nominees: Nick Timoney, Stuart McCloskey)
• Ulster Rugby Personality of the Year: Paul Marshall
• Young Player of the Year: Nick Timoney (nominees: Matty Rea, Johnny McPhillips)
• Rugby Writers Player of the Year: John Cooney (nominees: Jacob Stockdale, Nick Timoney)
• Ulster Rugby Supporters Club Player of the Year: John Cooney (nominees: Rory Best, Jacob Stockdale)
• Academy Player of the Year: Nick Timoney (nominees: Tom O'Toole, Angus Curtis)
• Ulster A Player of the Year: Tom O'Toole (nominees: Clive Ross, Matthew Agnew)
• Community Rugby Champions: Patrick Baird, Malone RFC; Noel Brown, Cooke RFC (nominees: Clem Bassett, Ballynahinch RFC; Liam Foley, Bangor RFC)
• Referee of the Year: Chris Busby
• Women's Player of the Year: Larissa Muldoon, Railway Union RFC (nominees: Beth Cregan, Cooke RFC; Brittany Hogan, Cooke RFC)
• U18 Girls Player of the Year: Bethany McDowell, Malone RFC (nominees: Kelly McCormill, Monaghan RFC; Lucinda Kinghan, Monaghan RFC)
• Youth Player of the Year: Conor McMenamin, Letterkenny RFC (nominees: Seif Eldin Abd El Gawad, Carrickfergus RFC; Charlie Clarke, Rainey Old Boys R.F.C.)
• Schools' Player of the Year: Aaron Sexton, Bangor Grammar School (nominees: John McKee, Campbell College; Nathan Doak, Wallace High School)
• Dorrington B Faulkner Award: Mark Orr
• Club Player of the Year: Matthew Agnew, Ballymena RFC (nominees: Andrew Morrison, Banbridge RFC; Peter Cromie, Banbridge RFC)
• Club of the Year: City of Armagh RFC (nominees: Malone RFC, Grosvenor RFC)
• Special Recognition Award: Norman Pollock

Season reviews

• Ulster Rugby: Who did what 2017-18, The Front Row Union, 25 June 2018

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