Ulster will face Montpellier in the European Challenge Cup final in Bilbao in two weeks’ time after Richie Murphy’s side produced one of their best performances of the season to beat Exeter Chiefs 29-12 at Ravenhill.

The coach was delighted with the victory which gives Ulster the chance to win a trophy for the first time in two decades but he also knows there is still work to be done in the United Rugby Championship.

Despite reaching the final, Ulster are still not guaranteed Champions Cup rugby next season as they must either win in Bilbao or secure a top-eight league finish.

Ulster are currently eighth but face the top two to close out the regular season, while ninth-placed Connacht are only three points behind Murphy’s side.

placeholder image — Ulster's Iain Henderson with fans following the EPCR Challenge Cup semi-final match at the Affidea Stadium, Belfast. Picture date: Saturday May 2, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Peter Morrison/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder.

“It feels brilliant...lovely to book ourselves in the final. In a couple of weeks’ time we'll be able to sit back and prepare for that,” Murphy said.

“It's like anything isn't it, when you're in a final you want to win, so trying to build a plan around how we do that in two weeks’ time, or in three weeks’ time, will be huge.

“I'm not going to lie it's incredibly difficult. We have to win here on Friday night and what we have to do now is a little bit like what happened in Munster. I'm not saying that we would have as many changes in our team but we have to reassess where our players are and then decide who can play, who can't, in relation to trying to get into that top eight.

“If we win next week and win the week after, we could end up in the top four, the priority has always been to get to the top eight.

“We never really talked about the European Challenge Cup with you guys (media), but in the background we were always plotting our way through that.

“That was always something that we could go after.

“Everyone wanting to go to Bilbao now is exciting, that in itself drives the group, drives the coaches, drives the whole place.”

Murphy paid tribute to everyone that was involved in plotting the downfall of Exeter.

He added: “I thought our ability to stay true to who we are as a rugby team was class.

"I think we played the type of rugby that we have been playing all year, when we've had the dry ball, and I thought our set-piece was really good. I thought our scrum held up really, really well, line-out, line-out maul.

“Huge credit to Jimmy Duffy, huge credit to William Falloon in relation to our defence, and Mark (Sexton) around our attack.

"Dan Soper is always in the middle of that, working on our transition play, so from my point of view, as a team behind a team, the coaching effort was huge, and the lads out on the pitch I thought were immense, every one of them, all 23 that ended up out on the pitch, they completely gave everything that they had to make sure that we got to a final.”

Unfortunately, the Exeter win came at a price.

“It's hard to know exactly where they're at,” he explained. “Jacob (Stockdale) got a head knock, and was taken off at half-time because of it.

“Stu McCloskey kicked the ball, felt his hamstring, could be a cramp, could be a hamstring, we're not quite sure at the moment, at this stage it's too early to tell.

“Jude (Postlewaite) had a calf cramp, he came off, Jack (Murphy) came off with a cramp, changed him for Jake.

“Dave McCann came off towards the end of the game as well, so when we actually finished the game with 13 players, Jude was off and Dave McCann was off, so the lads were still fighting for everything that they could get.”