TV Guide Leagues Teams

Connacht Connacht 24 - 29 Ulster Ulster

Full time

27 Dec 2025

United Rugby Championship

Stage: Regular Season Round 8

Dexcom Stadium

Connacht vs Ulster head to head

👏 1
😭 2

Ulster Rugby triumphed over Connacht Rugby with a close score of 29-24 in a fiercely contested match at Dexcom Stadium. The game began with Connacht's Finn Treacy scoring the first try, converted by Sam Gilbert, establishing an early lead. However, Ulster responded quickly, with Zac Ward scoring two tries, one of which was converted by Jack Murphy, giving Ulster a crucial advantage. The momentum shifted again in the second half, as Connacht's Sean Jansen and Matthew Devine both crossed the try line, with Gilbert converting both. Despite Connacht's efforts, Ulster sealed the victory with a penalty try amidst a flurry of yellow cards for both teams. Connacht's Bundee Aki and Joe Joyce were among those temporarily sidelined, impacting their defensive structure. Ultimately, Ulster's resilience and tactical execution allowed them to secure the win, marking a significant victory against their rivals.

Broadcasters

Where to watch in: Ireland, United Kingdom

Weather

Temperature: 5.3°C (Feels like 0.0°C) Condition: PartlyCloudy Wind: 17.3 km/h, gusting to 29.8 km/h Humidity: 86% Cloud Cover: 58%

Highlights

Events

  • Kickoff
  • 15'

    Yellow Card

    Jack Murphy · Ulster

  • 23'

    Try

    Finn Treacy · Connacht

    5 - 0
  • 24'

    Conversion

    Sam Gilbert · Connacht

    7 - 0
  • 25'

    Yellow Card Complete

    Jack Murphy · Ulster

  • 30'

    Penalty

    Sam Gilbert · Connacht

    10 - 0
  • 33'

    Try

    Zac Ward · Ulster

    10 - 5
  • 33'

    Conversion

    Jack Murphy · Ulster

    10 - 7
  • 40'

    Try

    Zac Ward · Ulster

    10 - 12
  • 40'

    Substitution

    Tom O'Toole on for Scott Wilson · Ulster

  • 40'

    Substitution

    Angus Bell on for Sam Crean · Ulster

  • Halftime 10 - 12
  • Second Half
  • 42'

    Yellow Card

    Bundee Aki · Connacht

  • 42'

    Yellow Card

    Stuart McCloskey · Ulster

  • 46'

    Try

    Werner Kok · Ulster

    10 - 17
  • 47'

    Conversion

    Jack Murphy · Ulster

    10 - 19
  • 47'

    Substitution

    Josh Ioane on for Jack Carty · Connacht

  • 50'

    Substitution

    Nathan Doak on for Conor McKee · Ulster

  • 52'

    Yellow Card

    Joe Joyce · Connacht

  • 52'

    Penalty Try

    No Player · Ulster

    10 - 26
  • 52'

    Substitution

    Jordan Duggan on for Denis Buckley · Connacht

  • 52'

    Substitution

    Matthew Devine on for Ben Murphy · Connacht

  • 52'

    Yellow Card Complete

    Bundee Aki · Connacht

  • 52'

    Yellow Card Complete

    Stuart McCloskey · Ulster

  • 53'

    Substitution

    Darragh Murray on for David O'Connor · Connacht

  • 53'

    Substitution

    Fiachna Barrett on for Dave Heffernan · Connacht

  • 57'

    Substitution

    Dylan Tierney-Martin on for Stuart McCloskey · Connacht

  • 62'

    Yellow Card Complete

    Joe Joyce · Connacht

  • 63'

    Substitution

    Jude Postlethwaite on for Juarno Augustus · Ulster

  • 63'

    Substitution

    Bryn Ward on for Joe Joyce · Ulster

  • 65'

    Try

    Sean Jansen · Connacht

    15 - 26
  • 66'

    Conversion

    Sam Gilbert · Connacht

    17 - 26
  • 67'

    Substitution

    David Hawkshaw on for Daniel Ryan · Connacht

  • 72'

    Substitution

    Joe Hopes on for Cormac Izuchukwu · Ulster

  • 74'

    Substitution

    Jake Flannery on for James Hume · Ulster

  • 76'

    Try

    Matthew Devine · Connacht

    24 - 26
  • 76'

    Conversion

    Sam Gilbert · Connacht

    19 - 26
  • 80'

    Penalty

    Jack Murphy · Ulster

    24 - 29
  • Fulltime 24 - 29

Player ratings

Connacht
  • 15 Sam Gilbert 7.0
  • 14 Daniel Ryan 5.1
  • 13 Cathal Forde 6.2
  • 12 Bundee Aki 5.3
  • 11 Finn Treacy 7.3
  • 10 Jack Carty 4.9
  • 9 Ben Murphy 5.8
  • 1 Denis Buckley 5.8
  • 2 Dave Heffernan 7.3
  • 3 Finlay Bealham 5.7
  • 4 Joe Joyce 4.7
  • 5 David O'Connor 5.9
  • 6 Josh Murphy 6.8
  • 7 Cian Prendergast 7.3
  • 8 Sean Jansen 7.5
  • 16 Dylan Tierney-Martin 6.1
  • 17 Jordan Duggan 6.0
  • 18 Fiachna Barrett 6.2
  • 19 Darragh Murray 5.8
  • 20 Sean O'Brien –
  • 21 Matthew Devine 7.3
  • 22 Josh Ioane 6.4
  • 23 David Hawkshaw 6.0
Ulster
  • 15 Jacob Stockdale 6.7
  • 14 Werner Kok 7.7
  • 13 James Hume 6.5
  • 12 Stuart McCloskey 6.4
  • 11 Zac Ward 8.9
  • 10 Jack Murphy 5.1
  • 9 Conor McKee 6.0
  • 1 Sam Crean 6.2
  • 2 Tom Stewart 7.8
  • 3 Scott Wilson 6.4
  • 4 Harry Sheridan 6.7
  • 5 Cormac Izuchukwu 7.0
  • 6 David McCann 7.5
  • 7 Nick Timoney 7.5
  • 8 Juarno Augustus 7.7
  • 16 John Andrew –
  • 17 Angus Bell 6.6
  • 18 Tom O'Toole 6.8
  • 19 Joe Hopes –
  • 20 Bryn Ward 6.4
  • 21 Nathan Doak 6.2
  • 22 Jake Flannery –
  • 23 Jude Postlethwaite 6.0