Ulster 21 - 14 Cardiff

Full time

31 Jan 2026

United Rugby Championship

Stage: Regular Season Round 11

Affidea Stadium

Ulster vs Cardiff head to head

🎉 1

👏 1

🔥 2

Ulster Rugby secured a 21-14 victory over Cardiff Rugby in a closely contested URC match at Affidea Stadium. Scott Wilson started the scoring for Ulster with a try at the 11th minute, quickly followed by another from Angus Bell. Jack Murphy's accurate kicking helped Ulster build a 14-0 lead by halftime. Cardiff responded with a try from Johan Mulder in the second half, converted by Callum Sheedy, narrowing the gap to 14-7. Ulster's Charlie Irvine extended the lead with a try at the 65th minute, but Steffan Emanuel's late effort for Cardiff kept the pressure on. Despite Cardiff's efforts, Ulster's strong defense held firm in the closing stages. This victory avenged their previous defeat to Cardiff, showcasing Ulster's resilience and attacking prowess.

Broadcasters

Where to watch in: Ireland, United Kingdom

Weather

Temperature: 6.6°C (Feels like 4.0°C) Condition: MostlyClear Wind: 10.0 km/h, gusting to 23.6 km/h Humidity: 88% Cloud Cover: 30%

Highlights

Events

Kickoff
11'

Try

Scott Wilson · Ulster

5 - 0
11'

Conversion

Jack Murphy · Ulster

7 - 0
18'

Try

Angus Bell · Ulster

12 - 0
18'

Conversion

Jack Murphy · Ulster

14 - 0
Halftime 14 - 0
Second Half
53'

Try

Johan Mulder · Cardiff

14 - 5
54'

Conversion

Callum Sheedy · Cardiff

14 - 7
54'

Substitution

Danny Southworth on for Rhys Barratt · Cardiff
54'

Substitution

Aled Davies on for Johan Mulder · Cardiff
54'

Substitution

Dafydd Hughes on for Evan Lloyd · Cardiff
54'

Substitution

Harry Sheridan on for Iain Henderson · Ulster
54'

Substitution

Sam Crean on for Angus Bell · Ulster
62'

Substitution

Leigh Halfpenny on for Cameron Winnett · Cardiff
62'

Substitution

Dave Shanahan on for Conor McKee · Ulster
62'

Substitution

Lorcan McLoughlin on for Marcus Rea · Ulster
65'

Try

Charlie Irvine · Ulster

19 - 7
66'

Conversion

Jack Murphy · Ulster

21 - 7
67'

Try

Steffan Emanuel · Cardiff

21 - 12
68'

Conversion

Callum Sheedy · Cardiff

21 - 14
68'

Substitution

Rory Thornton on for George Nott · Cardiff
70'

Substitution

Jake Flannery on for Ethan McIlroy · Ulster
70'

Substitution

Joe Cowell on for Javan Sebastian · Cardiff
70'

Substitution

Elijah Evans on for Steffan Emanuel · Cardiff
75'

Substitution

Bryan O'Connor on for Scott Wilson · Ulster
76'

Substitution

Lucas de la Rua on for Dan Thomas · Cardiff
77'

Substitution

Dan Thomas on for Lucas de la Rua · Cardiff
Fulltime 21 - 14

Player ratings

Ulster

15 Ethan McIlroy 6.6
14 Werner Kok 6.8
13 James Hume 5.6
12 Ben Carson 5.7
11 Zac Ward 8.5
10 Jack Murphy 6.7
9 Conor McKee 7.1
1 Angus Bell 8.7
2 Rob Herring 8.2
3 Scott Wilson 8.1
4 Iain Henderson 6.8
5 Charlie Irvine 7.5
6 Matthew Dalton 7.9
7 Marcus Rea 6.8
8 David McCann 7.1
16 James McCormick –
17 Sam Crean 6.1
18 Bryan O'Connor –
19 Harry Sheridan 6.2
20 Lorcan McLoughlin 6.6
21 Dave Shanahan 6.0
22 Jake Flannery 6.2
23 Ben Moxham –

Cardiff

15 Cameron Winnett 6.4
14 Ioan Lloyd 7.7
13 Harri Millard 6.4
12 Steffan Emanuel 7.1
11 Tom Bowen 6.0
10 Callum Sheedy 6.2
9 Johan Mulder 6.1
1 Rhys Barratt 6.4
2 Evan Lloyd 8.1
3 Javan Sebastian 6.8
4 Josh McNally 6.4
5 George Nott 6.0
6 Alun Lawrence 7.2
7 Dan Thomas 6.7
8 Taine Basham 7.6
16 Dafydd Hughes 6.8
17 Danny Southworth 6.1
18 Joe Cowell 6.1
19 Rory Thornton 5.9
20 Lucas de la Rua –
21 Aled Davies 6.5
22 Elijah Evans 6.1
23 Leigh Halfpenny 6.1