URC — Monday 04 May 2026

The tension at Affidea Stadium will be immense as Ulster stages its first European semi-final at the ground since 1999, setting the stage for a massive clash with Exeter Chiefs. Ulster arrives in Belfast aiming not only for silverware but to cap off a season where they have been unbeaten at home in European fixtures. Having put up 210 points across their six Challenge Cup games, the province knows they are operating under high pressure, needing to hold their ground while battling for a top-eight finish in the URC.

The build-up surrounding the game confirms the fitness of key players; Tom O’Toole, Jude Postlethwaite, and Nick Timoney are all declared available. Exeter, meanwhile, is navigating its campaign having suffered a tough 34-31 loss to Gloucester Rugby in a close Round 14 battle. While the Chiefs have been highly potent on the attack, putting 75 points past two URC sides, the semi-final fixture promises to be a tactical slugfest rather than the open-field scoring display of the quarter-final. With the entire European landscape watching, it is clear this fixture represents the culmination of two distinct seasonal campaigns—one fighting for supremacy in Belfast, the other needing to survive the knockout rounds.