As Ulster reached the final of the Heineken Cup in 2012, the buzz around the club would have been immeasurable.
The first Irish side to lift the European Cup had the opportunity to add another to their 1999 success.
It would be no easy task, as they needed to overcome reigning champions and provincial rivals Leinster, who at the time were looking to claim their third title in four years.
As Nigel Owens signalled for a penalty try shortly after half-time, the Ulster fans in Twickenham Stadium will have known their dreams of seeing Johann Muller lift the trophy had well and truly gone.
The 42-14 defeat to Joe Schmidt’s side will have been disheartening, particularly as the club have never come close to a European title since; the furthest they have reached since has been the quarter-final.
Bordeaux-Begles clash
It is unlikely they will make it to another quarter-final this season as they face Bordeaux-Bègles in the round of 16.
Ulster can only watch on in envy as Leinster continues to compete at the top table of European rugby, while Munster and Connacht have managed to claim domestic silverware over the last 10 years.
A Magners League title in 2006 was the last piece of silverware the Belfast-based club secured, coming close on two occasions since.
The odds of Ulster winning the United Rugby Championship (URC) this season are incredibly slim as they struggle around the middle of the table.
As Ulster currently sit ninth with five league matches remaining, outside the qualification places for next season’s Champions Cup, the prospect of not being in the top tier of European rugby for next season is edging closer to being a reality.
However, would a season in the Challenge Cup be beneficial?
Financially, not at all.
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The CEO of Ulster Rugby, Hugh McCaughey, admitted during the summer of 2024 that the province was facing a deficit of £2.5m and £3m.
As part of having to balance the books, Ulster have seen some big names and characters leave the club, including John Cooney, Will Addison, Kieran Treadwell and Steven Kitshoff.
The appointment of the former Ireland U20s head coach, Richie Murphy, has seen the club go in a direction of needing to develop young players and be tighter with their wage allowance to reduce this deficit.
However, participating in the Champions Cup would help speed up the reduction of this deficit as the club looks to become more sustainable, get back to challenging for silverware, and produce international talent.
While financial factors may not allow Ulster to see the Challenge Cup as a positive, on the field it may be essential.
Ulster may look at the example of Connacht this season in the competition.
While Connacht have struggled domestically in the URC, they could argue some losses should have gone their way; they have impressed in Europe.
The Westerners finished as the top seed, meaning that should they reach the final in Cardiff, every game in the knockouts will be at home.
Connacht secured four bonus-point wins, which has breathed confidence into their squad on how they are approaching matches, with many around the club believing next year could see the club take a massive step forward.
Peter Wilkins would love for his side to be performing well on all fronts; he could use silverware in the Challenge Cup as the springboard to further success.
This season has been a real struggle for Murphy’s side, with some poor results, particularly their domestic defeats to Zebre and Cardiff, but also their humbling losses in the Champions Cup to Toulouse and Bordeaux.
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Ulster have had to deal with injuries to key players throughout the season and have been relying heavily on young, inexperienced players; however, this argument could be made by a number of clubs.
The Ulstermen are not at the required quality to compete at the highest European level, and should they qualify for next season’s competition, this will be incredibly evident once again.
Arguments have been made that to develop, you should be competing at the highest level.
However, consistently losing against exceptional opponents will not allow their players to develop, so dropping to the second tier of European club rugby may be preferred by Ulster’s head coach.
Confidence booster
Murphy could use the Challenge Cup in a similar manner to Wilkins to get a tactical approach across to his player, and from this hopefully as a breeding ground for confidence as they win matches.
There have been glimpses of the ability within this youthful squad; they just need to showcase it more often, develop their mental rigidity to edge out narrow games, and work towards becoming a European challenger once again.
Now there is no guarantee that if Ulster were to compete in the Challenge Cup next season that they would perform to a standard to win the competition or win a number of matches in it, as demonstrated by their limp 53-14 elimination last season at the hands of Clermont in the quarter-final.
This is definitely a transitional period for Ulster, and the suffering of heavy losses or confidence-sapping defeats will not help this project.
So, while it would be disappointing if Ulster were not to compete in the Champions Cup for the first time ever, it may be beneficial long-term to hopefully allow fans to experience campaigns like 1999 and 2012.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/opinion-why-a-season-in-the-challenge-cup-would-be-beneficial-long-term-to-ulster
