Twenty years ago today, when Ulster were crowned European Cup champions
Twenty years ago today, Ulster were crowned European Cup champions with a 21-6 victory over Colomiers at Lansdowne Road. Some 30,000 fans travelled over the border from Northern Ireland to attend a game which captured the imagination of the whole island. recalls the day and the heroes who secured their place in history.
landed six penalties on the day to bring his European total to 144 for the season.
Capped three times for Ireland, Wirral-born Mason was a popular member of the squad. Mason is now back home in Liverpool where he is head of PE at St Anselm’s College, Birkenhead. He also coaches, and still plays the odd game with Birkenhead Park.
is now director of rugby at Gallagher Premiership side Gloucester. Humphreys was the genius at the heart of Ulster’s success, scoring one of the greatest tries ever seen at Ravenhill with an unbelievable 70-metre burst to the line against Stade Francais in the semi-final.
Humphreys, now 47, moved seamlessly from playing to be operations manager at Ulster before heading to the west country. He led Ulster during that European run after his good friend and colleague Mark McCall, now director of rugby at Saracens, was forced to retire with a neck injury after only four games of the season.
may have been the smallest player in the squad but he scored the crucial try against Edinburgh which helped Ulster to secure a home quarter-final. He works in the financial sector with St James’s Place Wealth Management. He climbed to the Everest base camp in 2012.
spent only 40 minutes on the pitch that day after fracturing an eye socket. Now a partner in Millar McCall Wylie Solicitors in Belfast.
produced a man-of-the-match performance with a stunning defensive display. Those talents continue to shine after he hung up his boots - first with Ulster before joining Humphreys at Gloucester as defence coach.
was as good at talking as he was running! Now European director of the American Blue Giraffe Sports Agency with Iain Henderson and Stuart Olding on his books.
was the only amateur in the back-line and has gone back to his former days as a pharmaceutical representative. A wiry scrum-half, Matchett won the battle to play in the final ahead of Stephen Bell who was an unused replacement. Bell is now a fitness advisor with his own outdoor establishment Wildfoot outside Lisburn. He walked the length of Ireland barefoot last July for charity.
, who won 26 caps for Ireland, was one of the hard men in the front-row. After a spell for Castres, he moved to America and is now coach of the Houston SaberCats.
had been one of the first professionals brought back from England where he played for Northampton with Johnny Bell. A shrewd, tactical hooker, he had a number of jobs within Irish rugby and is now Ospreys’ head coach.
nwas the oldest player in the squad at 36. A self-employed builder, the final was his last game as a professional. He has now gone back into the same business — but was spotted playing for Ards Fourths on his 53rd birthday.
had to fight hard to get into the team that season. He then moved to Scottish Borders after a spell with Narbonne. Blair now works in the housing renovation market in Edinburgh. He also had a spell as IRFU development manager for the Exiles.
nwas a key man at the line-out and that engineered 26 caps for Ireland. With a Master of Psychology degree, the 47-year-old is now performance skills coach at the Sports Institute of Northern Ireland.
shone at flanker that season. The last of his 28 caps came when helping Ireland beat France in Paris for the first time in 30 years. Now a fitness specialist and a media pundit.
plied his trade at No 8 and a dentistry student at Dundee University when he got the call to play that season. He was replaced with four minutes to go and came off in a flood of tears. Now a partner in the Riada Dental care practice in his native Ballymoney. He is also an analyst on BBC Radio.
was another unsung hero as a non-stop flanker. He was amateur having a major engineering job at the time with the FG Wilson group. He is now a manager at the Caterpillar plant in west Belfast.
came on for the injured Jan Cunningham at half-time. He got his place on the bench after passing a late fitness test, edging out Cambridge Blue Robin Morrow who was due to be involved. Now a chemistry teacher at Campbell College, Morrow at least had his pen pic in the official match programme as a souvenir. McDowell is fully involved with the IRFU Sevens programme.
pre-match speech went down in legend. Known as ‘The Eagle’, he didn’t get a run in the final. Was a lorry driver for a local bathroom supply company where is now a partner. Is current president of Malone RFC.
came on for Irwin after 73 minutes and did his bit in the front-row. Another amateur he was a manager in Moy Park for whom he still works. Now vice-president of the Ulster (IRFU) Branch.
was the super sub on a number of occasions during Ulster’s run. He came on for McWhirter after 73 minutes. He is still a pharmaceutical rep.
was another unused replacement at hooker, and is involved in the fitness trade.
(Ulster coach) went into club coaching both north and south of the border after his second spell with Ulster. Now in his mid-70s, he’s now enjoying retirement in the seaside village of Groomsport in Co Down.
Mason, Coulter, J Cunningham, J Bell, Park, Humphreys, Matchett, Fitzpatrick, Clarke, Irwin, Blair, Longwell, McKinty, Ward, McWhirter.
Replacements:
McDowell, B Cunningham, S Bell, Topping, Duncan, Leslie, Weir.
Sadourny, Biboulet, Roque, Sieurac, Lhande, Labit, Galthie, Delpuech, Dal Maso, Graou, Moro, Lorenzi, de Giusti, Tabacco, Peysson.
Milhas, Skrela, Carre, Pueyo, Magendie, Tremoulet, Nones.
C Thomas (Wales).
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