Toulouse vs Ulster Rugby Preview
Toulouse and Ulster begin their European Rugby Champions Cup campaign on December 8th as Le Stade looks to get their title defence off to a winning start. Ulster faces a brutal opening match, firmly establishing them as underdogs.
Stade Toulousain wasted no time getting up and running for the start of the new season and is showing once again why they are the best Rugby Union team in the world. Ulster knows heading into this game a win here would be a miracle. Can the Northern Irish side cause a major upset in France or will the European Champions show the levels between them?
Toulouse vs Ulster Rugby Predictions
Ulster begins their European Rugby Champions Cup campaign with the toughest test they could face in the competition. They enter after a disappointing run in 2023/24, where they exited in the pool stage. A Challenge Cup birth ended just as disappointing, and Richie Murphy’s team must improve this time around. However, a draw against Stade Toulousain in their first game back in the competition is a nightmare of a tie for the Ulstermen.
Toulouse lifted the European Cup last year, storming through every opponent and brushing Leinster aside in the final. They have begun the season excellently and look primed for another lengthy run in the Champions Cup. Ulster are one of the biggest outsiders in the competition. Toulouse should get through this game with little resembling a struggle. Our rugby prediction is for Les Rouge et Noir to get off to a winning start in their defence of the Champions Cup.
Toulouse had a strong start to the Top 14 season and currently sits top of the league with 39 points. That is yet another competition that Stade Toulousain enters as defending champions this season. Coach Ugo Mola has turned Le Stade into the biggest force in Rugby union over the last five years, building a team full of serial winners.
Another W on the road ✅ pic.twitter.com/Fiszopvh9Z
— Stade Toulousain (English) (@STrugby_ENG) December 2, 2024
The blend of talent, grit, and professionalism shown in their performances is second to none. Mola has led Toulouse to back-to-back Top 14 titles and two Champions Cup trophies in four years. He has done so by instructing his players not to take any opponent for granted, and that is what we will see against Ulster. Le Stade will remain professional on their way to victory at Stade Ernest-Wallon.
Thomas Ramos is the man to watch in pretty much any Toulouse game. The fullback has been in electric form so far this season. He currently leads the Top 14 in points scored with 122, 15 ahead of Leo Berdeu. He has established himself as one of the best fullbacks and place-kickers in the world during his decade in Stade Toulousain and shows absolutely no signs of slowing down.
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Ulster had a disappointing start to the season in the URC. They sit 10th in the table after seven games with three wins and four losses. It is clear that this Ulster team is in a transitional period right now and their young squad is one to watch in the years to come. What is even more clear is that their time is not now. The young Ulstermen can at least keep the score respectable. However, there is very little hope of anything more for the Irish side from this fixture.
Toulouse vs Ulster Rugby Betting Tips
Match Result
This is a brutal opening game for Ulster, and the European Rugby Champions Cup odds highlight how tough it’s expected to be for them. Toulouse enters as 1/50 favourites while the Ulstermen are worth 11/1 for a win on the road. That is the biggest price of any underdog in the competition this week. There is not much value in a bet on Toulouse at those odds with a €10 bet returning just €0.20.
If you think Ulster can do the impossible and pull off the upset, a €10 bet on the visitors would return €110. They last beat Le Stade in 2022. That 26-20 victory is their only win in four against the reigning Champions Cup champions.
Handicap
The handicap between these sides indicates a runaway victory for Toulouse at 22.5 for anyone betting on Rugby Union. They are dominating in the Top 14 and ran rampant in this competition last season. However, that points differential seems too far out even for their sky-high standards.
Stade Toulousain has only beaten Ulster by that margin twice in the last 26 years. It will be tight, but we think Ulster are good enough to keep the scoreline slightly more respectable. Take Ulster at a +22.5 handicap, worth 9/10 with our online bookmaker.
If you think Toulouse will trample over the Ulstermen, you can back them to cover the 22.5 handicap at 5/6. You can also increase or decrease that margin depending on how you think the game will play out. For example, you can bet on Ulster to cover a finer margin with a +16.5 handicap, worth 9/5.
Toulouse vs Ulster Rugby Head-To-Head and Key Stats
Toulouse and Ulster have met several times in the European Champions Cup since 1998. Their rivalry is tight, with both sides holding six wins apiece with a single draw in their 13 clashes. They met in April 2022 in an exciting two-leg Round of 16 clash in the 2021/22 edition of the Champions Cup. The Ulstermen stunned Stade Toulousain away from home in the first leg, winning 26-20 in a convincing performance.
Le Stade bounced back in the second leg, to edge out a narrow tie on aggregate. They overcame an early lead from Ulster to win 30-23, confirming their place in the quarter-finals by just one point. Thomas Ramos, Romain Ntamack, and Antoine Dupont scored tries for Toulouse and will all appear for Les Rouge et Noir on Sunday. Ramos also secured a hat-trick of penalties and nailed all of his conversions. Ethan McIlroy scored a brace of tries for Ulster. Scrum-half John Cooney scored three penalties in a losing effort for the Irish side.
Toulouse have been in dominant form once again after their double-winning season last year. They won a record-extending 23rd French Championship title before getting their hands on the Champions Cup for the second time in three years. Ugo Mola’s side have raced to the summit of the Top 14 again this season. They look in good standing to defend their championship for the second time in a row.
They most recently played Racing 92 on November 30 in Top 14 action. Thomas Ramos gave his side the lead after four minutes in the first half with a penalty conversion before doubling his tally in the 12th minute. Englishman Jack Willis extended the lead to 17 with a try in the 31st minute. Stade Toulousain entered halftime keeping Racing scoreless. Toulouse survived a scare after a Joel Merkler try and another penalty foal for Ramos brought the visitors within touching distance. Le Stade ran out 21-17 winners on the day and furthered their lead in the Top 14.
Ulster have been inconsistent since returning from a disappointing 23/24 season. They find themselves 10th in the URC, having won just three of their seven league games so far. However, head coach Richie Murphy has managed to clear up at least some of the mess left behind by the previous regime since taking over in May. They last played on November 29 against league leaders Leinster.
Ulster kept things more than competitive for most of the game and took an early lead, even entering halftime three points to the good. Ben Carson got the Ulstermen off to a flying start with a try in the fifth minute. Leinster fought back with one of their own five minutes later. Nathan Doak and Leinster’s Ross Byrne traded penalties to level the game.
Doak scored his second penalty of the game in the 30th minute to give Ulster the lead heading into the break. A trio of tries deflated the valiantly fighting Ulstermen, who tried to maintain their lead. Carson got his second of the game but couldn’t do enough to claw a result back and Leinster left with a 27-20 victory.
