'Special time, special team' - Ulster's last trophy winners

"We thought that this is what you do with Ulster Rugby, that you come in and play some great rugby and go on to win lots of trophies. It's sad to think that was the last trophy that Ulster have won. " When Ulster won the Celtic League in 2006, a young Tommy Bowe thought it was the start of something big.

But, as a barren 20 years highlights - littered with heartbreaking near-misses - it hasn't worked out as he initially thought. On Friday, the Irish province have a chance to end their long wait for silverware when they face Montpellier in the Challenge Cup final. After narrowly missing out on the United Rugby Championship play-offs, their season comes down to this.

Lose and they will head back to Belfast without a trophy or Champions Cup qualification. But win and Richie Murphy's team will have etched their names in history, all while securing a return to Europe's top table. "It was a special time, a special team," Bowe said about the 2006 trophy winners.

"We're back in a final, so hopefully they can go on to recreate those great memories. " Baloucoune could feature in Challenge Cup final Ulster appoint Dermody as forwards coach Ulster's Bell hoping 'to create some memories' Ulster's major breakthrough had come in 1999 when they won the European Cup with a fairytale run to the final. A first domestic trophy came seven years later in dramatic circumstances away to Ospreys on the final day of the Celtic League season.