Tag United Rugby Championship

Michael Lowry will captain Ulster in Friday night’s United Rugby Championship opener against Edinburgh at Affidea Stadium, with Richie Murphy naming a starting XV containing five summer signings.

Eight players in the matchday 23 are in line to make their first competitive Ulster appearances, while James McNabney returns to competitive action at number eight after missing all of last season with a long-term knee injury.

Ulster v Edinburgh: match details

• Fixture: Ulster Rugby v Edinburgh Rugby
• Date: Friday 25 September 2026
• Kick-off: 7.45pm BST / UK-Ireland time
• Venue: Affidea Stadium, Belfast
• Competition: United Rugby Championship – Round 1
• TV / stream: Premier Sports and URC.tv

For the permanent fixture information and any late updates, see the Ulster v Edinburgh Match Hub.

Ulster team v Edinburgh

Eric O’Sullivan, James McCormick and Argentina international Eduardo Bello form the front row. Bello is one of the new arrivals making a first competitive start, with fellow summer signings Eli Snyman and Ben Donnell paired together in the second row.

David McCann starts at blindside flanker, Martin Moloney makes his competitive Ulster debut at openside and McNabney returns at number eight.

Conor McKee and Jack Murphy are the half-backs. Jamie Benson makes his competitive debut at inside centre alongside Ben Carson, while Aitzol Arenzana-King and Robert Baloucoune start on the wings. Lowry captains the side from full-back.

Starting XV

1. Eric O’Sullivan
2. James McCormick
3. Eduardo Bello
4. Eli Snyman
5. Ben Donnell
6. David McCann
7. Martin Moloney
8. James McNabney
9. Conor McKee
10. Jack Murphy
11. Aitzol Arenzana-King
12. Jamie Benson
13. Ben Carson
14. Robert Baloucoune
15. Michael Lowry (captain)

Replacements

16. Henry Walker
17. Tom McAllister
18. Keynan Knox
19. Harry Sheridan
20. James McKillop
21. Matthew Devine
22. Jake Flannery
23. Zac Ward

Five new signings start

Bello, Snyman, Donnell, Moloney and Benson are all handed their first competitive Ulster starts. It gives the opening league team a noticeably different look from last season, particularly in the tight five and midfield.

There is also experience around the new faces. Baloucoune returns to the starting side after his involvement with Ireland over the summer, while last season’s leading try scorer Zac Ward is among the replacements.

McNabney makes his competitive return

McNabney’s selection at number eight is another significant part of the team news. He missed the whole of last season after a serious knee injury and now returns for Ulster’s first competitive fixture of 2026/27.

Arenzana-King also keeps his place after an eye-catching pre-season in which he scored four tries across the Edinburgh and Ospreys warm-up matches.

What the bench looks like

Murphy has gone with a 5:3 split. Henry Walker, Tom McAllister, Keynan Knox, Harry Sheridan and James McKillop provide the forward cover, with Matthew Devine, Jake Flannery and Zac Ward covering the backs.

Walker, Knox and Devine are among the players who could make their competitive Ulster debuts if introduced.

Season starts under the lights in Belfast

Friday’s match is Ulster’s first league fixture of the new season and a quick competitive rematch with Edinburgh after the sides met in pre-season earlier this month. Kick-off is at 7.45pm at Affidea Stadium.

We’ll keep the Match Hub as the permanent home for fixture details, broadcast information and further match updates.

Ulster’s first away game of the 2026/27 United Rugby Championship takes them to Scotstoun Stadium to face Glasgow Warriors on Saturday 3 October.

The fixture is Round 2 of the new URC season and now kicks off at 5.30pm BST. Glasgow Warriors confirmed on 1 September that the game had been moved from its originally announced 7.45pm slot following discussions between the league and broadcasters.

Glasgow Warriors v Ulster: fixture details

• Fixture: Glasgow Warriors v Ulster Rugby
• Date: Saturday 3 October 2026
• Kick-off: 5.30pm BST / UK-Ireland time
• Venue: Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow
• Competition: BKT United Rugby Championship – Round 2
• TV / stream: To be confirmed

Kick-off moved to 5.30pm

The match was originally listed for 7.45pm, including in the first round of 2026/27 fixture announcements. Glasgow Warriors subsequently confirmed an updated 5.30pm kick-off on Saturday 3 October.

For supporters making plans for the trip, the later update is the one to use. Rugby Ulster will keep this Match Hub aligned with any further official changes.

Ulster’s first URC away trip

The trip to Glasgow follows Ulster’s season opener at home to Edinburgh Rugby on Friday 25 September. It gives Richie Murphy’s side an immediate early-season test away from Belfast before Munster visit Affidea Stadium in Round 3.

Scotstoun has traditionally been one of the more demanding away venues in the league, so this should provide an early indication of where Ulster stand once the competitive campaign is under way.

What to expect at Scotstoun

Glasgow’s first home URC fixture of the season comes against Ulster, giving the game added significance for both sides. The Warriors begin their campaign away to Munster before returning to Scotstoun for Round 2.

Team news will be added closer to kick-off, together with any confirmed broadcast information and supporter details that become available.

TV and streaming

A specific UK television channel or streaming listing for this fixture has not yet been confirmed in the latest official match information checked for this page. We will update the Match Hub when the broadcaster listing is published.

Rugby Ulster Match Hub

This is the canonical Rugby Ulster fixture page for Glasgow Warriors v Ulster. Team news, matchday coverage, result and reaction stories can link back here while the core fixture information remains in one permanent place.

Latest official fixture update: Glasgow Warriors confirmed the revised 5.30pm kick-off on 1 September 2026.

Ulster open the 2026/27 United Rugby Championship season at home to Edinburgh Rugby on Friday 25 September, with kick-off at 7.45pm BST at Affidea Stadium.

It is Ulster’s first competitive fixture of the new campaign and comes two weeks after the final pre-season game against Ospreys. Edinburgh will already be familiar opposition: the sides also met in a warm-up fixture at Hive Stadium earlier in September, but this time league points are on the line.

Ulster v Edinburgh: fixture details

• Fixture: Ulster Rugby v Edinburgh Rugby
• Date: Friday 25 September 2026
• Kick-off: 7.45pm BST / UK-Ireland time
• Venue: Affidea Stadium, Belfast
• Competition: United Rugby Championship – Round 1
• TV: Premier Sports

The competitive season starts at home

After two September pre-season fixtures, Richie Murphy’s side begin the URC campaign in Belfast. The Edinburgh game is the first of 18 scheduled regular-season league fixtures for Ulster and the first opportunity to turn the work of pre-season into championship points.

The quick rematch with Edinburgh also gives the opening round an extra layer of interest. The pre-season meeting provided a first look at new combinations and summer arrivals; Round 1 should give a much clearer indication of how Ulster intend to approach the competitive campaign.

What to watch

The opening selection: the first competitive team sheet of the season will show which combinations have won the early selection battles after the Edinburgh and Ospreys warm-up matches.

New faces under competitive pressure: several summer arrivals have been involved during pre-season. The URC opener will be the first chance to see which of them are trusted immediately when league points matter.

A home start: beginning at Affidea Stadium gives Ulster the opportunity to establish early momentum before travelling to Glasgow Warriors in Round 2.

How to watch Ulster v Edinburgh

Kick-off is at 7.45pm BST on Friday 25 September. Premier Sports holds live rights to every United Rugby Championship match. The Match Hub on this page will carry the latest confirmed broadcast details and any late fixture updates.

What comes next?

Ulster travel to Scotstoun Stadium to face Glasgow Warriors on Saturday 3 October, with another 7.45pm BST kick-off. The first interprovincial fixture follows at home to Munster on Saturday 10 October.

Team news for the Edinburgh opener will be added when the official matchday squad is announced.

Ulster Rugby’s 2026/27 fixture list is set, with 18 United Rugby Championship matches and four confirmed EPCR Challenge Cup pool games across the regular season.

This page is the Rugby Ulster season hub for the senior men’s competitive fixtures. It will be kept updated if dates, kick-off times or venues change during the campaign.

Time-zone guide: The first kick-off time shown is always the time in the UK and Ireland. We label it BST during British Summer Time and GMT during the winter. For overseas fixtures, the venue-local kick-off is also shown separately. In the Republic of Ireland, BST corresponds to Irish Standard Time (IST) during summer; GMT applies in winter.

Ulster Rugby URC fixtures 2026/27

Ulster open the URC season at home to Edinburgh Rugby on Friday 25 September before travelling to Glasgow in Round 2. The first interprovincial game follows against Munster at Affidea Stadium on Saturday 10 October.

Ulster Rugby EPCR Challenge Cup fixtures 2026/27

Ulster are in Challenge Cup Pool 1 alongside Toyota Cheetahs, USAP, Dragons RFC, Aviron Bayonnais and Zebre Parma. Their four confirmed pool matches begin away to Zebre in October, followed by home games against Bayonne and Dragons and a January trip to Perpignan.

Key dates in Ulster’s 2026/27 season

• URC opener: Ulster Rugby v Edinburgh Rugby, Friday 25 September, 19:45 BST.
• First interpro: Ulster Rugby v Munster Rugby, Saturday 10 October, 17:30 BST.
• European opener: Zebre Parma v Ulster Rugby, Saturday 17 October, 15:15 BST (16:15 CEST in Parma).
• Christmas interpro: Ulster Rugby v Connacht Rugby, Sunday 27 December, 17:30 GMT.
• New Year derby: Leinster Rugby v Ulster Rugby, Saturday 2 January, 19:45 GMT.
• Final scheduled URC regular-season game: Ulster Rugby v Lions, Friday 14 May, 19:45 BST.

Are the Ulster fixtures final?

These are the currently confirmed competitive fixtures. Rugby schedules can change because of broadcast selections, competition requirements or venue arrangements, so this guide will be updated whenever an official change is announced.