in the Champions Cup, and semi-finalists in the Pro14, losing to Glasgow Warriors. Rory Best and Darren Cave retired at the end of the season. Centre Stuart McCloskey was Player of the Year for the second time. Lock Iain Henderson was named captain for the 2019–20 season. Ulster were again quarter-finalists in the Champions Cup, going out to Toulouse, and reached the final of the Pro14, losing to Leinster. Centre Stewart Moore and wing Ethan McIlroy made their debuts from the academy, and scrum-half John Cooney was Player of the Year for the second time. The 2020–21 season was shortened by the Covid-19 pandemic, and games were played behind closed doors. Ulster finished second in Conference A of the Pro14, but failed to make the knockout stages of the Champions Cup and were entered into the Challenge Cup. They progressed to the semi-finals, where they were beaten by Leicester Tigers. The season's final competition was the Pro14 Rainbow Cup, pitting the Pro14's European teams against the four South African teams who were leaving Super Rugby. Ulster's form in this competition was poor, and they finished tenth in the European pool. Marcell Coetzee cut short his contract and left for the Bulls before the end of the season. Academy players Cormac Izuchukwu, Nathan Doak, David McCann, Callum Reid and Aaron Sexton all made their senior debuts this season. Lock Alan O'Connor was Player of the Year. In 2021–22 the Pro14 became the United Rugby Championship, with the addition of four new South African teams. Ulster made the semi-finals, where they narrowly lost to the Stormers in Cape Town. In the Champions Cup, they made the knockout stage, but went out in a two-legged round of sixteen playoff against Toulouse by an aggregate score of 50-49. Centre James Hume was Player of the Year. Previous season summaries Gold background denotes championsSilver background denotes runner-up * After dropping into the competition from the Champions Cup/Heineken Cup Current standings United Rugby Championship European Rugby Champions Cup Pool B Honours European Rugby Champions Cup Winners: 1 (1998–99) Runners Up: 1 (2011–12) PRO14 Winners: 1 (2005–06) Runners Up: 3 (2003-04, 2012-13, 2019-20) United Rugby Championship Irish Shield Runners Up: 1 (2021-22) Celtic Cup Winners: 1 (2003–04) Irish Inter-Provincial Championships Winners: 26 (8 shared) (1946–47, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1953–54, 1955–56 (shared), 1956–57 (shared), 1966–67 (shared), 1967–68, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76 (shared), 1976–77, 1977–78 (shared), 1982–83 (shared), 1984–85,