Ulster have qualified for the last 16 of the Investec Champions Cup on points difference after Bordeaux claimed a 66-12 victory against Sharks.
Richie Murphy’s side’s bonus-point 52-24 win over Exeter Chiefs on Friday night moved them level with fourth-placed Sharks on five points.
On Sunday, they needed already-qualified Bordeaux to beat Sharks by 29 points to have any chance of progressing on points difference.
Sharks started brightly in France and raced into a 12-point lead before Bordeaux fought back to hold a 19-12 advantage at half-time.
Damian Penaud scored a tournament-record six tries as a blistering second-half display as 47 unanswered points saw Bordeaux power past Sharks.
The heavy defeat for Sharks meant Ulster leapfrogged them into fourth place with a better points difference of -61 compared with Sharks’ -87.
The win helped Bordeaux secure top spot in Pool 1 and home advantage in the next round where they will face Ulster in the first weekend in April.
Ulster were beaten 40-19 by Bordeaux when the sides met at the Kingspan Stadium in December.
