For Ulster, the conclusion of their South African expedition featured another defeat, yet a noticeable enhancement in their gameplay compared to their previous encounter with the Sharks. Most of the match was led by Ulster, but the Stormers eventually gained the upper hand, slowly breaking down their rivals. Despite this loss, Richie Murphy’s team was able to secure a valuable losing bonus point. Ulster’s recent performance, however, remains shaky, with only a solitary victory in their last six matches.
Seven minutes into the highly-energised match, Nathan Doak—taking the position of outhalf—assisted Nick Timoney in exploiting a glaring vulnerability in the Stormers’ defence, enabling him to score following an aggressive offence from Ulster. An uncomplicated conversion was then carried out by John Cooney.
Surprised from finding themselves at a disadvantage, the Stormers decided to go for a distant goal after a scrum penalty against Steven Kitshoff in his homecoming game. Manie Libbok’s attempt, however, missed the mark. A similar unsuccessful endeavour was made by Libbok a few minutes later from a further distance, as his shot, like before, veered left of the goal. Cooney subsequently missed a penalty from closer range as his shot hit the post, allowing the Stormers to regain the ball.
In the last four minutes of the first half, Ulster gained another scrum penalty, with Kitshoff and Tom O’Toole dominating in this aspect as the half progressed. Nonetheless, Cooney failed to hit the target from a distance, resulting in Ulster leading 7-0 as halftime arrived.
The Stormers began to show signs of retaliation early in the second half, making their initial aggressive move on Ulster’s line. However, a mishandled ball after Joseph Dweba’s thrust halted their progress, giving a solid Ulster scrum the opportunity to regain control under the goalposts.
The Stormers’ intensity increased, with a remarkable defence strategy denying Evan Roos a score. Thus initiated an Ulster scrum and a face-off between replacements Francois Malherbe and his fellow Springbok Kitshoff.
In the match, the Stormers were awarded a penalty which Libbok successfully kicked into goal, launching the home team into action after a stagnant 55 minutes. Just six minutes following this, Ulster player David McCann was sanctioned with a yellow card for illegally knocking the ball down from an offside stance during a breakdown in play.
Throughout McCann’s temporary dismissal, Ulster’s fierce determination coupled with the Stormers’ lack of precision made it possible for the northern province to withhold any potential scores from the Stormers. This resilience faltered slightly, however, after McCann had returned to the field and the Stormers were awarded a penalty which they manipulated to their advantage.
The ensuing maul culminated in a score by Evan Roos, placing the Stormers in the lead for the first time in the match, with a mere seven minutes remaining on the clock. A successful conversion by Libbok pushed the South Africans into a 10-7 lead. Despite the need for an immediate response, Ulster were unable to deliver and the game wrapped up with the province at the mercy of a scrum penalty. With time running out, Libbok opted for a goal kick, which he successfully completed.
Teams:
Stormers: W Gelant; S Hartzenberg, D du Plessis, D Willemse, L Zas; M Libbok, P de Wet; B Harris, J Dweba, N Fouche; S Moerat, captain, R van Heerden; W Engelbrecht, H Dayimani, E Roos. Substitutions included: JJ Kotze for Dweba, L Lyons for Harris, F Malherbe for Fouche, A Smith for Moerat, B Jason-Dixon for Engelbrecht, M Theunissen Dayimani, H Jantjies for De Wet, B Loader for Du Plessis.
Ulster: M Lowry; R Baloucoune, J Hume, S McCloskey, E McIlroy; N Doak, J Cooney; S Kitshoff, R Herring appointed captain, T O’Toole; H Sheridan, K Treadwell; Matty Rea, D McCann, N Timoney.
Substitutions made were as follows: S Moore came in for Lowry within the first 9 minutes of the game. Additionally, T Stewart substituted Herring, A Warwick replaced Kitshoff, and S Wilson took over from O’Toole all at 56 minutes into the game. At 55 minutes, C Izuchukwu was brought in for Treadwell and Marcus Rea took the place of Matty Rea at 72 minutes. However, there were two individuals who did not see any action: D Shanahan and J Flannery. McCann was shown the yellow card at the 60-minute mark.