URC: Ulster keep play-off hopes alive with rip-roaring Stormers win

Ulster certainly don't like to do things the easy way.

Richie Murphy's side found themselves 17-0 down after just eight minutes, but came roaring back to draw level by the break before going on to take a bonus point win over a Stormers side that lost discipline as the game wore on.

They took the lead early in the second period and despite allowing Stormers - who were down to 13 men at one stage - some light at the end of the tunnel repeatedly, Ulster eventually saw it out to take a vital victory.

Ulster were dealt a blow before kick-off when James Hume had to withdraw from the side due to illness. Ben Carson took his place at number 13, with Stewart Moore coming onto the bench.

And things didn’t get any better when the first whistle blew either.

They found themselves 17-0 down after just eight minutes of action with the South Africans notching two converted tries and a drop goal as they threatened to run riot at a far from full Ravenhill.

It took the visitors just 90 seconds to carve open a porous Ulster defence, with Evan Roos making the line break 40 metres out before having the freedom of Belfast to race clear to dot down. That was converted by Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and the same player split the post with a perfectly-executed drop goal just a couple of minutes later to make it 10-0 before Ulster knew what had hit them.

Things then went from bad to worse for the home side in the 8th minute as Stormers grabbed their second try of the night.

This time it was Ben Loader making an interception after poor Ulster handling to scamper towards the line. Despite the best attempt of Stuart McCloskey – on his 200th appearance – to catch him, he never really stood a chance as the wing got down in the corner and Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted expertly from the tightest angle on the right.

At 17-0 adrift with such a small amount of the match played, you could have forgiven a shellshocked Ulster if they had simply decided to shut up shop and prevent the haemorrhaging of more points.

But, to their credit, they did begin to impose themselves on the game and got off the mark on 11 minutes.

They made use to the penalty advantage to ship top the ball way out to the right touchline where the grateful Rob Baloucoune - making his return to the side after over 11 months out – powered forward to dives full length to down in the corner. John Cooney was unable to convert however.

But, they did close the gap to a one-score game with just over 10 minutes of the half remaining as Andrew Warwick barged his way over from close range and give Cooney a simple conversion to make it 17-12 to the visitors.

There was some light relief for the Ulster fans ust before the interval as Feinberg-Mngomezulu lined up a penalty, only for the ball to fall off the tee with just seven seconds left on the shot clock. With the Ulster fans counting him down, he then rushed to take it in time and pulled it wide of the left post.

Stormeres were reduced to 14 men as the half drew to a close with Feinberg-Mngomezulu sin-binned for taking out Baloucoune off the ball.

And Ulster make their numerical advantage count instantly as Jack Murphy goes over in the corner. Cooney was unable to convert, but the sides went in at the break level – something that seemed highly unlikely after just eight minutes of this match.

Just four minutes after the restart, Ulster made even more use of the extra man to grab their bonus point try and take the lead for the first time.

After the TMO got involved, Ulster received a penalty close to the line and shifted it wide left to Jacob Stockdale who dotted down. This time, Cooney converted to give the hosts at 24-17 advantage.

Stormers ill-discipline cost them even further less than two minutes later as Captain Neethling Fouche was shown a red card for a high tackle on Ben Carson, that saw the Ulster man have to go off, replaced by Stewart Moore.

However, despite being a man down, Stormers showed there was plenty of fight left in them.

On 52 minutes – and not long after returning to the pitch after his sin-binning, Feinberg-Mngomezulu knocked over another inch-perfect drop goal for the visitors to reduce Ulster’s lead to 24-20.

But Ulster hit back in perfect fashion with their fifth – and best- try of the night as Stockdale breaks the line before offloading to Zac Ward, on for Baloucoune, and he streaked clear down the right to score. This time, Jack Murphy converted with Cooney having gone off less than a minute before.

This rip-roaring and incident-packed tie still had plenty of life in it yet though and so did the Stormers as replacement Willie Engelbrecht broke through to score on 63 minutes. When Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted, that put only four points between the sides – 31-27 - with over a quarter of an hour remaining of a tense affair.

Ulster all but made the game safe with another sweeping move for their fifth try of the match on 67 minutes as Stockdale, then Nathan Doak, moved the ball with perfect timing to tee up Stewart Moore and the replacement raced over with ease as Doak converted to make it 38-27.

Yet still, Ulster contrived to give Stormers hope.

After Harry Sheridan was penalised for an infringement at a ruck that saw him sin-binned, the away side took advantage as Roos got over for his second try of the match from close range, with Feinberg-Mngombezulu converting to leave it 38-24 in Ulster’s favour with five minutes remaining.

Now, URC stuff is parked for a period as Ulster go to France next weekend to take on the might of Brodeaux in the Champions Cup last 16.

While they will know they will need to be a lot better, particularly from a defensive perspective, three league wins a row will do Murphy's side the power of good at just the right time in the campaign.

MATCH STATS

Ulster: Warwick, Herring, O’Toole, O’Connor (C), Treadwell, Matty Rea, Timoney. McCann, Cooney, Murphy, Stockdale, McCloskey, Carson, Baloucoune, Lowry

Replacements: Stewart, Reid, Wilson, Sheridan, McNabney, Doak, Moore for Carson, Ward

Tries: Baloucoune, Warwick, Murphy, Stockdale, Ward, Moore

Conversions: Cooney (2), Murphy, Doak

Stormers: Vermaak, Dweba, Fouche (C), Evans, Van Heerden, Ewers, Theunissen, Roos, Duvenage. Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Zas, Du Plessis, Hartzenberg, Loader, Willemse

Replacements: Venter, Harris, Sandi, Porter, Engelbrecht, De Wet, Matthee, Simelane

Tries: Roos (2), Loader, Englebrechta

Conversions: Feinberg-Mngomezulu (4)

Drop Goals: Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2)