URC: Ulster run all over Bulls to make it two wins from two

Ulster produced a scintillating second half display to sweep aside Bulls as make it two URC wins from two to start the season.

Four tries from Richie Murphy's men - three in a six-minute salvo after the break - put paid to their South African visitors littered with World Cup winners.

If there was something of a statement win even this early in the campaign, this was it.

In a stop start opening quarter, Ulster began the better of the two sides, but it was the visitors who had a try ruled out on 19 minutes for a knock-on right on the line.

And Ulster needed less than two more minutes to capitalise.

Nathan Doak seized on a loose pass just inside the Bulls half to hack the ball forward for Stuart McCloskey to chase – and chase the big centre very much did.

He outpaced Jeandre Rudolph in a straight foot race to get their first and touch down for the opening try, receiving a bloody nose for his troubles and having to go off to be replaced by Jude Postlethwaite. Nathan Doak converted to put Ulster 7-0 in front.

But Bulls went on the attack straight away and less than a minutes after Rob Herring was yellow carded, they drew level as Wilco Louw bulldozed his way over from close range Handre Pollard converted to level the match.

Ulster began the second period even brighter than they did the first and seven minutes in, they almost grabbed their second try of the night.

A superb break by Jack Murphy saw a succession of passes exchanged before Nick Timoney was stopped five yards short of the line. Ulster were awarded a penalty as a result with Rudolph sin-binned to give the home side a man advantage.

However, the second try arrived on 59 minutes with Juarno Augustus, making his first start since his Summer move from Northampton, doing the damage and using his powerful frame to get over the line, with Doak converting.

Two quickly became three on 54 minutes, with Rob Herring barrelling over to ram home Ulster’s dominance, with Doak again accurate to add the extra two points

The flurry of tries continued on 56 following great work by David McCann under the high ball. That saw him hold off two tackles before offloading to Cormac Izuchukwu who stomped forward to score, with Doak again converting.

Some sterling defensive worked on their own line kept Bulls out for the remainder of the half and that punctuated by a number of breaks forward as Ulster took advantage of a host of basic errors from the visitors.

Just over two minutes from time, the excellent Jacob Stockdale thought he was on his way to adding a fifth try with another break towards the line. He was stopped just short and his offload to replacement Conor McKee was knocked on at the vital moment.

The home side’s performance on the night was arguably the most complete display of the Richie Murphy era and showed what his side are capable of.

The key now is to continue that standard of rugby on a more regular basis.

They’ll have a chance to test themselves in the most difficult of all environments in the URC, with two games in South Africa before the Autumn internationals.

MATCH STATS

Ulster: Crean, Herring, O’Toole, Henderson (C), Izuchukwu, McCann, Timoney, Augustus, Doak, Murphy, Ward, McCloskey, Hume, Baloucoune, Stockdale

Replacements: Stewart, O’Sullivan, Wilson, Sheridan, Refell, McKee, Flannery, Postlethwaite

Tries: McCloskey, Augustus, Herring, Izuchukwu

Conversions: Doak (4)

Bulls: Steenekamp, Grobbelaar (C), Louw, Wiese, Janse Van Rensburg, Van Staden, Gumede, Rudolph, Burger, Pollard, Jacobs, Vorster, Moodie, De Klerk, Williams

Replacements: Else, Wessels, Smith, Ludwig, Xaba, De Wet, Kriel, Le Roux

Try: Louw

Conversion: Pollard