ULSTER SURVIVED A late onslaught at Ellis Park in Johannesburg to beat a determined Lions team 39-37 in a thrilling United Rugby Championship fixture that could have gone either way. The win on the Highveld was the fourth of the campaign for the Ulstermen, while it was also just their second-ever victory in South Africa.
Rob Baloucoune – who was with the Emerging Ireland squad during their recent trip to Bloemfontein – scored a try against the run of play in the third minute of the match following a turnover ball, and John Cooney had no trouble in adding the extra two from in front of the posts.
Just a few minutes later, Gianni Lombard got the Lions on the board with a penalty. The joy was short-lived with Cooney landing a penalty for the Ulstermen, although the ball did strike the woodwork to sneak through.
Francke Horn scored from his 22m following a good pilfer on the ground by the flanker Emmanuel Tshituka to allow his fellow loose-forward to go over for his fourth try in five games. Lombard levelled matters with the conversion.
Robert Baloucoune opened the scoring for Ulster. Deon van der Merwe / INPHO
Deon van der Merwe / INPHO / INPHO
Lombard put the Lions in the lead for the first time in the match when he landed another penalty from almost exactly the same part of the field as his previous attempt. The DRC-born Tshituka scored the Lions second try with a powerful carry by the back-rower that came off of a lineout drive.
Following a yellow card to the Lions outside centre, the Ulster backline found space out wide to allow outhalf Billy Burns dart over for an unconverted try on the stroke of half time to trail 15-18 at the interval.
The visitors made the one-man advantage count by starting the second half almost exactly the same way they started the match, but this time it was the other winger, Rob Lyttle, diving over for a try in the corner to regain the lead. Minutes later the centre, Stuart McCloskey, scored Ulster’s fourth try when he pounced on a ball which the Lions stole from a lineout on their own 5m line, but weren’t able to control the ball, which allowed McCloskey swoop for the opportunist try.
Advertisement
A view of an Ulster maul. Deon van der Merwe / INPHO
Deon van der Merwe / INPHO / INPHO
The South African-born Irish international hooker, Rob Herring, added to the misery of the home side when he scored off a lineout maul which resulted from a penalty. The replacement scrumhalf, Nathan Doak, another Emerging Ireland tourist, threaded the conversion through the uprights.
A period of sustained pressure by the Lions eventually led to the Ulster defence cracking allowing the Springbok fullback, Andries Coetzee, crossing the whitewash for the hosts first points of the second stanza. The winger Quan Horn struck again for the Lions and this time the replacement flyhalf, Jordan Hendrikse, managed to convert to make it a six-point game.
Doak managed to land a penalty in the 75th minute which proved to be absolutely vital as Francke Horn scored a converted try two minutes later, but it was too little to deny the visitors a win.
Ulster head down to the East Coast of South Africa next week where they will face the Sharks on Saturday at Kings’ Park in Durban.
LIONS: Andries Coetzee; Edwill van der Merwe, Henco van Wyk, Marius Louw, Quan Horn; Gianni Lombard, Sanele Nohamba; JP Smith, Jaco Visagie, Ruan Dreyer; Willem Alberts, Reinhard Nothnagel (capt); Emmanuel Tshituka, Ruan Venter, Francke Horn.
Replacements:PJ Botha, Sti Sithole, Ruan Smith, Pieter Jansen van Vuren, Sibusiso Sangweni, Morné van den Berg, Jordan Hendrikse, Zander du Plessis.
Yellow Card: van Wyk, 39.
ULSTER: Michael Lowry; Rob Baloucoune, Luke Marshall, Stuart McCloskey, Rob Lyttle; Billy Burns, John Cooney; Eric O’Sullivan, Rob Herring, Gareth Milasinovich; Alan O’Connor (capt), Sam Carter; Dave McCann, Marcus Rea, Duane Vermeulen.
Replacements: John Andrew, Callum Reid, Tom O’Toole, Cormac Izuchukwu, Nick Timoney, Nathan Doak, Stewart Moore, Ethan McIlroy.
Get instant updates on your province on The42 app. With Laya Healthcare, official health and wellbeing partner to Leinster, Munster and Connacht Rugby.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
30 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
Ulster survive late Lions onslaught for rare win in South Africa
Lions 37
Ulster 39
Morgan Piek reports from Emirates Airline Park
ULSTER SURVIVED A late onslaught at Ellis Park in Johannesburg to beat a determined Lions team 39-37 in a thrilling United Rugby Championship fixture that could have gone either way. The win on the Highveld was the fourth of the campaign for the Ulstermen, while it was also just their second-ever victory in South Africa.
Rob Baloucoune – who was with the Emerging Ireland squad during their recent trip to Bloemfontein – scored a try against the run of play in the third minute of the match following a turnover ball, and John Cooney had no trouble in adding the extra two from in front of the posts.
Just a few minutes later, Gianni Lombard got the Lions on the board with a penalty. The joy was short-lived with Cooney landing a penalty for the Ulstermen, although the ball did strike the woodwork to sneak through.
Francke Horn scored from his 22m following a good pilfer on the ground by the flanker Emmanuel Tshituka to allow his fellow loose-forward to go over for his fourth try in five games. Lombard levelled matters with the conversion.
Lombard put the Lions in the lead for the first time in the match when he landed another penalty from almost exactly the same part of the field as his previous attempt. The DRC-born Tshituka scored the Lions second try with a powerful carry by the back-rower that came off of a lineout drive.
Following a yellow card to the Lions outside centre, the Ulster backline found space out wide to allow outhalf Billy Burns dart over for an unconverted try on the stroke of half time to trail 15-18 at the interval.
The visitors made the one-man advantage count by starting the second half almost exactly the same way they started the match, but this time it was the other winger, Rob Lyttle, diving over for a try in the corner to regain the lead. Minutes later the centre, Stuart McCloskey, scored Ulster’s fourth try when he pounced on a ball which the Lions stole from a lineout on their own 5m line, but weren’t able to control the ball, which allowed McCloskey swoop for the opportunist try.
The South African-born Irish international hooker, Rob Herring, added to the misery of the home side when he scored off a lineout maul which resulted from a penalty. The replacement scrumhalf, Nathan Doak, another Emerging Ireland tourist, threaded the conversion through the uprights.
A period of sustained pressure by the Lions eventually led to the Ulster defence cracking allowing the Springbok fullback, Andries Coetzee, crossing the whitewash for the hosts first points of the second stanza. The winger Quan Horn struck again for the Lions and this time the replacement flyhalf, Jordan Hendrikse, managed to convert to make it a six-point game.
Doak managed to land a penalty in the 75th minute which proved to be absolutely vital as Francke Horn scored a converted try two minutes later, but it was too little to deny the visitors a win.
Ulster head down to the East Coast of South Africa next week where they will face the Sharks on Saturday at Kings’ Park in Durban.
Scorers for Lions:
Tries – Horn (2), Tshituka, Coetzee, Horn
Conversions – Lombard [1/2], Hendrikse [2/3]
Penalties – Lombard [2/2]
Scorers for Ulster:
Tries – Baloucoune, Burns, Lyttle, McCloskey, Herring.
Conversions – Cooney [3/4], Doak [1/1]
Penalties – Cooney [1/1], Doak [1/1]
LIONS: Andries Coetzee; Edwill van der Merwe, Henco van Wyk, Marius Louw, Quan Horn; Gianni Lombard, Sanele Nohamba; JP Smith, Jaco Visagie, Ruan Dreyer; Willem Alberts, Reinhard Nothnagel (capt); Emmanuel Tshituka, Ruan Venter, Francke Horn.
Replacements: PJ Botha, Sti Sithole, Ruan Smith, Pieter Jansen van Vuren, Sibusiso Sangweni, Morné van den Berg, Jordan Hendrikse, Zander du Plessis.
Yellow Card: van Wyk, 39.
ULSTER: Michael Lowry; Rob Baloucoune, Luke Marshall, Stuart McCloskey, Rob Lyttle; Billy Burns, John Cooney; Eric O’Sullivan, Rob Herring, Gareth Milasinovich; Alan O’Connor (capt), Sam Carter; Dave McCann, Marcus Rea, Duane Vermeulen.
Replacements: John Andrew, Callum Reid, Tom O’Toole, Cormac Izuchukwu, Nick Timoney, Nathan Doak, Stewart Moore, Ethan McIlroy.
Get instant updates on your province on The42 app. With Laya Healthcare, official health and wellbeing partner to Leinster, Munster and Connacht Rugby.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
hard earned Lions Ulster United Rugby Championship