URC: Ulster 38 Stormers 38
It was as helter-skelter as the scoreline suggests, the draw only being snatched by Stormers in the last minute through a penalty try.
Ulster must have reckoned they had it won after Eric O’Sullivan scored their sixth try of the night but then Nathan Doak’s try-saving tackle on Leolin Zas, holding him up over the line was adjudged high and then came the seven-pointer to the South Africans.
In terms of the table, the three points gleaned by Ulster – Werner Kok scoring a hat-trick – means they will not drop out of the top eight regardless of how Connacht get on against Munster.
How Connacht are proving a stark contrast to reeling Munster
Though the Stormers dropped to second place, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was outstanding for the visitors, they will content enough with their three points.
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Ulster made the brighter start when they worked Werner Kok over in the right corner on penalty advantage, Nick Timoney and Jude Postlethwaite had trucked the ball up with notable physicality before Jack Murphy spun it right for his winger to score.
Nathan Doak converted but then the Stormers responded almost immediately when the league’s top try scorer Evan Roos drove over from close range after an impressive break by Ntuthuko Mchunu. The conversion from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu made it 7-7 after five minutes.
Ulster were then hit with another blow when Iain Henderson was yellow carded for an apparent croc roll on Deon Fourie, a call that went to review which was then upgraded to red shortly after Jack Murphy had departed after a heavy looking head knock.
Moments after Henderson’s 20-minute red card, Stormers hit a reeling Ulster when Feinberg-Mngomezulu waltzed through some rather weak tackles to score at the posts, the out half then converting his own effort.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu then hit a penalty to stretch their lead to 17-7.
Ulster then ended their period down to 14 by scoring through Kok’s second which was superbly converted by Doak just as Harry Sheridan came back on to bring then back up to full complement.
They scored again this time via Zac Ward off a lineout move with Doak the provider and now had the lead, Doak stretching it further with his third conversion and a fairly eventful half ended with Ulster leading 21-17.
The new half opened with Ulster conceding a soft enough score when they were turned over after Lowry took a high ball and Leolin Zas dotted down in the corner only for the TMO to intervene and the try was scrubbed out due to the home team’s full back being tackled in the air.
Ulster made an immediate response, Murphy’s high ball bouncing and it was hoovered up by Ward with possession then moved quickly to the right for Lowry got over for the bonus point try. Doak failed to add to the total as his conversion attempt was timed out.
Stormers hit back, this time scrumhalf Imad Khan broke and reached out to hit the line on 48 minutes, Feinberg-Mngomezulu again converted and Ulster’s lead was cut to two points.
Two minutes after the hour, Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored his second bringing up the South African’s bonus point. He also slotted the two pointer for his own 62nd-minute try.
Ulster drove forward with venom Bryn Ward, Postlethwaite and Tom Stewart all carrying hard before Kok took his chance for the hat-trick score.
Doak was unable to hit the angle out on the touchline and the scores remained tied at 31 each.
They came again and Eric O’Sullivan was credited with the try which put them back in the lead, Doak converting the 75th-minute touchdown.
Stormers were also reduced to 14 for what remained as Jurie Matthee was yellow carded and now Ulster could truly scent victory except that Andrea Piardi went to the big screen and awarded a penalty try to the visitors to tie it up at the death.
Scoring sequence - 4 mins: Kok try, Doak con 7-0; 6: Roos try, Mngomezulu con 7-7; 14: Mngomezulu try, Mngomezulu con 7-14; 20: Mngomezulu pen 7-17; 30: Kok try, Doak con 14-17; 35: Ward try, Doak con 21-17; HT: 21-17; 46: Lowry try 26-17; 49: Khan try, Mngomezulu con 26-24; 64: Mngomezulu try, Mngomezulu con 26-31; 71: Kok try 31-31; 76: O’Sullivan try, Doak con 38-31; 80: penalty try 38-38
Ulster Rugby: M Lowry; W Kok; E McIlroy; J Postlethwaite; Z Ward; J Murphy; N Doak ; A ;ll; J McCormick; S Wilson; I Henderson (capt); C Irvine; C Izuchukwu; N Timoney; J Augustus. Replacements: J Flannery for Murphy (12-25 mins and 63 mins); H Sheridan for Henderson (22 mins); T Stewart for McCormick (h-t); E O’Sullivan for Bell (53 mins); T McAllister for Wilson (56 mins); ; B Ward for ;ustus (60 mins).
Yellow card: I Henderson (8 mins upgraded to 20-minute red), N Doak (79 mins).
DHL Stormers: W Gelant, W Simelane, D du Plessis, D Willemse, L Zas, S Feinberg-Mngomezulu, I Khan; N Mchunu, A-H Venter, S Sandi, A Smith, R van Heerden, D Fourie (capt), B-J Dixon, E Roos. Replacements: J Matthee for Willemse (1-12 mins) and Feinberg-Mngomezulu (74 mins), P de Villiers for Fourie (11 mins), Z Porthen for Sandi (53 mins), S Ungerer for Khan (56 mins), O Kebble for Mchunu, H Dayimani for Smith, K Morabe for Roos (both 61 mins), C Evans for Dixon (65 mins)
Yellow card: Matthee (75 mins)
