Lions vs Ulster

Ulster came out on the right side of a ten-try thriller in Johannesburg to beat the Emirates Lions in the URC. Dan McFarland's side went into the clash third in ...

Ulster are penalised at the scrum which allows Lions to bring the play into the Ulster half. It gives Lions a penalty that Gianni Lombard knocks over. It allows Ulster to move play up to halfway. Duane Vermeulen is busy at the breakdown again to earn Ulster another turnover before they carry the ball down the middle. What a start for the visitors! Ulster defend the initial surge well but they can't stop Tshituka from close range. Stuart McCloskey makes the most of a fumbled Lions line-out on their own five metre line. Ulster beginning to pull away as Rob Herring is the man with the ball in his hands as they get a lineout maul going that Lions can't stop. They were pepering the line for a long time before they go wide through Lyttle before Billy Burns eventually crosses over the line! The Lions win a couple of midfield collissions before putting some width on the ball and finding space. They deal with the Lions push and Doak passes back to Billy Burns to kick into touch and seal the victory! The conversion is nailed and there is just two points between these sides with two minutes left to play!

In another free-scoring, back-and-forth game between Irish and South African sides in the URC, Ulster edged past the Lions in Johannesburg for their first ...

Again, while it wasn't pretty, Ulster showed resilience to weather the storm. This time there was no mistake with Emmanuel Tshituka carrying hard across the line once the maul eventually ran out of steam. After Henco van Wyk was sent to the bin in a penalty-ridden passage of defence, Ulster almost looked to have wasted the opportunity but, after Rob Lyttle kept his head, Burns snuck over in the corner. On their own put-in, Eric O'Sullivan was pinged and the Lions knocked it to the corner to give the line-out another go. It wasn't until the 26th minute that the Lions took their first lead of the game thanks to another Lombard penalty, but by that stage the hosts had long felt in the ascendancy. Ulster did most of their damage either side of half time off a Lions' yellow card, in a game where the home side launched two comebacks that had made a fourth win on the spin feel likely.

Ulster's Rob Lyttle scores a try. Lions 37. Ulster 39. Morgan Piek reports from Emirates Airline Park. ULSTER SURVIVED A late onslaught at Ellis Park in ...

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. 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 DRC-born Tshituka scored the Lions second try with a powerful carry by the back-rower that came off of a lineout drive. Just a few minutes later, Gianni Lombard got the Lions on the board with a penalty. 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.

Dan McFarland's side trailed 18-10 when Henco van Wyk was yellow-carded shortly before half-time,

Doak split the posts with a penalty before Francke Horn's second and another Hendrikse conversion made it a two-point game with two minutes to play but Ulster held on for their fourth win of the season. Cooney's missed conversion meant Ulster trailed 18-15 at the break. Lombard gave the Lions the lead for the first time from the tee after 26 minutes and the home side looked to turn the screw as they repeatedly kicked penalties to the corner.

Emmanuel Tshituka of the Lions and John Andrew of Ulster during the United Rugby Championship match at Emirates Airline Park on Saturday.. Image: Christiaan ...

Penalties: Lombard (2). Ulster (39): Tries: Robert Baloucoune, Billy Burns, Rob Lyttle, Stuart McCloskey, Rob Herring. Conversions: Gianni Lombard, Jordan Hendrikse (2).

Ulster secure a first win on South African soil as they withstand a Lions comeback to edge the URC game 39-37.

Doak eased Ulster nerves with a penalty to make it 39-37 but the Lions were not finished yet and Francke Horn scored his second try, which was converted by Hendrikse, to leave the gap at just two points with three minutes left. Cooney's conversion made it 22-18 and it was followed by another try five minutes later when the Lions knocked the ball back from an Ulster lineout but only to an alert McCloskey, who stole in and sauntered over the line to seal the bonus point. The Irish side cashed in on the extra man, first with Burns going over from Michael Lowry's pass and then a minute after the restart as Lyttle sprinted down the line to put Ulster in front.

However, Billy Burns, Rob Lyttle and Stuart McCloskey all went over in Van Wyk's absence while Rob Herring added his own name to the scoresheet shortly after ...

Doak split the posts with a penalty before Francke Horn’s second and another Hendrikse conversion made it a two-point game with two minutes to play but Ulster held on for their fourth win of the season. Cooney’s missed conversion meant Ulster trailed 18-15 at the break. Lombard gave the Lions the lead for the first time from the tee after 26 minutes and the home side looked to turn the screw as they repeatedly kicked penalties to the corner.