BKT United Rugby Championship: Cell C Sharks 24 Ulster 31
Ulster’s season received a much-needed shot in the arm after they left HollywoodBets Park in Durban with a 31-24 bonus-point win over the Cell C Sharks.
Played in searing heat with temperatures hitting 30 degrees, Ulster dug in and battled their way to a deserving victory. The win cements Ulster’s third place position in the URC and also keeps them in contention for a second place finish.
After last weeks below-par performance against Glasgow, Ulster were determined to put up a better showing this week, but Grant Williams gave the Sharks the perfect start when he exploited gaps in the Ulster defence to race in unopposed for the game’s opening try in the first minute.
It got worse for the visitors just minutes later when hooker John Andrew was forced off due to a failed HIA.
But Ulster soon settled and a John Cooney penalty was quickly followed by a Tom Stewart try and Ulster lead 10-5 after 25 minutes.
The frantic nature of the game continued. Thaakir Abrahams brought the Sharks back into the contest with a try on the half hour to help the Sharks to a two-point lead. But it was a lead that lasted only a matter of minutes as Stewart touched down for the second time in the opening half.
It helped Ulster to a five-point lead at the break, 17-12.
Coming out on the front foot at the start of the second half, Stewart Moore showed great awareness to catch Williams off guard to touch down right under the nose of the scrum-half.
But the Sharks refused to lay down and Ntuthuko Mchunu’s try kept them in touch. However, Ulster responded with an effort of their own when another forward Harry Sheridan, powered over just short of the hour mark.
Again the Sharks came back and Boeta Chamberlain finished off a sweeping move that began in their own half by stealing an Ulster lineout.
It set up a gripping final ten minutes but helped by a mix of youth and experience from the bench, Ulster controlled the closing stages to wrap up a deserving seven-point win.
Afterwards, head coach Dan McFarland was full of praise for his team for managing to come on the right side in very testing conditions.
“I thought it was obviously going to be a generally tough game,” McFarland said afterwards.
“The conditions very humid, something we’re not used to and the lads found it very physically tough. Just chatting to them in the changing room there, I think the common consensus was it was physically tougher than our Lions away game earlier in the season played at altitude and with the sun out.
“(But) I’m really proud of how they stuck in physically and gave it everything they had to try and get this win. It’s a really tough place to come. Obviously South Africa is a tough place to come and to win both our away games the team should be very proud of that.”
McFarland also praised the efforts of his forwards. After coming in for much criticism for their showing last week in Glasgow, McFarland was delighted how his forward unit performed in the heat and pressure of the Shark Tank.
“They were excellent. Roddy Grant and the forwards were gnashing teeth last week after our Glasgow performance where we didn’t play very well. Glasgow did a good job but we were well sub-par in the forward pack.
“They put the hammer on themselves at the beginning of the week and fair play to them. You against a big Sharks pack, we dominated in the maul area and that’s what got us out in front so fair play to them”.
