URC: Cardiff 21 Ulster 19
Ulster somehow contrived to surrender a seemingly unassailable 19-0 lead to lose this game as Cardiff roared back to dominate the second half and take the victory.
The northern province looked in total control after Jude Postlethwaite’s two tries alongside one from Cormac Izuchukwu had put them nearly 20 points clear and apparently on course for a try bonus and hefty result.
But Cardiff, with a strong scrum and maul managed to find their way back to rack up 21 unanswered points against an Ulster side reeling from the onslaught and also having to do without skipper Iain Henderson, who made an early exit with an apparent rib issue.
Though Ulster’s scrum looked worryingly vulnerable in the opening minutes, it mattered not for what then transpired.
A penalty put to the edge of Cardiff’s 22 resulted in the visitors’ first score as they picked and jammed their way to the line and with the penalties coming used the tap-and-go process to finally work Cormac Izuchukwu over against a home team reduced to 14 with Evan Lloyd binned.
The energetic Nathan Doak converted and four minutes later did the same after he began the move which ultimately ended up with Jude Postlethwaite surging over the line.
Ulster then continued their ruthless streak with try number three on 23 minutes, the score falling again to Postlethwaite when Ulster moved the ball right to left – Werner Kok having spectacularly kept a Cardiff kick in play – and Stuart McCloskey’s chip put his midfield partner through with some ease.
Doak failed with the conversion, but Ulster were 19-0 ahead just after the end of the first quarter and just one more score away from their try bonus.
Shortly afterwards, though, Henderson left the field with an unclear issue, Harry Sheridan replacing him, which not only looked worrying for Ulster but also in terms of his fitness for next month’s Autumn Tests.
Inevitably, the hosts managed to make some impression on the contest, winger Iwan Stephens breaking out of his 22 and nearly getting away and then Cameron Winnett’s kick pass nearly connected with Mason Grady with the Ulster line open.
However, Grady knocked on from a difficult bounce and Ulster, even again under some scrum pressure, earned a cheap penalty following David McCann’s carry and were able to run the clock down to maintain their 19-point lead at the break.
Cardiff had to now respond and did so from the off and with momentum with them and David McCann in the bin for being offside, the Welsh went for the corner, mauled and then moved the ball at pace from right to left, Stephens spectacularly scoring the corner and Calum Sheedy slotting an excellent conversion.
Just after McCann came back on, Sheridan was held up over the line just on the hour. How Ulster were to rue that missed opportunity.
First Dai Hughes cut Ulster’s lead after he spun out of a maul with Sheedy again converting the 64th-minute score and with all the momentum now with the home team, it was no surprise that from a penalty, Cardiff’s maul got going with Thomas Young getting their third try to tie the scores.
Sheedy nailed the two points and Cardiff incredibly had the lead.
Ulster looked shattered and yet had a 55-metre penalty shot on 74 minutes from Doak to win, but the ball fell short and the Welsh side saw out what remained.
Cardiff: Tries Stephens, Hughes, T Young, Cons: Sheedy 3
Ulster: Tries: Izuchukwu, Postlethwaite 2 Cons: Doak 2
Cardiff Rugby: C Winnett, M Grady, R Lee-Lo, B Thomas (capt), I Stephens, C Sheedy, A Davies, E Byrne, E Lloyd, K Assiratti, J McNally, T Williams, B Donnell, D Thomas, A Lawrence.
Replacements: D Hughes for D Thomas (20-25 mins) and for Lloyd (51 mins), T Young for D Thomas (50 mins), J Botham for Donnell (50 mins), R Litterick for Assiratti (50 mins), C Domachowski for Byrne (51 mins), R Jennings for B Thomas (59 mins), R Thornton for T Williams (69 mins).
Yellow card: E Lloyd (12 mins).
Ulster: E McIlroy, W Kok, J Postlethwaite, S McCloskey, M Lowry, A Morgan, N Doak, E O’Sullivan, J McCormick, T O’Toole, I Henderson (capt), K Treadwell, C Izuchukwu, N Timoney, D McCann.
Replacements: H Sheridan for Henderson (24 mins), S Wilson for O’Toole (52 mins), A Warwick for O’Sullivan (59 mins), B Carson for McCloskey (66 mins), Marcus Rea for Sheridan (70 mins), J Andrew for McCormick (78 mins).
Yellow card: McCann (47 mins).
Referee: S Grove-White (SRU).
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