Richie Murphy still searching for first Ulster win after narrow Stormers defeat

In truth, it was more Stormers incompetence that kept Ulster in the game as the home side wasted a number of opportunities to put the game out of sight.

Richie Murphy is still searching for his first win as interim coach and again the Ulster set piece will come under scrutiny as both the lineout and scrum malfunctioned, while the side didn’t score for 74 minutes after taking an early lead.

The defeat a fifth in six outings means Ulster drop to eighth in the United Rugby Championship table.

Ulster dominated the early possession and territory and were rewarded on six minutes with a try from Nick Timoney.

Rob Baloucoune advanced down the wing before the ball was moved inside, the Stormers defence shot out of the line and Nathan Doak timed his pass perfectly for Timoney to exploit a gap and go under the posts unopposed. John Cooney knocked over the simple conversion.

Steven Kitshoff gave away a penalty at the scrum but Stormers out-half Manie Libbok was off target with the shot at goal.

Ulster gifted Libbock another penalty on 22 minutes and again the Springbok out-half missed.

Cooney missed a simple penalty in front of the posts as the ball came back off the upright on 27 minutes.

He failed again off the kicking tee 10 minutes later after Kitshoff earned a penalty at the scrum.

The Stormers finished the half strongly, but a couple of errors in dangerous positions meant they couldn’t breach the Ulster defence as the visitors went into the interval with a 7-0 lead.

The hosts cut the Ulster defence open on 53 minutes when winger Suleiman Hartzenberg cut into the 22 after a flowing move, but number eight Evan Roos knocked on trying to ground the ball over the whitewash.

However, the Stormers then drove Ulster back and won a penalty as Libbok finally registered his sides first points.

Ulster were reduced to 14 men on 61 minutes for deliberately knocking the ball out of Stormers scrum-half Herschel Jantjies’ hand at a ruck.

The Stormers finally managed to break the Ulster defence on 73 minutes.

Lock Harry Sheridan was punished for being offside and the home side went to the corner.

After squandering a number of opportunities close to the Ulster line, the Stormers got their lineout right, the maul moved forward at speed and Roos touched down at the back with Libbok landing the conversion from a tight angle.

The match ended with Libbok popping a simple penalty from in front of the posts after Andy Warwick was punished for collapsing a scrum.