Ulster face unwanted history and URC play-off blow with home loss to Sharks

The province now sit 12th in the table, three points off play-offs and with only away games at Munster and Edinburgh remaining.

If Ulster don’t make the top eight they will fail to qualify for the Champions Cup for the first time in their history.

Things were looking good for Murphy’s men as they scored three tries to take a 19-0 lead but failed to score any points after the half-hour mark.

Out half Jack Murphy broke the deadlock on seven minutes.

Jacob Stockdale made a break into the 22, Nathan Doak and Cormac Izuchukwu combined to put Jack Murphy over in the corner but the out half was unable to convert.

Ulster’s second try arrived two minutes later, Doak hacked the ball clear out of defence, Sharks captain Siya Kolisis won the race to gather the ball but Zac Ward won a turnover and put centre Jude Postlewaite clear to race under the posts, with Murphy adding the simple conversion.

Ulster extended their lead with a try on 30 minutes. Stockdale led a counter-attack out of defence, he carried deep into Sharks territory before chipping the last defender, he caught his own kick and fed Doak to run under the posts, with Murphy adding the easy conversion.

Makazole Mapimpi got the Sharks’ opening try on 33 minutes as lock Jason Jenkins punched a hole in the Ulster defence, carrying into the 22. The forwards probed at the line before the ball was spun wide and the Springbok winger went over in the corner for an unconverted try.

Jacob Stockdale was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on in the build-up.

Mapimpi had a try disallowed on the stroke of half-time as the final pass was adjudged forward, so Ulster went into the interval with a 19-5 lead.

Flanker Manu Tshituka got the Sharks’ second try on 60 minutes.

The visitors showed great ball retention in the Ulster 22, probing at the defence through multi-phases before the open side surged through a gap to go under the posts and out half Jordan Hendrikse tapped over the conversion.

Replacement Jurenzo Julius scored the Sharks’ third try on 70 minutes as the forwards and backs combined, keeping the ball alive for a number of phases before releasing the centre to charge under the posts and Hendrikse converted to tie the scores.

The Sharks worked the ball through a number of phases before Matty Rea was penalised in front of his own posts for putting his hands in the ruck and Hendrikse landed the simple kick to win the game.

ULSTER: J Stockdale; W Kok, J Postlethwaite, S McCloskey, Z Ward; J Murphy, N Doak; A Warwick, R Herring, S Wilson; A O’Connor (captain), C Izuchukwu; Matty Rea, N Timoney, J McNabney.

Replacements: T Stewart for Herring 70 mins, C Reid for Warwick 61 mins, B O’Connor for Wilson 74 mins, M Dalton for Izuchukwu 74 mins, K Treadwell for O’Connor 70 mins , D Shanahan, A Morgan, D McCann for McNanbey 70 mins

SHARKS: A Fassi; E Hooker, L Am, A Esterhuizen, M Mapimpi; Jo Hendrikse, Ja Hendrikse; O Nche, B Mbonambi, V Koch; V Tshituka, J Jenkins; J Venter, M Tshituka, S Kolisi (captain)

Replacements: F Mbatha for Mbonambi 61 mins, N Mchunu for Nche 61 mins, H Jacobs for Koch 41 mins, D Slabbert, P Buthelezi for Venter 61 mins, B Davids for Ja Hendrikse 74 mins, S Masuku, J Julius for Am 52 mins

Referee: B Whitehouse (WRU)