Ulster increase strain on Stormers by knocking down Dragons

​Ulster put pressure on the Stormers in the race to finish second in the United Rugby Championship and the right to host a home semi-final with a bonus point 40-19 win over the Dragons at Kingspan Stadium.
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Ulster now leapfrog the defending champions before they face Munster in Cape Town on Saturday evening.

Ulster weren’t at their fluent best for periods and needed two tries in the last 12 minutes to see off a spirited Dragons challenge.

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Flanker David McCann opened Ulster’s account on eight minutes, finishing off a slick handling move. Following a sweeping attack that took Ulster from their own half to the Dragons’ 22, Stuart McCloskey offloaded out of the tackle to Jacob Stockdale and the winger put McCann over for his first try in an Ulster shirt, with scrum half John Cooney adding the conversion.

Ulster Rugby head coach Dan McFarlandUlster Rugby head coach Dan McFarland
Ulster Rugby head coach Dan McFarland

The Welsh region hit back four minutes later as flanker Taine Basham received the ball just outside the Ulster 22 and powered through a weak Eric O’Sullivan tackle, he got close to the line Tom Stewart stooped his momentum, but the open side was able to pop the ball to Angus O’Brien to go over from close range and the Dragons out half converted.

Craig Gilroy had a try disallowed on 20 minutes after Duane Vermeulen was ruled to have obstructed a Dragons player in the build-up.

Stewart got his 14th try of the season on 29 minutes. Ulster won a penalty and kicked to the corner, from the lineout the forwards got a powerful drive with the hooker able to dot down at the back of maul but Cooney pushed the conversion wide.

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Dragons hooker Elliot Dee was sin-binned on 37 minutes after the Welsh side had conceded two penalties from driving mauls close to their own try line.

Ulster kicked a third penalty to touch and with their numerical average Stewart was propelled over for his second try from the maul as Cooney’s conversion gave the home side a 19-7 lead at the interval.

Stewart completed his hat-trick on 49 minutes, this time finishing off a sweeping move. Ethan McIlroy and McCann exchanged passes before Ulster’s replacement full back released Stockdale, the winger sped into the 22 before putting Stewart over in the corner with Cooney adding the extras.

Dee, out of the sin-bin, crossed for the visitors on 55 minutes when he broke off the back off a line out and powered over from close range with Will Reed converting.

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The Dragons stunned Ulster again two minutes later when scrum half Rhodri Williams sold the defence a dummy and was allow to run in unopposed from 40 metres to touch down but Hewitt couldn’t convert.

John Andrew and Nick Timoney combined to score the home side’s fifth try on 68 minutes. Andrew broke off a line maul and hit Stewart Moore, the ball was quickly recycled and the hooker put Timoney through a gap to cross with Cooney making it a 14-point game.

Ulster sealed the game when they were awarded a penalty try in the final minute after a deliberate knock-on close to his own try line by Ashton Hewitt.

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