Ulster secure dramatic United Rugby Championship victory over Cardiff in Richie Murphy's first home match

Cardiff thought they had sealed the match after they turned Ulster over in their own 22, went the length of the pitch and winger Theo Cabango crossed for his third try, but Scottish referee Mike Adamson called the play back for a deliberate knock on.

Prop Rhys Carre was shown a yellow card and it allowed Cooney to slot over the winning penalty to give Ulster just a third win in their last nine games.

Cardiff took the lead on 11 minutes with a strike move from a lineout after kicking a penalty to touch.

From ball off the top, scrum-half Ellis Bevan put Cabango through a gap and the winger smashed past Mike Lowry’s attempted tackle before grounding the ball for a try with Tinus de Beer converting.

It took Ulster 27 minutes to register their first points of the night with scrum-half Nathan Doak landing a penalty after Cardiff were punished for not rolling away in the tackle.

Ulster wasted a good chance to get a try on 32 minutes. From a penalty the home side kicked to the corner and the forwards set up a maul, but hooker Tom Stewart knocked on diving for the line.

Another chance was spurned a minute later. Again from a lineout maul the forwards drove, but flanker Dave Ewers was held up by the Cardiff defence.

Doak added his second penalty of the contest on 35 minutes after a no arms tackle in midfield by Cardiff flanker Alex Mann on Harry Sheridan to cut the Welsh regions lead to 7-6 at the break.

Cabango scored his second try two minutes after the restart.

Cardiff moved the ball to the wing and there looked to be no danger before Cabango side stepped Jude Postlethwaite and turned on the pace to evade Jacob Stockdale’s flying tackle and sprint under the posts with de Beer knocking over the simple conversion.

Ulster were reduced to 14 men on 49 minutes when Stockdale was yellow carded for a deliberate knock on.

Ulster got back in the game on 59 minutes with a try from number eight David McCann.

The forwards probed at the Cardiff line before McCann barged over from close range with replacement Cooney adding the extras.

Cooney nudged Ulster into the lead on 65 minutes with a long range penalty after Cardiff infringed at the breakdown.

Cardiff cut Ulster open three minutes later but flanker Thomas Young knocked on as he went over the try line.

However, it was a temporary reprieve for Ulster as Postlethwaite conceded a penalty at the breakdown and de Beer restored the visitors lead.

Ulster probed at in the Cardiff 22 in the closing stages but a mixture of careless ball retention and good defence by the Welsh looked to have given them a first victory in Belfast since 2010 before the grandstand finish.