Ulster Rugby got back to winning ways in round four of the United Rugby Championship as they defeated Connacht 32 – 27 in a thrilling clash at Ravenhill.
Locked at 24 points a piece heading into the final ten minutes, Ulster would edge ahead following a rather head scratching off the ball incident that saw Connacht lock Josh Murphy get sent off.
Taking full advantage of their numbers advantage, Ulster took the lead through a John Cooney penalty before backrow Nick Timoney scored the decisive try with five minutes to play.
Connacht would secure two losing bonus points following a penalty from All Black flyhalf Josh Ioane but Pete Wilkins side will feel they deserved much more from the contest.
On the flip side, Ulster showed their never say die attitude as well as some brilliant attacking phases in what was a real nod to the work being done by new head coach Richie Muprhy.
For Connacht fans, whilst they can’t help but feel disappointed with the loss, the way in which the final try was scored will leave them even more frustrated.
Scoring Timoney’s try from a driving maul, Ulster set their play up perfectly and wore down the resilient Connacht pack.
However, the maul perhaps could’ve been called back with Ulster hooker James McCormick quite clearly throwing the ball in from inside the touchline.
Adding complexity to the matter was that the hooker was stood directly in front of the assistant referee in what was a rather bizarre incident.
@thepaulwilliams the match winning try between #ULSvCON has come from this……
I feel sick. pic.twitter.com/hR9ZOHWsGb
— Hughie Maher (@hughie1986) October 12, 2024
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