Ulster comeback quells Stormers

03/29/2025 01:15 AM

Ulster came back from a 17-point deficit to beat a Stormers team that lost captain Neethling Fouche to a red card in Belfast on Saturday night.

The hosts scored six tries, negating the efforts of Stormers No 8 Evan Roos who scored two of the tourists' four tries in a 38-34 reverse at the Kingspan Stadium.

Fouche was shown red five minutes after the restart for what was deemed a dangerous tackle on Ulster centre Ben Carson, despite the tighthead prop having one knee on the polypropylene surface in a maximum effort to get low.

By that stage, the Stormers had surrendered their 17-point first-quarter lead to go into the break at 17-17, and with Fouche off for the final 35 minutes, Ulster won the second stanza 21-17.

The Stormers will be particularly disappointed in the result following an opening salvo that hinted they may leave Belfast with a record victory.

Roos charged at the line in the slipstream of a Stormers scrum, powered by Fouche, that was crumpling the Ulster tight five, and the Midas touch of Feinberg-Mngomezulu was on full display in the first half as the flyhalf’s refined skill set converted raw ball into gold bullion.

This included a drop goal and two conversions in blustery Belfast as the Stormers streaked to a 17-0 lead after seven minutes.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu's audition tape for @SpaceX@Vodacom#URC | #ULSvSTOpic.twitter.com/lo3ysffjna

— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) March 28, 2025

All aboard the Roos Express @Vodacom#URC | #ULSvSTOpic.twitter.com/4zMHqpNR3w

— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) March 28, 2025

But what started with a bang, ended with a whimper as Ulster responded to level the scores with three tries, via winger Rob Baloucoune, loosehead prop Andrew Warwick and flyhalf Jack Murphy.

And the hosts’ rising confidence was given a shot in the arm in the final minute of the half when, in a moment of poor judgement, Feinberg-Mngomezulu blatantly charged Baloucoune off his chase line in the race to collect a kick and was duly yellow carded.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is sent to the sin bin after this push 🟨

Stream #VURC on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNho4A4pic.twitter.com/wZL0Ui4VU9

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) March 28, 2025

Poor judgement bled into the second half as Paul de Wet, who had come off the bench for an injured Dewaldt Duvenage, ignored the ref’s call to use the ball from the restart and Ulster were gifted an attacking scrum which they converted into a Jacob Stockdale try for a 24-17 lead.

Fouche was sent off two minutes later for a rugby incident, the kind of which can only be avoided if defenders surrender the fight for the gainline every time a ball-carrier lowers his shoulders against a bigger tackler.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu replied with another drop goal to somehow turn a backpedalling Stormers attack into three points.

Parity was restored in the final half hour as the Stormers showcased their belief in fighting to the final whistle, but where they came up short was in the fundamentals. The teams traded two tries each, but the match ended on an offbeat Stormers lineout which resulted in an overthrow that Ulster collected and sent into the jubilant crowd to draw the final whistle.

 Photo: John Dickson/Sportsfile via Getty Images

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