Cardiff 21 – 19 Ulster: Second half resurgence sees Blue and Blacks through to victory
10/28/2024 04:49 AM
By Matt Priest
Tries from Iwan Stephens, Daf Hughes and Thomas Young as well as a perfect night from the tee by Callum Sheedy help Cardiff mount a second half comeback win against Ulster.
Ulster started the game off the stronger of the two sides with a sustained period of pressure within the Cardiff five metre line forcing a string of defensive penalties which caused referee Sam Grove-White to send Cardiff hooker Evan Lloyd into the sin bin in the 12th minute.
This pressure finally amounted to points for Ulster when 15 minutes in Cormac Izuchukwu scored the opener of the game with a pick off the back of a ruck catching the Cardiff defence off guard. Scrum-half Nathan Doak was successful with his first kick from the T giving the away team an early 7-0 lead.
Ulster were quick to add to their lead when three minutes after their first try outside centre Jude Postlethwaite broke a tackle and crashed over the Cardiff try line. Doak kicked the extras once more which gave the visitors a two score lead halfway through the first half.
It was a third try for Ulster in the 24th minute as Postlethwaite got his second of the game, a chip over the top by his centre partner Stuart McCloskey bounced perfectly for the outside centre and he was left with a simple catch and score. Doak missed the extras for the first time of the night as his kick bounced off the post.
It was a slow final ten minutes of the first half with both sides kicking for territory, a wonderful long-range kick from Cam Winnett put the Ulster defence under pressure and a miskick allowed for a Cardiff lineout on the halfway line which gave them the chance to build their first bit of sustained attacking play all game.
Half time score: Cardiff Rugby 0 – 19 Ulster Rugby
Cardiff started the second half on the front foot looking to put right what had gone wrong in the first 40 minutes, a breakdown penalty and some strong runs by lock Teddy Williams put The Blue and Blacks within five metres of the Ulster line but a knock on by Byrne ended the attack.
This didn't stop Cardiff's positive start however when captain Ben Thomas broke multiple tackles and ran through the Ulster defensive line, his hand off to Mason Grady beat opposite winger Mike Lowry but a diving last man tackle prevented the hosts from putting their first points of the game on the board.
Ulster were down to 14 men in the 48th minute when back row David McCann was sent to the bin for impeding Aled Davies at the ruck.
Cardiff made use of the extra man and got onto the score board when a driving maul provided the backs with an overlap and winger Iwan Stephens pulled out some aerial acrobatics to put the ball down in the corner. Callum Sheedy scored the extras reducing the deficit to 12 points.
Cardiff got their second try of the game after another dominant maul saw Daf Hughes break free from the back of the pack and convert in the 65th minute. Sheedy once more got the extras cutting Ulster's lead to five points.
The comeback was truly on for Cardiff after another maul saw them power through the Ulster pack and convert once more, this time Thomas Young was the one to carry the ball over the line. Sheedy continued his perfect record from the tee for the game putting the hosts in front for the first time of the night with just over 10 minutes left to play.
Cardiff Rugby: 21
Tries: 3 (Stephens 49', Hughes 64', Young 68')
Conversions: 3 (Sheedy 50' 65' 69')
Penalties: 0
Yellow cards: 1 (Lloyd 12')
Red cards: 0
15. Cam Winnett 14. Mason Grady 13. Rey Lee-Lo 12. Ben Thomas (captain) 11. Iwan Stephens 10. Callum Sheedy 9. Aled Davies 1. Ed Byrne 2. Evan Lloyd 3. Keiron Assiratti 4. Josh McNally 5. Teddy Williams 6. Ben Donnell 7. Dan Thomas 8. Alun Lawrence
Replacements
16. Daf Hughes (49') 17. Corey Domachowski (49) 18. Rhys Litterick (49) 19. Rory Thornton (49) 20. James Botham (49) 21. Thomas Young (49) 22. Johan Mulder 23. Rory Jennings (60')
Ulster Rugby: 19
Tries: 3 (Izuchukwu 15', Postlethwaite 18' 24')
Conversions: 2 (Doak 16' 19')
Penalties: 0
Yellow cards: 1 (McCann 48')
Red cards: 0
15. Ethan Mcilroy 14. Werner Kok 13. Jude Postlethwaite 12. Stuart McCloskey 11. Mike Lowry 10. Aidan Morgan 9. Nathan Doak 1. Eric O'Sullivan 2. James McCormick 3. Tom O'Toole 4. Iain Henderson (captain) 5. Kieran Treadwell 6. Cormac Izuchukwu 7. Nick Timoney 8. David McCann
Replacements
16. John Andrew (79') 17. Andy Warwick (60') 18. Scott Wilson (54')19. Harry Sheridan (25') 20. Marcus Rea (71') 21. John Cooney 22. Ben Carson (67') 23. Ben Moxham
Five talking points: Cardiff 21 – 19 Ulster
A game of two halves – The first half went all Ulster's way with the visitors putting three tries on the hosts. The second half was a different story however and a resurgent comeback from Cardiff meant they finished the game with the win and four points.
Nathan Doak's miss proved costly – An unfortunate bounce of the post from Doak's third conversion attempt proved to be the difference between the two sides and Ulster will leave the Welsh capital bitterly disappointed as they'll feel they deserved more.
Sheedy's perfect night – A perfect night kicking for Sheedy gave the visitors the win, two touch line kicks and a third from distance didn't make it easy for the fly-half but the pressure never got to the experienced man and his cool head and accurate boot gave his side the win.
Cardiff bouncing back from defeats – A first October win for Cardiff saw them overcome the setbacks they've faced this month, a couple of injuries and some unfortunate results, especially the blowout loss to Glasgow Warriors haven't damped the spirits of the side from the Welsh capital as they got back to winning ways with an upset against a strong Ulster side.
Postlethwaite's dominance in the centre – A dominant display from the Ulster number 13 saw him score a brace as well as make his fair share of dominant line breaks and tackles. A strong showing from the 22 year old Irishman carried his team's first half display. Cardiff adapted well after half time to quieten him down however keeping Ulster from putting any points on the board in the second half.
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