Antoine Hastoy stars for La Rochelle as they hold off spirited Ulster comeback

18.12.2022 - 00:03 breakingnews.ie

Antoine Hastoy scored 26 points as La Rochelle made it two wins from two in Pool B of the European Champions Cup, holding firm to beat Ulster 36-29 in a remarkable game at the Aviva Stadium.

Ulster were trailing 29-0 at half-time but mounted a spirited comeback effort, falling just short of denying the reigning champions victory in a game played behind closed doors in Dublin after the Kingspan Stadium pitch in Belfast was deemed unplayable on Friday evening.

Brice Dulin and Pierre Bourgarit also scored tries for Ronan O’Gara’s side, with Hastoy also claiming a touchdown as well as three conversions and five penalties.

Skipper Iain Henderson, John Cooney, Duane Vermeulen and Tom Stewart crossed for Ulster, with Cooney kicking two conversions and a late penalty.

Champions Cup Ulster Rugby comeback as John Cooney Iain Henderson Duane Vermeulen Luke Pearce Tom Stewart France Dublin county Ulster Belfast

RIYADH: Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo still needs to serve a two-match English Football Association ban before making his Al-Nassr debut, an official at the Saudi club said Friday. Ronaldo was given a the ban in November for hitting a mobile phone out of a teenage fan’s hand after Manchester United, his club at the time, lost to Everton in the Premier League. “The ban is applicable after he is officially registered,” another Al-Nassr official said. Al-Nassr had not yet registered Ronaldo due to a foreign player quota, but his registration was set to be completed on Friday, sources close to the club said. Ronaldo, whose deal is worth an estimated 200 million euros to June 2025, is Al Nassr’s ninth foreign player — one more than the eight allowed by Saudi football authorities. The Portuguese superstar was unveiled to fireworks and deafening cheers from a capacity crowd at a ceremony at the club’s home stadium on Tuesday. Al-Nassr’s first game since Ronaldo’s arrival was scheduled to be held on Friday at Mrsool Park, but had to be postponed due to heavy rains in Riyadh.

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