Ulster hold off Connacht fightback for URC win

Ulster held off a rousing second-half fightback from Connacht to close out a hard-fought 29-24 win at Dexcom Stadium.

After Ulster fly-half Jack Murphy had been shown an early yellow card for a deliberate knock-on, Connacht took the lead in the 24th minute when Finn Treacy finished off a sweeping passing move down the left.

After Sam Gilbert added a penalty, Ulster – beaten at Leinster last time out – turned the match around with two tries from Zac Ward, the second over in the corner during added time, to take a 12-10 lead into the break.

There was a flashpoint early in the second half with several players involved in a melee after a clash between Connacht centre Bundee Aki and Ulster’s Stuart McCloskey, which resulted in both men being shown a yellow card.

Ulster extended their lead in the 47th minute when Werner Kok raced clear before they were awarded a penalty try in the corner and Connacht had Joe Joyce sent to the sin bin.

After Ulster number eight Juarno Augustus was forced off with what looked like a serious leg injury, Connacht hailed themselves back into the match through a converted try from Sean Jansen and then replacement Matthew Devine crashed over with three minutes left – but Murphy slotted over a late penalty to make sure of the win.