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Belfast Telegraph
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Ulster able to call upon Ireland trio for must-win URC derby clash with Munster
The skipper, who hasn't featured for the province since January, is back just in time to aid in their bid for the URC Play-Offs, with winger Rob Baloucoune and tighthead prop Tom O'Toole back in the squad, too. Baloucoune starts after recovering from a hamstring injury, while O'Toole was a late withdrawal from their loss to the Cell C Sharks two weeks ago due to a family bereavement and is named on the bench. In total, head coach Richie Murphy has made just three changes to the team that conceded 22 unanswered points against the South Africans last time out, with the other alteration seeing Michael Lowry restored at full-back after shaking off a neck injury sustained against Leinster. That means there is no place for centre James Hume or prop Eric O'Sullivan, who both returned to training this week after respective injury lay-offs. Ulster know that only a win will do in Limerick if they are to finish in the top-eight of the League standings, which would bring with it a place in the Play-Offs and a coveted spot in next season's European Champions Cup. Murphy's men are currently 12th, three points outside the Play-Off spots with two rounds to go – the province head to Edinburgh next weekend in their final regular season fixture – while Munster are also battling for their lives in ninth. Accordingly, both sides have gone strong, with Munster bringing the likes of Jean Kleyn and Peter O'Mahony back into their starting line-up, with Conor Murray on the bench and the retiring Stephen Archer lining out at tighthead prop. On the Ulster side, Baloucoune returns to an all-international back three as Jacob Stockdale switches back to the wing to accommodate Lowry's return at full-back, with Werner Kok dropping to the bench and Zac Ward missing out altogether, while in Hume's absence the centre pairing of Stuart McCloskey and Jude Postlethwaite is unchanged. Nathan Doak and Jack Murphy form a still inexperienced but now familiar half-back pairing, with Scott Wilson getting the nod over O'Toole at tighthead prop as he continues in a front row that also contains loosehead prop Andrew Warwick and Ireland hooker Rob Herring. Cormac Izuchukwu partners returning skipper Henderson in an Ireland second row pairing, while blindside flanker Matty Rea is once again preferred to David McCann in the back row, with Ireland openside flanker Nick Timoney and James McNabney rounding out the starting line-up. Loosehead prop Callum Reid retains his place on the bench despite O'Sullivan's return, with Ireland hooker Tom Stewart and O'Toole forming the rest of the front row replacements, with Alan O'Connor and McCann adding further ballast in the loose. In the backs, Dave Shanahan and Stewart Moore complete the squad alongside Kok. ULSTER: (15-9) M Lowry; R Baloucoune, J Postlethwaite, S McCloskey, J Stockdale; J Murphy, N Doak; (1-8) A Warwick, R Herring, S Wilson; I Henderson (c), C Izuchukwu; Matty Rea, N Timoney, J McNabney. Replacements: T Stewart, C Reid, T O'Toole, A O'Connor, D McCann, D Shanahan, S Moore, W Kok. MUNSTER: (15-9) T Abrahams; C Nash, T Farrell, A Nankivell, D Kilgallen; J Crowley, C Casey; (1-8) M Milne, N Scannell, S Archer; J Kleyn, T Beirne (c); P O'Mahony, J Hodnett, G Coombes.
BBC News
28-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Ulster recover from big early deficit to beat Stormers
Ulster (17) 38Tries: Baloucoune, Warwick, Murphy, Stockdale, Ward, Moore Cons: Cooney 2, Murphy, Doak Stormers (17) 34Tries: Roos 2, Loader, Engelbrecht Cons: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 2 Pens: Drop goals: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 2 Ulster recovered from a 17-0 deficit after just eight minutes to run in six tries in recording a battling 38-34 win over the Stormers in Friday's United Rugby Championship encounter at Kingspan from Evan Roos and Ben Loader helped the visitors to their sizeable early lead but Robert Baloucoune, Andrew Warwick and Jack Murphy's scores ensured the sides went in level at the try-fest continued after the break, Stockdale crossing for the bonus-point try before the South African side had skipper Neethling Fouche sent-off for a dangerous challenge on Ben Ward and Stewart Moore also touched down for the Irish province while Willie Engelbrecht and Roos scored tries for the Stormers to keep themselves within touching Ulster it was the first time this season they have recorded three wins in a row and they move up to fifth position in the table to improve their chances of clinching the top eight-place which would guarantee a place in the end-of-season knockout stages and qualification for the Champions Stormers remain in contention too with four home games to come to complete their regular league campaign. See-saw first half The Stormers took a second-minute lead when back-rower Roos raced away to score after the hosts had been turned over on their own 22 and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu played him through a gaping hole in the Ulster visiting fly-half added the extras and soon after executed a drop goal from long range to increase the lead to South African's side superb start continued when Loader broke away to score after Dave McCann's pass in the tackle on halfway fell loose and was latched onto by the wing. Feinberg-Mngomezulu kicked the conversion from the right-hand responded on 11 minutes as Baloucoune marked his return to action after an 11-month absence by going over in the corner after collecting Murphy's 20-yard spin home side enjoyed the better of the possession and pressure thereafter in the first half and were rewarded when prop Warwick barged over from close range, Cooney adding the additional two then steered a penalty from 35 metres wide after the ball fell off the tee - a let -off for Richie Murphy's Stormers number 10 was at the centre of the action again as he received a yellow card for taking out Baloucoune in full flight after the wing had kicked the ball forward into after Murphy crossed when the ball was spun to him on the left after Ulster rucked up close to the Stormers' line and he finished the move superbly. High scoring continues After the sides went in level at the break, Ulster got off to a storming start on the resumption by touching down for his side's bonus-point opted for a tap and go at a penalty and worked the ball to the left where Mike Lowry unselfishly passed to Stockdale who cantered over. Cooney was successful with his kick to put two between the Stormers suffered a further setback when they had captain Fouche sent-off by referee Andrea Pairdi after he consulted with the Television Match Official [TMO].The prop was adjudged to have committed a dangerous challenge to the head of centre Ben Carson, who left the field reduced his team's arrears when he returned to the field after his 10 minutes in the bin, notching a second drop goal, this time firing between the sticks from 40 proved to be only a brief respite however as Ulster scored try number five. Stockdale burst through the midfield before offloading to the right flank to flying replacement Ward, who sprinted over the line. Murphy had the simple task of adding the conversion from in front of the Stormers were not finished though as substitute Willie Engelbrecht darted in beside the posts, Feinberg-Mngomezulu adding the two points to put just four between the sixth try came on the counter-attack, Lowry scorching down the right flank and passing to Nick Timoney, then Doak and then Moore who dashed over adjacent to the uprights. Doak's kick extended his side's advantage to 11 the Stormers came back strongly as Roos barged over from close range for his second of the night, the conversion bringing their side to within hung on for a crucial win however, the victory ensuring that the record of no South African side having ever won at the Kingspan Stadium continues. Team line-ups Ulster: Michael Lowry, Rob Baloucoune, James Hume, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale, Jack Murphy, John Cooney, Andrew Warwick, Rob Herring, Tom O'Toole, Alan O'Connor (capt), Kieran Treadwell, Matty Rea, Nick Timoney, David McCannReplacements: Tom Stewart, Callum Reid, Scott Wilson, Harry Sheridan, James McNabney, Nathan Doak, Ben Carson, Zac WardDHL Stormers: Damian Willemse, Ben Loader, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Dan du Plessis, Leolin Zas, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Dewaldt Duvenage, Ali Vermaak, Joseph Dweba, Neethling Fouche (capt), Connor Evans, Ruben van Heerden, Dave Ewers, Marcel Theunissen, Evan RoosReplacements: Andre-Hugo Venter, Brok Harris, Sazi Sandi, Gary Porter, Willie Engelbrecht, Paul de Wet, Jurie Matthee, Wandisile Simelane
BBC News
27-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Baloucoune back for Ulster's crucial Stormers game
Robert Baloucoune's inclusion for the first time this season is one of five Ulster changes from the last-gasp win over Dragons for Friday's United Rugby Championship home game against Stormers (19:35 GMT).After a long recovery from a hamstring injury, Ireland wing Baloucoune is named at right wing as Stuart Moore drops out of the backline with Michael Lowry switching to Cooney, who will depart Ulster at the end of the season to join French club Brive, starts at scrum-half with Nathan Doak relegated to the bench. Fit-again Andrew Warwick replaces Callum Reid at loose-head prop with the other forwards changes the inclusion of lock Kieran Treadwell and back row Matty Rea in place of Matthew Dalton and James McNabney. Rea's selection means that David McCann switches from flanker to number and McNabney are named on a replacements bench that includes fit-again hooker Tom Stewart. Ireland centre Stuart McCloskey will be making his 200th Ulster appearance in Friday's unavailable for selection due to injury are Ethan McIlroy (knee), Ben Moxham (knee), Werner Kok (hamstring), Cormac Izuchukwu (ankle), Jake Flannery (knee), Iain Henderson (hamstring), Eric O'Sullivan (knee), Jude Postlethwaite (thumb), Sean Reffell (calf) and Lorcan McLoughlin (knee).Friday's contest is crucial to ninth-placed Ulster's hopes of staying in contention for the play-offs as they face a Stormers side who currently occupy the eighth and final qualification spot, one point ahead of the Irish Lowry; Baloucoune, Hume, McCloskey, Stockdale; Murphy, Cooney; Warwick, Herring, O'Toole; O'Connor (capt), Treadwell; Matty Rea, Timoney, Stewart, Reid, Wilson, Sheridan, McNabney, Doak, Carson, Ward.
