mens
United-rugby-championship
Ulster player ratings: Ulster’s quest for a first win continues but there were periods when Richie Murphy’s side made life decidedly uncomfortable for the Stormers. Matthew Devine brought pace and invention, David McCann led from the front and Ethan McIlroy was electric whenever space opened up.
Unfortunately for the visitors, a tough clash, costly mistakes and a second-half exit proved fatal in the end. There was enough here to suggest better days were ahead, but also enough self-inflicted damage to explain why they left Cape Town empty-handed.
1. Eric O’Sullivan – 5
He spent most of the afternoon in survival mode against Wilco Louw and going wild Stormers scrum. I worked hard around the park, but the battle was extremely one-sided.
2. Rob Herring – 6
He brought all his vast experience to bear in his first appearance of the season. The line worked well for long periods and he made some important contributions in contact.
3. Keynan Knox – 4.5
Under a lot of pressure at tackle time and then made it worse by picking up a yellow card for his earlier involvement with the Stormers. Tough day.
4. Ben Donnell – 5
He worked tirelessly without much reward. Made plenty of transplants but physically outclassed the Stormers pack on the front foot.
5. Eli Snyder – 5
Pretty much the same story as Donnell. Sincere efforts, but can never completely stem the tide.
6. Cormac Izuchukwu – 5
A surprisingly quiet first half considering his Ireland Pedigree test. He was later smashed backwards in contact and endured a frustrating afternoon which was summed up when a late break ended in a hold over the line.
7. David McCann – 8
Ulster’s best striker. They crashed for their first try, caught a brilliant line steal and persistently emptied the tank. He also found himself cautioned by the referee as the Stormers’ tackle piled on the pressure, but his effort did not waver.
8. Juarno Augustus – 7.5
He brought the fight to his former South African rivals. Produced some powerful carries and gave the Stormers a physical taste of their own medicine. He recovered well from the earlier blow. It’s a shame we didn’t see more of ‘Trokkie’.
9. Matthew Devine – 7.5
He almost scored twice and was responsible for many of Ulster’s best attacking moments. His sniping play wreaked havoc while his breaking out wide was intelligent and varied. A moment of complete brain rot when a Hollywood reverse pass gave the momentum straight back to the Stormers and directly preceded the Roos’ killer score, but otherwise this was a very encouraging display.
10. Jack Murphy – 6
His play management and footwork were excellent for the first half hour. More of a victim than a villain for the attempted attack, as Lowry was given a sick pass in his own 22. It’s tough to play behind a charging pack.
11. Zac Ward – 6
Dangerous in flashes without finding a decisive opening. One strong run stood out in the second half before he was later penalized for holding after being isolated.
12. James Hume – 5
Maybe a little on Schickerling’s try, but there was an argument that he had no choice given how quickly the Stormers turned the corner.
13. Ben Carson – 5
He had a few chances with the ball in hand, but it’s almost impossible to get meaningful meters against the Stormers midfield defence.
14. Ethan McIlroy – 8.5
Extraordinary. He produced a ferocious early counter-attack and looked dangerous whenever it mattered. One lopsided touchfinder was poor against the run of play but, in truth, he could hardly do more before leaving shortly after half-time.
15. Michael Lowry – 3.5
One to forget. The usually electric back endured a nightmare afternoon. The hospital pass that led to De Villiers’ try hurt Ulster badly and the mistakes kept mounting, including multiple dropped balls and missed tackles. Nothing seemed to go right.
Substitutions – 5
Jake Flannery lost possession in midfield during a promising attack. There were willing contributions from the bench from Henry Walker, and others who threw themselves into the fray, but they could not match the punch provided by the Stormers substitutes. Chay Mullins and Harry Sheridan added energy.