Kok hat-trick not enough as Stormers snatch thrilling draw against Ulster

MATCH REPORT: A penalty try for the Stormers in the final minute of the game rescued a thrilling 38-38 draw against Ulster in Belfast on Friday.

In a see-saw United Rugby Championship Round 17 encounter, Ulster outscored the Capetonians by six tries to five, with South African wing Werner Kok getting a hat-trick for the Irish outfit.

The home fans started celebrating after Stormers wing Leolin Zas butchered his opportunity to score in the 80th minute when he was held up over the tryline.

However, during a TMO review, a high shot was spotted on the speedster by Nathan Doak and John Dobson’s side were rewarded with the seven points, which levelled the scores.

The result means both teams secured three log points. However, the Stormers (59 points) relinquished top spot in the standings to Glasgow (60 points) after the Scottish side recorded a 40-17 win over Cardiff.

The Stormers will face Cardiff in Wales in the final round next weekend.

Ulster showed plenty of intent with ball in hand, and they eventually opened the scoring in the fourth minute with Kok going over in the corner.

However, it was an almost instant response from the Capetonians, with Evan Roos finding his way to the tryline after a powerful run by Ntuthuko Mchunu in the midfield.

The home side lost captain Iain Henderson in the ninth minute after he received a yellow card for a croc roll on Deon Fourie. It was eventually upgraded to a 20-minute red card in the 14th minute, which meant that Henderson could not return.

Fourie also suffered an injury in that play, and he eventually left the field.

The Capetonians started to grow more into the game, and they went in front in the 14th minute after Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu crashed through Ulster’s defence to run in for a try.

After nailing his conversions, the Bok flyhalf added a penalty goal in the 21st minute to extend his team’s lead to 10 points.

There was a bit of deja vu in the 28th minute when another long pass in the Stormers’ 22 found Kok, who had the pace and power to go over for his second try.

From a difficult angle, Doak added the extras with a conversion.

The home side found themselves in front in the 35th minute after wing Zac Ward crashed through the Stormers’ defence after his pack laid the foundation with a strong driving maul.

At half-time, it was 21-17 to Ulster.

The Stormers thought they had a perfect start to the second half with a Zas try in the 42nd minute. However, it was ruled out for a tackle in the air in the build-up.

Instead, Ulster got the first points of the second half in the 45th minute when the ball went wide to Michael Lowry, who scored in the corner for the bonus point. This time, Doak could not add the extra points with the shot clock getting the better of him.

The Stormers needed a spark, and it came in the form of Imad Khan, who caught the Ulster defence napping with his speed before stretching over for his team’s third try.

There were only two points in it after Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s conversion.

The playmaker put his side in front in the 64th minute when he powered over from close range for the bonus-point try after sustained pressure.

However, the Irish side were not going to lie down in front of their fans and from an attack that started in their own half, the ball eventually found its way to Kok again, and he completed his hat-trick in the corner in the 69th minute.

Doak could not find the direction with his conversion, which meant it was all-level going into the final 10 minutes.

With the clock winding down, Ulster switched gears, and replacement prop Eric O’Sullivan powered over in the 75th minute for a crucial try.

It was a dramatic final stage of the game with Zas being held up over the tryline after being put into space. However, there was a high shot on him from Doak, and the penalty try was awarded in the 80th minute to draw the game.

Man of the match: Werner Kok showed off his finishing skills with a hat-trick, while Juarno Augustus was a powerhouse once again. However, our award goes to Stormers playmaker Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who was exceptional on attack, and he scored two of his team’s five tries.

The scorers:

For Ulster:
Tries: Kok 3, Ward, Lowry, O’Sullivan
Cons: Doak 4

For Stormers:
Tries: Roos, Feinberg-Mngomezulu 2, Khan, Penalty Try
Cons: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 4
Pen: Feinberg-Mngomezulu

Twenty-minute red card (upgraded from yellow): Iain Henderson (Ulster, 9′ – foul play, croc roll);

Yellow card: Nathan Doak (Ulster, 80′ – high tackle

Teams:

Ulster: 15 Michael Lowry, 14 Werner Kok, 13 Ethan McIlroy, 12 Jude Postlethwaite, 11 Zac Ward, 10 Jack Murphy, 9 Nathan Doak, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Nick Timoney, 6 Cormac Izuchukwu, 5 Charlie Irvine, 4 Iain Henderson (captain), 3 Tom O’Toole, 2 James McCormick, 1 Angus Bell.
Replacements: 16 Tom Stewart, 17 Eric O’Sullivan, 18 Scott Wilson, 19 Harry Sheridan, 20 Bryn Ward, 21 Conor McKee, 22 Jake Flannery, 23 Wilhelm De Klerk.

Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Wandisile Simelane, 13 Dan du Plessis, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Imad Khan, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Deon Fourie (captain), 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Sazi Sandi, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: 16 Paul de Villiers, 17 Oli Kebble, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Hacjivah Dayimani, 21 Keke Morabe, 22 Stefan Ungerer, 23 Jurie Matthee.

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant referees: Padraic Reidy (Ireland), Jack MacNeice (Ireland)
TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)