Kok stars as Ulster upset Bok-laden Sharks in Durban

MATCH REPORT: Ulster compounded the Sharks’ woes in the United Rugby Championship with a well-deserved 34-26 win in a Round Four encounter in Durban on Saturday.

Both teams scored four tries in the match, but Ulster had a match-winner in the form of Nathan Doak, who dictated play and contributed 14 points with the boot.

It was also a happy return for former Sharks player Werner Kok, who was one of Ulster’s try-scorers. He also played a huge role in another five-pointer in the second half.

It’s a disappointing result for the Sharks as they entered the match with 13 Springboks in their starting XV and a few more on the bench.

They remain winless in the tournament, and they will now face Scarlets at home next weekend.

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It was a wonderful start for the visitors as they exposed the Sharks out wide with some great interplay before the ball found its way to Mike Lowry, who ran in for the opening try in the sixth minute.

After Siya Masuku missed his penalty goal attempt, Doak increased Ulster’s lead to 10 points in the 16th minute with a three-pointer.

The Sharks flyhalf then found the upright with his second penalty goal attempt in the 19th minute before Ulster punished them out wide again.

This time the ball went to Kok, who weaved his way through some weak defending to score a five-pointer against his former team.

At that stage of the game, the only thing going for the Sharks was their dominant pack, and that was the foundation for Siya Kolisi’s try in the 33rd minute after he broke away from a powerful driving maul.

Ulster had a 15-point lead in the 37th minute when Doak converted an offside penalty into another three points.

The Sharks got the first points of the second half after Grant Williams sent a long pass to Makazole Mapimpi, who had the pace and power to run in for a try in the 49th minute.

It all stemmed from a powerful scrum inside Ulster’s 22.

However, the home side suffered a double blow when they had two players sent to the sin-bin for tip tackles on the same player.

First, Vincent Koch received his card in the 51st minute for his offence on Mike Lowry, and five minutes later, Mapimpi suffered the same fate.

The difference was that Mapimpi’s yellow card was upgraded to a 20-minute red card.

Mapimpi’s tackle also happened in the build-up to Ulster’s sensational third try. It all started with another strong run by Kok before he found Doak on his inside.

The Ulster scrumhalf put the ball to boot, and hooker Tom Stewart showed plenty of speed to win the race and score the five-pointer.

Ulster had replacement Tom O’Toole sent to the sin-in in the 62nd minute for his side’s repeated infringements, and with one less player in the pack, they conceded a penalty try after a dominant Sharks scrum.

Just when it looked like the Sharks were gaining momentum, Ulster hit back once again with Callum Reid powering over for a try in the 66th minute.

There was some deliberation over whether Reid reached the tryline, but referee Ben Whitehouse stuck with his on-field decision.

The Sharks needed their big names to come to the party and it came in the form of Andre Esterhuizen, who showed his power by bashing his way over for a try after a quick-tap penalty. With the ball falling over, Jordan Hendrikse nailed the conversion by using the drop-goal technique.

The home side had one more crack to get the losing bonus point, but they were thwarted by some great scrambling defence in the end.

Man of the match: Werner Kok was a powerhouse out wide, and he scored a try as well. However, the award goes to scrumhalf Nathan Doak, who was the top playmaker on the field. He dictated play and kept the scoreboard ticking over with his accurate boot.

The scorers:

For Sharks:
Tries: Kolisi, Mapimpi, Penalty Try, Esterhuizen
Cons: Masuku, Jordan Hendrikse

For Ulster:
Tries: Lowry, Kok, Stewart, Reid
Cons: Doak 4
Pens: Doak 2

Red card – upgraded from yellow: Makazole Mapimpi (Sharks, 56′ – foul play, tip tackle)

Yellow cards: Vincent Koch (Sharks, 51′ – foul play, tip tackle). Tom O’Toole (Ulster, 61′ – repeated infringements)

Teams:

Sharks: 15 Edwill van der Merwe, 14 Ethan Hooker, 13 Jurenzo Julius,12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi, 7 Vincent Tshituka (captain), 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Fez Mbatha, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Ruan Dreyer, 19 Bathobele Hlekani, 20 Manu Tshituka, 21 Jaden Hendrikse, 22 Jordan Hendrikse, 23 Lukhanyo Am.

Ulster: 15 Michael Lowry, 14 Werner Kok, 13 James Hume, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Jack Murphy, 9 Nathan Doak, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Nick Timoney, 6 David McCann, 5 Harry Sheridan, 4 Iain Henderson (captain), 3 Scott Wilson, 2 Tom Stewart, 1 Sam Crean.
Replacements: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Callum Reid, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Joe Hopes, 20 Sean Reffell, 21 Conor McKee, 22 Jake Flannery, 23 Jude Postlethwaite.

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant referees: Morne Ferreira (South Africa), Sean Muller (South Africa)
TMO: Ben Connor (Wales)