Upbeat Ulster primed for Stormers clash

Head coach Richie Murphy says Ulster are ready for a “difficult” Vodacom URC duel with the Stormers in Belfast on Friday, following an emphatic European cup win.

The Ulstermen were the first club to book their spot in the EPCR Challenge Cup final in Bilbao after seeing off the Exeter Chiefs 29-12 at the Affidea Stadium this past Saturday.

“It’s probably one of the best performances we’ve put in all year,” Murphy told RTÉ Sport post-match. “To do that in a semi-final when you’re under loads of pressure is really satisfying.”

Former Stormers loose forward Juarno Augustus powered over on 27 minutes to break the deadlock and set Ulster on their way to victory.

The English Premiership champion, who joined Ulster from Northampton Saints this season, has now scored three tries in 15 appearances for the Irish province.

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“Really happy with our setpiece. I thought scrum, lineout and our maul was brilliant. We stopped Exeter a couple of times when they got in,” Murphy added.

“Defensively, I thought we were really good and we scored some great tries. So there was an all-round feel to our performance.” 

The table-topping Stormers travel to Northern Ireland with playoff positioning secured, and Murphy has made clear of Ulster’s intent against the Cape visitors. 

Ulster repeatedly turned down kickable penalties against Exeter in favour of attacking opportunities “We’re a team who want to score tries. When you feel like you’re on top, you want to go after it,” Murphy said.

With most starters rested last week, Ulster will be fresh: “We’ll enjoy tonight and our focus will shift very quickly to the Stormers,” he added. “They’ve obviously had a couple of weeks prepped for us, so that’ll be a difficult game.”

Photo: Ryan Byrne/INPHO