Cardiff Rugby staged a truly remarkable comeback as they turned around a 19-0 deficit into a 21-19 win over Ulster RFC.
Second-half tries from Iwan Stephens and replacement forwards Daf Hughes and Thomas Young saw them end a three-match losing run.
When the game got underway, the hosts made a bright start up front putting in a big scrum shove to earn an early penalty.
But, as the contest moved on, they found themselves under a period of sustained pressure on their own try-line and committed a series of offences which culminated in hooker Lloyd being yellow carded.
It was to prove a very costly sin-binning as Ulster were to claim three tries while he was off the field.
Firstly, flanker Cormac Izuchukwu forced his way over after a prolonged passage of forward carries and then came two scores for Jude Postlethwaite.
Scrum-half Nathan Doak laid the groundwork for the centre’s opener through a cross-field run, with Stuart McCloskey then bursting down the touchline and lock Iain Henderson giving the scoring pass.
Then, just before Lloyd’s return, Postlethwaite crossed again, winning the race to a chip over the top from co-centre McCloskey after wing Werner Kok had leapt high to keep the ball in play on the opposite touchline following a clearing kick.
Turning around 19-0 down, Cardiff came tantalisingly close to opening their account early in the second half when Ben Thomas burst out of his own half and fed Mason Grady but after juggling with the ball the winger was forced into touch as he slid towards the corner.
Yet they were not to be denied for long. After a yellow card for Ulster back row David McCann for grabbing Aled Davies at a ruck, the hosts swiftly capitalised on their extra man.
Off a lineout maul, the ball was spun along the back line until it reached Stephens out on the left, with the winger diving in acrobatically at the corner. Callum Sheedy added the touchline conversion.
Then, with some 15 minutes to go, Cardiff scored again following sustained pressure.
After a lineout maul went to ground, replacement hooker Hughes picked up the loose ball and stormed over with Sheedy once more converting to cut the deficit to five points.
And three minutes later they struck again to remarkably take the lead. A lineout maul was once more the source, as they kept their patience and re-energised the drive for replacement flanker Thomas to touch down with Sheedy slotting the conversion to put them in front.
Ulster threw the kitchen sink at Cardiff in an agonisingly long final play, but the hosts held firm for a victory that signalled wild scenes of celebration on and off the pitch.
Scorers:
Cardiff Rugby: Tries: Iwan Stephens, Daf Hughes, Thomas Young. Conversions: Callum Sheedy (3).
Ulster Rugby: Tries: Cormac Izuchukwu, Jude Postlethwaite (2). Conversions: Nathan Doak.
Teams:
Cardiff Rugby: 15 Cam Winnett, 14 Mason Grady, 13 Rey Lee-Lo, 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Iwan Stephens, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Aled Davies, 8 Alun Lawrence, 7 Dan Thomas, 6 Ben Donnell, 5 Teddy Williams, 4 Josh McNally, 3 Keiron Assiratti, 2 Evan Lloyd, 1 Ed Byrne. Replacements: 16 Daf Hughes, 17 Corey Domachowski, 18 Rhys Litterick, 19 Rory Thornon, 20 James Botham, 21 Thomas Young, 22 Johan Mulder, 23 Rory Jennings.
Ulster RFC: 15 Ethan McIlroy, 14 Werner Kok, 13 Jude Postlethwaite, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Mike Lowry, 10 Aidan Morgan, 9 Nathan Doak, 8 David McCann, 7 Nick Timoney, 6 Cormac Izuchukwu, 5 Kieran Treadwell, 4 Iain Henderson (c), 3 Tom O’Toole, 2 James McCormick, 1 Eric O’Sullivan. Replacements: 16 John Andrew, 17 Andrew Warwick, 18 Scott Wilson, 19 Harry Sheridan, 20 Marcus Rea, 21 John Cooney, 22 Ben Carson, 23 Ben Moxham.
