Ulster left it late against the current URC champions, Glasgow Warriors before securing a 20-19 win with David Shanahan’s 84th-minute try in their 2024/25 URC opener.
Glasgow opened the scoring after just six minutes of play, however, despite dominating territory and possession plus Ulster continuing to concede penalties, Glasgow could "only" secure a 12-10 lead at the halftime break.
Both sides added a try each late in the fourth quarter, and with Ulster trailing 19-15 with just six minutes left, Ulster rumbled upfield through their forwards until replacement scrumhalf Dave Shanahan spotted a gap and dived over to bring an end to the tension, sealing a dramatic 20-19 win for Ulster.
Scorers:
Ulster Rugby: Tries: Aidan Morgan, David McCann, Dave Shanahan. Conversion: Nathan Doak. Conversions: Nathan Doak.
Glasgow Warriors: Tries: Johnny Matthews, Henco Venter, Kyle Steyn. Conversions: Tom Jordan (2).
Teams:
Ulster Rugby: 15 Ethan McIlroy, 14 Mike Lowry, 13 Stewart Moore, 12 Jude Postlethwaite, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Aidan Morgan, 9 Nathan Doak, 8 Nick Timoney, 7 David McCann, 6 James McNabney, 5 Kieran Treadwell, 4 Iain Henderson (c), 3 Corrie Barrett, 2 John Andrew, 1 Eric O’Sullivan. Replacements: 16 James McCormick, 17 Andrew Warwick, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Harry Sheridan, 20 Cormac Izuchukwu, 21 Dave Shanahan, 22 James Humphreys, 23 Werner Kok.
Glasgow Warriors: 15 Josh McKay, 14 Sebastian Cancelliere, 13 Stafford McDowall, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Kyle Steyn (c), 10 Tom Jordan, 9 Jamie Dobie, 8 Henco Venter, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Matt Fagerson, 5 Richie Gray, 4 Max Williamson, 3 Sam Talakai, 2 Johnny Matthews, 1 Jamie Bhatti.
Replacements: 16 Gregor Hiddleston, 17 Nathan McBeth, 18 Zander Fagerson, 19 Alex Samuel, 20 Gregor Brown, 21 Euan Ferrie, 22 Ben Afshar, 23 Adam Hastings.
