Six-try Ulster start season with win over Dragons

Affidea Stadium, home of the United Rugby Championship

Ulster (28) 42

class=”ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3″>Cons: Doak 5, Flannery, Timoney, McCann, Ward, Doak, and Timoney

Dragons (14) 21

With a bonus-point victory over the Dragons at Affidea Stadium, Ulster kicked off the 2025-26 United Rugby Championship campaign.

The hosts scored six tries in the 42-21 victory, three of which came in an eight-minute burst that ultimately turned the game in their favor.

Richie Murphy’s side crossed Cormac Izuchukwu, Nick Timoney, David McCann, Zac Ward, Nathan Doak, and Tom Stewart.

Wales back row Aaron Wainwright gave the Dragons the lead after just 12 seconds, but despite Jared Rosser and Shane Lewis-Hughes scoring more points, their attempts to recover from defeat failed.

Ulster stated that she wanted to be more consistent throughout the campaign as well as in individual games before the start of the season.

However, this was a game with a significant gap between their best and worst.

The northern province had 33 minutes before the team’s lead for the first time and went almost 40 full minutes without scoring between their two second-half tries, despite sealing their four-try bonus point before half-time.

Indeed, any early-season supporters who were hoping for a start-up campaign for a side that struggled through 2024-25 would have had their hopes dashed.

When a mistaken kick-off gave Wainwright the opportunity to nip in, gather his own kick, and start the scoring, there were only 12 seconds left.

Although Ulster consistently appeared to have the ability to cross the gain-line and break up the game, they were repeatedly let down by their own errors in the first half thanks to the likes of Izuchukwu, Michael Lowry, and Stuart McCloskey.

After 16 minutes, Rosser put the Dragons’ second in front of hooker Elliot Dee, who had an early injury that made them want to play for the first time in the league since the opening round of the previous season.

Ulster’s athleticism eventually came to an end with Izuchukwu and Timoney firing over from close range before Lowry’s contribution to McCann and Ward’s scores was outstanding.

This side was only in two places last season, but this table had 29 points, so that was never particularly clear through the second half.

Only two minutes after the restart, Doak’s try put the hosts in control and put a final score before Stewart’s replacement hooker scampered over with the final play.

The northern province will definitely have room for improvement as they progress through this seemingly crucial first set of fixtures, which includes a two-game trip to South Africa next month. They have already started the season with five points.

Stewart, Crean, Wilson, Dalton, Augustus, McKee, Flannery, and Carson are the replacements.

O’Brien (co-capt), Dyer (co-capt), Westwood (co-capt), Owen (co-capt), Rosser (co-capt), De Beer (co-capt), Williams (joint), Jones (dee), Hunt (co-capt), Carter (co-capt), Lewis-Hughes (co-capt), Keddie (co-capt), and Wainwright (co-capt).

Coghlan, Martinez, Lewis, Douglas, Martin, Hope, Inisi, Anderson, and their replacements.