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United Rugby Championship, Affidea Stadium

Ulster 28 (7)

Tries: McCloskey, Augustus, Herring, Izuchukwu Cons: Doak 4

Bulls 7 (7)

Ulster’s impressive start to the United Rugby Championship season continued with a bonus-point win over the Bulls in Belfast.

Stuart McCloskey’s first-half try was cancelled out by Wilco Louw in an error-strewn opening period.

However, Ulster took command in the early stages of the second half.

After a yellow card to Bulls number eight Jeandre Rudolph, the hosts scored three tries in the 10 minutes he sat on the touchline.

Juarno Augustus scored on his first start for Ulster with Rob Herring and Cormac Izuchukwu also on the scoresheet, while Nathan Doak converted all four tries.

The only analysis to be done in the first half was on the number of errors by both sides, highlighted by Ulster’s opening try.

When a Bulls pass along the backline found only empty (artificial) turf, it allowed McCloskey to kick ahead and score.

Ulster’s maul defence was well organised, stopping the Bulls twice.

However, the visitors were guilty of wasting a number of scoring opportunities, eventually getting over the Ulster line through Springbok tight-head Wilco Louw. It came moments after Ulster hooker Rob Herring was yellow-carded for repeated infringements as the Bulls scrum began to get on top.

After holding the Bulls out in the first half, Ulster turned to attack at the start of the second 40 minutes and their early pressure led to a sin-binning for Bulls number eight Rudolph.

Never in their widest dreams, however, could Ulster have thought they would take such advantage with 21 unanswered points in the 10 minutes the South African was sitting on the sideline.

A disappointing performance from the visitors – last season’s beaten finalists – meant they never looked like mounting a comeback, but Ulster had put them to the sword with some direct rugby and capitalising on their man advantage.

With the Ireland squad for the November Series being named on Wednesday, it remains to be seen if two games are enough to see many of this squad named.

Jacob Stockdale was lively at full-back and he has started there for Ireland before, if only once, in October 2020 against France and with Hugo Keenan missing for the autumn, might he force his way back into the international reckoning?

Ulster: Stockdale; Baloucoune, Hume, McCloskey, Ward; Murphy, Doak; Crean, Herring, O’Toole; Henderson (capt), Izuchukwu; McCann, Timoney, Augustus

Replacements: Stewart, O’Sullivan, Wilson, Sheridan, Reffell, McKee, Flannery, Postlethwaite.

Bulls: Williams; de Klerk, Moodie, Vorster, Jacobs; Pollard, Burger; Steenekamp, Grobbelaar (capt), Louw, Wiese, van Rensburg, van Staden, Gumede, Rudolph.

If there was any lingering doubt Mikey Lewis would be in contention to start for England in the first Test of the Ashes series against Australia in two weeks’ time then his performance for Hull KR on Saturday surely put paid to that.

The talismanic 24-year-old scored the Robins’ first try as his side beat Wigan Warriors to win the Super League Grand Final for the first time.

That try, which came off the back of a stunning dummy, put the wheels in motion for Hull KR to register a stunning domestic treble and to write their name in the history books as they became only the fifth team to win in a Grand Final since its inception almost 30 years ago.

He may not have been named this season’s Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel, narrowly missing out on the honour he won in 2024 to Leeds’ Jake Connor, but he won the Rob Burrow Award for man of the match in the Grand Final.

It leaves England boss Shaun Wane – who is set to name his squad on Monday – with a selection headache for his first starting line-up to face Australia when they meet at Wembley in 14 days’ time.

Warrington’s George Williams is England’s captain, while Harry Smith – who himself scored on Saturday as Wigan threatened a second-half comeback – is also in contention alongside Lewis for a starting place.

A first Ashes series for almost 20 years is a big occasion and Hull KR head coach Willie Peters – who will be part of the Kangaroos’ backroom team for the series – believes Lewis’ performance on the Grand Final stage was a pivotal moment in his career.

“I said out there that Mikey Lewis has arrived and what I meant was, that was a big moment,” Peters told BBC Radio Humberside.

“It doesn’t get bigger than a Grand Final and he owned that first half.

“He cops a lot but it just shows the type of player we’ve got, who he is and what he’s about.

“He’s had massive games this year but in terms of Grand Finals he was ready for that and he stood up and I’m so proud given what he has to cop.

“But he’s grown so much and he was a difference.”

Salford Red Devils boss Paul Rowley thinks that despite a crowded line-up of players bidding to start, Lewis has convincingly made his case.

“Mikey Lewis is shouting from the rooftops ‘pick me’, or ‘don’t pick me if you dare’,” Rowley told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“He’s saying he can do it, he’s a big player and he’s doing it on the big stage.

“He was deservedly man of the match, he was fantastic.

World Cup qualifying: Latvia v England

Venue: Daugava Stadium, Riga Date: Tuesday, 14 October Time: 19:45 BST

England are one win away from securing their spot at the 2026 World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Serbia’s 1-0 defeat by Albania on Saturday means Thomas Tuchel’s England can qualify by winning in Latvia on Tuesday, with two matches of their campaign still to play after that trip.

The Three Lions have not missed a major tournament since 2008, when they fell short in qualifying for the European Championship under Steve McClaren.

Tuchel’s side have won all five of their Group K fixtures to date without conceding a goal.

Anything but victory in Latvia on Tuesday would leave England still looking for a win against Serbia in November to guarantee qualification.

A point in Latvia, though, would mean a draw with Serbia would all but secure their spot because England have a vastly better goal difference than second-placed Albania.

England travel to Albania for their final group fixture on 16 November.

The 12 group runners-up in the European section of qualifying will participate in the play-offs.

They will be joined by the four best-ranked group winners of the 2024-25 Nations League that did not finish in the top two of their European qualifying groups.

The 16 teams who enter the play-offs will be drawn into four play-off paths, with four teams featuring in each.

Should England qualify for next summer’s finals over the coming weeks, they will learn their opposition very quickly.

The World Cup draw takes place on 5 December at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

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