Challenge Cup: Ulster hold on to secure top spot despite second-half Stade Francais comeback 

Nathan Doak of Ulster celebrates. Pic: John Dickson/Sportsfile

Challenge Cup: Ulster 26 Stade Francais 19 

Ulster made sure of topping Pool Three in the Challenge Cup and home ties going forward in the last 16 and should they make the quarter-finals, but this was no easy task.

Despite leading 26-0 at the halfway point, Ulster failed to score a single point in the second half as Stade, possessing the more powerful bench, chipped away at the province’s lead and came close to denying them their prize.

Just as they would have planned, Ulster were out of the blocks nice and early, Tom O’Toole scoring after less than two minutes after Zac Ward and Robert Baloucoune’s surges up their respective flanks had battered and stretched Stade’s defence beyond rescue.

Jack Murphy converted and Ulster led 7-0 and looked hungry to get on with it.

And they kept coming. After Ulster had won a maul turnover, they launched Bryn Ward off the scrum in Stade’s 22 and after recycling, Murphy’s skip pass found Baloucoune and he was always making the right corner for the host’s second try.

Murphy, though, missed from the difficult angle.

Even though Nathan Doak had a try ruled out for an forward pass from Baloucoune’s assist, soon afterwards David McCann secured a turnover and Ulster moved the ball again, Zac Ward’s speed sending him clean through a gap and his pass to McCloskey allowed the Ireland centre to make the line.

This time Murphy nailed the tricky conversion.

Stade now had to do something and after a decent maul, they attacked deep into Ulster territory thogh Zack Henry’s pass missed its target Samuel Ezeala and the sides trooped off with the northern province still 26-0 ahead.

The new half bean well for the visitors, a scrum penalty being followed by five substitutions and from an arm-wrestle near the Ulster line Giorgi Melikidze snaffled the score which was converted by newly arrived out half Louis Foursans-Bourdette.

Their comeback continued as winger Charles Laloi got on the end of a cross-kick, Stockdale seemingly not seeing him though the Parisians then missed the extras.

Ulster needed a settler and thought they had it when sub Jude Postlethwaite’s break and kick through saw Zac Ward and Jeremy Ward tangle on the deck before Stockdale picked up to dot down. 

However, the TMO intervened to adjudge Zac Ward to have impeded the defender and the try was chalked off.

Stade kept coming though, their bench making quite an impact and off a lineout maul, sub hooker Lucas Peyresblanques broke away to score unimpeded in the 66th minute, Foursans-Bourdette again converting to cut the lead to 26-19 which is how it ended, the final moment being when Stade knocked on when pressing hard.

Ulster: J Stockdale, R Baloucoune, J Hume, S McCloskey, Z Ward, J Murphy, N Doak; S Crean, T Stewart, T O'Toole, I Henderson (capt), H Sheridan, D McCann, N Timoney, B Ward. 

Replacements: R Herring for Stewart 50mins, E O'Sullivan for Crean 50mins, S Wilson for O’Toole 51mins, M Dalton for Henderson 62mins, S Reffell for McCann 62mins, C McKee unused, J Flannery unused, J Postlethwaite for Hume 51mins.

Stade Francais: M Ibo, C Laloi, J Ward (capt), T Vili, L Etien, Z Henry, P Abadie; J Iscaro, A Garcia Albo, G Melikidze, P-H Azagoh, J Botha, J-M Scelzo, M Hirigoyen, Y Tanga.

Replacements: L Peyresblanques for Garcia Albo 45mins, Y Lux for Iscaro 45mins, Melikidze for Lux 73mins, S Abramishvili for Melikidze 45mins, S Turagacoke for Azagoh 45mins, T Halaifonua for mins, T Motassi for Adabie 45mins, L Foursans-Bourdette for Henry 45mins, S Ezeala for Etien 13mins.

Referee: A Leal (England).