Bulls beat Ulster 34-26 as Coetzee double extends visitors' winless URC start

Ulster remain without a United Rugby Championship victory after four matches following a 34-26 defeat by the Bulls in Pretoria. Former Ulster forward Marcell Coetzee scored two tries for the hosts, while the visitors recovered from a 21-0 deficit to earn a four-try bonus point, according to BBC Sport's match report by Jonathan Bradley.

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The Bulls established control through their forwards at Loftus Versfeld. Coetzee finished a driving maul after two minutes, punishing an early Ulster penalty. Elrigh Louw added the second try in the 19th minute after the hosts used a quick tap to build another maul near the line. Coetzee then crossed from close range eight minutes before half-time, leaving Ulster three converted tries behind.

Ulster finally answered with time expired in the opening half, moving the ball wide for Chay Mullins to score in the corner. They went into the interval trailing 21-7 but narrowed the gap after the restart when David McCann forced his way over. Jack Murphy's second conversion reduced the deficit to seven points, giving the visitors a route back into a match the Bulls had initially dominated.

Coetzee was subsequently shown a yellow card for a high tackle, with the decision remaining unchanged after a bunker review. Ulster could not add to their score during his absence: the only points in that period came from a Handre Pollard penalty. Mullins later claimed his second try, with Keynan Knox helping create the space, but Johan Grobbelaar replied for the Bulls almost immediately after the restart.

Stuart McCloskey scored Ulster's fourth try with 10 minutes remaining, securing their try bonus and keeping the finish competitive. The visitors were unable to close the gap further, however, and Curwin Bosch landed a penalty with the final kick. That left an eight-point margin and took Ulster outside the range for a losing bonus point, limiting the reward for their recovery.

Ulster's league record now stands at two draws and two defeats. BBC Sport reported that they had not gone winless through their first four league fixtures since the 2008-09 Celtic League season. A Challenge Cup victory against Zebre the previous week has not translated into a league breakthrough. Richie Murphy's team next face the Stormers in South Africa on 31 October, before the URC pauses for four weekends for November's Nations Championship fixtures.