Murphy praises Ulster fightback after Bulls defeat as touring squad changes loom

Ulster head coach Richie Murphy praised his team's response to a 21-point deficit after their 34-26 United Rugby Championship defeat by the Bulls in Pretoria. Speaking after Saturday's match, he said Ulster had recovered sufficiently to challenge for victory, while regretting early mistakes and the late loss of a second bonus point, BBC Sport reported.

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The Bulls established a 21-0 advantage through two tries from former Ulster forward Marcell Coetzee and another from Elrigh Louw. Handre Pollard converted all three. According to SABC Sport's match report, Chay Mullins finally answered for the visitors before the interval, with Ulster reaching half-time 21-7 behind after the hosts had controlled the opening stages.

David McCann's try after the restart brought Ulster closer, while Coetzee spent 10 minutes in the sin-bin. Pollard added a penalty before Mullins scored his second try. Johan Grobbelaar then crossed for the Bulls, but Stuart McCloskey's response and Jack Murphy's conversion cut the gap to 31-26, leaving the result in doubt during the closing minutes.

Curwin Bosch's penalty with the final kick settled the score at 34-26. Ulster retained the bonus point earned by scoring four tries, but the eight-point margin denied them a losing bonus point. Both teams finished with four tries, and the visitors remained without a league victory after two draws and two defeats in their opening four fixtures.

Murphy told BBC Sport that early turnovers and first-half indiscipline had contributed to Ulster's difficulties. He was encouraged by their greater adherence to the game plan as the match progressed. A late opportunity involving James McKillop was halted because McCloskey had been in touch before passing, a decision Murphy acknowledged had probably been correct despite the chance it cost his side.

Ulster now face changes to their touring group before meeting the Stormers in Cape Town. BBC Sport reported that their Ireland internationals would return home for Andy Farrell's squad gathering on Monday, with seven reinforcements due to join the province in South Africa. Murphy also identified the breakdown and scrum as areas needing further work after the narrow defeat.