Johnston To The Fore As Ulster Bounce Back To Winning Ways

A fine kicking display by man-of-the-match Bill Johnston, coupled with tries from Tom O’Toole and Robert Baloucoune, ensured that Ulster got back on track with a 20-10 GUINNESS PRO14 win over the Toyota Cheetahs.

The victory, ground out in difficult conditions at Kingspan Stadium, extends Ulster’s advantage over the South Africans in the Conference A table to ten points, with the province lying second on 41 points. Glasgow Warriors’ 34-19 triumph over the Dragons moves them into third.

Dan McFarland’s men welcomed back full-back Michael Lowry and centre James Hume into the staring XV for their first outings since October, after recovering from ankle and hamstring injuries respectively.

This Conference A clash was barely five minutes old when O’Toole replaced Martin Moore, the recipient of an early knock, and the newly-introduced prop wasted little time in making his presence felt. He duly bludgeoned over for his try after patient work on the five-metre line from forwards and backs alike.

Johnston topped up the score from the tee, and after a good ten minutes of stout defence on the environs of their own five-metre line, two successive lineout steals saw the hosts play themselves out of danger.

Back in Cheetahs territory, the Ulstermen chipped away at the visitors’ defensive line but failed to make any sort of breakthrough despite some trademark carrying from Marcell Coetzee and plenty of endeavour in midfield from Luke Marshall and Hume.

So solid was the South African defence, indeed, that Ulster’s stand-in captain Alan O’Connor had no hesitation in directing out-half Johnston towards the posts in the 35th minute when a penalty was awarded just outside the Cheetahs’ 22.

Three supplementary points secured, Ulster soon gifted three back, Ruan Pienaar splitting the posts from distance just as he had done so many times before at the Belfast venue in the white and red of Ulster.

With half-time approaching there was just enough time left on the clock for a final Ulster lineout, but once again the orange and black brick wall proved impenetrable, and the sides ran off with no further additions to the scoreboard, the hosts leading 10-3.

Ulster came out for the second period with the bit firmly between their teeth, forcing four penalties in quick succession, the last of which saw Cheetahs hooker Wilmar Arnoldi awarded a yellow card for repeated infringements.

Changing tack from the lineout this time, Tipperary man Johnston, who as fed by Shanahan and Hume off the maul, sent a searching cross-field kick out to the right wing where the waiting Baloucoune collected to dot down.

Former Ireland Under-20 starlet Johnston added the extras once more, before taking his personal tally to 10 points just before the hour mark with his second well-struck penalty of the encounter.

The Cheetahs went on to enjoy a good spell of possession, but it took a Sintu Manjezi interception to set the wheels in motion for full-back Clayton Blommetjies’ 65th-minute try. That seven-point concession seemed to spur Ulster back into life for the closing stages, with the visitors now only ten points behind.

McFarland’s side probed and prodded, but again the breakthrough would not come, and a combination of strong Cheetahs defence and the increasingly slippery conditions ensured that the remainder of the game played out scoreless.

Giving his reaction afterwards, Ulster head coach McFarland said: “I thought the lads really stuck in there tonight. We had a hard week after the disappointment of losing last week (to the Ospreys in Swansea). They worked really hard.