Ireland snub sends message to Andy Farrell with ‘incredible’ hat-trick that delights coach
Ulster wing Rob Baloucoune impressed on Saturday.
Ulster head coach Richie Murphy labelled Rob Baloucoune’s hat-trick showing in defeat to the Lions “incredible” as he reflected on the United Rugby Championship (URC) loss.
Baloucoune continued his return from injury in the match at Ellis Park and showed no signs of rust as he starred with a treble that added a positive to their 49-31 defeat.
The four-cap Ireland international was not named in Andy Farrell’s squad for the upcoming Autumn Nations Series but has certainly sent a message to the Englishman.
Hat-trick showing
Baloucoune‘s first crossing was the pick of the bunch as he set sail for the line from inside his own half before evading the last man to go in near to the posts. He would then finish superbly on the right wing with a diving score to make it two in the first period before adding a third with a simpler crossing in the second half.
Murphy was full of praise for his wing’s performance as he waxed lyrical over the 28-year-old flyer, who could be a crucial cog in the Ulster side if he can remain injury free.
“Incredible,” he told BBC Sport. “We’ve an embarrassment of riches in the back three. Zac’s [Ward] been on fire, Werner’s [Kok] been really good and Mikey [Lowry]’s flying.
“Having Rob back is fantastic. He got through another full game, which is exciting for us, and long may that fitness level continue.”
Ulster’s other scores on the day came via James Hume and David McCann as they at least went home with a try bonus-point, which leaves them in fifth place on the table.
Coach Murphy though was frustrated with the amount of errors his outfit made on Saturday as their previously unbeaten start to the URC campaign was brought to an end.
“It’s a difficult one to take in the end, we’re in that game for 55, 60 minutes and let it get away from us in the end,” he said.
“Over the course of the game, our error count was probably too high and we just invited the Lions into the game.
“Scrum dominance from them put us under a lot of pressure, but it’s a massive effort from the players in a very tough situation, 28 or 29 degrees at altitude, it’s not an easy place to be.”
South Africa tour
Ulster will now travel home ahead of the international break and when assessing their return of six points from two games on tour, Murphy admitted that he was “hurting”.
“You’re never satisfied when you have lost a game that was in the balance at 60 minutes. Six points is a decent return, but we’re still hurting today,” Ulster’s boss explained.
“It’s really important when we get back into Belfast against Benetton in a few weeks that we flick the switch and get back to winning ways.”
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