Lions v Ulster: Five takeaways as Test omissions make ‘statement’ to Rassie Erasmus and Andy Farrell with Ireland speedster ‘back to his best’
Ulster wing Robert Baloucoune and Lions full-back Quan Horn.
Following a 49-31 victory for the Lions over Ulster, here are our five takeaways from the United Rugby Championship clash at Emirates Airline Park on Saturday.
The top line
In what was a see-saw game for 65 minutes of the contest, the Lions produced a storming finish to wrestle control of the clash and end Ulster’s winning start to the season.
The Irish province went into the match unbeaten following their eyebrow-raising success over the Sharks and they certainly played with confidence for the majority of this encounter.
They led at the break thanks to two tries from Robert Baloucoune and another by James Hume, with the Lions’ response coming via SJ Kotze and Eduan Keyter.
Although the try-scoring continued in the second half, most of it was done by the hosts, who kept their opponents at arm’s length in the final 40 minutes.
Ruan Venter, Renzo du Plessis, Henco van Wyk and Conraad van Vuuren (twice) all went over after the break to secure the win, meaning Ulster had to settle for just a four-try bonus-point following Baloucoune’s hat-trick score and David McCann’s effort.
Two thrilling teams
While the Johannesburg outfit are renowned for their ability to spread the ball wide, particularly on the hard ground in Johannesburg, that has not often been the case for the Ulstermen over the past couple of years, but they look reinvigorated at the start of this season.
With both sides playing with ambition, it proved to be a thrilling contest as the game went one way and then the other as the Lions and Ulster enjoyed the South African sun. There were plenty of stunning tries and thrilling attacks and, although they overplayed at times, you could forgive them when they provided this spectacle.
It enabled the talented backs to thrive, with Baloucoune very much to the fore for the visitors, while Quan Horn and Van Wyk were once again threats for the hosts with half-backs Nico Steyn and Chris Smith providing good ball for the outside backs. It all made for a feast of running rugby.
Gaining control
In the opening hour it was all about the respective backlines but, even in a game such as this where the try-scoring never stopped, it showed the importance of both an impactful bench and the value of the scrum.
The final 10 minutes was dominated by the Lions, who began to send Ulster into reverse at the scrum and also win more battles on the gain line. Perhaps also suffering the effects of playing at altitude, the visitors faltered in the latter stages as the home team’s forwards very much took control of the game, leading to a late blowout.
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Proving a point – Lions
The international squads have been named for the end-of-year series and inevitably some players will be disappointed. How they react to that can ultimately determine their international futures and there were plenty of excellent individual displays.
For the Lions, Horn’s omission from the Springboks squad was perhaps the most noticeable, considering Aphelele Fassi’s injury, Willie le Roux’s axing and the fact they only have one out-and-out full-back in the group.
Horn is evidently not doing enough to convince Rassie Erasmus but it might simply be a case of genetics due the laws around the ‘escorts’, which is making the aerial game far more contestable. At under 6ft, the Boks might think he is too small for Test rugby but, when it comes to the attack, there are few better than Horn and he was excellent on Saturday.
Elsewhere in the backline, Van Wyk is another highly rated player, but his form hasn’t been quite so impressive since the start of the year and he needs to do more to put himself back into international contention.
Up front, it was a mixed day for Asenathi Ntlabakanye, who was yellow carded for a high hit but otherwise put in a fine shift, which included some dominant scrummaging and good work in the loose. Ntlabakanye is still under a doping cloud and the outcome of that is yet to be known, but his on-field performance remains strong.
Behind the prop reside Ruan Venter and Francke Horn in the back-row, who have plenty of supporters in South Africa. Former Springboks powerhouse Willem Alberts recently stated how highly he rates Venter in particular and the flanker was impressive here, making a number of big carries, while Horn was busy at the base of the scrum.
Proving a point – Ulster
The Belfast-based outfit have four players in the Ireland squad but they will perhaps feel they could have had more when you see the performances of Michael Lowry, Jude Postlethwaite, James Hume, Zac Ward, Tom O’Toole, Nathan Doak and Tom Stewart, who shifted from hooker to openside flanker for this encounter.
All those players, with the exception of Hume, have been named in an Ireland XV squad to face Spain next month. They have been joined by Baloucoune, who is back fit after an injury-wrecked 2024/25 campaign. He certainly made up for the lost time with a stunning effort in the triumph, scoring a superb hat-trick and shining in other aspects of the game.
While Postlethwaite was also a standout, the wing was a level above his teammates and already looks back to his best, which will no doubt please Ireland boss Andy Farrell. A lack of game time meant that he wasn’t considered for the November Tests but, if he continues playing like this, the 28-year-old will surely be involved in the Six Nations in what was a statement performance.