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Ulster coach Richie Murphy: 'I thought it was incredible'

By Simon Thomas
Werner Kok of Ulster celebrates after the United Rugby Championship match between Ulster and Glasgow Warriors at The Kingspan Stadium in Belfast. (Photo By Ben McShane/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Ulster coach Richie Murphy hailed a “really special” win following his team’s last gasp 20-19 triumph over champions Glasgow at the Kingspan Stadium.

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“I thought it was incredible the way the lads just stuck at it,” he said.

“We didn’t play our best rugby by a long way. We were put under a lot of pressure from a really good Glasgow team, but we stuck in it, which is something we are trying to build, and to get the win at the end was really special.

“The lads rolled up their sleeves and, in the end, got the job done.

“I’m really happy to come away with the win because we were playing against a really good side.

Fixture
United Rugby Championship
Ulster
20 - 19
Full-time
Glasgow
All Stats and Data

“But we are going to have to learn quickly, because that’s not going to be good enough on most nights.”

Skipper Iain Henderson added: “One thing we spoke about before the game was making sure the guys were fighting right to the end and, fair play to them, they did that.”

Replacement scrum-half Dave Shanahan was the match-winning hero, dabbing down from close range five minutes into stoppage time, with his try being confirmed after a TMO review.

“I was a tiny bit nervous. I celebrated a bit early and then I saw the ref go to check it, but I was happy to get over in the end,” he said.

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Giving his thoughts, Glasgow flanker Rory Darge added: “We are gutted after that, but fair play to Ulster, they were class. It was a physical game.

“A lot of matches have come down to the last minute this weekend in the first round of the season.”

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Flankly 1 hour ago
Springboks unbeaten run ends at hands of Los Pumas in Argentina

Jaw-dropping stats.


92% possession in the last 10 minutes, with the scoreboard at 29-28, but unable to find the 2 points necessary. Ouch!


Also, over the course of the game the Boks had 40% more passes, 80% more carries, and 50% more line breaks, but fewer points on the board. Is that a new-fangled attack that is still not working, or is the new normal for the Boks to work that much harder for their points than their opponents do?


But the real problem was defense. 28 points should be enough to win a game. The Boks are at their best when they consistently limit their opponents to 15 points or less. That's a good goal for any team. Argentina is a good (and under-rated) team, but the Boks have stopped good teams before.


Rassie needs to spend the next week figuring out why a backline that is full of double RWC winners has become so porous. The KLA yellow card explains some of it, but the Boks usually adapt. It may be time to call his buddy Nienaber. One part of it is that if you're going to de-emphasize the territorial game, then there is more pressure to minimize turnovers.


Manie will be wishing that there was a good kicker elsewhere in the team, so that he could contest for #10 without having to be a BMT place kicker. SA supporters were expecting something like the end of the Currie Cup final, but with a much easier kick. Unfortunately Manie doesn't seem to improve his kicking accuracy under pressure.


It has to be said: Congrats to Argentina.

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