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Ulster move top of United Rugby Championship after cruising past Cardiff

By PA
(Photo / Getty Images)

Ulster hit top spot in the United Rugby Championship after running in seven tries to ease past Cardiff 48-12 at the Kingspan Stadium and register their sixth-straight win in all competitions.

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Robert Baloucoune scored twice as he crossed in each half, while James Hume, Stuart McCloskey, Nick Timoney, Aaron Sexton and Tom Stewart also scored.

Cardiff’s only points came from Kirby Myhill and James Ratti tries – the latter converted by Ben Thomas.

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Ulster took seven minutes to get on the scoreboard when Billy Burns’ cross-kick was picked up by Baloucoune, who scorched the scrambling Cardiff cover to score with Nathan Doak converting.

Doak then made it 10-0, five minutes later, after Willis Halaholo was sinbinned by referee Holly Davidson.

Ulster then scored their second try when Hume intercepted a Jarrod Evans pass and ran in from his own 22 to score under the posts, with Doak again converting.

After Cardiff blew a great chance to score when Josh Turnbull knocked on, the half ended with Ulster claiming their third try from McCloskey on the stroke of half-time but this time, Doak failed to convert.

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The visitors finally got off the mark when Myhill was put clear by Matthew Screech though Evans, who began the move, missed the conversion.

Three minutes later, Ulster celebrated their try bonus when Timoney used his power to drive through with Doak again converting and – after 53 minutes – Baloucoune claimed his second score of the night after a burst from Stewart Moore as John Cooney added the extras.

Try number six was scored by substitute Sexton just after the hour with Cooney failing to convert but he was successful after Stewart claimed number seven.

Ratti then crashed over late on for Cardiff with Thomas converting and the game ended with a length-of-the-field Hume try being ruled out for a forward pass.

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J
JW 1 hour ago
Where is the new breed of All Black 10?

Players like Prendergast and Finn Smith already have a few seasons at top club level under their belt and are now test players, at an age when NZ players make their debuts in SR.

That’s just a difference in standards. You’re confusing SR for being their local domestic comps, where it’s more accurately comparable to Champions Cup, apart from that teams are happy to throw games as it’s in a bit of a limbo in terms of importance atm.


All these kids have been playing for a comparable NPC team for years now. Sam is no where near ready for tests but he has a great temperament, much like Sextons, that makes it a good choice to speed up his development. He wasn’t even a comparable Super Rugby starter before playing for Ireland, so not a great comparison.


Fin would be much better example, but then England don’t have 3 world class Test tens in front of him (not that I’d put Beauden their but obviously in terms of young NZ players chances, he is). Would he otherwise have debuted at the same age as Fergus Burke (injury and leaving withstanding), around 24, a couple of years later? England also aren’t as pedantic to who they give jerseys to, in NZ a test jersey is very hard earned for the most part.


In general I think the effects are as you say, but the only difference is the money involved, as you yourself said, their paths are just as all over the show being loaned out playing for clubs etc. My solution to that, and what you perceive as the problem, would be to introduce university football that utilitizes the large investment they have into high performance sport.

86 Go to comments
J
Jennifer Ross 3 hours ago
One rule for Europe's copycats, another for the Springboks

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Regards.

28 Go to comments
J
Jennifer Ross 3 hours ago
One rule for Europe's copycats, another for the Springboks

The topic of recovery services and the efficacy of Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech warrants a closer examination. Recovery services are a critical component of any comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, as they provide the means to restore systems, data, and operations in the event of a breach or other disruptive incident. Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech is a leading provider in this space, offering a suite of advanced recovery solutions designed to ensure business continuity and mitigate the potentially devastating impacts of cyber attacks. At the core of their offerings is a robust, AI-driven platform that continuously monitors systems, detects anomalies, and triggers rapid, automated recovery procedures. This allows organizations to bounce back quickly, often with minimal downtime or data loss. Wizard Hilton’s approach also emphasizes the importance of comprehensive testing and simulation, putting recovery protocols through their paces to validate effectiveness and uncover potential weaknesses. Additionally, their team of seasoned cybersecurity experts provides hands-on guidance, tailoring solutions to the unique needs of each client. By combining cutting-edge technology with deep industry expertise, Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech has established itself as a trusted partner in the realm of recovery services, empowering organizations to safeguard their most valuable digital assets and ensure business resilience in the face of ever-evolving cyber threats. Contact: for assistance,

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28 Go to comments
J
JW 3 hours ago
Where is the new breed of All Black 10?

JJ and DMac shows how little attention you actually pay to the substance of the articles.

What do you mean by that? For lack of an answer from you I’d suggest yuo need to look at the game again and then read your article. Because although I’m not going to again but I did quickly review the videos and they all match correctly with my perception.

JTPL is shifting towards overseas players being JQP in future

No they’re not, thats a flatout lie Nick. You can find an article on here with their CEO where they want more out of their deals but it’s standard professional sports fair, nothing underhand like the NH does. I find that quite foul that you would share such a view.


I suppose the new World Club League thats starting would die for the best ABs even for just a year, and probably set them up even better. Mo’unga hadn’t done enough to earn a sabbatical though. This is where NZR needs to start questioning itself. You can’t blame the player if the NZR are not even interesting in offering you a contract. In situations where say NZR aren’t able to reach 70% of the offer I think a great starting point would be for them to be treated differently than someone who just left for money. NZR could say make that player immediately eligible if NZR decide to make a fair offer and they sign to return, with players putting in their overseas contracts a right to leave early if they resign back with NZR.


Even with Japans fading desire for sabbaticals I still think NZ can make it a good destination and have many reciprocal agreements with JRFU and the JRLO teams. The situation still very much favours NZ and Australia but it’s upto them to make the most of it or the JRFU won’t see any reason to be the ones always giving the favours.

86 Go to comments
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