Lions 49-31 Ulster: Ellis Park loss ‘hard to take’ for Ulster boss Richie Murphy

Ulster coach Richie Murphy lamented the number of errors his side made as their impressive start to the United Rugby Championship season was interrupted by the Lions at Ellis Park.

The Irish province entered the Johannesburg contest looking for a fourth straight win, and while an inspiring Rob Balokone helped keep those hopes alive, the Lions scored seven tries to win 49-31.

In addition to Baloconi’s impressive hat-trick, goals from James Hume and David McCann secured a bonus point for Ulster’s bid, but Murphy was disappointed by his side’s error-strewn display at the height.

“It’s a difficult thing to accept in the end,” Murphy said. “We played in that game for 55 or 60 minutes and let things get away from us in the end.”

“Over the course of the game, our foul count was probably too high and we invited the Lions into the game.

“Their scrum control puts us under a lot of pressure, but this is a massive effort from the players in a very difficult position, at 28 or 29 degrees, it’s not an easy place to be in.”

Regarding Balcon’s hat-trick, Murphy added: “It’s unbelievable. We have a huge embarrassment in the back three. Zach [Ward] He’s on fire, Werner [Kok] It was really good and Mickey [Lowry]He’s flying.

“It’s great to have Rob back. He played another full game, which is exciting for us, and we hope the level of fitness continues for a long time.”

The late withdrawal of Juarno Augustus elevated new signing Bryn Ward into the starting back row, while lock Joe Hopes made his first start.

“I thought both players made a big turnaround. There’ll be a little something we’ll go over and give them some feedback. It’s good to see them coming into the game and contributing a lot.”

Following last week’s bonus-point win over the Sharks in Durban, Ulster leave South Africa with six points from two games.

“You’re never satisfied when you lose a game that was in the balance at the 60th minute. Six points is a good return, but we were still hurting today.

“It’s really important when we return to Belfast against Benetton in a few weeks that we flip the switch and get back to winning ways.”