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Ulster draw first blood after news of Coetzee blow
By Harry West
Ulster began their 2017-18 European Champions Cup campaign at Kingspan Stadium with a hard-fought 19-9 win over Wasps, thanks to two quickfire second-half tries.
The home side came into Friday's clash having learned that flanker Marcell Coetzee will be out for another nine months after returning to South Africa to have further surgery on a serious knee injury.
Wasps are injury-ravaged themselves with director of rugby Dai Young complaining of having to open their European campaign just five days after defeat to Saracens in the Premiership, while Ulster enjoyed an extra 48 hours' rest following their Pro14 win over Connacht last weekend.
Young's mood will hardly have been improved by seeing hooker Tom Cruse (thumb) and centre Brendan Macken (head) depart the action inside 20 minutes.
Wasps did lead 6-3 at the break thanks to the boot of Jimmy Gopperth, who added a further three points early in the second period, before Ulster finally found their feet in slippery conditions.
Christian Lealiifano went agonisingly close to the opening try as he came up just short, but Ulster did not have to wait long as wonderful work from Charles Piutau in the 55th minute sucked in Christian Wade and Willie le Roux, allowing Jacob Stockdale to score in the left corner.
That same pair combined again two minutes later, Piutau breaking to feed Stockdale, who threw over his head and back inside for Stuart McCloskey to go over.
John Cooney missed both conversions but it mattered not as Lealiifano slotted two penalties in the final 10 minutes - the second after Josh Bassett was sin-binned for a high shot - as Ulster ensured Wasps left a sodden Belfast without so much as a losing bonus point.
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Latest Comments
Well the other idea I had been toying with which I think is still used in football, is something like each pool winners of the Challenge Cup gets entry into the round of 16 etc (or whateveer equivalnt entry point we can come up with) in the Champions Cup.
Those T2 sides could play a pool or some simple comp with the bottom dwellers (that was actually something else I liked in Jones structure, he left out 2 English sides alltogehter, 4+4-2), and then come into the Challenge Cup when those top4 sides go up?
That idea just helps keep a nice balance for me. I like both comps having exactly the same structure, and raising 4 or so T2 sides requires that to break in some manner.
Neither. You have a situation where like the Stormers lose to la Rochelle in Ro16 but lose out to a lower performing league team in Benneton (5th place v 7th) just because they made it to the semis of Challenge Cup.
Go to commentsWalter has been permanently psychologically damaged since his wife left him and moved in with a man from Sydney.
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