Speight earns last-gasp draw for Ulster in ten-try thriller
A LAST-SECOND try from Henry Speight saw Ulster rescue a draw from the jaws of defeat in Bloemfontein.
In a ten-try thriller, it looked like the hosts had secured their first win of the season when Rabz Maxwane crossed but Ulster showed outstanding resolve to take away three points in a bonus-point draw.
It looked like Ulster were in trouble early when Gerhard Olivier was sent over by Nico Lee after just 100 seconds for a try, but the visitors responded in almost identical fashion a minute later when Darren Cave set David Shanahan under the posts.
Tian Schoeman put the hosts back ahead with a penalty, but completely against the run of play Ulster grabbed a second try, Stuart McCloskey setting Cave away, and his inside pass again put Shanahan over for the seven-pointer.
While Peter Nelson was able to prevent Tian Meyer from scoring when the scrumhalf chipped in behind, the Cheetahs would lead at the break when Maxwane sent wing partner William Small-Smith over the line for the try.
Billy Burns’ penalty levelled proceedings five minutes after the restart, but the Cheetahs began to drive home their forward dominance at the maul, and Joseph Dweba piloted one over the line for the try in the 53rd minute after Alan O’Connor had seen yellow.
Burns struck back with a second penalty of the game, but Ulster’s maul defence let them down again as Jacques du Toit landed the Cheetahs’ fourth try.
And the dangerous Cheetahs refused to lie down and it was the lethal Maxwane who proved the difference-maker, dotting down for the fifth try before Speight got that all-important try for Ulster, twisting over at the line, with Burns’ nerveless conversion sharing the spoils.
CHEETAHS – M Jaer; W Small-Smith, B Janse van Rensburg, N Lee, R Maxwane; T Schoeman (L Fouche 72), T Meyer (S Venter 60); O Nche (C Marais 71), J Dweba (J du Toit 60), A Coetzee; W Steenkamp (J Basson 60), JP du Preez; G Olivier, J Pokomela, N Jordaan (S Malan 71).
ULSTER – P Nelson; H Speight, D Cave (A Curtis 69), S McCloskey, A Kernohan; B Burns, D Shanahan (J Stewart 60); E O’Sullivan (A Warwick 61), R Herring, W Herbst (T O’Toole 12); A O’Connor, K Treadwell (J Andrew 62); Mat Rea, S Reidy (N Timoney 25), M Coetzee (J Deysel 52).
REF – B Whitehouse (Wales)