Ulster too good for the Kings

Irish eyes were smiling when Ulster extended their winning Guinness Pro14 streak to three matches when they beat the gritty Isuzu Southern Kings 28-7 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Sunday.

At the final whistle Ulster knew they had been through a tough battle against a Kings side who had to defend heroically.

Not even the support of 5,096 home fans, however, could carry the Kings home against a well organised Irish outfit.

Ulster outscored the Kings by three tries to one, with all their tries coming in the second half. They led 9-0 at halftime.

It has been another slow start to the season for the Kings who have yet to win after three rounds and face another tough challenge when they host the Glasgow Warriors on Saturday.

Worryingly, since their debut in the competition last year, the Kings have won only once in 24 starts.

With new sponsors on board and a consortium of businessmen ready to throw cash at the franchise, the Kings will be keen to beef up their squad.

With Ulster down to 14 men after captain Rob Herring was sent to the sin bin, the Kings cashed in on their numerical advantage when skipper Michael Willemse dotted down after a lineout drive just after halftime.

Ulster’s lead was reduced to 97 after Masixole Banda succeeded with the conversion.

A frenetic passage of play followed as both teams went on the offensive, with outcome hanging in the balance.

It was South African Marcel Coetzee who scored Ulster’s first try after 61 minutes after he powered his way over the tryline.

Before Sunday’s clash, Ulster narrowly beat Edinburgh and Scarlets, to lay the foundations for what has been an impressive start to the season. Scorers:

Southern Kings 7: Try: Michael Willemse. Conversion: Masixole Banda.

Ulster 28: Tries: Marcell Coetzee, Angus Kernohan, Stuart McLoskey. Conversions: Bill Burns, Peter Nelson. Penalties. John Cooney (3).

It was South African Marcel Coetzee who scored Ulster’s first try