Six-try Ulster start season with win over Dragons

United Rugby Championship, Affidea Stadium

Ulster (28) 42

Tries: Izuchukwu, Timoney, McCann, Ward, Doak, Stewart Cons: Doak 5, Flannery

Dragons (14) 21

Tries: Wainwright, Rosser, Lewis-Hughes Cons: De Beer 3

Ulster began their 2025-26 United Rugby Championship season with a bonus-point win over Dragons at the Affidea Stadium.

The hosts ran in six tries during the 42-21 victory with three coming in an eight-minute burst during the first half that ultimately swung the game in their favour.

Cormac Izuchukwu, Nick Timoney, David McCann, Zac Ward, Nathan Doak and Tom Stewart all crossed for Richie Murphy's side.

The Dragons had taken the lead after only 12 seconds through Wales back row Aaron Wainwright but, despite further scores from Jared Rosser and Shane Lewis-Hughes, their attempts to secure consolation bonus points in defeat came up short.

Former Northampton Saints back row Juarno Augustus made his debut as a second half substitute for Ulster who are next in action away to Edinburgh on 3 October.

Ulster came into this season talking of a desire to be more consistent not just across the campaign but through individual games.

Again though, this was a game when there was a vast chasm between their best and worst.

Despite sealing their four-try bonus point before half-time, there were 33 minutes on the clock before the northern province led for the first time and they went virtually 40 full minutes without scoring between their two second-half tries.

Indeed, any supporter looking for signs in the early going that this new campaign was to represent a fresh start for a side who struggled through 2024-25 would have had their hopes dashed.

There were only 12 seconds on the clock when a misjudged kick-off allowed Aaron Wainwright to nip in, gather his own kick, and open the scoring.

While Ulster, through the likes of Cormac Izuchukwu, Michael Lowry and Stuart McCloskey, always looked to possess an ability to break across the gain-line and open the game up, they were undone by their own errors too often in the opening half.

Rosser scored the Dragons second after 16 minutes before he ultimately followed hooker Elliot Dee off the field with an early injury but, after half an hour, the visitors will have felt they were still in with a shout of a first league win since the opening round of last season.

Ulster's athleticism eventually told in the first half with Izuchukwu and Timoney muscling over from close range, before Lowry had a huge hand in scores for David McCann and Zac Ward.

There were just two places but 29 points separating these sides in the table last season, yet that difference was never particularly apparent through the second half.

Doak's try only two minutes after the restart moved the hosts into a three-score lead and ended the game as a contest, but they did not manage another score until replacement hooker Stewart scampered over with the final play.

Despite starting the season with five points, there will certainly be areas of improvement for the northern province as they move through this seemingly key first block of fixtures that includes a two-game trip to South Africa next month.

Dragons, meanwhile, will feel that they matched their opponents for large periods of the contest and, despite their failure to take any points in defeat, at least showed signs of progress building into a run of three home games in their next four fixtures.

Ulster: Lowry; Ward, Hume, McCloskey, Stockdale; Murphy, Doak; Reid, Herring, O'Toole, Henderson (capt), Sheridan, Izuchukwu, Timoney, McCann.

Replacements: Stewart, Crean, Wilson, Dalton, Augustus, McKee, Flannery, Carson.

Dragons: O'Brien (co-capt); Dyer, Westwood, Owen, Rosser; De Beer, Williams; Jones, Dee, Hunt, Screech, Carter (co-capt), Lewis-Hughes, Keddie, Wainwright.

Replacements: Coghlan, Martinez, Lewis, Douglas, Martin, Hope, Inisi, Anderson.

Referee: Griffin Colby (SARU)