Ulster backed up a crucial Heineken Champions Cup win last weekend against Sale Sharks with a performance that was brimming with confidence.
Ulster started the match with power and speed, forcing the Stormers into retreat. The Stormers were dealt an early injury blow after a darting line break from Ulster full back Mike Lowry resulted in a collision between forwards JJ Kotze and Jason Ben Dixon, with the former being forced off the field of play.
Ulster's young scrum half, Nathan Doak, opened the scoring for the Ulstermen in the 14th minute after phases of pressure down in the Stormers ‘22. Doak converted his try to send Ulster into an early 7-0 lead.
Not long after, it was to be a night to remember for winger Ben Moxham, who scored his first try for Ulster as he grabbed his opportunity after being given the nod by Head Coach Dan McFarland.
Moxham provided width on the left flank and finished off a great attacking move from Ulster. Doak converted again to make it 14-0 on the scoreboard.
With the Stormers starting to build some pressure of their own, Ulster had to defend and made a vital turnover on the 34th minute that eased pressure.
As the clock hit the 40th minute Ulster looked hungry for one more try before the half ended and last week's Player of the Match, flanker Nick Timoney, scored a try that was allowed after a TMO check.
Doak kicked his third conversion of the match to send ulster into a healthy 21-0 lead at the break.
Half-Time: Ulster 21 - 0 DHL Stormers
Ulster came out for the second half looking to continue their dominant first half performance.
The Stormers got off to a bad start as their lock, Ben Jason Dixon, was sent to the sin-bin for a high tackle on Mike Lowry.
Ulster took advantage of the extra man and made the South Africans pay as emerging fan favourite Jeff Toomaga-Allen showed quick feet to score after he found space through the middle and was played in by centre James Hume.
Toomaga-Allen delighted the crowd as he confidently held his arm out to celebrate, letting the Stormers defence know that they weren't stopping him from scoring.
Nathan Doak converted his fourth and final kick of the evening as he was then replaced by fellow John Cooney. Ulster sat with a comfortable 28-0 scoreline.
Ulster rang the changes with replacements and it wasn't long before they got their fifth try of the match, with the electric Mike Lowry dotting down to reward an excellent performance.
The Stormers rallied at the end to score a consolation try through Ango-Hugo Venter but it was a memorable night for Ulster who recorded a confident bonus point win.
The victory sees Ulster leapfrog the Vodacom Bulls into third place in the URC table, meaning Dan McFarland's men head into a break in fixtures on a high note.
Full-Time: Ulster 35- 5 DHL Stormers
BIG JEFF 🔥
— Ulster Rugby (@UlsterRugby) January 27, 2023
Your Player of the match 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Tdm9cFuOfi
Teams
Ulster:
(15-9) Mike Lowry, Rob Lyttle, James Hume, Stewart Moore, Ben Moxham, Billy Burns, Nathan Doak;
(1-8 ) Eric O’Sullivan, Tom Stewart, Jeff Toomaga Allen, Alan O’Connor, Sam Carter, Harry Sheridan, Nick Timoney, Duane Vermeulen.
Replacements: John Andrew, Rory Sutherland, Andrew Warwick, Kieran Treadwell, Jordi Murphy, John Cooney, Ian Madigan, Ethan McIlroy.
DHL Stormers:
(15-9) Kade Wolhuter, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Ruhan Nel, Sacha Mngomezulu, Cornet Smit, Jean- Luc Du Plessis, Stefan Ungerer.
(1-8) Alistair Vermaak, JJ Kotze, Brok Harris, Ben Jason Dixon, Marvin Orie, Marcel Theunissen, Willie Engelbrecht, Evan Roos.
Replacements: Ntubeni, Blose, Sandi, van Heerden, Venter, Jantjies, Evans, De Jongh.
Match Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)