Andrew Warwick ran out ahead of the Ulster men to mark his 150th appearance for the province. Ethan McIlroy was forced off after just two minutes which meant the early introduction of Stewart Moore from the bench.
Ulster’s first shot came when Zak Burger was caught off-side and Ian Madigan kicked for the line-out option. Another penalty came Ulster’s way when Bulls sacked the Ulster maul. In the second line-out, Ulster tried a set-piece move which saw Andrew Warwick flick the ball on to Nick Timoney, but Bulls were able to make the turnover and the exit. The penalties were starting to rack up against the Bulls however, and this time Nathan Doak got Ulster on the board with the three points.
Vodacom Bulls had an opportunity to draw level when Cyle Brink made the jackal turnover, but Chris Smith’s kick was off-target.
Eventually the hosts levelled the scores on 23 minutes after a ferocious period of pressure, they got the penalty which Smith nudged over.
The men in blue struggled to get any change out of their attacking maul; Ulster doing really well to shut it down. Ulster took the lead again on the half-hour mark through the boot of Nathan Doak.
Vodacom Bulls were again caught collapsing Ulster’s maul just inside the visitors’ half. Nathan Doak called for the tee and hammered over the long-range effort to put Ulster six points ahead.
At the stroke of half-time, Ulster had a chance to further extend their lead when Elrigh Louw was pinged for off-side, but Doak’s penalty effort didn’t make it over.
Madosh Tambwe looked certain to score as he burst down the left wing, but the ball squirted out before the line. Referee Andrea Piardi awarded the scrum to Bulls as Ian Madigan was deemed to have knocked the ball out of Tambwe’s hand. After some Bulls pressure on the Ulster line, eventually Marcell Coetzee picked up the ball from the base of the ruck and crossed for their first try. Smith landed the conversion to take the lead.
Nine minutes later, the hosts stretched their lead after Ulster were penalised for sealing off, and Chris Smith landed the three points.
On 55 minutes, Bulls struck again, with Madosh Tambwe crashing over in the corner. Chris Smith landed the conversion to put the hosts 11 points ahead.
Ulster pulled one back nine minutes later, with a lovely delayed pop pass from Ian Madigan inside to Luke Marshall, making his first start in 18 months, for the try. Nathan Doak landed the conversion to bring Ulster to within four.
That four-point gap was short-lived however, when Treadwell was sin-binned for a high challenge on Kurt-Lee Arendse, and the Bulls immediately capitalised on the extra man and Johan Grobbelaar rumbled over from the driving maul. Morne Steyn added the extras.
Bulls saw themselves down to fourteen when Marcell Coetzee was yellow-carded for a high hit on Ben Moxham.
The hosts got the bonus-point try on 75 minutes when Kurt-Lee Arendse made the intercept deep inside their half to run clear. Morne Steyn slotted the conversion to put them beyond reach.
Full-time score: Vodacom Bulls 34 Ulster 16
Worth Another Look
64' | 𝙔𝙀𝙎! @Ian_madigan delays the pass inside to @lukemarshall121 who crosses the whitewash! @nathan_doak lands the conversion 🎯
— Ulster Rugby (@UlsterRugby) April 2, 2022
🔵 20-16 ⚪️#BULvULS #SUFTUM ⚪️🔴 pic.twitter.com/RfWkBHakpa
Scorers
Vodacom Bulls
Tries: Marcell Coetzee, Madosh Tambwe, Johan Grobbelaar, Kurt-Lee Arendse
Cons: Chris Smith (2), Morne Steyn (2)
Pens: Chris Smith (2)
Ulster
Tries: Luke Marshall
Cons: Nathan Doak
Pens: Nathan Doak (3)
Line-ups
Vodacom Bulls
(15-9) Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie, Cornal Hendricks, Harold Vorster, Madosh Tambwe, Chris Smith, Zak Burger;
(1-8) Gerhard Steenekamp, Johan Grobbelaar, Mornay Smith, Walt Steenkamp, Ruan Nortje, Marcell Coetzee (C), Cyle Brink, Elrigh Louw.
Replacements: Joe Van Zyl, Simphiwe Matanzima, Robert Hunt, Reinhardt Ludwig, Arno Botha, Keagan Johannes, Morne Steyn, Lionel Mapoe.
Ulster
(15-9) Mike Lowry, Ben Moxham, James Hume, Luke Marshall, Ethan McIlroy, Ian Madigan, Nathan Doak;
(1-8) Andrew Warwick, Brad Roberts, Marty Moore, Kieran Treadwell, Iain Henderson (Capt.), Jordi Murphy, Nick Timoney, Duane Vermeulen.
Replacements: Tom Stewart, Eric O’Sullivan, Tom O’Toole, Mick Kearney, Matty Rea, John Cooney, Marcus Rea, Stewart Moore.
Up next at Kingspan Stadium
Ulster's attentions turn to the Heineken Champions Cup, where they will travel to face Toulouse in the Round of 16, before coming home to Kingspan Stadium to play the second leg against the French giants on 16 April.