ULSTER skipper Alan O’Connor said they were bitterly disappointed to fall to their first defeat of their URC campaign when they were ousted by the Lions in Johannesburg.
Ulster had to be content with a try bonus point after a performance which came up well short of defeating the Lions at altitude in their own backyard.
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He said: “We’re very disappointed. We came here with full confidence on the back of a good win at home that we could do a job.
“But we came up short and fair play to the Lions.”
Lions dominated the opening half but had to settle for a ten-point interval lead after Ulster struck for a try in stoppage time at the end of a half played in sweltering heat.
Ulster were on the back foot from the outset against a Lions side still smarting from getting caught at the death by the Sharks in last weekend’s Currie Cup final.
They started nine of that side and with 76% possession were full value for their 8-0 lead after 15 minutes.
They hit the front after ten minutes when hooker PJ Botha broke from a maul, fed No.8 Francke Horn and the Lions skipper cut infield before sending Rabz Maxwane away down the right for the try.
Kade Wolhuter hit the left post with the conversion but extended the lead with a penalty from the 22 after more intense pressure.
Ulster got to grips with more trouble in the scrum but they fell further behind five minutes from the break when Horn scored his 20th try in 50 appearances after a penalty to the right corner.
Ulster scored off a penalty to the left corner with the clock in the red with John Cooney sniping after several bursts from the forwards.
But the scrum-half somehow missed the conversion in front of the posts and went in trailing 15-5.
New out-half Aidan Morgan, who scored on his URC debut in the win over champions Glasgow Warriors last weekend, struck three minutes after the restart.
It came about when the former Hurricanes play-marker finished off a 16-phase move with a fine try to leave five between them after Cooney again failed to convert.
Lions hit back and replacement hooker Franco Marais scored after a penalty to the corner after 47 minutes.
They wrapped up the bonus point three minutes when another sub, winger Henco van Wyk scored. Wolhuter converted and added a penalty lead 30-10 going into the final quarter.
South African sevens star Werner Kok marked his first Ulster start with a try after chasing a grubber from replacement scrum-half Nathan Doak and tighthead sub Corrie Barrett got his first try for the province after Morgan had been held up short two minutes from time.
Doak’s conversion cut the gap to eight but the Lions finished strongly with Wolhuter getting their fifth try from another break.
LIONS 35-22 ULSTER
Scorers: Lions: Tries: R Maxwane, F Horn, F Marais, H van Wyk, K Wolhuter. Cons: Wolhuter (2). Pens: Wolhuter (2).
Ulster: Tries: J Cooney, A Morgan, W Kok, C Barrett. Con: N Doak.
Lions: Q Horn; R Maxwane, E Cronje, R Jonker, Ta Mafura (H van Wyk 42); K Wolhuter, S Nohamban (N Steyn 67); M Naude (J Schoeman 47), PJ Botha (F Marais 45), A Ntlabakanye (C van Vuuren 66), R Nothnagel, D Landsberg, J Cairns (R du Plessis 70), R Venter (S Qoma 56), F Horn (c).
Ulster: E McIlroy (M Lowry 66); W Kok, S Moore, S McCloskey, J Stockdale; A Morgan, J Cooney (N Doak 56); A Warwick (E O’Sullivan 52), J Andrew (J McCormick 52), T O’Toole (C Barrett 52); K Treadwell (I Henderson 52), A O’Connor (c); Matty Rea (D McCann 52), S Reffell, N Timoney.
Ref: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
