FULL TIME! 35-22. The Lions get the result they wanted and a bonus point. Ulster struggled throughout and will be disappointed with that effort. However, they do get a bonus point for four tries. Great start to the URC for the Lions.
TRY! LIONS! WOLHUTER! 35-22. Wolhuter dummies and the defence completely opens up for him to run through and score.
CONVERSION! DOAK! 30-22. Doad converts to make it an eight-point game. Ulster have the four-try bonus point, if they can get another score they will get another for losing by less than seven.
TRY! ULSTER! BARRETT! 30-20. Ulster are rewarded for a strong passage of play. Barrett is over from close range.
Kok makes a brilliant try-saving tackle. Scrum to Ulster inside their own 22.
Maxwane makes a beautiful break but his pop pass is forward.
Both sides looking a bit gassed at the moment. It has been a hot day.. Ulster need one try for the bonus point.
Ulster are inches from scoring again but the Lions turn the ball over. That looked like the Lions player had their hands well beyond the ball though.
Doak looks for a 50/22 but the ball almost goes dead. Goal line drop out.
Doak misses the conversion attempt. Ulster have missed all three conversion attempts thus far. It could have been a nine-point game.
TRY! ULSTER! KOK! 30-15. Scrappy play by both sides but it ends on Ulster's side. Doak boots it forward and Kok has too much pace as he scores.
PENALTY! LIONS! WOLHUTER! 30-10. With the bonus point secured, the Lions keep the scoreboard ticking as Wolhuter slots a simple kick.
Short break as the ref comms crashes for the third time in this half.
A double in quick succession now has Ulster chasing the game with 17 points down.
CONVERSION! WOLHUTER! 27-10. Wolhuter slots in from in front.
TRY! LIONS! VAN WYK! 25-10. Just like that, the Lions turn it on. Q. Horn with a magnificent counter attack, beating five players, finds the inside pass to Jonker who slips but pops to Van Wyk to score under the posts.
Wolhuter misses from out wide.
TRY! LIONS! MARAIS! 20-10. The Lions have been superb with their maul all season and it works once again.
No try but the hosts do get the penalty.
Lions are over but it may be held up. Looks like it, but the TMO will have a look.
Cooney misses again, this time it was a bit tougher, but he should be converting those.
TRY! ULSTER! MORGAN! 15-10. Ulster come out firing in the second half. They go through the phases before Morgan dives over from close range.
KICK OFF! 15-5. Ulster get the second half underway.
HALF TIME! 15-5. That's it for the first half. Ulster will be pleased that they got on the board just before the break, but the Lions have dominated that first half. The hosts may rue some missed opportunities if Ulster can turn things around in the second 40.
Cooney misses a relatively straightforward conversion.
TRY! ULSTER! COONEY! 15-5. The maul doesn't go perfectly but after a few phases on the Lions line, Cooney gets the ball down.
Ulster win the penalty after 12 phases. They will go for touch, the clock is already in the red.
Lions get called back for a forward pass. Scrum on halfway to Ulster, can they hit back before the break? There is a blindside of about 15 meters.
Morgan kicks it dead for Ulster and the Lions get another scrum inside Ulster territory. The visitors really need to get through to the break here, they look out on their feet.
CONVERSION! WOLHUTER! 15-0. Wolhuter slots this from a tough angle.
TRY! LIONS! F. HORN! 13-0. The Lions are patient with the maul and it pays off.
Penalty to the Lions as Ulster infringe at the lineout. The lineout will now be on Ulster's 5m line. Can the hosts score?
Ulster keep making errors which is keeping the Lions on attack. Being only 8-0 down at this point is probably a positive for the visitors.
Lions are trying to up the pace of the game with offloads, but a few handling errors are starting to slip in which is allowing Ulster to clear their lines.
A minor kicking battle which Cooney does well to win for Ulster. Lions lineout on halfway.
Ulster with a chance to attack here. They have a lineout midway between the Lions 10m line and 22.
Lions make a handing error after a few phase attack that went nowhere. We will have a one minute water break and restart with a scrum just outside Ulster's 22.
Ulster defend the maul well and get the scrum on their 5m line. The visitors are looking a bit tired already, the heat and altitude is already kicking in.
Ulster get turned over on attack on the Lions 22. Horn thumps it up field and it rolls out for a 50/22 about seven meters from Ulster's line. What a superb kick.
Lions win another scrum penalty, Jonker taps quick and makes good meters. Unfortunately the support isn't there and Ulster win a turnover penalty.
Morgan overhits the kick off and the ball goes dead. Scrum on halfway to the Lions. The visitors are compounding errors here.
PENALTY! LIONS! WOLHUTER! 8-0. Wolhuter slots this from straight in front.
Lions taking control now as Ulster give a sequence of penalties away. This time the Lions will kick for goal.
From the kick off, Lions set up a maul and Ulster collapse for a penalty. Wolhuter's touch isn't great as it remains inside the hosts half.
Wolhuter hits the post with the conversion attempt.
TRY! LIONS! MAXWANE! 5-0. Botha breaks down the blindside as the ref calls use it from a maul. He pops it onto Maxwane who goes over in the corner.
Scrum penalty to the Lions on their own 22. Wolhuter finds touch on halfway.
Kok makes good meters off the scrum but a little knock hands possession back to the hosts. Quite a few errors in the game already.
Disappointing for Wolhuter as the flyhalf overhits his kick. Scrum to Ulster on the Lions 22.
Kok gives away a penalty as he plays Nohamba at a ruck. Wolhuter finds touch midway between Ulster's 10m line and 22.
The Lions are given an opportunity as Ulster knock it on from kick off. But the hosts fail to take advantage and Ulster win a penalty on the ground.
KICK OFF! 0-0. The Lions get us underway as Horn launches it high into the clear Johannesburg skies.
Ulster have won all three previous encounters against the Lions, beating the South Africa side 24-17 at home last season. Their last encounter at Ellis Park saw Ulster win 39-37 back in 2022.
Kick off is at 12:55 SAST today. Ulster will be buoyed by their home win against defending champions, Glasgow last weekend, but whether they can back that intensity up on the highveld today remains to be seen.
Match officials: Our referee is Sam Grove-White from Scotland. He will be assisted by South Africans, AJ Jacobs and Henru van Rooyen. The TMO is Keith David from Wales.
Ulster: 15 Ethan McIlroy, 14 Werner Kok, 13 Stewart Moore, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Aidan Morgan, 9 John Cooney,8 Nick Timoney,7 Sean Reffell, 6 Matty Rea, 5 Alan O’Connor (captain), 4 Kieran Treadwell, 3 Tom O’Toole, 2 John Andrew, 1 Andrew Warwick.
Replacements: 16 James McCormick, 17 Eric O’Sullivan, 18 Corrie Barrett, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 James McNabney, 21 Nathan Doak, 22 Mike Lowry, 23 David McCann.
Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Rabz Maxwane, 13 Erich Cronje, 12 Rynhardt Jonker, 11 Tapiwa Mafura, 10 Kade Wolhuter, 9 Sanele Nohamba, 8 Francke Horn (captain), 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Jarod Cairns, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Reinhard Nothnagel, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 Pieter Botha, 1 Morgan Naudé.
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 Conraad van Vuuren, 19 Ruben Schoeman, 20 Siba Qoma, 21 Renzo du Plessis, 22 Nico Steyn, 23 Henco van Wyk.
This is the opening game of the new season for the Lions after all South African sides had a rest last week due to the Currie Cup Final.
Good afternoon and welcome to Emirates Airlines Park for our coverage of this United Rugby Championship clash between the Lions and Ulster.
