Despite falling short against Irish side Ulster in what can be described as a much-improved performance, the Emirates Lions are on track to being competitive in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship (VURC).

The Lions put on an impressive defensive effort against Ulster in front of a 10 000- strong Kingspan Stadium. Complimenting those efforts, an exciting passage of attacking play in the first half led to five-pointer by right-winger Stean Pienaar, putting the visitors within two points in the early stages of the contest.

“It’s been a tough four weeks on tour, but the guys can take pride in the strides we’ve made as a group, especially against Glasgow Warriors last week and today against a very good Ulster side,” said captain Burger Odendaal.

Thank you, Belfast ????@Vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/ubZTpPj1GU

— Emirates Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) October 15, 2021

“We often find ourselves making mistakes at crucial moments after a sustained period of pressure, however I believe it’s something we can work on as the tournament progresses,” he concluded.

With round 6 and 7 of the VURC set to take place in South Africa on 28 November and 4 December respectively, the Emirates Lions are backing themselves to collect points at Emirates Airline Park.