Henco Venter put in a powerful display and went over for Glasgow's seconds try

Warriors looked like they had done enough to open their URC title defence with a win but conceded a penalty in the closing seconds to give Ulster field position. The hosts pressurised the Warriors line and it resulted in Dave Shanahan going over to steal the victory.

It had been a tight game throughout with Glasgow moving 12-10 ahead at the break through Johnny Matthews and Henco Venter tries - Aidan Morgan's score and Nathan Doak's penalty the hosts' response.

David McCann and Steyn then traded tries in the last 10 minutes as the visitors appeared to have secured the win, but Shanahan had the final word for Ulster.

Despite the last-gasp loss, head coach Franco Smith was upbeat after the match.

"I'm proud of the boys," said Smith. "If we have to lose a game, this is the way to do it. We fought. Yes, we managed the last two minutes badly. But the way we fought, even with the two yellow cards down, I was really proud.

"There were two turning points. One just before half-time where we should have got better from the maul. We should have scored there. Then there was the try that was chalked off which could have taken us to 19-12. It would have changed the whole thing.

"I cannot be unhappy with a team where 14 boys were playing for the first time after the final last year. I'm proud of the application of their hearts and the physical ability to stay in the fight.

"We should also not underestimate Ulster here. They were up for it. They were always going to play like that against last year's champion - credit where credit's due."

When asked about injury concerns after the physical encounter, Smith said: "Matt [Fagerson] is the only one. He's got a shot on his hip pointer. Usually it's about a week or two for something like that, but if we're lucky, he might even recover in time to be in contention next week.

"Again, it's the start of the season. We'll manage the players so that we have them fit and ready for all the games."