Kok settling in well on and off the field at Ulster

Werner Kok signed a two-year deal with Ulster after leaving the Sharks this summer

As introductions go, Werner Kok made quite the first impression in an Ulster jersey.

Named as a replacement for Saturday's opening-round United Rugby Championship victory over Glasgow Warriors, the South African says he struggled to sit still waiting for his opportunity off the bench.

When called upon in the 58th minute, his first touch on the ball saw him run over sizeable visiting centre Sione Tuipolotu with the clip quickly doing the rounds on social media.

"I've been going with 'he slipped'," laughed the 31-year-old of the eye-catching collision.

"I really just wanted to get the ball in my hands. You want to put your stamp down."

While that brought his new fans to their feet, some at Kingspan Stadium had already nailed their colours to the mast with blond wigs dotted around the stands in tribute to the new signing.

Pictured with one such supporter after the game, Kok is hoping the trend spreads across the terraces this season.

"I didn't expect my twin! Hopefully he comes out every time with the hair.

"It was pretty special. The crowd was so 'vibey', you can't really hear each other on the pitch."

Off the pitch, Kok and his wife have been settling well in Belfast. Mike Lowry was on hand with a three-page guide of local recommendations for his new team-mate, with Kok now keen to learn more about the history of his new home.

"[Lowry] hasn't even done half of it. There's still a whole page that we've to get to," he said.

"I really want to get into the culture side of things, to really know what Belfast is all about.

"Mike told me about the black taxi tours and said they speak about the history of what went on in Northern Ireland."

While in a new country, Kok did arrive with some local knowledge as he walks a well-worn path. Plenty of former Sharks have come to call Ulster home over the past 15 years with Ruan Pienaar, Johann Muller and Marcell Coetzee chief among them.

Kok also reached out to former Springbok Duane Vermeulen who played for Ulster between 2021 and 2023.

"Before I came I spoke to Duane and Ruan Pienaar, I heard a lot of his stories.

"Marcell Coetzee who was here, his father actually messaged me to say if I came it would be the best decision I'd make in my rugby career.

"They spoke so highly of Belfast and Ulster. That just sealed the deal for me."

Kok played his part in Ulster's comeback victory over Glasgow Warriors last weekend

A quirk of the fixture list ensures that Kok's first away trip as an Ulster player will take him back to South Africa as Richie Murphy's side meet the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday and the Bulls in Pretoria seven days later.

While hoping to get one over on his Lions supporting in-laws first up, the former World Sevens player of the year admitted he feels no great rush to get home so early into his Ulster spell.

Amid reports of potential changes to the URC and the South African involvement, he does, however, believe that such cross-hemisphere fixtures have been a huge help to back-to-back world champions, the Springboks.

"I think it would pretty bad if we can't stay in it. When I say we, I mean South Africans.

"For the South African teams, it's been a great opportunity to play against European teams. You can see it in the Springboks.

"They play the Rugby Championship against Australia and New Zealand and get the opportunity in the URC to play against European teams.

"It makes South Africans so much better and gets them ready for international games and World Cups."