The second interprovincial showdown of the weekend saw Ulster put an end to their losing streak in the RaboDirect PRO12, with tries from Craig Gilroy, Tom Court and Ian Humphreys contributing to a 22-3 victory over Connacht.
Ulster welcomed back Rory Best and Stephen Ferris for their first starts of the season, with World Cup winner John Afoa making his provincial debut alongside Best in the front row.
Connacht captain Gavin Duffy had newcomer David McSharry alongside him in the centre, with ex-Ulster back rower Thomas Anderson a notable inclusion in the westerners’ much-changed starting line-up.
A strong start from the home side saw Connacht pinged for going off their feet at a second minute ruck, allowing Ian Humphreys to open the scoring with a penalty from the right.
Connacht were penalised again moments later for collapsing a scrum on halfway, and with Humphreys electing to kick for touch, the Johann Muller-led home pack built constructively from the lineout until their advances were blighted by a knock.
The game took a fractious turn on the 10-minute mark, with a bout of fisticuffs between the forwards earning a reprimand for the captains from referee John Lacey.
Connacht seemed to settle down more quickly from the restart, and their fit-again out-half Miah Nikora brought them level after 16 minutes with a well-struck penalty.
Ulster’s response was spirited, an opportunist dash from Paul Marshall creating space in the middle of the park and fashioning a try-scoring chance which eventually evaporated with a knock on from Ferris close to the line.
Ulster continued to apply good pressure, but a further Connacht indiscretion on the half hour mark went unpunished as Humphreys’ shot at the posts spiralled wide.
He did well though just moments later to collect a poorly-thrown low pass, but yet another fumble within the Ulster ranks cut short the attack.
Three minutes, and one further handling error in a promising position later, Ulster finally broke the deadlock thanks to prolific winger Craig Gilroy who touched down on the left after a patient build-up.
Humphreys, whose neat pass put Gilroy over, failed to convert from an acute angle but, at 8-3 in front at half-time, the hosts had the lead their superior possession and territorial advantage deserved.
A steal from the alert Best as the Connacht forwards hesitated from Humphreys’ restart had Eric Elwood’s men under pressure again.
With Ulster camped metres from the try-line and recycling well, it was only a matter of time before the try was registered. Prop Tom Court was the man to apply the finishing touch in the 42nd minute, and this time Humphreys converted to extend the lead to 12 points.
With McLaughlin’s charges now firmly in the ascendancy, a third try was only prevented by a dropped ball. They came close again on the hour mark with strong offensive running from Simon Danielli and Paddy Wallace in particular.
A brief Connacht resurgence followed, which Ulster contained well before launching a final onslaught with five minutes remaining.
They failed, however, to add any further points to the scoreboard until the very last play of the match when Humphreys forced his way through a gap in the tiring Connacht rearguard to touch down between the posts. His conversion was the final kick of another hard-fought encounter in Belfast.
While far from being a vintage performance, the timely win will give Ulster added confidence for next Saturday’s Heineken Cup opener against French outfit Clermont Auvergne.
Connacht, who begin their European campaign away to Harlequins next Friday, can take heart from their defence in the first half, the displays of half-backs Nikora and Paul O’Donohoe and a pack that performed well as a unit.
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