Three-Try Salvo Keeps Ulster On Track

A flash of individual brilliance from Craig Gilroy was the catalyst for a crucial Ulster win over the Scarlets at Kingspan Stadium, with further tries from Luke Marshall and Ruan Pienaar following in quick succession to secure a 25-20 victory.

The four points keep Ulster right in contention for a GUINNESS PRO12 play-off place with six rounds still to contest, as they sit second in the table on 52 points, just behind Glasgow Warriors and ahead of Munster and Leinster – although the Scots and the Munstermen are still to play this weekend in Saturday evening’s all-important clash at Irish Independent Park.

As Ian Humphreys ran out tonight for his 100th cap in provincial colours, three personnel changes saw Luke Marshall take over from the suspended Stuart McCloskey at inside centre, Dan Tuohy return to the second row from injury and Clive Ross replace Mike McComish at openside flanker.

The first half was a poor spectacle with three goal kicks from eight missed, and the only real try-scoring opportunity came the way of the Scarlets thanks to an Ulster error.

After the visitors had done well to intercept from a sixth minute line break by Darren Cave, Steve Shingler just failed to open their account from wide on the Ulster 10-metre line when Nick Williams was penalised for holding onto the ball too long in the tackle. The out-half had a second bite at the cherry moments later, however, and this time hit the target from a less acute angle.

Missed penalty attempts from Ruan Pienaar on 14 minutes then Shingler again five minutes later did little to kickstart a somewhat sluggish start to the game, and indeed the Belfast crowd had to wait until the 24th minute to herald the first home points, dispatched from in front of the posts by Pienaar.

Shingler added a second successful penalty just before the half hour mark but, as the Scarlets played themselves into trouble with a hesitant clearance of the Ulster restart, flanker James Davies infringed at the breakdown to present Pienaar with three easy points.

Then a poor pass from Humphreys to Cave, as Ulster built a promising break with men over, gifted possession to Scarlets number 8 John Barclay. The Scot ran over unopposed from the left wing for the simplest of tries on 37 minutes, which Shingler converted for a 13-6 scoreline at the break.

It took just five minutes of the second period for Gilroy to consign the disappointment of the first half to memory, as the winger picked up a Scarlets clearance from deep and proceeded to slalom his way through half-a-dozen attempted challenges for an outstanding individual try.

Although the Pienaar conversion looped wide, a rejuvenated Ulster wrenched possession back soon after the restart thanks to alert work from Rob Herring and as play spread from right to left, Humphreys went some way to atoning for his earlier mistake with an exceptional flipped pass to Marshall, outfoxing the Welsh defence to such an extent that the centre enjoyed a virtually clear path to the whitewash.

Pienaar converted and with Ulster chances now coming thick and fast, the scrum half’s 53rd-minute combination with the lively Michael Allen almost produced try number three, but for a desperate tackle bringing him down a metre from the line.

The Springbok had only a matter of minutes to wait before his next chance however, as Williams scooped the ball into his hands out of the back of a dominant Ulster scrum, and he dashed over for a well-deserved score which he converted himself for a 25-13 lead .

To their credit, the Scarlets spent the next 10 minutes of the game pushing and probing in Ulster territory, but staunch defence kept their advances at bay and with newcomer Mike Stanley making his bow on 73 minutes, the stage seemed to be set for a grandstand finish with the potential of a bonus point. 

It was not to be, however, as Ulster relinquished possession in the middle of the pitch several times over, and Scarlets replacement Kristian Phillips capitalised on a quick restart to touch down in the corner on 78 minutes. Shingler added the extras with the last kick of the match.

Next up for Ulster are two more matches against Welsh opposition, away to the Newport Gwent Dragons on Sunday week (March 8) before the visit of Cardiff Blues on Friday, March 27.