Ulster pounded Italian visitors Zebre to the tune of ten tries at Kingspan Stadium, elevating the province to fourth place in the GUINNESS PRO12 on 57 points – four clear of the Scarlets with five games left to play.
Five tries in a pulsating first half from Luke Marshall (2), Ruan Pienaar, Charles Piutau and Jacob Stockdale simply blew the Italians away and, as Ulster refused to let up in the second period, further scores rained in from Craig Gilroy, Piutau again, John Andrew, Stuart Olding and Paul Marshall.
The all-new centre partnership of Stockdale and Marshall accounted for two of five personnel changes implemented by director of rugby Les Kiss, while the remainder of the back-line was unchanged from last week’s victory over Benetton Treviso – albeit with Jared Payne shifting to full-back and Olding to out-half.
Gilroy and Piutau, also a scorer in the last round, continued on the wings, while Pienaar started once again at scrum half.
Lock Alan O’Connor and flankers Robbie Diack and Chris Henry were the new additions to a pack in which an unchanged front row of Callum Black, Rob Herring and Wiehahn Herbst lined up ahead of O’Connor and Kieran Treadwell. Marcell Coetzee earned his fourth cap at number 8 between the two Ireland internationals.
Man-of-the-match Olding made his presence felt early on, his darting run through the middle drawing a high tackle from Gideon Koegelenberg which saw the flanker yellow-carded. Marshall then powered over from the out-half’s pass after several minutes of resistance from the Italians.
After Serafin Bordoli had drawn a blank with a long range penalty, a fantastic combination between lock Quintin Geldenhuys and prop Andrea de Marchi culminated in a fine try for the loosehead, who showed a great turn of pace in the race for the line.
No sooner had Bordoli converted, however, than Marshall was helping himself to a second try after quick hands from Piutau and Payne on the left wing.
The third score followed in quick succession, Piutau and Olding this time hooking up down the left flank for Pienaar to apply the finishing touches. Moments later it appeared that Marshall had notched up a 20-minute hat-trick, only for the TMO to rightly overrule the try, with the centre a good metre offside as Payne kicked on the ball he eventually grounded.
Although deprived of Coetzee, who injured his knee on 20 minutes and was replaced by Clive Ross, Ulster pressed on, and the left flank once again proved a happy hunting ground six minutes later. Piutau touched down for the bonus point off a beautiful reverse pass from Payne which effectively eliminated three Zebre defenders.
The Italians must have feared the worst three minutes later when Diack seized on a loose ball halfway between their 10-metre line and the 22, and although their forwards were able to slow play down in the first instance, there was no stopping Stockdale when he burst through at pace as Ulster recycled.
Leading 35-7 at the break, the only real doubt as the second half opened was whether Ulster could sustain such high tempo rugby for another 40 minutes – and this was evidently Marshall and Piutau’s intention as they tore down the left once more on 42 minutes; the move breaking down just metres from the line with a misplaced pass from the Ballymena man.
It was not long, however, before the try tally hit seven, Gilroy waltzing over on the right from Pienaar’s pass before Piutau capitalised on a dropped ball from winger Lloyd Greeff right on his own try-line for surely the easiest score he will touch down in the white jersey.
Multiple changes ensued, including Paul Marshall on for Pienaar, and the scrum half was instrumental in a 53rd minute try for fellow replacement John Andrew, unselfishly picking out the hooker metres from home after deftly retrieving Gilroy’s kick through.
With the province’s all-time Celtic League record victory, a 67-15 defeat of Caerphilly in 2002, now a realistic target, Marshall thought he had touched down try number eight on the hour mark, only for the TMO to adjudge that Ulster had gained an unfair advantage with Ross detaching early from the scrum.
To their credit Zebre pushed well for a 68th minute try from Guillermo Roan, but Ulster were still not done, Olding weaving through a gap in the centre of the Italian rearguard a minute later for a try which his performance had richly deserved.
Paul Marshall added the tenth in his trademark opportunist style as the Zebre defence slumbered, but a late consolation from Greeff ensured that record 52-point victory will endure a while longer. Next up for Ulster is a round 18 trip to the Newport Gwent Dragons in two weeks’ time.
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