Ulster fell short of derailing Saracens’ 100% Champions Cup run at Allianz Park, with scores from Luke Marshall and Ian Humphreys no match for yet another four-try display from Mark McCall’s impressive side.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: SARACENS 33 ULSTER 17
Saracens, with four winning bonus points from five pool matches, secured a home quarter-final while Ulster must defeat Oyonnax next Saturday – preferably with a bonus point of their own – to give themselves a fighting chance of making it to the last-eight of Europe’s premier club tournament.
As things stand Ulster sit as the third best runners-up on 13 points, but with fellow quarter-final hopefuls, Northampton and Toulon, still to complete their round 5 matches, everything will be to play for in next weekend’s final round.
The seasonal debut of Jared Payne, returning from the foot injury he sustained at the Rugby World Cup, was one of four personnel changes to the back-line that started against Oyonnax, with only the centre partnership of Marshall and Stuart McCloskey retained.
Craig Gilroy moved from full-back to his preferred position on the left wing, with Andrew Trimble returning to the right flank, and the first choice pairing of Paddy Jackson and Ruan Pienaar reinstated at half-back.
Up front there were three new faces as Wiehahn Herbst returned at tighthead prop to join Kyle McCall and captain Rory Best in the front row, Alan O’Connor combined with Franco van der Merwe in the second row, and Sean Reidy replaced the injured Chris Henry at flanker, with Robbie Diack and Roger Wilson completing the back row.
Ulster came into the game needing to take something away from Allianz Park, with the other pools’ second-placed sides Clermont Auvergne (14 points from five matches), Northampton Saints (10 from four), Stade Francais (14 from five) and Toulon (12 from four) all too close for comfort when only the best three runners-up will progress to the quarter-finals.
Saracens, who suffered their very first defeat of the season last week to Harlequins in the Aviva Premiership, raced into an early lead courtesy of man-of-the-match Owen Farrell’s second-minute penalty.
However, the sheer power of the Ulster centre tandem got the visitors deep into the 22 from the restart and as their backs piled forward, Payne picked a perfect grubber kick towards the corner from 10 metres out which Marshall dived on for a very well-worked try.
Jackson converted and with his opposite number’s boot misfiring in the ninth minute, Sarries had to wait until the start of the second quarter to get back on the scoresheet, Farrell slotting over from a central position after an Ulster offside.
The England international’s next attempt off the tee, on 25 minutes, struck an Ulster upright and when Ben Ransom fumbled a kick in his 22 and prompted Michael Rhodes to infringe with hands in the ruck, only poor throwing at the lineout prevented Ulster’s progress.
Jackson pulled a penalty of his own wide on 32 minutes when he looked odds-on to extend the lead from 30 metres out, and once Herbst had limped off with an apparent ankle injury, replaced by Ricky Lutton, Saracens bossed a five-metre rolling maul to let Billy Vunipola in for the opening try, converted by Farrell to establish a 13-7 lead at the break.
A penalty to touch early in the second period got Ulster a five-metre lineout and when Jamie George and Petrus du Plessis conspired to collapse the rolling maul, Jackson slotted over from the 22 to bring his side back to within three points.
Nonetheless, Farrell responded in kind moments later and as the English league leaders began to turn the screw on the 50-minute mark, a fantastic ‘show and go’ from the out-half cut out three Ulster defenders and created the space for Duncan Taylor to touch down off the left wing, the try going unconverted.
Trailing by 11 points, Ulster began to flounder and new England call-up Maro Itoje popped up with a close range try on the hour before Gilroy found himself sin-binned for failing to roll away. The numerical advantage was quickly capitalised on by the now rampant Saracens, replacement hooker Schalk Brits powering through tackles and rolling over the line for the bonus effort which Farrell converted.
Ian Humphreys grabbed a consolation try on 70 minutes as the replacement out-half intercepted on his own 22 and kept lone chaser Chris Wyles at a safe distance to run a full 80 metres for the score.
It was very much a case of too little, too late for Ulster, though, with Les Kiss’ men now having it all to do next Saturday when they welcome a resurgent Oyonnax – 32-14 victors over Toulouse this afternoon – to Kingspan Stadium.
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