Ulster hopes sinking fast

Gloucester 55 Ulster 13

The Pool Six standings show Mark McCall’s side in third place, just a point behind Gloucester, but in this case the statistics hide the truth. Ulster’s performance at Kingsholm on Saturday was so poor that it’s difficult to imagine them winning any of their remaining pool games.

Perhaps they’ll put up some sort of a fight in their remaining Ravenhill fixtures against Stade Francais and Gloucester but the quality just isn’t there to seriously challenge the top two.

Bar a ten minute spell in the middle of the first-half on Saturday, a period in which a David Humphreys try and conversion had them briefly ahead, Gloucester, with Duncan McRae and Henry Paul expertly pulling the strings, were thoroughly dominant. Their pack won the forward battle hands down but it was period immediately before the break that ultimately decided the match.

With Ulster trailing by just two points and needing to get half-time without conceding any points, they gifted the home side two tries.

David Humphreys was the culprit on both occasions.

First he saw his ill-judged pass intercepted by McRae for a 60-yard run-in and then he knocked-on inside his own 22 which gave the home side a scrum from which Jon Goodridge ultimately crossed the line.

From there, Ulster simply rolled over and allowed the home side, cheered on by their tremendous support, to trample all over them.

Paul and McRae both had excellent games, while up-front Phil Vickery tormented Simon Best in the front-row.

Gloucester’s four tries in that second-period almost came at their leisure. Christo Bezuidenhout crossed after a rolling maul, James Simpson-Daniel followed after another intercept from another lazy Humphreys pass, while Adam Balding and Marcel Garvey both crossed in injury-time to rub salt into Ulster’s gaping wounds.

Meanwhile, former Harlequins and Swansea flanker Tu Tamarua has signed for Ulster on a one-year contract and could be thrown into next Saturday’s Celtic League tie against Munster at Ravenhill.

GLOUCESTER: J Goodridge; M Garvey, T Fanolua, H Paul, J Simpson-Daniel; D McRae, A Gomarsall; C Bezuidenhout, C Fortey, P Vickery (capt), A Eustace, A Brown, P Buxton, A Hazell, J Forrester Replacements: N Mauger for McRae, 50 mins; M Cornwall for Eustace, 51 mins; J Bailey for Fanolua, 68 mins, A Azam for Fortey, 68 mins; A Balding for Brown, 70 mins; G Powell for Vickery, 78 mins.

ULSTER: B Cunningham; T Bowe, K Maggs, P Steinmetz, T Howe; D Humphreys, N Doak; S Best, N Brady, R Moore, G Longwell, M McCullough, A Ward (capt), N Best, R Wilson Replacements: R Frost for Longwell, 44 mins; P Shields for Brady, 44 mins; P Wallace for Humphreys, 65 mins; R McCormack for Best, 77 mins; A Larkin for Wallace, 77 mins; K Campbell for Doak, 78 mins; C Feather for Ward, 84 mins.

Referee: Eric Darriere (France).