Pienaar rescues Ulster

ULSTER left it late to rekindle their hopes of reaching the Magners League play-offs, with Ruan Pienaar kicking an injury-time winner in Wales.

The former Springbok scored all of Ulster’s points with the boot, including an 81st-minute effort from a yard inside his own half. The Irish province remain sixth in the table but closed the gap to the Ospreys to a single point.

It was hard luck on the Scarlets who scored the game’s only try, albeit a penalty, and the evening will have dented Tom Court’s hopes of ousting Cian Healy from the Ireland number one jersey to face Scotland next week.

The hosts had led the match since a 22nd-minute penalty try and were indebted to 11 points from the boot of Rhys Priestland.

Scorers for Scarlets: Penalty try; R Priestland con, 2 pens, drp gl.

Scorers for Ulster: R Pienaar 6 pens.

SCARLETS: D Evans; G Maule; R King, S Williams; S Lamont; R Priestland, M Roberts; I Thomas (c), E Phillips, R Thomas, V Cooper, L Reed, R McCusker, J Turnbull, B Morgan.

Replacements: R Lawrence for E Phillips (46), J Fa’amatuainu for V Cooper (46), T Knoyle for M Roberts (46), J Edwards for Fa’amatuainu (63), S Gardiner on for R Thomas (65).

ULSTER: A D’Arcy; A Trimble, N Spence, P Wallace, C Gilroy; I Humphreys, R Pienaar; Tom Court, A Kyriacou, D Fitzpatrick, J Muller, T Barker, TJ Anderson, C Henry, P Wannenburg.

Replacements: R Diack on for TJ Andreson (50), S Danielli for A D’Arcy (50), P Marshall for P Jackson (50), N Brady on for A Kyriacou (56), J Cronin for D Fitzpatrick (65), R Caldwell for T Barker (65)

Referee: Andy Macpherson (SRU).