Laboured Ulster do enough
But they nearly threw everything away when the Welshman stormed back at the end.
However, with a first-half penalty try, aided by a superb effort from Paddy Wallace and a Ruan Pienaar conversion and penalty, Ulster were worthy winners, despite slipping behind to an early Joe Bearman try.
Ulster did most of the early pressing, with Nevin Spence in the thick of the action with his bustling runs in midfield. But that all changed in the 12th minute when Ulster number eight Pedrie Wannenburg was harshly yellow-carded when Ospreys’ scrum-half Kahn Fotuali’i ran into him at a quick tap penalty.
Two minutes later the extra man counted when the Welsh number eight Bearman crashed over near the posts with Dan Biggar converting.
As in last week’s defeat in Cardiff, a lethargic Ulster were guilty of errors galore, which allowed them little chance to get any momentum even though they spent most of the first period in the opposition half.
They were rewarded for a lot of huff and puff through a Ruan Pienaar penalty in the 31st minute while another long-range effort from the Ulster fly-half clipped the underside of the crossbar.
However, Ulster got points on the board that their encampment in the Ospreys red zone deserved in first-half injury-time. They were, though, fortuitously awarded a penalty try when Biggar patted the ball away under his own posts when Ulster looked very menacing. Pienaar converted and Biggar was yellow-carded for his deliberate knock-on.
Like their opponents, Ulster made that extra man count when they scored a smashing second try in the 48th minute with Wallace touching down in the left-hand corner after superbly-controlled work by the pack before the ball was flashed wide.
Twice Ulster could have stretched their lead only for some frenetic scrambling defence by the visitors, particularly they way they managed to stop Ian Whitten charging in at the corner.
The Ospreys found great difficulty getting out of their own half as Ulster finally got their act together, but without the necessary killer punch.
They nearly paid for that at the end when tricky winner Eli Walker danced through some powder-puff tackles to score at the death.
Ulster scorers: Tries: Penalty, Wallace Pen: Pienaar; Con: Pienaar
Ospreys scores: Tries: Bearman, Walker, Cons: Biggar 2
ULSTER: S Terblanche; C Gilroy (Danielli, 63, D’Arcy, 73), N Spence, P Wallace, I Whitten; R Pienaar, P Marshall; P McAllister (Black, 72), A Kyriacou (Brady, 72), J Afoa, L Stevenson (Barker, 70), D Tuohy, C Henry, capt, W Faloon, P Wannenburg (Diack, 53).
OSPREYS: R Fussell (Morgan, 63); H Dirksen, A Bishop, S Watermeyer (Beck, 54), E Walker; D Biggar, K Fotuali’I (Webb, 66); D Jones (Bevington, 46), S Baldwin (Davies, 74), J Rees, I Gough Thomas, 50), J King, T Smith, capt, S Lewis, J Bearman (Stowers, 63).
Referee: Neil Hennessey (WRU).
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
