Ulster power keeps play-offs in sight

Ulster kept themselves in the race for the RaboDirect Pro12 play-offs by chalking up their fifth win from their last six league games against an under-strength Edinburgh outfit.

Sep Visser drew first blood with the opening try for Edinburgh after only four minutes, but the home side soon overpowered their visitors and had established a 21-8 advantage by the interval before going on to claim a convincing victory.

The Scottish side were out of the blocks early and showed an intent to play with width, which seemed to catch Ulster napping and directly led to Sep Visser being worked clear on the right to cross for the game’s first try.

Phil Godman missed the tricky conversion and then Ruan Pienaar did the same with Ulster’s first scoring chance with a sixth-minute penalty shot.

But the home side struck next with a wonderfully-taken try which came after Craig Gilroy decided to end a period of aerial ping-pong by running out of his own 22. Pienaar’s long pass put Adam D’Arcy into some space and then took the return, drew the cover and fed Paul Marshall.

The Ulster scrum-half stepped inside the last tackler to score at the posts, giving Pienaar the easy extras to put Ulster in the lead 7-5.

With the home side now firmly in control it was little surprise that they scored again, this time the forwards churning their way towards the posts with John Afoa’s pass opening up the chance which Stefan Terblanche took, even though referee Nigel Owens sought out the TMO for confirmation.

Pienaar then kicked an excellent conversion which put Ulster 14-5 up.

The home team could have scored twice in quick succession soon after but butchered both chances, though the next one was nailed after Marshall broke free down the blindside wing of an Ulster scrum near their own line just after Tom Brown had nearly scored from a Godman cross-kick.

The net result was another sweeping move down the pitch and Pienaar’s inside pass put D’Arcy over under the posts, with the South African’s formality of a conversion taking it to 21-5, though Edinburgh did reply on the stroke of half-time through a Godman penalty.

Godman slotted another penalty straight after the restart to cut Ulster’s lead to 10 points, but the game was then halted for five minutes as Ulster replacement Michael McComish was carried off on a stretcher.

From the restart though, Ulster were awarded a penalty try after several scrums under Edinburgh’s posts and the bonus-point score was also converted by Pienaar.

But Ulster were not finished yet and replacement Chris Cochrane got over for the home side’s fifth try after they quickly moved a penalty on Edinburgh’s line, although Pienaar was wide with the conversion.

With the win well secured, Edinburgh’s Tim Visser made it over in the left corner with the TMO being consulted and awarding the score which Godman failed to convert.

But Ulster had the final say as Ian Humphreys got over in the right corner in the game’s last play, with Pienaar’s conversion hitting the post and staying out.

Scorers for Ulster: Tries: P Marshall, Terblanche, D’Arcy, Penalty, Cochrane, Humphreys. Cons: Pienaar 4.

Edinburgh scorers: Tries: S Visser, T Visser. Pens: Godman 2.

ULSTER: D’Arcy, Gilroy, Whitten, Wallace, Terblanche, Pienaar, P Marshall, McAllister, Kyriacou, Afoa, Stevenson, Tuohy, Wannenburg, W Faloon, Diack, McComish.

Replacements: Cochrane for D’Arcy (60), L Marshall for Whitten (70), Humphreys for P Marshall (52), Black for McAllister (51), Brady for Kyriacou (52), Macklin for Afoa (64), McComish for Wannenburg (12), McComb for McComish (46).

EDINBURGH: T Brown, S Visser, Scott, Houston, T Visser, Godman, Leck, Traynor, Kelly, Gamboa, Gilchrist, Cox, McInally, Grant, Talei.

Replacements: Paterson for T Brown (70), Leonard for Houston (60), Black for Leck (60), Gilding for Traynor (60), Walker for Kelly (52), McAlpine for Gilchrist (40).

Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales).