Heineken European Cup: Ulster lose to Wasps

Ulster’s hopes of advancing into the knockout stages of the Heineken European Cup are hanging on by a thread after they went down by 36 points to 32 against London Wasps today.

Ulster staged a magnificent come-back in the closing stages of the game at Loftus Road but unfortunately left it too late despite closing a 17-point gap down to a single point at one stage with just minutes remaining.

The match had looked beyond Ulster’s grasp in the second half, particularly after out-half David Humphreys had to limp off when he injured his ankle earlier in the match.

However, youngster Paddy Wallace proved an able replacement and it was his drop goal that brought the Irish side to within a point at 32-31 following a brilliant pair of tries from captain Andy Ward and substitute Ryan Constable.

The match looked within Ulster’s grasp at that stage as they remained camped on the Wasps’ line, but poor discipline and silly mistakes at crucial moments led to a further penalty to Wasps, which was duly converted, putting the game beyond Ulster.