Win encourages Ulster for Celtic Cup

Ulster 22 Stade Francais 20

Celtic League leaders Ulster handed Stade Francais their third Heineken Cup defeat on Belfast soil in five years tonight as a second-half try from replacement full-back Paddy Wallace and 14 points from David Humphreys gave them their first Pool One points of the competition.

A rejuvenated Ulster, also lining up next Saturday against Edinburgh in the Celtic Cup final, came back from a 17-12 deficit to rescue their European hopes.

Starting into heavy drizzle, the home side traded early blows with Stade, who started with 12 full internationals, as out-half David Humphreys exchanged penalties with opposite number Diego Dominguez.

Humphreys punished a mistake from Argentinian full-back Ignacio Corletto on 14 minutes in front of the posts for a 6-3 lead.

Unbeaten in their previous seven Heineken Cup games at their Belfast home, Ulster slumped for the next quarter of an hour, crucially gifting the game’s first try to the French side’s left winger Mirco Bergamasco.

Their luck seemed out when a lazy Dominguez penalty strike from 28 metres drifted over off the cross bar in the 18th minute.

A poor run-out from his own line by Ulster full-back Bryn Cunningham resulted in a Stade turnover 10 metres short of the line four minutes later, and with a three-to-one overlap the Italian international Bergamasco ghosted over in the corner.

Dominguez missed the conversion but increased his control on the game shortly before the break, and despite the concession of a third Humphreys penalty.

Had it not been for ill discipline, the visitors should have increased their lead but solid defence from Ulster, including an injury-time line-out steal from lock Rowan Frost near their line, saw them just two points down going into the second half.

Humphreys cancelled out an opportunist Brian Liebenburg drop goal four minutes into the second half, with a penalty short of the 50th minute for an Arnaud Marchois infringement.

The Irish out-half looked to have sent his back line through for their first try of the competition soon after but centre Stewart’s offload to the encroaching Tyrone Howe was too low, causing the 2001 Lion to lose it forward with the line inside the Stade 22.

A fifth success from Humphreys’ right boot put two points between them going into the final quarter following another Dominguez penalty, but the game twisted towards the home side when replacement full-back Wallace rocketed through the lapsed Stade cover from just outside the 22 to touchdown with 16 minutes remaining.

The Humphreys conversion was followed by three more points for Dominguez after 76 minutes but Ulster ran out impressive winners.