Ospreys blitz too much for Ulster

Ulster 24 Neath-Swansea 37

A four-try second half blitz from the Ospreys with Gavin Henson steady with the boot blew Ulster away at Ravenhill as the Welsh outfit grabbed five points to put them back at the top of the Celtic League.

Trailing 14-0 at the break the visitors knuckled down and with a Shane Williams try seconds after the restart scored 14 unanswered points to get them back into the game.

Ulster came back to level it again at 21-21, but Ospreys – with Gavin Henson scoring 14 points from the boot – proved too strong and more astute.

Ulster opened the scoring against the run of play when a delicate chip from David Humphreys opened up the Ospreys defence.

Andy Maxwell gathered the ball and put Bryn Cunningham away to touch down. Humphreys slotted the two points and the home side led after 10 minutes.

Humphreys and Gavin Henson then missed penalties in a scrappy period of play before Ulster struck again three minutes after the half hour through another moment of opportunism.

Humphreys, under pressure from a poor pass from Kevin Maggs, released Roger Wilson deep in Ulster territory and the number eight saw an unlikely gap and burst upfield.

Wilson was hauled down short of the Ospreys line but Ulster were there in numbers to recycle the ball and Maggs smashed through before Humphreys added the conversion.

The home side were then reduced to 14 men after Neil Best was sin-binned a minute into injury-time but held on to lead 14-0 at the break.

The Ospreys hit the ground running on the restart and after 30 seconds of play Shane Williams skated round some weak Ulster tackling to open the visitors’ account.

Then six minutes later David Bishop scored the Ospreys second try from an Ospreys scrum in Ulster’s 22. Henson added both conversions to tie the scores while Ulster still had Neil Best in the bin.

Ulster, now restored to full strength, again conceded points when a spectacular Ospreys intercept and attack swept down the field.

Shane Williams was involved twice in the 49th minute move and gave the scoring pass to Dave Tieuti.

Ospreys led 21-14 at this stage but just after the hour Ulster levelled after a Humphreys chip for the corner was collected by replacement Campbell Feather. Humphreys’ conversion made it 21 apiece.

The visitors responded with a Henson penalty from inside his own half before Sonny Parker sliced through on 68 minutes for the Ospreys’ bonus try.

Henson’s fourth conversion gave Ospreys a 10-point cushion at 31-21.

Humphreys closed the gap with a 70th-minute penalty but a late Henson penalty and drop goal gave Ospreys their deserved result.