Composed Ulster come back to bite Connacht and secure bonus-point win
HAIR-RAISING: Ulster's Werner Kok celebrates with Josh McKee after scoring in the BKT United Rugby Championship interpro clash with Connacht at Dexcom Stadium, Galway. Pic: INPHO/Nick Elliott
Ulster displayed far better composure as they came from behind to carve out an invaluable URC bonus point win at Dexcom Stadium in Galway.
The win, their fifth in seven games in the competition, keeps Ulster firmly on track for a knockout spot but Stuart Lancaster’s men have now lost five and would be adrift in the basement area had they not picked up eight bonus points in their seven outings.
They had to settle for a losing bonus point in this one after again failing to build on a bright start.
Lancaster’s men dominated the opening half and should have been much more than 10-0 ahead after half an hour but yet went in at the break trailing by 12-10.
Connacht, dominant in the scrum and full of hard running early on as they clearly tried to make an impact after last week’s implosion away to the Dragons, enjoyed 70% possession in the opening quarter.
They tried to build a lead but full-back Sam Gilbert was off target with a penalty from the left on the 22 after 14 minutes, while at the other end Ulster had earlier blown their only foray into the red zone when hooker Tom Stewart overthrew a lineout after a penalty to the right corner.
Jack Murphy, son of the Ulster coach Richie and playing against his brother Ben, was binned after 16 minutes for a deliberate knock-on as Jack Carty tried to feed Gilbert in midfield, and Connacht eventually made the extra man count.
Finlay Bealham won a penalty on an Ulster scrum inside his own half and a couple of phases later after Ulster scrum-half Conor McKee somehow was not pinged for a knock-on inside his own 22 when he dropped a Carty kick, Jacob Stockdale kicked the clearance out on the full.
Connacht got the lineout right and quick ball across the park saw Carty and Gilbert combine to send Finn Treacy away down the left and he stepped Stockdale and Zac Ward, who had come across from his wing, to sprint in and score under the posts.
Gilbert tapped over the conversion and then pushed the lead out to 10-0 after loosehead Sam Crean was again penalised for not straight on an Ulster scrum in front of his own posts after Connacht had knocked-on for the third time deep inside the visitors’ 22.
Ulster finally got inside the home 22 for only the second time in the half nine minutes from the break, but they made it count, working the ball wide for the impressive Werner Kok and Stockdale to send Ward over for his first try down the left which Murphy converted after a potential knock-on from No.8 Juarno Augustus was checked.
Ulster turned the screw before the break with Stockdale’s quick hands putting Ward away again down the left to score and lead 12-10 at the interval.
A fiery start to the second half saw Stuart McCloskey binned for offside and then Bundee Aki also yellow carded for retaliation on James Hume on the ground, but while the penalty was reversed in favour of Ulster, Connacht defended the lineout.
Ulster made the most of the extra space when working their third try from an attack down the left was switched across the field with Stockdale again decisive when he put David McCann away with an excellent pass and he in turn sent Kok in under the posts with Murphy’s conversion making it 19-10 after 47 minutes.
Three penalties to the left corner ended with a penalty try for Ulster after 53 minutes and a yellow card to lock Joe Joyce just as McCloskey and Aki came back from the bin.
That secured the bonus point for Ulster but the introduction of Josh Ioane and Matthew Devine at half-back gave Connacht a platform and they got back in contention when Sean Jansen barged over after a break from Ioane had almost sent Treacy through.
Gilbert’s conversion cut the gap to 26-17 and a grandstand finish was set up when Devine sniped over three minutes from time for a converted try to leave two between them but Ulster ended on the offensive with Murphy pushing the lead out to five with a penalty and Connacht knocked on from the restart in the final play as they fell to another defeat.
Tries: F Treacy, S Jansen, M Devine. Cons: S Gilbert (3). Pen: Gilbert.
Tries: Z Ward (2), W Kok, penalty try. Cons: J Murphy (2). Pen: Murphy.
S Gilbert; D Ryan (D Hawkshaw 68), C Forde, B Aki, F Treacy; J Carty (J Ioane 48), B Murphy (M Devine 54); D Buckley (J Duggan 54), D Heffernan (D Tierney-Martin 57), F Bealham (F Barrett 54); J Joyce (S O’Brien 64), D O'Connor (D Murray 54); J Murphy, C Prendergast (c) S Jansen.
J Stockdale; W Kok, J Hume (J Flannery 72), S McCloskey (J Postlethwaite 64), Z Ward; J Murphy, C McKee (N Doak 51); S Crean (A Bell half-time), T Stewart, S Wilson (T O’Toole half-time); H Sheridan, C Izuchukwu (J Hopes 72); D McCann, N Timoney (c), J Augustus (Bryn Ward 64).
Eoghan Cross (IRFU).
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