Ulster produced one of their best displays of the season to secure a bonus point victory against Edinburgh at BT Murrayfield.
The win gives Jono Gibbes' side renewed hope of making the PRO14 playoffs as the maximum point win closes the gap on Edinburgh to eight points with a game in hand.
Ulster started brightly, working the ball through multiple phases just outside the Edinburgh 22 before Jacob Stockdale put a kick in behind the defence that came to nothing.
Edinburgh out-half Duncan Weir broke the deadlock on nine minutes with a penalty from in front of the posts after Ulster skipper Rory Best was guilty of playing the ball on the ground.
Ulster hit back four minutes later with a superb try, from quick off the top lineout ball the backs exploded into action, Louis Ludik fed Piutau, then the All Black released Stockdale, and the Ireland winger out paced the defence before popping the ball inside to Darren Cave to score with John Cooney converting.
Weir added his second penalty two minutes later as Ulster again infringed in the shadow of their own posts.
Piutau got Ulster’s second try on 20 minutes finishing off another lightening attack.
Best shipped the ball to Stockdale, who put Cave through a gap, the centre outstripped the defence before giving the scoring pass to Piutau but Cooney failed to convert.
Stockdale created Ulster’s third try three minutes later, again the Edinburgh defence had no answer to his power and pace as the Grand Slam winner surged through a gap and had Cooney on his shoulder to take the scoring pass, the scrum half converted his own touchdown.
Weir got Edinburgh back in the game on 31 minutes, Ulster had a lineout in the home side’s half, Nick Timoney fed Cooney the pivot was looking to throw a long pass but the 27 times capped Scottish out half intercepted and had enough pace to run under the posts from 60 metres.
Weir converted to cut Ulster’s half time lead to 19-13.
Cooney nudged Ulster further in from with a 50th minute penalty after Edinburgh prevented the ball coming back from a ruck.
Edinburgh forced a penalty in front of the Ulster posts on 57 minutes, they opted for a scrum and Ulster stopped it illegally the Scottish side elected to take another set piece from the resulting penalty.
Again Edinburgh got a huge drive on and as they marched towards the line Ulster infringed and referee Nigel Owens awarded a penalty try.
Stuart McCloskey’s searing line break into the 22 earned Ulster a penalty which Cooney slotted over.
McCloskey opened up the Edinburgh defence with another powerful run on 78 minutes he tried to get a scoring pass off to Cave, Edinburgh scrum half Sean Kennedy intercepted but carried over his own line to concede a five metre scrum.
Ulster got a good shove on at the scrum, the forwards patiently probed at the line before British & Irish Lion Iain Henderson barged over for the bonus point try with Cooney converting.
Edinburgh:
B Kinghorn; D Fife, M Bennett, P Burleigh, D van der Merwe; D Weir, S Hidalgo-Clyne;
J Lay, S McInally, S Berghan; B Toolis, G Gilchrist; M Bradbury, J Ritchie, B Mata.
Replacements:
N Cochrane for McInally 60 mins, R Sutherland for Lay 56 mins, WP Nel for Berghan 56 mins, L Carmichael for Toolis 56 mins, C du Prrez for Mata 57 mins, S Kennedy for Hildalgo-Clyne 60 mins, J van der Walt, C Dean for Burleigh 50 mins,
Ulster:
C Piutau; L Ludik; D Cave, S McCloskey, J Stockdale; J McPhillips, J Cooney;
A Warwick, R Best, T O'Toole; M Dalton, I Henderson; M Rea, N Timoney, J Deysel.
Replacements:
R Herring for Rob Herring 74 mins, T O'Hagan, R Ah You for O’Toole 60 mins, A O'Connor for Dalton 46 mins, S Reidy for Timoney 72 mins, D Shanahan, A Curtis, T Bowe for Ludik 38 mins,
Ref N Owens (WRU)
The win gives Jono Gibbes' side renewed hope of making the PRO14 playoffs as the maximum point win closes the gap on Edinburgh to eight points with a game in hand.
Ulster started brightly, working the ball through multiple phases just outside the Edinburgh 22 before Jacob Stockdale put a kick in behind the defence that came to nothing.
Edinburgh out-half Duncan Weir broke the deadlock on nine minutes with a penalty from in front of the posts after Ulster skipper Rory Best was guilty of playing the ball on the ground.
Ulster hit back four minutes later with a superb try, from quick off the top lineout ball the backs exploded into action, Louis Ludik fed Piutau, then the All Black released Stockdale, and the Ireland winger out paced the defence before popping the ball inside to Darren Cave to score with John Cooney converting.
Weir added his second penalty two minutes later as Ulster again infringed in the shadow of their own posts.
Piutau got Ulster’s second try on 20 minutes finishing off another lightening attack.
Best shipped the ball to Stockdale, who put Cave through a gap, the centre outstripped the defence before giving the scoring pass to Piutau but Cooney failed to convert.
Stockdale created Ulster’s third try three minutes later, again the Edinburgh defence had no answer to his power and pace as the Grand Slam winner surged through a gap and had Cooney on his shoulder to take the scoring pass, the scrum half converted his own touchdown.
Weir got Edinburgh back in the game on 31 minutes, Ulster had a lineout in the home side’s half, Nick Timoney fed Cooney the pivot was looking to throw a long pass but the 27 times capped Scottish out half intercepted and had enough pace to run under the posts from 60 metres.
Weir converted to cut Ulster’s half time lead to 19-13.
Cooney nudged Ulster further in from with a 50th minute penalty after Edinburgh prevented the ball coming back from a ruck.
Edinburgh forced a penalty in front of the Ulster posts on 57 minutes, they opted for a scrum and Ulster stopped it illegally the Scottish side elected to take another set piece from the resulting penalty.
Again Edinburgh got a huge drive on and as they marched towards the line Ulster infringed and referee Nigel Owens awarded a penalty try.
Stuart McCloskey’s searing line break into the 22 earned Ulster a penalty which Cooney slotted over.
McCloskey opened up the Edinburgh defence with another powerful run on 78 minutes he tried to get a scoring pass off to Cave, Edinburgh scrum half Sean Kennedy intercepted but carried over his own line to concede a five metre scrum.
Ulster got a good shove on at the scrum, the forwards patiently probed at the line before British & Irish Lion Iain Henderson barged over for the bonus point try with Cooney converting.
Edinburgh:
B Kinghorn; D Fife, M Bennett, P Burleigh, D van der Merwe; D Weir, S Hidalgo-Clyne;
J Lay, S McInally, S Berghan; B Toolis, G Gilchrist; M Bradbury, J Ritchie, B Mata.
Replacements:
N Cochrane for McInally 60 mins, R Sutherland for Lay 56 mins, WP Nel for Berghan 56 mins, L Carmichael for Toolis 56 mins, C du Prrez for Mata 57 mins, S Kennedy for Hildalgo-Clyne 60 mins, J van der Walt, C Dean for Burleigh 50 mins,
Ulster:
C Piutau; L Ludik; D Cave, S McCloskey, J Stockdale; J McPhillips, J Cooney;
A Warwick, R Best, T O'Toole; M Dalton, I Henderson; M Rea, N Timoney, J Deysel.
Replacements:
R Herring for Rob Herring 74 mins, T O'Hagan, R Ah You for O’Toole 60 mins, A O'Connor for Dalton 46 mins, S Reidy for Timoney 72 mins, D Shanahan, A Curtis, T Bowe for Ludik 38 mins,
Ref N Owens (WRU)