Ulster came up against a rock-solid defence and superior firepower tonight at Scotstoun, outscored by Glasgow to the tune of three tries to none as the nail-biting race for the top four spots in the RaboDirect Pro12 gathers pace.
By Neil Carnduff
With the prolific three amigos Tommy Bowe, Andrew Trimble and Paddy Jackson for once outgunned by their opposite numbers – Sean Maitland, Tommy Seymour and Finn Russell – Ulster’s hopes for a playoff spot took a dent as, while still in second place in the table, tonight’s opponents are now snapping at their heels in third with just one point fewer and with a game in hand.
Also in the mix and vying for a semi-final berth are Munster, Leinster and the Ospreys, with the two Irish sides Ulster’s next opponents in crucial interprovincial clashes from which Mark Anscombe’s men must take points.
However the Ulster cause suffered another setback in the course of tonight’s match as both Tom Court and replacement Declan Fitzpatrick were added to the ever-expanding injury list.
Court, Sean Doyle and Darren Cave had all returned to the first XV after not starting against Connacht, while Bowe relocated to the right wing, and last week’s hat-trick hero Trimble lined up on the left.
Warriors, meanwhile, came into the match with great expectations on the back of last weekend’s impressive 22 – 5 victory away to Munster, and were let off the hook as early as four minutes in, when Jackson dragged a penalty wide from their 10-metre line.
Russell made no such mistake four minutes later as he dispatched a centrally-placed close-range penalty, but Ulster, after absorbing a good 10 minutes of Warriors pressure, carved out a superb breakaway move through firstly Bowe, then Jackson, and finally Ricky Andrew, who displayed a startling turn of pace to outstride half-a-dozen opponents deep into the Glasgow ‘22’.
Andrew was floored before reaching the line, but with three elementary penalties following in quick succession from Jackson, and Ryan Wilson yellow-carded on 25 minutes for handling on the ground while Johann Muller had possession of the ball, Ulster went on to boss the majority of the second quarter.
Jackson was unlucky to strike an upright with a further penalty attempt on the half-hour, and with Glasgow re-asserting themselves as half-time approached, Luke Marshall had to put in a sublime try-saving tackle on Mark Bennett five metres from the whitewash after the centre had ripped through a momentarily vacant Ulster defence.
There was still time left in the half, however, for Glasgow to build again, and their efforts were rewarded as, seconds after returning to their full complement of 15, Russell capitalised on a surrendered ball at an Ulster scrum to find Maitland in front of the posts, and the wing twisted his way out of tackles from Paul Marshall and Doyle for the try, converted by Russell.
Half-Time Score Glasgow 10 Ulster 9
The second period opened with three more points for Russell, and Doyle sent to the bin for the same offence as committed by Wilson. Judiciously factoring in his side’s numerical advantage, Russell opted to kick his next two penalties to the corner, and a huge drive from the subsequent lineout saw former Ulsterman Seymour touch down, the try expertly converted from an acute angle by their on-form out-half.
The Ulster response was spirited, with Bowe looking odds-on to score from Jackson’s pass on 57 minutes only for a fully-committed tackle from Seymour to knock the ball from his grasp. Then a big push from a close-range Ulster lineout on the hour had Nick Williams celebrating a try, which was subsequently overruled by the Television Match Official, with no conclusive evidence of complete grounding of the ball as the Glasgow forwards battled to hold him up behind the line.
Bennett fared better at the hands of the TMO five minutes later as, although replays suggested the ball slipped from his hands as he shaped to ground it under Court’s last-ditch tackle, the try was adjudged to stand, and Russell gratefully converted to establish the unassailable 18-point lead.
Ulster battled on until the final whistle, but with knocks to Court and Fitzpatrick adding both props to an already over-crowded treatment room, will need to regroup in time for the home clash with Leinster in two weeks’ time.
Full-Time Score Glasgow Warriors 27 Ulster 9
Glasgow Warriors (15 – 9) P Murchie; S Maitland, M Bennett, P Horne, T Seymour; F Russell, C Cusiter (c) (1 – 8) G Reid, D Hall, J Welsh, T Swinson, J Gray, J Strauss, C Fusaro, R Wilson
Replacements (16 – 23) P Macarthur, R Grant, G Cross, L Nakarawa, R Harley, N Matawalu, R Jackson, R Vernon.
Ulster (15 – 9) R Andrew; T Bowe, D Cave, L Marshall, A Trimble; P Jackson, P Marshall (1 – 8) T Court, R Herring, R Lutton, J Muller (c), I Henderson, C Henry, S Doyle, N Williams
Replacements (16 – 23) N Annett, A Warwick, D Fitzpatrick, L Stevenson, M McComish, M Heaney, J McKinney, C Gilroy