In minus temperatures, the match was played on a bitterly cold night in Leicester, with both sides targeting high ball
The Tigers were denied a try on five minutes, following a powerful maul. The English side moved the ball across the width of the pitch, with winger Josh Bassett stumbling to collect a pass, before Werner Kok held him up. The referee then awarded Ulster the penalty after the winger didn't release.
Ulster made the most of their reprieve, with scrum- half, Nathan Doak, knocking over a penalty on eight minutes to break the deadlock.
It got better for Ulster a minute later as flanker, Nick Timoney, got the game’s opening try.
Aidan Morgan’s clearing kick from his own 22 caused confusion in the Tigers defence as Ollie Hassell-Collins and Handre Pollard let the ball bounce between them. Timoney then pounced to gather and used his pace to dart over under the posts unopposed with Doak added the simple conversion.
The province received a huge blow when Ethan McIroy could no longer continue due to to injury.
Leicester breached the Ulster defence for the first time on 18 minutes, with the Tigers working the ball through multiple phases in 22 before spinning it wide and Bassett went over in the corner. Pollard converted from a tight angle to narrow the scoreline.
Leicester went into the break with the advantage as they scored their second try with the clock in the red at the end of the first half.
Ulster gave away a penalty at the scrum and Pollard nudged it into the corner. From the lineout, the Tigers set up a powerful maul before moving the ball wide for Basset to go over for his second try.
Pollard couldn’t convert but Leicester went into the interval with a slender 12-10 lead.
HT: 12-10
The Tigers third try arrived eight minutes after the restart and it was a carbon copy of their second.
The pack rumbled towards the line from a maul, the forwards had a series of pick and goes before putting width on the ball for Hassell-Collins to dot down for an unconverted try.
Hassell-Collins then claimed his second try four minutes later, after finishing off a slick attacking move, with Pollard converting.
His opposite winger, Bassett, then completed his hat trick on 61 minutes, the winger’s grubber kick wasn’t dealt with by the Ulster defence, and he was able to gather after a fortuitous bounce to fall over the line with Pollard landing the extras.
Leicester showed their clincical attack once more on 63 minutes, a loose pass in the midfield didn’t go to hand, allowing Wallaby centre, Iazia Perese, to sprint clear on the right wing and power over for the home side’s sixth try, with replacement out- half Jamie Shillcock converting.
Ulster will pick themselves up and focus on ending the campaign on a high against Exeter Chiefs at Kingspan Stadium next Friday, with qualification still mathematically possible and a possible place for the EPCR Challenge Cup Round of 16 also on the line.
Scorers
Leicester Tigers
Tries: Josh Bassett x3, Ollie Hassell-Collins x2, Iazia Perese
Cons: Handre Pollard x 3, Jamie Shillcock
Ulster
Tries: Nick Timoney
Cons: Nathan Doak
Pens: Nathan Doak
Teams
Leicester Tigers:
(15-9) F Steward; J Bassett, I Perese, S Kata, O Hassell-Collins; H Pollard, J van Poortvliet;
(1-8) N Smith, J Montoya (captain), J Heyes; C Henderson, J Holloway; F Carnduff, T Reffell, O Cracknell.
Replacements:
C Clare for Montoya 63 mins, J Whitcombe for Smith 63 mins, D Cole for Heyes 59 mins, H Wells for Holloway 68 mins, E Ilione for Carnduff 50 mins, B Youngs for van Poortvliet 59 mins, J Shillcock for Pollard 61 mins, J Woodward for Kata 53 mins
Ulster:
(15-9) E McIlroy; W Kok, B Carson, J Postlethwaite, Z Ward; A Morgan, N Doak;
(1-8) A Warwick, J Andrew, S Wilson; I Henderson (captain), C Izuchukwu; J McNabney, N Timoney, D McCann.
Replacements:
J McCormick, E O’Sullivan for Warwick 52 mins, C Barrett for Wilson 55 mins, K Treadwell for Henderson 52 mins, H Sheridan, J Cooney for Doak 55 mins, J Murphy for Morgan 49 mins, R Telfer for McIlroy 22 mins
Ref: C Evans (Wales)