This afternoon at the Liberty Stadium Ulster were outplayed by fellow top-four chasers the Ospreys in the penultimate round of the Guinness Pro12 campaign, leaving themselves with a mammoth task against Leinster in next Saturday's season closer.
Jacob Stockdale’s last-minute try was the only highlight for Les Kiss’s side, who lost both Ruan Pienaar and Stuart Olding to injury in the course of the game.
The defeat leaves them in fifth place on 64 points and heavily dependent on the final two results of fourth-placed Scarlets, who face Connacht this evening and the Ospreys next weekend.
Should the Scarlets, currently three points above Ulster with a game in hand, flag tonight in Galway and similarly at home to their Welsh rivals next weekend, a win in the interprovincial derby would see Ulster through – but Kiss will be disappointed to have to rely on other results going his team’s way.
Three changes to the Ulster lineup defeated by Munster on Easter Saturday saw Craig Gilroy play at full-back, Stuart McCloskey return to inside centre, and the versatile Robbie Diack start at Number Eight.
The remainder of the backline was unchanged with captain Andrew Trimble and Charles Piutau occupying the wings, Luke Marshall – a scorer at Thomond Park – at outside centre, and the half-back partnership of Paddy Jackson and Pienaar.
Up front consistency was the order of the day with the front and second rows unchanged, with props Andy Warwick and Wiehahn Herbst either side of hooker Rory Best, while locks Kieran Treadwell and Alan O’Connor ran out for their fifth consecutive pairing in the engine room. Iain Henderson and Sean Reidy completed the pack either side of Diack.
Ulster laid down their marker early, Piutau springing up well to pluck Jackson’s kick-off from the air, and McCloskey bludgeoning his way into the ‘22’ within the first 30 seconds. Ospreys, too, were quick out of the blocks, with prop Nicky Smith carrying over the line on six minutes only to be held up by the Ulster defence.
The first home score came only a minute later however, when swift passing from Ashley Beck off the back of the scrum found winger Tom Habberfield in ample space to touch down in the corner.
Ulster responded strongly, Gilroy almost breaking clear from McCloskey’s offload but for Dan Biggar’s last-gasp grab on his jersey, but had to wait until the end of the first quarter for points on the scoreboard, with Jackson slotting over a penalty from distance.
A knock to the side saw Pienaar replaced by Paul Marshall moments later, and as the Ulster penalty count began to mount Biggar dispatched a kick of his own to re-establish the seven-point lead.
Ospreys went on to enjoy a near-monopoly on possession as half-time loomed, with both scrum-half Rhys Webb and winger Keelan Giles coming close, denied only by a last-ditch Paul Marshall interception and an unfortunate knock-on respectively.
The second home try, when it came just before the break, was fully deserved and sublimely executed; full-back Dan Evans the architect with a pacy run through the heart of the Ulster defence and a sharp pass to Habberfield, who found lock Tyler Ardron for the score.
Half-Time Score Ospreys 17 Ulster 3
Evans tormented the Ulster defence once again moments into the second period, shrugging off tackles in the visiting ‘22’ as his side looked to finish off the contest with a third try, but Ulster scrambled a clearance by hook or by crook for a brief reprieve.
Olding joined the fray on 53 minutes in place of McCloskey, but landed awkwardly on his left ankle under the tackle in his very first involvement and was stretchered off in yet another blow for a player whose season has already been ravaged by injury.
With Jacob Stockdale on for the unfortunate Olding Ulster enjoyed a decent spell of possession as the game rolled into its fourth quarter, but five minutes of camping mere metres from the Ospreys try-line came to nothing thanks to some resolute defence from the Welsh region.
Stockdale did fantastically well to shrug off four tackles down the left wing on 67 minutes, only his final pass inside letting him down, and despite several more forays into the Ospreys half, handling errors time after time ensured the elusive try, which may have secured a losing bonus point, would not come.
Insult was added to injury in the final minute when, in their first venture into the Ulster half in a good 20 minutes, replacement back Brendon Leonard ghosted over for try number three.
There was still time for Stockdale to provide the sole glimmer of light with his well-claimed solo try into the corner off Trimble’s pass, but the Ulster dejection at referee John Lacey’s final whistle seconds later was tangible.
Full-Time Score Ospreys 24 Ulster 10
Ospreys (15 – 9) Dan Evans; Keelan Giles, Kieron Fonotia, Ashley Beck, Tom Habberfield; Dan Biggar, Rhys Webb (c)
(1 – 8) Nicky Smith, Scott Baldwin, Brian Mujati, Bradley Davies, Tyler Ardron, Sam Underhill, Justin Tipuric, James King
Replacements (16 – 23) Scott Otten, Paul James, Rhodri Jones, Lloyd Ashley, Dan Baker, Brendon Leonard, Sam Davies, Josh Matavesi
Ulster (15 – 9) Craig Gilroy; Andrew Trimble (c), Luke Marshall, Stuart McCloskey, Charles Piutau; Paddy Jackson, Ruan Pineaar
(1 – 8) Andy Warwick, Rory Best, Wiehahn Herbst, Kieran Treadwell, Alan O’Connor, Iain Henderson, Sean Reidy, Robbie Diack
Replacements (16 – 23) Rob Herring, Callum Black, Rodney Ah You, Franco van der Merwe, Nick Timoney, Paul Marshall, Stuart Olding, Jacob Stockdale
Jacob Stockdale’s last-minute try was the only highlight for Les Kiss’s side, who lost both Ruan Pienaar and Stuart Olding to injury in the course of the game.
The defeat leaves them in fifth place on 64 points and heavily dependent on the final two results of fourth-placed Scarlets, who face Connacht this evening and the Ospreys next weekend.
Should the Scarlets, currently three points above Ulster with a game in hand, flag tonight in Galway and similarly at home to their Welsh rivals next weekend, a win in the interprovincial derby would see Ulster through – but Kiss will be disappointed to have to rely on other results going his team’s way.
Three changes to the Ulster lineup defeated by Munster on Easter Saturday saw Craig Gilroy play at full-back, Stuart McCloskey return to inside centre, and the versatile Robbie Diack start at Number Eight.
The remainder of the backline was unchanged with captain Andrew Trimble and Charles Piutau occupying the wings, Luke Marshall – a scorer at Thomond Park – at outside centre, and the half-back partnership of Paddy Jackson and Pienaar.
Up front consistency was the order of the day with the front and second rows unchanged, with props Andy Warwick and Wiehahn Herbst either side of hooker Rory Best, while locks Kieran Treadwell and Alan O’Connor ran out for their fifth consecutive pairing in the engine room. Iain Henderson and Sean Reidy completed the pack either side of Diack.
Ulster laid down their marker early, Piutau springing up well to pluck Jackson’s kick-off from the air, and McCloskey bludgeoning his way into the ‘22’ within the first 30 seconds. Ospreys, too, were quick out of the blocks, with prop Nicky Smith carrying over the line on six minutes only to be held up by the Ulster defence.
The first home score came only a minute later however, when swift passing from Ashley Beck off the back of the scrum found winger Tom Habberfield in ample space to touch down in the corner.
Ulster responded strongly, Gilroy almost breaking clear from McCloskey’s offload but for Dan Biggar’s last-gasp grab on his jersey, but had to wait until the end of the first quarter for points on the scoreboard, with Jackson slotting over a penalty from distance.
A knock to the side saw Pienaar replaced by Paul Marshall moments later, and as the Ulster penalty count began to mount Biggar dispatched a kick of his own to re-establish the seven-point lead.
Ospreys went on to enjoy a near-monopoly on possession as half-time loomed, with both scrum-half Rhys Webb and winger Keelan Giles coming close, denied only by a last-ditch Paul Marshall interception and an unfortunate knock-on respectively.
The second home try, when it came just before the break, was fully deserved and sublimely executed; full-back Dan Evans the architect with a pacy run through the heart of the Ulster defence and a sharp pass to Habberfield, who found lock Tyler Ardron for the score.
Half-Time Score Ospreys 17 Ulster 3
Evans tormented the Ulster defence once again moments into the second period, shrugging off tackles in the visiting ‘22’ as his side looked to finish off the contest with a third try, but Ulster scrambled a clearance by hook or by crook for a brief reprieve.
Olding joined the fray on 53 minutes in place of McCloskey, but landed awkwardly on his left ankle under the tackle in his very first involvement and was stretchered off in yet another blow for a player whose season has already been ravaged by injury.
With Jacob Stockdale on for the unfortunate Olding Ulster enjoyed a decent spell of possession as the game rolled into its fourth quarter, but five minutes of camping mere metres from the Ospreys try-line came to nothing thanks to some resolute defence from the Welsh region.
Stockdale did fantastically well to shrug off four tackles down the left wing on 67 minutes, only his final pass inside letting him down, and despite several more forays into the Ospreys half, handling errors time after time ensured the elusive try, which may have secured a losing bonus point, would not come.
Insult was added to injury in the final minute when, in their first venture into the Ulster half in a good 20 minutes, replacement back Brendon Leonard ghosted over for try number three.
There was still time for Stockdale to provide the sole glimmer of light with his well-claimed solo try into the corner off Trimble’s pass, but the Ulster dejection at referee John Lacey’s final whistle seconds later was tangible.
Full-Time Score Ospreys 24 Ulster 10
Ospreys (15 – 9) Dan Evans; Keelan Giles, Kieron Fonotia, Ashley Beck, Tom Habberfield; Dan Biggar, Rhys Webb (c)
(1 – 8) Nicky Smith, Scott Baldwin, Brian Mujati, Bradley Davies, Tyler Ardron, Sam Underhill, Justin Tipuric, James King
Replacements (16 – 23) Scott Otten, Paul James, Rhodri Jones, Lloyd Ashley, Dan Baker, Brendon Leonard, Sam Davies, Josh Matavesi
Ulster (15 – 9) Craig Gilroy; Andrew Trimble (c), Luke Marshall, Stuart McCloskey, Charles Piutau; Paddy Jackson, Ruan Pineaar
(1 – 8) Andy Warwick, Rory Best, Wiehahn Herbst, Kieran Treadwell, Alan O’Connor, Iain Henderson, Sean Reidy, Robbie Diack
Replacements (16 – 23) Rob Herring, Callum Black, Rodney Ah You, Franco van der Merwe, Nick Timoney, Paul Marshall, Stuart Olding, Jacob Stockdale