Ulster’s Guinness PRO14 campaign resumed tonight with a four-tries-to-two defeat at the Parc y Scarlets which sees the Welsh outfit leapfrog Dan McFarland’s side into second place in the Conference B standings.
While McFarland can take encouragement from his team’s gutsy defending for long periods of the game, Ulster simply did not enjoy enough possession to pose a significant threat once the Scarlets clicked into gear at the start of the second quarter.
With only a third of gametime played out in Scarlets territory, scoring opportunities were in short supply for the visitors, with scrum-half David Shanahan and his replacement Jonny Stewart touching down in either half.
With six players away on Ireland duty, Ulster were bolstered by the return of the experienced Louis Ludik, making his first appearance in six months at centre after recovering from a serious hamstring injury sustained at the close of the 2017/18 campaign.
Youth was very much the order of the day in the remainder of the backline, with Michael Lowry returning at full-back, Robert Baloucoune on the wing and James Hume partnering Ludik in midfield. Winger Henry Speight, out-half Billy Burns and scrum-half Shanahan completed the back seven.
Up front Eric O’Sullivan and Marty Moore propped either side of hooker Adam McBurney, with skipper Alan O’Connor and Kieran Treadwell in the second row, and a back row of flankers Marcell Coetzee and Sean Reidy, and Number Eight Nick Timoney.
Ulster held their own in a competitive first 10 minutes, battling at every breakdown and closing down the Scarlets quickly at each foray into their half. Ball in hand they fared even better, Speight working wonders on 15 minutes to create something out of nothing in minimal space on the left wing and picking out Shanahan for the prolific scrum-half’s fifth try of the season.
Burns’ conversion was swiftly followed by a Dan Jones penalty, and once the out-half had elected to place his next kick into touch, the tide took a noticeable turn and tighthead prop Werner Kruger was soon driving over after two periods of strong mauling from the Scarlets pack.
As the Scarlets stepped up a gear further on the half-hour mark, Ulster had Timoney to thank for a try-saving challenge on Kieran Hardy, the Number Eight barging the Welsh scrum-half into touch just shy of the try line after fine interplay with Jones had taken Shanahan out of the equation.
It appeared in the first instance to be only a brief reprieve, however, as full-back Paul Asquith breezed through a gap to touch down in the very next play, only for the try to be overruled after TMO review for obstruction on Hume as he attempted to tackle the ball carrier.
However play came back to a Scarlets penalty and, 10 phases later, Hardy this time darted over for a try which owed much to hard work in picking and driving from his forwards.
Worse still for Ulster came in the final minute of the half, when the visitors had no answer to the power of Number Eight Uzair Cassiem in full flight, and centre Kieron Folotia picked up the pieces to extend the home lead to 15 points at the break.
Half-Time Score Scarlets 22 Ulster 7
Scarlets started the second period in much the same vein as they had finished the first, Johnny McNicholl in particular terrorising the Ulster defence on 45 minutes in a move which ended with Kruger just held up over the line to deny him his second score of the evening.
Again play came back for an Ulster infringement, but this time the visitors’ defence proved watertight, keeping the Scarlets at bay until a Hardy knock-on brought them some respite.
New recruit Ian Nagle, recently arrived from Leinster, replaced Treadwell on 50 minutes, but Ulster simply could not break out of their own half and fared remarkably well to contain their opponents as long as they did – until the 61st minute when Tom Prydie forced his way over at the corner flag after countless phases in the middle of the park from his forwards.
Ulster finally edged into Scarlets territory from the restart, and when the penalty came three replacements – John Andrew, Greg Jones and Stewart – caught the Scarlets napping at the back of the resulting rolling maul, the scrum-half’s try offering his side a glimmer of hope with 15 minutes remaining.
A good five were required to get back into the opposition half, but the Scarlets, with nothing more to gain as regards points, were happy to slow play down to such an extent that, when it came, Ulster’s next attack – which ended with a double movement on the try-line from Ludik – was the final play of the match.
Ulster will look to get back to winning ways in eight days’ time, once again against Welsh opposition when Cardiff Blues visit the Kingspan Stadium on Saturday 1 December.
Full-Time Score Scarlets 29 Ulster 12
Scarlets (15 – 9) Johnny McNicholl; Tom Prydie, Kieron Fonotia, Paul Asquith, Ioan Nicholas; Dan Jones, Kieran Hardy
(1 – 8) Phil Price, Marc Jones, Werner Kruger, Steven Cummins, David Bulbring, Ed Kennedy, Will Boyde (c), Uzair Cassiem
Replacements (16 – 23) Dafydd Hughes, Dylan Evans, Simon Gardiner, Lewis Rawlins, Dan Davis, Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, Clayton Blommetjies, Morgan Williams
Ulster (15 – 9) Michael Lowry; Robert Baloucoune, Louis Ludik, James Hume, Henry Speight; Billy Burns, David Shanahan
(1 – 8) Eric O’Sullivan, Adam McBurney, Marty Moore, Alan O’Connor (c), Kieran Treadwell, Marcell Coetzee, Sean Reidy, Nick Timoney
Replacements (16 – 23) John Andrew, Andrew Warwick, Tom O’Toole, Ian Nagel, Greg Jones, Jonny Stewart, Darren Cave, Angus Kernohan
Ulster held their own in a competitive first 10 minutes, battling at every breakdown and closing down the Scarlets quickly at each foray into their half. Ball in hand they fared even better, Speight working wonders on 15 minutes to create something out of nothing in minimal space on the left wing and picking out Shanahan for the prolific scrum-half’s fifth try of the season.
Burns’ conversion was swiftly followed by a Dan Jones penalty, and once the out-half had elected to place his next kick into touch, the tide took a noticeable turn and tighthead prop Werner Kruger was soon driving over after two periods of strong mauling from the Scarlets pack.
As the Scarlets stepped up a gear further on the half-hour mark, Ulster had Timoney to thank for a try-saving challenge on Kieran Hardy, the Number Eight barging the Welsh scrum-half into touch just shy of the try line after fine interplay with Jones had taken Shanahan out of the equation.
It appeared in the first instance to be only a brief reprieve, however, as full-back Paul Asquith breezed through a gap to touch down in the very next play, only for the try to be overruled after TMO review for obstruction on Hume as he attempted to tackle the ball carrier.
However play came back to a Scarlets penalty and, 10 phases later, Hardy this time darted over for a try which owed much to hard work in picking and driving from his forwards.
Worse still for Ulster came in the final minute of the half, when the visitors had no answer to the power of Number Eight Uzair Cassiem in full flight, and centre Kieron Folotia picked up the pieces to extend the home lead to 15 points at the break.
Half-Time Score Scarlets 22 Ulster 7
Scarlets started the second period in much the same vein as they had finished the first, Johnny McNicholl in particular terrorising the Ulster defence on 45 minutes in a move which ended with Kruger just held up over the line to deny him his second score of the evening.
Again play came back for an Ulster infringement, but this time the visitors’ defence proved watertight, keeping the Scarlets at bay until a Hardy knock-on brought them some respite.
New recruit Ian Nagle, recently arrived from Leinster, replaced Treadwell on 50 minutes, but Ulster simply could not break out of their own half and fared remarkably well to contain their opponents as long as they did – until the 61st minute when Tom Prydie forced his way over at the corner flag after countless phases in the middle of the park from his forwards.
Ulster finally edged into Scarlets territory from the restart, and when the penalty came three replacements – John Andrew, Greg Jones and Stewart – caught the Scarlets napping at the back of the resulting rolling maul, the scrum-half’s try offering his side a glimmer of hope with 15 minutes remaining.
A good five were required to get back into the opposition half, but the Scarlets, with nothing more to gain as regards points, were happy to slow play down to such an extent that, when it came, Ulster’s next attack – which ended with a double movement on the try-line from Ludik – was the final play of the match.
Ulster will look to get back to winning ways in eight days’ time, once again against Welsh opposition when Cardiff Blues visit the Kingspan Stadium on Saturday 1 December.
Full-Time Score Scarlets 29 Ulster 12
Scarlets (15 – 9) Johnny McNicholl; Tom Prydie, Kieron Fonotia, Paul Asquith, Ioan Nicholas; Dan Jones, Kieran Hardy
(1 – 8) Phil Price, Marc Jones, Werner Kruger, Steven Cummins, David Bulbring, Ed Kennedy, Will Boyde (c), Uzair Cassiem
Replacements (16 – 23) Dafydd Hughes, Dylan Evans, Simon Gardiner, Lewis Rawlins, Dan Davis, Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, Clayton Blommetjies, Morgan Williams
Ulster (15 – 9) Michael Lowry; Robert Baloucoune, Louis Ludik, James Hume, Henry Speight; Billy Burns, David Shanahan
(1 – 8) Eric O’Sullivan, Adam McBurney, Marty Moore, Alan O’Connor (c), Kieran Treadwell, Marcell Coetzee, Sean Reidy, Nick Timoney
Replacements (16 – 23) John Andrew, Andrew Warwick, Tom O’Toole, Ian Nagel, Greg Jones, Jonny Stewart, Darren Cave, Angus Kernohan