There was nothing to separate Ulster and the Scarlets this afternoon in Llanelli as a pulsating eight-try thriller ended with honours even, Les Kiss’ men clawing back 14 points in as many minutes to secure a deserved draw.
Tries from new recruits Franco van der Merwe and Louis Ludik added to one apiece from stalwarts Dan Tuohy and Andrew Trimble, but it was the power of man-of-the-match Stuart Olding and explosive replacement Nick Williams – as well as fine kicking and game-management from Ian Humphreys – which really caught the eye.
Indeed, Ulster could well have had five tries on the scoresheet in their Guinness Pro12 season-opener, had Ludik’s first –half effort not been ruled out for obstruction after long deliberation by the Television Match Official.
Bereft of regular starters Ruan Pienaar, Paddy Jackson, Tommy Bowe, Darren Cave, Iain Henderson and captain Rory Best, Ulster fielded a nonetheless formidable starting XV with Ludik – impressive in pre-season against Exeter and Leinster – at full-back, Michael Allen and Craig Gilroy supplying pace on the wings, and the tandem of Jared Payne and Olding providing craft and muscle in the centre.
Humphreys and Paul Marshall teamed up in the half-back berths, behind a pack featuring no fewer than six internationals. Wiehahn Herbst made his competitive Ulster debut at tighthead alongside Callum Black and Rob Herring, while van der Merwe lined up for his first cap in the second row with Tuohy. Robbie Diack and Chris Henry flanked skipper Roger Wilson at the base of the scrum, with several big names, including Williams, Trimble and Luke Marshall, looking to make an impact from the bench.
Scarlets’ Scott Williams was unlucky in the second minute as a bouncing ball just eluded him 10 metres from the posts, but a quick overlap seconds later released Harry Robinson on the right wing for a debut try in the corner, converted by Rhys Priestland.
Ulster fought hard to strike straight back, with a good carry from Humphreys setting Gilroy loose in the ‘22’ until he was brought to ground, and the move eventually broke down with accidental crossing between Tuohy and Allen.
Multiple phases for Ulster paid off on nine minutes, with Marshall supplying first Ludik in the centre then van der Merwe on the left wing, with the Springbok debutant displaying the requisite upper body strength to force over the line for a clean ground under two bulky Scarlets tackles. Humphreys added the extras from an acute angle, although parity was short-lived as Priestland clipped over a penalty a minute later.
Olding announced his return to top-flight rugby after a 10-month ACL injury exile with an energetic burst through the centre which eliminated four men before a desperate tap-tackle from Gareth Davies floored him inside the Scarlets ‘22’. Ulster recycled brightly, however, as Humphreys picked out van der Merwe’s second-row partner Tuohy to charge home, again resisting a tandem of tackles for the try.
Humphreys’ conversion thumped off the upright, but there was no time for either side to draw breath as the Scarlets exposed a gap in the Ulster rearguard to put together a good five minutes’ pressure deep in the visitors’ half. Ulster defended manfully until a pinpoint pass from Regan King put Number Eight Rory Pitman in for the try on 25 minutes, converted once more by Priestland.
A second Ulster debutant thought he had bagged a try just before the half-hour, as Ludik capitalised on a superb jinking run from Olding and snappy pass from Wilson to slide over the whitewash, only for the TMO to rule that prospective tackler Priestland had been obstructed by Allen at the moment of Wilson’s pass.
A long-distance penalty from Humphreys soon brought Ulster to within two points, and just as the game’s pace seemed to have finally slowed down from frenetic to orthodox, a misplaced pass from Marshall on half-way furnished a breakaway try for his prolific opposite number Davies, once again converted by Priestland.
Half-Time Score Scarlets 24 Ulster 15
An intentional block from Tuohy on Scott Williams as he chased his own grubber kick early in the second period saw the lock yellow-carded and Priestland presented with a simple penalty in front of the posts to establish a 12-point lead. Liam Williams soon joined Tuohy in the bin, however, as he deliberately knocked on Allen’s pass as Ulster pressed deep in the red zone, and Humphreys split the posts for three points.
With Luke Marshall replacing a limping Payne just before Trimble and Williams also entered the fray, the Scarlets seemed content to soak up Ulster pressure until stolen lineout ball and a sublime aerial take from Liam Williams got them 10 metres from score number four, where replacement back Gareth Owen was unfortunate to knock on.
Undeterred, the Welsh outfit secured their bonus point on 64 minutes courtesy of a strong dash from full-back Williams, followed by an acrobatic one-handed off-load on the line from Pitman for Davies’ second score of the encounter. Priestland missed with the conversion, and Ulster responded in style as Ludik latched onto Humphreys’ 67th-minute pass and dashed through a chasm in the Scarlets’ defence to ensure his name figured on the scoresheet after all.
The Ulster out-half followed his assist with a conversion, and with 10 minutes remaining Ulster poured forward again with real belief that the result was still not beyond them. Both Gilroy and Williams came desperately close to snatching a fourth Ulster try, the winger careering into the upright under the weight of three Scarlets tacklers, and the 18-stone back row reaching the line seconds later only to be held up.
Indefatigable Ulster pressed again and again as the clock wound into its final five minutes, and an obstruction from Liam Williams on Paul Marshall saw the full-back receive his second yellow card of the game – and an automatic red – on 78 minutes. Ulster worked the scrum well, Trimble picking up on the right wing and grounding as close to the posts as possible to give Humphreys his best chance of converting the score.
The out-half held his nerve to level the tie and finish off an impressive competitive return to Ulster with 12 individual points.
Honours were even, then, at the end of the Pro12 season opener, but the sides will have three more chances to establish superiority this term, including back-to-back European Rugby Champions Cup clashes in the first two weekends of December. Next up for Ulster, however, will be Italian visitors Zebre on Friday 12 September at the Kingspan Stadium.
Full-Time Score Scarlets 32 Ulster 32
Scarlets (15 – 9) Liam Williams; Harry Robinson, Regan King, Scott Williams, Michael Tagicakibau; Rhys Priestland, Gareth Davies (1 – 8) Phil John, Ken Owens (c), Rhodri Jones, Jake Ball, Johan Snyman, Rob McCusker, John Barclay, Rory Pitman
Replacements (16 – 23) Emyr Phillips, Rob Evans, Peter Edwards, Richard Kelly, Aaron Shingler, Rhodri Williams, Steven Shingler, Gareth Owen
Ulster (15 – 9) Louis Ludik; Michael Allen, Jared Payne, Stuart Olding, Craig Gilroy; Ian Humphreys, Paul Marshall (1 – 8) Callum Black, Rob Herring, Wiehahn Herbst, Dan Tuohy, Franco van der Merwe, Robbie Diack, Chris Henry, Roger Wilson (c)
Replacements (16 – 23) John Andrew, Andrew Warwick, Declan Fitzpatrick, Lewis Stevenson, Nick Williams, Michael Heaney, Luke Marshall, Andrew Trimble