Ulster A snatched victory over Scarlets A in the opening round of the Celtic Cup on Saturday afternoon, thanks to a 83rd minute try from Peter Cooper.
At a sun-kissed Llandovery RFC, out-half Bruce Houston opened the scoring with two penalties to put Ulster into a 0-6 lead.
Efan Jones then crossed for a converted try for Scarlets before Houston added another penalty. Rhodri Jones got over for another converted Scarlets try, then Azur Allison responded for Ulster, with Houston converting. Scrum-half Jones touched down for his second try to leave Scarlets leading 21-16 at the interval. 10 minutes after the restart Scarlets out-half Ioan Hughes edged his side further ahead with a penalty. Ulster prop Callum Reid was the next to score, with Houston converting. Jones got his hat-trick with 20 minutes left on the clock. Ulster flanker David McCann edged Ulster 29-30 in front with a converted try as the game entered the final 10 minutes. A Scarlets penalty sent them 32-30 ahead with time running out, but the young Ulster men fought right to the end, going through 25 phases before Cooper touched down for the winning score in the 83rd minute.#CelticCup | Abbey Insurance Academy flyhalf Bruce Houston has given Ulster A a 0-6 lead v Scarlets with two well-struck penalties pic.twitter.com/venmAPbqRO
— Ulster Rugby (@UlsterRugby) August 24, 2019
Ulster A team: (15-9): Conor Rankin, Ethan McIlroy, Hayden Hyde, Ben Power, Graham Curtis, Bruce Houston, Nathan Doak; (1-9): Callum Reid, Zack McCall (captain), Peter Cooper, JJ McKee, Jack Regan, Joe Dunleavy, David McCann, Azur Allison. Replacements: Claytan Milligan, Paul Mullen, Jonny Blair, Conor McMenamin, Matthew Agnew, Aaron Hall, Lewis Finlay, Michael Stronge. Ulster A’s Celtic Cup 2019/20 Fixtures: Scarlets 32-35 Ulster A – Saturday 24th August, 2.30pm at Llandovery RFC Ulster A v Cardiff – Saturday 31st August, 7.30pm at Malone RFC Ulster A v Connacht – Friday 6th September, 4.00pm at Ballymena RFC Leinster v Ulster A – Saturday 14th September, 3.00pm at Energia Park, Donnybrook Dragons v Ulster A – Saturday 21st September, 2.30pm at Venue TBC Ulster A v Ospreys – Friday 27th September, 5.00pm at Malone RFC Ulster A v Munster – Friday 4th October, 5.00pm at Shaw’s Bridge Celtic Cup Final – Saturday 12th October#CelticCup | Here are the four Ulster A tries from Saturday's opening round win over Scarlets at Llandovery RFC. Azur Allison, Callum Reid, David McCann and Peter Cooper all touched down, with Cooper getting the winning try in the 83rd minute!#SUFTUM pic.twitter.com/usVUa7Wfx1
— Ulster Rugby (@UlsterRugby) August 27, 2019