ULSTER 22 ZEBRE 7

Tonight at a rain-drenched Kingspan Stadium Ulster secured their fourth win from five in the Guinness Pro14, coming out on top in a fractious affair against Zebre on the occasion of John Cooney’s 50^th cap for the province. There could be no questioning the commitment of both sides, with several flashpoints throughout the match leading to some amateur pugilism, but in terms of rugby Ulster had the clear edge, and may feel disappointed to not have picked up a bonus point. Scores from David Shanahan and Robert Lyttle, together with a penalty try, made the difference, with Luke Marshall putting in another standout display in midfield, and Rob Herring heralding his return from Japan with an assured leader’s performance. Head Coach Dan McFarland made six changes to the starting XV that defeated Cardiff Blues Friday last at the Kingspan, including an all-new half-back partnership of Bill Johnston and Shanahan in place of Billy Burns and Cooney, with the latter named on the bench. Two further changes to the backline brought in Matt Faddes at centre and Lyttle on the wing, while Will Addison, Louis Ludik and Marshall all retained their starting berths at full-back, wing and centre respectively. In the pack, Herring returned from international duty to skipper the side from hooker, with Jack McGrath and Tom O’Toole propping either side of him. An unchanged second row of Alan O’Connor and Kieran Treadwell lined up in front of flankers Matthew Rea and Nick Timoney – the Dubliner’s first start of the season – and Number Eight Marcel Coetzee. Zebre – still in search of their first win of the season – took full advantage of a botched Ulster reception at kick-off, winger Mattia Bellini waltzing under the posts for the score on two minutes after some neat interplay from his fellow backs, and out-half Carlo Canna adding the extras. The Italians did well to keep the pressure on their opponents from the restart, Tommaso Boni almost capitalising on his own charge-down of a Shanahan clearance attempt on 10 minutes, the ball just rolling dead behind the Ulster line before the centre could reach it. Ulster settled into their game on the quarter-hour, putting the phases together along the breadth of the Zebre ‘22’, but soon lost Addison to what looked like a shoulder injury, with Craig Gilroy taking over on the wing, and the ever-versatile Ludik switching to full-back. The hosts were soon back on terms, with Marshall the architect as he scythed past four potential tacklers as if they weren’t there and darted linewards before supplying Shanahan for the simplest of finishes. Johnston’s conversion dispatched, Ulster set about consolidating their foothold in the match, forcing an offensive lineout on the half-hour and recycling well until the final pass from Marshall just eluded Coetzee and spilled into touch. Referee Sam Grove-White brought play back for an earlier infringement, however, and Johnston slotted over his penalty with aplomb. A fantastic mazy run off his wing from Lyttle had the Kingspan crowd off its feet five minutes later, but as the rainfall intensified, handling errors from both sides ensured that the remainder of the half played out scoreless. Half-Time Score Ulster 10 Zebre 7 The Ulstermen came out for the second half with the bit firmly between their teeth, Marshall and Shanahan combining again close to the line but with the scrum-half just brought to ground in the nick of time. They gave the Italians little time to catch their breath, however, with Johnston the next player to carve himself a path to the line, and after seven minutes of sustained pressure Herring looked to have extended the lead after picking up a loose ball off a lineout maul, only for the score to be ruled out after TMO consultation for intentional blocking by Treadwell on Maxime Mbanda. Undeterred, Ulster got the points they deserved courtesy of their next rolling maul, awarded in the form of a penalty try with former Ulster loanee Ian Nagle sin-binned for hauling down the maul illegally. The next points came well into the last quarter, but not before another Italian player took a 10-minute breather on the sidelines – this time flanker Giovanni Licata getting his marching orders for one of the least subtle blocks of the season as Ulster bore down on the line. Ulster opted for the scrum and, with another penalty coming, Lyttle had all the time in the world to let Johnston’s crossfield kick bounce before touching it down. Cooney made his entrance to rapturous applause with eight minutes to play, and with Ulster sights now firmly on a potential bonus point, Zebre did well to hold on to possession in the closing minutes and ensure the hosts picked up four points rather than the full five. Next up for Ulster is a trip to Thomond Park on Saturday 9 November for the campaign’s first interpro clash with Munster. Full-Time Score Ulster 22 Zebre 7 Ulster (15 – 9) Will Addison; Louis Ludik, Matt Faddes, Luke Marshall, Robert Lyttle; Bill Johnston, David Shanahan (1 – 8) Jack McGrath, Rob Herring (c), Tom O’Toole, Alan O’Connor, Kieran Treadwell, Matthew Rea, Nick Timoney, Marcell Coetzee Replacements (16 – 23) Adam McBurney, Kyle McCall, Ross Kane, Sam Carter, Sean Reidy, John Cooney, Angus Curtis, Craig Gilroy Zebre (15 – 9) Junior Laloifi; Charlie Walker, Jamie Elliott, Tommaso Boni, Mattia Bellini; Carlo Canna, Guglielmo Palazzani (1 – 8) Danilo Fischetti, Oliviero Fabiani, Giouse Zilocchi, Ian Nagle, George Biagi, Maxime Mbanda, Giovanni Licata, Renato Giammarioli Replacements (16 – 23) Luca Bigi, Daniele Rimpelli, Eduardo Bello, Leonard Krumov, Apisai Tauyacuca, Roberto Tenga, Enrico Lucchin, Josh Renton