Ulster subjected
table-topping Glasgow Warriors to their first defeat of the Guinness Pro12
campaign this evening at the Kingspan Stadium, with late tries from Craig
Gilroy and Tommy Bowe capping a superbly-managed game performance from Neil
Doak’s team.
Ruthless kicking from Ian Humphreys added 19 points to the wingmen’s scores as Ulster avenged home and away defeats at the hands of the Warriors last term with their best display of the season so far, just in time for their opening European Champions Cup match in a week’s time.
Leicester Tigers will be the opponents next Saturday night, but on the basis of their form against the much-fancied Scots, Ulster will go into that match confident of their chances of getting a result at Welford Road.
New Head Coach Doak implemented three changes from last week’s starting XV against Edinburgh, with Andrew Warwick in at loosehead in place of Ruaidhri Murphy, last week’s try-scoring replacement Nick Williams preferred to Roger Wilson at Number Eight, and Humphreys named at out-half instead of the injured Paddy Jackson.
The six remaining backs retained their places from the 30 – 0 victory, with Louis Ludik at full-back, Andrew Trimble and Bowe on the wings, Jared Payne and Stuart McCloskey in the centre and Paul Marshall at scrum-half. In the pack, Rory Best and Wiehahn Herbst joined Warwick up-front, supported by Alan O’Connor and Franco van der Merwe in the second row, with Robbie Diack and Chris Henry flanking Williams in the back row.
The first half was all about place-kicking, with Humphreys landing five penalties from six attempts, and his opposite number Finn Russell converting three from three. Glasgow, coming into the game on five straight wins, started with gusto and Ulster needed Ludik to mop up Humphreys’ charged-down clearance attempt as the ball crossed their try-line as early as the second minute, with several Warriors giving chase. Russell and Humphreys kicked a penalty apiece either side of the 10-minute mark, before a collapsed Glasgow scrum allowed the Ulster out-half to edge his side into the lead from the 10-metre line.
Ludik was fortunate to escape without serious injury after an awkward fall as winger Sean Lamont took him out in the air – but the Scottish international was absolved of any intent by referee Nigel Owens after the Welshman had reviewed the incident on the big screen, and indeed it was Glasgow who were to benefit from the phase, with a second penalty dispatched by Russell.
Humphreys added his third penalty of the afternoon on 22 minutes, and after a barnstorming raid from Trimble had raised the match’s tempo – and the decibel level within the Kingspan Stadium – the out-half made it four from four with Glasgow infringing at the scrum.
A foolish interception from Leone Nakarawa when standing in a clearly offside position saw the lock sent to the sinbin on 34 minutes and Humphreys presented with penalty number five, but for once the kick was off-target – although he was quick to atone with another successful attempt two minutes later. Ulster went on to finish the half in control on half-way, with Gilroy a late replacement for Trimble, who appeared to have picked up a knock in his earlier foray on the Glasgow wing.
Half-Time Score Ulster 15 Glasgow 6
Russell opened the second period with another sweetly-struck penalty from distance, with Williams admonished by Owens for an overly combative tackle. A number of similarly meaty challenges ensued as Glasgow probed the Ulster defence along its left wing, but the province did well to turn play over – with Bowe only denied a 48th minute try by an uncharacteristic knock-on as he stooped to pick up Humphreys’ clever crossfield toward the corner flag.
Quick feet from Gilroy and strong aerial play from Bowe kept Ulster on top as the hour mark approached, and McCloskey produced another standout moment as he powered past four would-be tacklers in the Glasgow midfield in a move which only narrowly failed to produce the most remarkable of tries. Marshall’s kick to the corner landed just there – on top of the flag – and, as the ball dropped behind the Glasgow line, Payne was first there to touch down. The TMO replay, however, showed that the ball strayed marginally into touch just before Payne got hands on it, much to the dismay of the majority of the 16,260-strong crowd.
Play resumed after a protracted pause for treatment to Warriors’ centre Mark Bennett who left the field on a stretcher, and, after an errant drop goal attempt from Humphreys, came a moment of individual brilliance from Gilroy as the wingman picked up on the ‘22’ and slalomed his way around five tackles to reach the line for his second try of the season – and one of the most spectacular of his career to date.
Humphreys’ conversion duly dispatched, Bowe intercepted a loose Glasgow ball on half-way and, not to be outdone by his fellow winger, left his chasers for dead as he sprinted under the posts for try number two, again converted by Humphreys to put Ulster out of sight.
On the back of tonight’s win Ulster climb to second in the table and a single point shy of tonight’s opponents, with their next Guinness Pro12 action at home to Newport Gwent Dragons on 1 November after the two opening rounds of the European Champions Cup.
Full-Time Score Ulster 29 Glasgow Warriors 9
Ulster (15 – 9) L Ludik; A Trimble, J Payne, S McCloskey, T Bowe; I Humphreys, P Marshall (1 – 8) A Warwick, R Best (c), W Herbst, A O’Connor, F van der Merwe, R Diack, C Henry, N Williams
Replacements (16 – 23) R Herring, C Black, B Ross, L Stevenson, R Wilson, M Heaney, S Olding, C Gilroy
Glasgow (15 – 9) S Maitland; T Seymour, M Bennett, P Horne, S Lamont; F Russell, H Pyrgos (1 – 8) G Reid, F Brown, E Murray, T Swinson, L Nakarawa, R Harley, C Fusaro, J Strauss (c)
Replacements (16 – 23) D Hall, J Yanuyanutawa, Z Fagerson, J Gray, A Ashe, N Matawalu, J Downey, DTH van der Merwe.
Match report by Neil Carnduff.