With British and Irish Lions Tommy Bowe and Rory Best both back in the fold – and on the scoresheet – dynamic Ulster were too good for their Italian visitors tonight at Ravenhill, chalking up five tries in their finest performance of the season to date.
Scores from man-of-the-match Luke Marshall and two from the ever-improving Michael Allen topped up those from Bowe and Best, with the bonus point lifting the Ulstermen to third in the RaboDirect Pro12 table. The manner of the victory was just as important, given it is a clear indication of a return to form ahead of crucial ties at the Ospreys in a week’s time, and against European opponents Leicester Tigers in a fortnight.
Ulster burst into action straight from the off, a first-minute scrum paving the way for Allen to pick up on the right wing and ground by the flag with an adroit flick of his wrist under the tackle – only for the Television Match Official, on referee Ian Davies’ request, to adjudge that the youngster’s foot had grazed the line before he touched down.
The next Ulster attack proved more lucrative, with Paddy Jackson kicking over his first points of the evening after a Treviso infringement inside their own ‘22’ on 10 minutes. However a series of dropped balls and knock-ons stymied the ensuing passages of play, which Ulster dominated without any real effect, until early engagement at a 16th-minute scrum gifted Mat Berquist an equalising penalty from his opponents’ 10-metre line.
A dropped ball from the Italians in their turn led to Ulster’s first try of the game, with good work from the resulting scrum eventually releasing Jared Payne - clearly thriving in his less familiar role of centre – inside the ‘22’. The Kiwi rode a handful of challenges before going down under a tackle metres from the line, but instinctively found his midfield partner Marshall just before hitting the ground, and the Ireland international crossed for his first try of the season. Jackson converted for Ulster 10 Treviso 3 at the end of the first quarter.
Impressive Ulster added to their tally seven minutes later, the on-form Allen grounding in the corner after pinpoint passing from right to left which, while not exactly lightning-quick, undid the Treviso defence by its sheer accuracy. Jackson saw his angular conversion kick spin wide of the posts, but the Ulster lead was comfortable, and they were content to see out the half soaking up some uninspired Treviso pressure.
Half-Time Score Ulster 15 Treviso 3
Treviso made a much brighter start to the second half, three minutes’ worth of camping deep in Ulster territory culminating in a short –range penalty for replacement out-half Alberto di Bernardo as Ulster failed to roll away in the tackle.
Lewis Stevenson replaced a groggy Iain Henderson on 47 minutes, but Ulster proved just as dynamic as they had been in the first half once they got the ball back in hand, and registered try number three on 51 minutes courtesy of a mixture of fortune and persistence. A percentage crossfield kick from Jackson into the corner was spilled by Ludovico Nitoglia under pressure from Bowe, who was first to the ball as it bobbled behind the line, marking his return to first-team action with an opportunistic try.
The score went unconverted, but an undeterred Ulster went on to produce the move of the match on the hour mark, Luke Marshall shredding through the Italian midfield in a virtuoso solo run that had the 10,693-strong Ravenhill crowd in rapture. The raid came to nothing, with Ulster harshly adjudged to have knocked on under what could have been called as a dangerous tackle in the air, but three minutes later the five points were secure, Marshall again instrumental in a break carried on by Stevenson, and completed by Best.
Jackson’s poor kicking record continued with the conversion, and with Stevenson sent to the sinbin for coming in from the side as Treviso probed, the visitors enjoyed a decent spell of possession, ending with a deserved try for Robert Barbieri, converted by Di Bernardo with 10 minutes remaining.
There was still time for Allen to capitalise on a late blunder from Ignacio Fernandez-Rouyet, whose fumble on his own ‘22’ allowed the much more alert Ulster backs to supply their winger, who outpaced his beleaguered chasers down the line to touch down in the left-hand corner, before Jackson’s second successful conversion brought the encounter to a close.
Ulster (15 – 9) C Gilroy; T Bowe, J Payne, L Marshall, M Allen; P Jackson, P Marshall; (1 – 8) T Court, R Best (c), R Lutton, I Henderson, D Tuohy, R Diack, R Wilson
Replacements (16 – 23) R Herring, C Black, B Ross, L Stevenson, N Williams, M Heaney, J McKinney, D Cave
Treviso (15 – 9) L McLean; L Nitoglia, M Campagnaro, A Sgarbi, C Loamanu; M Berquist, E Gori; (1 – 8) M Rizzo, E Ceccato, A De Marchi, A Pavanello (c), M Fuser, S Favaro, A Zanni, M Vosawai
Replacements (16 – 23) G Maistri, I Fernandez-Rouyet, P Di Santo, V Bernabò, D Budd, R Barbieri, F Semenzato, A Di Bernardo