Ulster opened their home campaign for the 2014/15 Guinness Pro12 with a blistering offensive display tonight at the Kingspan Stadium, running over five tries to one against Italian visitors Zebre.
Andrew Trimble and Dan Tuohy made it two tries apiece from as many performances with a score each, topped up by efforts from Nick Williams, Craig Gilroy and Robbie Diack. Ulster now sit on eight points from two games, with two four-try bonus points already in the bag.
Personnel changes saw two of last week’s try-scorers, Louis Ludik and Franco van der Merwe, as well as man-of-the-match Stuart Olding, drop to the bench, while Tuohy and Trimble, also on the scoresheet against the Scarlets, lined up in the first XV. Ricky Andrew replaced Ludik at full-back, while Darren Cave and Luke Marshall paired up in the centre.
Up front, Andrew Warwick and Wiehahn Herbst joined returning captain Rory Best in the front row, while lock Lewis Stevenson started alongside Tuohy in place of van der Merwe. In the back row, last week’s starters Robbie Diack and Chris Henry flanked Williams – an explosive replacement at the Parc y Scarlets, and eager to impress tonight against his former employers.
A storming break and hand-off from Cave in the second minute should have reaped an early reward for Ulster, but the unfortunate Best somehow knocked the ball forward as he received the Holywood man’s pass on the try-line. Superior Ulster power at the Zebre scrum, however, allowed Williams to pick up as his packmates drove forward, and maraud through several tackles for the score.
Although Ian Humphreys converted, Zebre were back on terms within five minutes as early replacement Samuela Vunisa, on for the injured Andres van Schalkwyk, capitalised on some slack defending to pick up from a maul and sneak over the line unchallenged.
A conversion and penalty from out-half Kelly Haimona followed in quick succession to nudge the visitors into the lead, and an errant Humphreys penalty did little to lift the mood within the Kingspan Stadium on 14 minutes. However, with Ludik replacing the injured Cave at this stage, the next Ulster move, instigated by a sublime kick-and-chase from Trimble and some strong carrying from Andrew, ended with Gilroy touching down from Diack’s pass after a neat side-step.
Humphreys’ extras put Ulster four ahead on the cusp of the second quarter, and the Ulster prolificacy continued seven minutes later when Diack ran over try number three after a searching crossfield pass from Paul Marshall and a neat feint from the influential Andrew.
The game maintained its hectic pace as a disallowed Ludik try – ruled out as Gilroy’s pass was called forward – and another dropped ball on the try-line ensued in a matter of minutes, before Ulster closed out the half probing time and again from a five-metre scrum, but to no avail.
Half-Time Score Ulster 19 Zebre 10
Ulster opened the second period intent on securing the bonus point early on, only to be frustrated by diligent defending from the Italians – and some poor organisation at their own lineout. Although weakened by the exclusion of Andrew to the sinbin on 54 minutes for an aerial challenge on Leonard Brendan as he chased his own clearance kick, Ulster pressed on and made the breakthrough just before the hour. Trimble grabbed his second try in as many games, courtesy of a sprightly dash from Paul Marshall straight from his own scrum – the Italians paying the price for failing to put any pressure at all on the scrum-half as he extricated the ball from between Williams’ feet.
Humphreys converted and was on hand moments later to craft a delightful kick into Tuohy’s path five metres from home for try number five, with credit also going to Trimble for the initial break through the axis of the Zebre defence, and Best for some stubborn resistance as he shrugged off several Italian tackles to recycle.
After another Humphreys conversion and a Haimona penalty, a series of knock-ons from both sides stymied any scoring opportunities until as late as the 77th minute, when Ulster only just missed out on try number six with their final attack. Zebre wing Giulio Toniolatti did well to nudge replacement Olding just out of reach of the ball with a fair shoulder charge as the pair chased the Ulsterman’s kick at the right-hand corner flag, ensuring that the winning margin did not surpass 20 points.
Next up for Ulster is another trip to Wales in a week’s time, Cardiff Blues the hosts on Friday evening at 7.35 pm.
Full-Time Score Ulster 33 Zebre 13
Ulster (15 – 9) R Andrew; A Trimble, D Cave, L Marshall, C Gilroy; I Humphreys, P Marshall (1 – 8) A Warwick, R Best (c), W Herbst, L Stevenson, D Tuohy, R Diack, C Henry, N Williams
Replacements (16 – 23) R Herring, R Murphy, B Ross, F van der Merwe, R Wilson, M Heaney, S Olding, L Ludik
Zebre (15 – 9) H Daniller; D Odiete, G Bisegni, G Garcia, G Toniolatti; K Haimona, B Leonard (1 – 8) A de Marchi, A Manici, D Christolini, A Ferreira, G F Biagi, M Bergamasco, F Cristiano, D van Schalkwyk
Replacements (16 – 23) O Fabiani, A Lovotti, L Leibson, V Bernabo, Q Geldenhuys, S Vunisa, G Palazzani, E Padovani