ULSTER 35 CONNACHT 3

Tonight at a sold-out Kingspan Stadium Ulster served up a festive treat with all the trimmings as they put five tries past visitors Connacht, with Alan O’Connor, Billy Burns, Robert Baloucoune, Rob Herring and Nick Timoney all getting their names on the scoresheet. Dan McFarland’s men were as impressive in defence as they were in attack, restricting their interprovincial rivals to a single penalty and soaking up incredible pressure at the end of the first period when the result was still hanging in the balance. The five points gained tonight see Ulster consolidate their second place in Conference A on 31 points, still seven behind runaway leaders Leinster but a clear ten ahead of third-placed Toyota Cheetahs. Full-back Will Addison returned from suspension as one of 13 changes from the youthful side that fought so valiantly against Leinster Friday last, with flanker Matthew Rea and lock O’Connor the only starters from the RDS to retain their places. The backline took on a more familiar look with the first-choice pairing of Luke Marshall and Stuart McCloskey reinstated in the centre, and the half-back partnership of Burns and John Cooney. Louis Ludik and Baloucoune – a scorer on his last outing against Scarlets in November – occupied the wing berths. Up front, Herring led the side from hooker, with Marty Moore and the returning Jack McGrath propping either side of him. Kieran Treadwell partnered O’Connor in the second row, while Sean Reidy and Marcell Coetzee teamed with Rea to make up a combative back row. Addison and Baloucoune needed little time to make their presence felt, combining down the right wing in the fourth minute with the full-back collecting his own chip and supplying the winger for the run-in to the line, only for TMO reviews to show the final pass as just forward. The scoreboard stayed static, then, but the move gave a clear indication of the type of firepower Ulster had in their arsenal, and prompted Connacht into action – scrum-half Caolin Blade just held up over the line on nine minutes by attentive defending from Baloucoune and Rea. Unable to prise the Ulster rearguard apart in the next handful of phases, Connacht opted for the posts when a penalty eventually came, out-half Conor Fitzgerald opening the scoring from close range. The hosts eschewed the points when a penalty came their way minutes later, and although Treadwell’s lineout take slipped from his grasp, his second row partner was the quickest-thinking man on the pitch, pouncing onto the loose ball to bundle over. Cooney converted, and was soon dispatching his second of the evening after Burns had finished off a fine move, launched by an aerial take from Ludik and some lightning-quick passing from the Addison – Baloucoune tandem once again. The score came at a price, however, with Coetzee removed with a head injury after a shuddering collision in the build-up, replaced by Nick Timoney only minutes before Ludik also succumbed to a knock, bringing Craig Gilroy into play just before the half-hour. The visitors began to edge their way into the game as half-time approached, but stubborn defence from Ulster on their own goal-line kept five minutes’ and 30 phases’ worth of pressure at bay and, although Herring was sinbinned just before the break for failing to roll away, his side held resolute until the whistle. Half-Time Score Ulster 14 Connacht 3 Still a man down for the first seven minutes of the second period, Ulster decided the best form of defence was attack, and needed only four minutes to increase their lead, Baloucoune applying the finishing touch after more fancy footwork from Addison had flummoxed the Connacht defence. Sniffing blood – and now back up to 15 men – Ulster went in for the kill on 50 minutes, Herring heralding his return to the field with a classic hooker’s try, powering through his man and over the whitewash off the back of a rolling maul to seal the bonus point. Moving into the final quarter, Ulster edged patiently upfield in search of try number five, their cause aided by a yellow card for Shane Delahunt – but the final breakthrough would not come until the replacement hooker had retaken the field, Timoney bulldozing through the defence line with three minutes remaining. Next up for Ulster is another home interpro clash, when Munster are the visitors to the Kingspan Stadium on Friday 3 January, before the final two rounds of the Heineken Champions Cup group stages. Full-Time Score Ulster 35 Connacht 3 Ulster (15 – 9) Will Addison; Robert Baloucone, Luke Marshall, Stuart McCloskey, Louis Ludik; Billy Burns, John Cooney (1 – 8) Jack McGrath, Rob Herring (c), Marty More, Alan O’Connor, Kieran Treadwell, Matthew Rea, Sean Reidy, Marcell Coetzee Replacements (16 – 23) Adam McBurney, Kyle McCall, Tom O’Toole, David O’Connor, Nick Timoney, David Shanahan, Bill Johnston, Craig Gilroy Connacht (15 – 9) Tiernan O’Halloran; John Porch, Tom Daly, Peter Robb, Kyle Godwin; Conor Fitzgerald, Caolin Blade (c) (1 – 8) Paddy McAllister, Dave Heffernan, Finlay Bealham, Ultan Dillane, Joe Maksymlw, Eoin McKeon, Paul Boyle, Robin Copeland Replacements (16 – 23) Shane Delahunt, Denis Buckley, Dominic Robertson-McCoy, Niall Murray, Eoghan Masterson, Stephen Kerins, David Horwitz, Stephen Fitzgerald