ULSTER 36 DRAGONS 18

Tonight at the Kingspan Stadium Ulster got back to winning ways in some style courtesy of a five try to two victory over the Dragons, with some of the newer additions to the backline making their mark on the scoresheet. First-half tries from Henry Speight, David Shanahan and Michael Lowry – whose solo effort was the pick of the bunch – were followed by two second-half scores from the more established Stuart McCloskey. The bonus-point victory elevates Dan McFarland’s men to third place in the Guinness Pro14 on 21 points, three behind joint leaders Leinster and the Scarlets. Academy prospect Robert Baloucoune made his first-team bow on the right wing as one of five changes from the side that went down 44 – 12 against Racing 92 Saturday last, with Speight making a welcome return from injury on the opposite flank. The other backline change brought in Johnny McPhillips for Billy Burns at out-half, with full-back Lowry, centres Will Addison and McCloskey, and scrum-half Shanahan all retaining their places from the tie in Paris. Up front Eric O’Sullivan and Sean Reidy replaced Andrew Warwick and Nick Timoney in the front and back rows respectively, with hooker Rory Best, prop Marty Moore, locks Iain Henderson and Kieran Treadwell, and back rowers Jordi Murphy and Marcell Coetzee completing the pack. With the exception of one defensive lapse which allowed the visitors a try against the run of play, Ulster’s first half performance was exceptional in its fluency and brought three tries. After a close call in the corner for Speight within the first five minutes, with the winger just beaten to the aerial ball, McPhillips slotted over the first points of the evening with a central penalty. The two players were soon combining for the game’s first try, the out-half picking out the Aussie flyer at just the right moment to craft him a clear run to the line, then adding the extras. After a Jason Tovey penalty Ulster continued to impress with quick ball movement, Lowry only just denied a clean break by an immaculately-timed tap tackle from the visiting out-half, before a move started and finished by Shanahan brought try number two on 23 minutes. The scrum-half latched onto turnover ball on his own 10-metre line, with fantastic footwork from Addison then carving a hole in the heart of the Dragons defence for Shanahan to pick up and finish off. Dragons pulled one back on the half-hour through a close-range Huw Taylor effort, swiftly followed by a conversion and penalty from Tovey to reduce the Ulster lead to a mere four, when moments before they had seemed to be cruising to the most comfortable of victories. The Ulster response was as brilliant as it was immediate, with Lowry picking up from McPhillips after superb legwork from Henderson, and darting his way past five would-be tacklers for his first senior try and another entry on his nascent but already impressive highlights reel. Half-Time Score Ulster 24 Dragons 13 The bonus point was secured within 10 minutes of the restart, Speight coming close by the left corner flag before textbook recycling from Ulster got McCloskey over on the opposite flank, McPhillips again supplying the final pass. Crunching tackles from both Murphy and Balacoune soon put paid to any Dragons hope of a quick riposte, and once the unfortunate Lowry had hobbled off with a knock just before the hour, replaced by Peter Nelson, Ulster had to withstand a second period of concerted Dragons pressure, culminating in a 67^th-minute try for centre Jarryd Sage. Dragons continued to never say die, sensing a losing bonus point at the very least as the game careered into its final five minutes, but aggressive tackling from forwards and backs alike kept their raids at bay, and when the turnover came Treadwell showed both strength and an unexpected turn of pace to elude four men and set up McCloskey for his second of the night. There was even time for a final breakaway attempt from Ulster, replacements Greg Jones and Warwick combining before McPhillips touched down, only for the try to be ruled out for a clear knock-on from the prop after TMO review. Next up Ulster travel to Treviso to face Benetton Rugby on Saturday 3 November. Final Score Ulster 36 Dragons 18 Ulster (15 – 9) Michael Lowry; Robert Baloucoune, Will Addison, Stuart McCloskey, Henry Speight; Johnny McPhillips, David Shanahan (1 – 8) Eric O’Sullivan, Rory Best (c), Marty Moore, Kieran Treadwell, Iain Henderson, Sean Reidy, Jordi Murphy, Marcell Coetzee Replacements (16 – 23) Rob Herring, Andrew Warwick, Tom O’Toole, Alan O’Connor, Greg Jones, Johnny Stewart, Angus Kernohan, Peter Nelson Dragons (15 – 9) Jordan Williams; Daf Howells, Adam Warren, Jarryd Sage, Will Talbot-Davies; Jason Tovey, Rhodri Williams (1 – 8) Brok Harris, Richard Hibbard (c), Lloyd Fairbrother, Lewis Evans, Matthew Screech, Huw Taylor, Nic Cudd, Harrison Keddie Replacements (16 – 23) Rhys Lawrence, Ryan Bevington, Aaron Jarvis, Joe Davies, Taine Basham, Tavis Knoyle, Jack Dixon, Zane Kirchner Match report by Neil Carnduff