Ulster's European aspirations came to a grubby end in the Coventry mud this afternoon as fellow Pool 1 hopefuls Wasps outplayed Les Kiss's side in every department, earning a bonus point victory to retain an outside chance of progression to the last eight.
The sole Ulster score – a first-half try from Sean Reidy converted by John Cooney – came about courtesy of a Wasps defensive error, and while the visitors enjoyed more than their fair share of possession, turnover ball and multiple handling errors ensured they left the Ricoh Arena empty-handed.
Ulster finish third in the group on 17 points, below today’s opponents by virtue of an inferior points tally in their two head-to-head matches. Quarter-final qualification for the Coventry-based side as one of the three best runners-up is now dependent on an unlikely winning result for Castres against Munster at Thomond Park in today’s late game.
Director of Rugby Kiss made only three personnel changes from the side that ousted La Rochelle from the top of the pool last weekend, with Darren Cave coming in at centre as Louis Ludik moved to the wing, Kyle McCall replacing Callum Black at loosehead, and Kieran Treadwell returning to the second row.
The remainder of the backline comprised Charles Piutau at full-back, centre Stuart McCloskey, wing Jacob Stockdale and the half-back pairing of Lealiifano and Cooney for the final time.
Up front captain Rory Best and tighthead Rodney Ah You made up the front row, with Alan O’Connor at lock alongside Treadwell, freeing up Iain Henderson to play in the back row with Reidy and Nick Timoney.
On a marshy Ricoh Arena pitch Wasps – in need of a bonus point win to stand any chance of making it to the last eight – kicked two early convertible penalties to touch, mauling over from the second for a Guy Thompson try on 11 minutes.
Danny Cipriani’s conversion dispatched, Kiss was soon forced into making a change as Stockdale failed to recover from a dead leg and limped off to be replaced by Rob Lyttle.
Wasps soon offered Ulster a lifeline, however, as a horror pass from Christian Wade under minimal pressure in his own half gifted the ball to Ludik, who combined well with Cave before Reidy picked up and slid over from five metres out.
Cooney’s conversion restored parity, and after a series of turnovers going against Ulster in the middle of the park, the inevitable Wasps backlash ended with a try just after the half-hour, hooker Tom Cruse diving onto Willie Le Roux’s smart kick to the corner with all the pace and poise of a first-choice winger.
Another successful conversion from Cipriani was again followed by the loss of an Ulster starting wing, Ludik succumbing to a head injury and making way for Johnny McPhillips just before the break.
Half-Time Score Wasps 14 Ulster 7
A strong start to the second half from Wasps saw fine footwork from Le Roux almost carve an opening down the left wing for Thompson once more, snuffed out only by some desperate Ulster defending to drag the flanker into touch inches from home.
But again Ulster contrived to surrender possession, this time from their own five-metre scrum, and Cipriani’s long crossfield pass found Le Roux’s diagonal run into acres of space for try number three.
12 points adrift on 50 minutes, a poor pass out wide from Lealiifano to Timoney almost sealed Ulster’s fate as Cruse picked up the loose ball and charged for the line, only to be brought down just short of the whitewash by three Ulster defenders.
The breakthrough took only five minutes to come, however, when the power of the Wasps forwards proved too much for their tiring Ulster counterparts and prop Jake Cooper-Woolley stretched over to secure the bonus point.
With a quarter of the game left to salvage something, a Lealiifano knock-on then a surrendered lineout did little to help the Ulster cause, before a foolish late charge from O’Connor presented Wasps with close range lineout ball.
The attack came to nothing, but brought an unfortunate end to Lealiifano’s Ulster swansong, as the Australia-bound out-half picked up a shoulder injury in the tackle and made way for David Shanahan with eight minutes to go.
Late Ulster pressure ended with yet another knock-on – this time from replacement Chris Henry – to seal a miserable afternoon for the Ulstermen.
Full-Time Score Wasps 26 Ulster 7
Wasps (15 – 9) Willie Le Roux; Christian Wade, Juan De Jongh, Kyle Eastmond, Marcus Watson; Danny Cipriani, Dan Robson
(1 – 8) Simon McIntyre, Tom Cruse, Jake Cooper-Woolley, Joe Launchbury (c), James Gaskell, Jack Willis, Guy Thompson, Nizaam Carr
Replacements (16 – 23) Ashley Johnson, Ben Harris, Marty Moore, Kearnan Myall, Thomas Young, Joe Simpson, Rob Miller, Brendan Macken
Ulster (15 – 9) Charles Piutau; Louis Ludik, Darren Cave, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Christian Lealiifano, John Cooney
(1 – 8) Kyle McCall, Rory Best (c), Rodney Ah You, Alan O’Connor, Kieran Treadwell, Iain Henderson, Sean Reidy, Nick Timoney
Replacements (16 – 23) Rob Herring, Andy Warwick, Wiehahn Herbst, Matthew Rea, Chris Henry, David Shanahan, Johnny McPhillips, Rob Lyttle
The sole Ulster score – a first-half try from Sean Reidy converted by John Cooney – came about courtesy of a Wasps defensive error, and while the visitors enjoyed more than their fair share of possession, turnover ball and multiple handling errors ensured they left the Ricoh Arena empty-handed.
Ulster finish third in the group on 17 points, below today’s opponents by virtue of an inferior points tally in their two head-to-head matches. Quarter-final qualification for the Coventry-based side as one of the three best runners-up is now dependent on an unlikely winning result for Castres against Munster at Thomond Park in today’s late game.
Director of Rugby Kiss made only three personnel changes from the side that ousted La Rochelle from the top of the pool last weekend, with Darren Cave coming in at centre as Louis Ludik moved to the wing, Kyle McCall replacing Callum Black at loosehead, and Kieran Treadwell returning to the second row.
The remainder of the backline comprised Charles Piutau at full-back, centre Stuart McCloskey, wing Jacob Stockdale and the half-back pairing of Lealiifano and Cooney for the final time.
Up front captain Rory Best and tighthead Rodney Ah You made up the front row, with Alan O’Connor at lock alongside Treadwell, freeing up Iain Henderson to play in the back row with Reidy and Nick Timoney.
On a marshy Ricoh Arena pitch Wasps – in need of a bonus point win to stand any chance of making it to the last eight – kicked two early convertible penalties to touch, mauling over from the second for a Guy Thompson try on 11 minutes.
Danny Cipriani’s conversion dispatched, Kiss was soon forced into making a change as Stockdale failed to recover from a dead leg and limped off to be replaced by Rob Lyttle.
Wasps soon offered Ulster a lifeline, however, as a horror pass from Christian Wade under minimal pressure in his own half gifted the ball to Ludik, who combined well with Cave before Reidy picked up and slid over from five metres out.
Cooney’s conversion restored parity, and after a series of turnovers going against Ulster in the middle of the park, the inevitable Wasps backlash ended with a try just after the half-hour, hooker Tom Cruse diving onto Willie Le Roux’s smart kick to the corner with all the pace and poise of a first-choice winger.
Another successful conversion from Cipriani was again followed by the loss of an Ulster starting wing, Ludik succumbing to a head injury and making way for Johnny McPhillips just before the break.
Half-Time Score Wasps 14 Ulster 7
A strong start to the second half from Wasps saw fine footwork from Le Roux almost carve an opening down the left wing for Thompson once more, snuffed out only by some desperate Ulster defending to drag the flanker into touch inches from home.
But again Ulster contrived to surrender possession, this time from their own five-metre scrum, and Cipriani’s long crossfield pass found Le Roux’s diagonal run into acres of space for try number three.
12 points adrift on 50 minutes, a poor pass out wide from Lealiifano to Timoney almost sealed Ulster’s fate as Cruse picked up the loose ball and charged for the line, only to be brought down just short of the whitewash by three Ulster defenders.
The breakthrough took only five minutes to come, however, when the power of the Wasps forwards proved too much for their tiring Ulster counterparts and prop Jake Cooper-Woolley stretched over to secure the bonus point.
With a quarter of the game left to salvage something, a Lealiifano knock-on then a surrendered lineout did little to help the Ulster cause, before a foolish late charge from O’Connor presented Wasps with close range lineout ball.
The attack came to nothing, but brought an unfortunate end to Lealiifano’s Ulster swansong, as the Australia-bound out-half picked up a shoulder injury in the tackle and made way for David Shanahan with eight minutes to go.
Late Ulster pressure ended with yet another knock-on – this time from replacement Chris Henry – to seal a miserable afternoon for the Ulstermen.
Full-Time Score Wasps 26 Ulster 7
Wasps (15 – 9) Willie Le Roux; Christian Wade, Juan De Jongh, Kyle Eastmond, Marcus Watson; Danny Cipriani, Dan Robson
(1 – 8) Simon McIntyre, Tom Cruse, Jake Cooper-Woolley, Joe Launchbury (c), James Gaskell, Jack Willis, Guy Thompson, Nizaam Carr
Replacements (16 – 23) Ashley Johnson, Ben Harris, Marty Moore, Kearnan Myall, Thomas Young, Joe Simpson, Rob Miller, Brendan Macken
Ulster (15 – 9) Charles Piutau; Louis Ludik, Darren Cave, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Christian Lealiifano, John Cooney
(1 – 8) Kyle McCall, Rory Best (c), Rodney Ah You, Alan O’Connor, Kieran Treadwell, Iain Henderson, Sean Reidy, Nick Timoney
Replacements (16 – 23) Rob Herring, Andy Warwick, Wiehahn Herbst, Matthew Rea, Chris Henry, David Shanahan, Johnny McPhillips, Rob Lyttle