Back to winning ways

Ravenhill was packed to the rafters with the largest crowd it has seen for a Celtic League match since Ulster demolished Leinster in front of a near Capacity 12,000 crowd in May 2004. The record crowd was no doubt inspired by Ulster’s terrific start to the CL season and hoping to see the team reclaim their rightful position at the top of the league.

The Match kicked off with Ulster playing towards the beer tent and there were some brutal hits going in as each team tried to establish physical and territorial dominance. Both teams were tackling hard but it was Ulster who came out on top pressurising the Connacht line again and again until at last the forwards broke over the try line and in the resulting mêlée Matt McCullough touched down for Ulster’s first score of the night. The good doctor duly converted and Ulster were ahead 7 points to nil.

But, as if to prove that old habits die hard, the old Ulster problem re-surfaced at the restart. Uncharacteristically Andrew Trimble failed to gather the restart kick and Alain Rolland judged it to be a knock-on. At the resulting scrum Ulster were penalised and Warrick slotted the penalty kick to put Connacht on the score board.

Thankfully Humph had managed to find his touch-kicking boots (which he had forgotten to bring to Donkeybrook last week) and we were treated to a Humphreys touch-kicking master-class, keeping the pressure piled high on Connacht and keeping them well pinned in their own half. Nevertheless he still managed to miss a penalty kick chance which would have re-established the 7-point cushion.

Then from an Ulster line-out close to the Connacht line Rory Best snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. First Connacht tapped the ball down to steal possession but they failed to gather the loose ball; Best surged through to dive on the ball to score Ulster’s second try. Humph missed the conversion.

Ulster kept up the pressure, continually probing the Connacht defence and frequently coming close to breaking through for another score. At one point we were treated to the sight of our own Justin Fitzpatrick charging towards the Connacht line with the all the elegance and grace of a rampaging rhino only to be hauled down, inevitably, short of the line.

Then on twenty-eight minutes Humph opened up the Connacht defence with a superb break, off-loading in the tackle to Jimmy Topping who was left with the simple task of dabbing the ball down for Ulster’s third score. Davey popped the conversion over for a 19-3 lead.

From the restart Connacht stepped up their attack a notch and started to build towards the Ulster line. Humphreys attempted an intercept and Alain Rolland showed his credentials for the controversial by binning him for a deliberate knock-on. Ulster survived the pressure and cleared their lines taking play back up well into the Connacht half. With the pressure back on Connacht Alain showed his grip again by carding Connacht hooker Fogarty for interfering with the ball on the ground. Step up Bryn Cunningham, just back from injury to slot the penalty and put Ulster 3 point further ahead.

Then in the dying moments of the period Trimble made the break he had been threatening all half to take Ulster’s fourth try and secure the bonus point. Bryn secured the extras and Ulster finished the half with a very handy 29-3 lead and we headed to the bar to wet our whistles in anticipation of even more of the same in the second half.

The second half kicked-off with Ulster now playing into a stiff breeze and more importantly playing in their non-preferred direction - away from the beer tent. Both Humph and Fogarty had been restored to the field of play for the restart and the crowd was salivating with anticipation of what they were hoping to witness. Redsock, standing a few feet to my left, had been rehearsing a whole set of new songs with his small band of choristers and the place was ready to party.

Unfortunately we were to be disappointed. Connacht came out rejuvenated and with a determination not to let Ulster walk over them with the same abandon they had allowed in the first half. Ulster on the other head seemed to have gone to sleep. Ulster tried hard to keep the ball in hand but we were back to the unforced errors and pointless turnovers that we hoped we had seen the last of and it started to look as if we had seen the last of the exciting rugby for the night. There were some good attaching moves and some excellent jinks and side-steps but they were always let down at the last minute by fumbles and drops.

As the half progressed both sides started to heap on the substitutions. Tyrone Howe came on to replace Jimmy Topping for his 100th Ulster Cap as Ulster took play right up to within a few metres of the Connacht line only to lose possession and allow Warwick to clear their lines.

Then a moment many (including Eddie O’Sullivan up in the stands) had been waiting for. Kieran Campbell, who had had an excellent match was replaced by new boy Issac Boss. Initial impressions were somewhat disappointing as passes went astray and the ball was turned over. Then he started to find his feet.

Shields and Frost came on for Rory Best and Justin Harrison having put in a solid days work. Then Paddy Wallace came on for Humph and finally Brian Young to replace Simon Best.

Finally after 33 minutes of the second half Issac Boss shows why he’s here by picking up the ball behind a ruck and with some strong running while handing off the Connacht defence manages to make a break that frees up Tommy Bowe to stretch those long legs and dab down behind the posts for the first score of the second half. Paddy Wallace added the conversion and Ulster are out of sight.

Ulster continue to exert pressure but a lapse in concentration allows Connacht to make an interception, Ulster’s defence fails to overhaul the charging Matthews and he touches down for a consolation score. Robinson added the conversion to take the score to 36-10.

Overall Verdict:- a Convincing first-half performance to secure the bonus point but they went to sleep in the second and while they were never under serious threat there is still a disappointing lack of a killer edge that will be needed against other more threatening teams. The Borders turned the Gunners over tonight and we really need to go there and come away with a win next week.