Match Report: Ulster Rugby 26-7 Leicester Tigers

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Match Report: Ulster Rugby 26-7 Leicester Tigers

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[tag=image]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/e ... _badge.png[/tag][tag=content]Darren Cave scored a hat-trick of tries as Ulster ended their Champions’ Cup campaign with a 26-7 bonus point win over the Leicester Tigers at the Kingspan Stadium.

Cave got three of Ulster’s four tries, with Craig Gilroy notching the fourth, in a complete performances from the Ulstermen which saw them, at times, heroically defending an onslaught from their visitors.

Adam Thompstone ran in a second half consolation try for the Tigers, who required a bonus point win to stand any chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the competition, but it was too little too late.

It marks Ulster’s second consecutive bonus point win over Leicester in Belfast and although the result doesn’t give them enough to progress to the knockouts, it is a positive performance for the Irish side for the first time in a while.

Even though it was them who were out of the competition already, Ulster started very strongly with the ball carrying of the returning Iain Henderson providing plenty of go forward momentum in a frenetic start.

Leicester were having more of the territory though, however they were struggling to find their way through a stubborn home defence and were guilty of turning down several shots at goal to go for the jugular.

Instead it was up to Ulster to show their visitors the way to the line as Darren Cave crossed midway through the half after some good hands from Ian Humphreys set him over.

The English side were far from out of the contest and struck back with a vigorous offensive effort into the Ulster 22, however the white wall repelled every green wave that came at them and held firm.

When presented with the opportunity, the Irish province were lethal and Ian Humphreys put on the afterburners to cruise past Graham Kitchener and then pass back inside to the lingering Cave who sauntered over for his, and Ulster’s, second try just before half-time.

Cave wrapped up his hat-trick minutes after the restart, receiving the pass from Jared Payne and ploughing his way through the combined tackle of Vereniki Goneva and Mathew Tait to dot down for the try.

When Vereniki Goneva was sin-binned for a second high tackle soon after there was a sense that the bonus point try was coming, and it did in the 49th minute when the hosts made the most of their extra man and Craig Gilroy was able to slide over in the corner.

To their credit, Leicester kept plugging away and were rewarded with a score of their own minutes before the midway period in the half when Adam Thompstone showed power and strength to muscle over from a few metres out.

It looked like the wheels might be coming off the Ulster bandwagon as first they saw Callum Black sin-binned for repeated scrum infringements, and then his propping partner Wiehahn Herbst go to the bin too for open play offences.

With an extra man, and for a brief period two, Leicester went on the offensive, constantly throwing themselves at the Ulster line, but the home side held out bravely, refusing to yield another score to their opponents.

In the end the Tigers couldn’t force their way over, even with the extra man, and it was left to Ruan Pienaar to kick the ball out to signal an end to both sides’ Champions’ Cup campaigns, with the home side the happier on the night.

The scorers

For Ulster
Tries: Cave (3), Gilroy
Cons: Pienaar (3)

For Leicester
Try: Thompstone
Con: Burns

ULSTER RUGBY
(15-9) Jared Payne, Tommy Bowe, Darren Cave, Luke Marshall, Craig Gilroy, Ian Humphreys, Ruan Pienaar; (1-8) Callum Black, Rory Best, Wiehahn Herbst, Alan O’Connor, Franco van der Merwe, Iain Henderson, Mike McComish, Roger Wilson.

Subs: Rob Herring, Andrew Warwick, Bronson Ross, Lewis Stevenson, Clive Ross, Neil McComb, Paul Marshall, Michael Allen.
Sin bin: Callum Black (61), Wiehahn Herbst (71)

LEICESTER TIGERS
(15-9) Mathew Tait, Adam Thompstone, Vereniki Goneva, Seremaia Bai, Miles Benjamin, Freddie Burns, Ben Youngs; (1-8) Marcos Ayerza, Tom Youngs, Logovi’i Mulipola, Graham Kitchener, Geoff Parling, Tom Croft, Julian Salvi, Jordan Crane.

Subs: Leonardo Ghiraldini, Michele Rizzo, Fraser Balmain, Sebastian de Chaves, Robert Barbieri, Sam Harrison, Owen Williams, Niall Morris.
Sin bin: Vereniki Goneva (45)

Man of the Match: Darren Cave (Ulster)
Attendance: 15,659
Referee: Pascal Gauzere (France)[/tag]
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