Match Report: Scarlets 22-12 Ulster Rugby

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Match Report: Scarlets 22-12 Ulster Rugby

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[tag=image]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/e ... go.svg.png[/tag][tag=content]Ulster paid the price for errant kicking and too many errors as they suffered a 22-12 defeat at the hands of the Scarlets in Llanelli.

Despite having three players sent to the sin-bin, a last minute penalty from replacement fly-half Aled Thomas denied Ulster the losing bonus point and sealed the victory for the Welsh side.

A Hadleigh Parkes try and five Dan Jones penalties had kept Wayne Pivac’s ahead of their opponents who managed two scores from Rory Scholes and a penalty try.

It was the Scarlets who got off the mark fastest, dominating early possession and taking the lead through a second minute Jones penalty after Steffan Evans was taken off the ball.

The hosts were the much better side in the first quarter of the match and had a lot of territory, and but for Tom Williams just putting a foot in touch at the five metre line then they could have had a try before the 20 minute mark.

Instead they had to settle for two more Jones penalties to put them 9-0 up after 25 minutes.

Ulster meanwhile were struggling to make any sort of impact on the game with their kicking game unable to get them out of trouble and unforced errors costing them in attack.

But they were handed a lifeline right before the break when Peter Edwards was sin-binned for a second no arms tackle, however Stuart McCloskey was wayward with his kick at goal.

Dan Jones was errant with his first effort on goal after the break, but despite being a man down it was the Welshmen who scored the opening try of the game through Hadleigh Parkes.

The ball was flung across the backs and when Nick Williams stepped out of the line the gap opened for the ball to reach Parkes who sauntered over in the corner.

Shocked into action, Ulster finally began to gain some momentum and worked their way up to the Scarlets five-metre line and the Scarlets conceded a second yellow card after John Barclay was caught offside.

And the visitors immediately made that man advantage count as Rory Scholes spun his way across the line with very little space in the corner to get Ulster’s first points of the afternoon.

But the Scarlets were still the side in the ascendancy and Dan Jones was on target with his fifth penalty of the afternoon to make it 19-5 with a quarter of the game to play.

Having already scored a try, Rory Scholes was guilty of passing up a glorious opportunity to score a second with just 15 minutes to go as he latched onto a high kick from Peter Nelson only for the winger to drop the ball with the line begging.

But his blushes were spared by the dominant Ulster driving maul who, with ten minutes left, managed to pile over the line sending referee Andy Brace under the posts for the penalty try and George Earle to the sin bin.

But there was one final twist in the tail as the 14 men of the Scarlets won a last minute penalty which replacement Thomas sent through the uprights to deny Ulster even a point.

The scorers

For Scarlets
Try: Parkes
Con: Jones
Pens: Jones (5), Thomas

For Ulster
Tries: Scholes, Penalty
Con: McCloskey

SCARLETS
(15-9) Steffan Evans, Hadleigh Parkes, Regan King, Gareth Owen, Tom Williams, Dan Jones (Aled Thomas 77), Aled Davies; (1-8) Phil John (Rob Evans 57), Emyr Phillips (Kirby Myhill 77), Peter Edwards, Tom Price (Will Taylor 39-46), Lewis Rawlins (George Earle 51), Aaron Shingler, James Davies, John Barclay (Rory Pitman 75).

Subs not used: Kieran Hardy, Ioan Nicholas.
Yellow card: Peter Edwards (37’), John Barclay (53’), George Earle (72’)

ULSTER RUGBY
(15-9) Louis Ludik, Craig Gilroy, Luke Marshall, Stuart McCloskey, Rory Scholes (Sam Arnold 77), Peter Nelson, Paul Marshall; (1-8) Andrew Warwick (Callum Black 57), Rob Herring, Wiehahn Herbst (Ricky Lutton 64), Peter Browne (Robbie Diack 57), Franco van der Merwe, Roger Wilson (Clive Ross 57), Willie Faloon, Nick Williams.

Subs not used: John Andrew, David Shanahan, David Busby.

Man of the Match: Aaron Shingler (Scarlets)
Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU)[/tag]
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