Peter Burke
This could have gone either way and I just didn’t know who was winning this.
Before we go into it lets read what the coaches said after the game so we can put a better frame on it:
Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel: “We were disappointed with the result in the end. We started the game well and had some momentum and probably left a few points out there.
“We gave away some cheap penalties and when we are down to 13 men it is always difficult. That period hurt us, although we managed to get back into it.”
Ulster head coach Richie Murphy: “We were a little bit disappointed with our first half, although it is difficult when you get over the line three times and don’t manage to get the ball down.
“We weren’t accurate enough and didn’t build enough pressure, so I gave them a bit of a blast. With them down to 13 with two yellow cards at the start of the second half, I thought we managed the next 20 minutes really well.”
With Welsh rugby getting a lot of warranted attention in the press and on social media for being a bit of a basket case at the moment and lets face it they are the architects of their own destruction, with players leaving etc its not a happy camp.
Anyway I digress, the game itself well it was a welcome win for Ulster and it leaves Scarlets third from the bottom.
Scarlets were without key forwards Alex Craig, Sam Lousi and Vaea Fifita, while hooker Rob Herring returned for Ulster from injury and full-back Mike Lowry led his side out on his 100th appearance, a vastly underrated player in my humble opinion.
Costelow opened the scoring with two penalties before Cooney responded with Ulster’s first points.
Scarlets flanker Plumtree was going well, but then he was shown a yellow card for a cynical and deliberate knock-on.
The indiscipline didn’t stop there with Davies the Scarlets scrum half yellow carded for a trip which resulted in the hosts being reduced to 13 men.
Ulster frustratingly failed to score just before half-time as they were held up over the Scarlets line for a third time in the opening 40.
Ulster did capitalise on their extra men when McCloskey broke through the home defence with Cooney converting.
Scarlets were the proverbial rabbit caught in the headlights trying to find the tramlines out wide but easy pickings for Lowry who intercepted and Nick Timoney powered over from an attacking scrum.
McCann burrowed over for the third try before Scarlets finally crossed the whitewash with a close up score from number eight Tuipulotu.
Stockdale took a towering restart which laid the foundations to score the bonus-point try himself, he looks like he’s gunning for an Ireland spot and sure who’d blame him.
Scarlets responded again with an impressive break from Ioan Lloyd before winger Lewis completed the scoring. But it was too little, too late for the hosts.
A game that Ulster needed to win but a memory for the Scarlets to forget.
Final score Scarlets 20 – 31 Ulster