SCARLETS 39

ULSTER 55

ULSTER MAINTAINED THEIR unbeaten start to the United Rugby Championship season with a stunning away victory over a gutsy Scarlets side. 

This was Ulster’s first league win in Llanelli since 2012, and they were inspired by a tremendous individual performance from John Cooney who scored 30 points for Dan McFarland’s side.  

Ulster came out of the blocks firing with an early break from Aaron Sexton putting the visitors on the front foot. The hosts turned pressure into points when Al O’Connor powered over from short-range with Marty Moore crossing for their second a few minutes later. 

But the Scarlets refused to throw in the towel and clicked into gear with a tremendous offload from Vaea Fifita releasing Corey Baldwin before Jonathan Davies burst through a weak tackle from Andrew Warwick to score.

An outside break from Sam Costelow with some lovely interplay between backs and forwards before a tremendous offload from Blade Thomson put Ryan Conbeer over at the far left-hand corner. Costelow nudged the Scarlets ahead a few minutes later from the kicking tee, and it was Ulster’s turn to dig in defensively.

The hosts were now applying serious pressure on the Ulster line but a tremendous turnover from Marcus Rea got them out of jail. However, the Scarlets would live to regret their wastefulness when impressive outside-half Costelow got send to the sin bin for taking out Sexton in their air.

This was just what Ulster needed as they retook the lead with a well-worked try as Michael Lowry broke clear before drawing in the final defender to put Cooney over.

Lowry races away from the Scarlets cover. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO

And Lowry was the architect of their fourth try with his incisive break resulting in Rea claiming the bonus point to give Ulster a commanding lead 28-15 lead at the interval.  

Just when Ulster thought this game was in the bag the Scarlets hit back when former All Blacks star Fifita intercepted Billy Burns’ pass to run in unopposed from 45 metres out. But whenever the Scarlets felt like they were back in the game Ulster hit back with Cooney grabbing his second before Hughes scored again for the hosts.  

Hughes crept over again for the Scarlets before a penalty from Rhys Patchell made it a one-score game again. But a late yellow card for Fifita reduced Scarlets to 14 men before Tom O’Toole sealed the win with Ulster’s seventh try. 

SCORERS 

Scarlets 

Tries – J Davies 19, R Conbeer 22, V Fifita 42, D Hughes 55, 63 Cons – S Costelow 20, 43, 55, R Patchell 64  Pens – S Costelow 20 , R Patchell 69,  

Ulster 

Tries – A O’Connor 6, M Moore 15, J Cooney 35, 59, M Rea 40, B Burns 49, T O’Toole 79 Cons – J Cooney 7, 17, 36, 40, 44, 50, 59, 80 Pens – J Cooney 75 

Scarlets: I Nicholas (R Patchell 41); C Baldwin, J Davies, J Williams, R Conbeer; S Costelow (D Jones 57), G Davies (K Hardy 50); S Thomas (S O’Connor 80), R Elias (D Hughes 44), J Sebastian (H O’Connor 65), V Fifita, S Lousi, B Thomson (T Price 50), J MacLeod (L Giannini 72), S Kalamafoni. 

Ulster: M Lowry; A Sexton (C Gilroy 33), L Marshall (A Curtis 55), S McCloskey, J Stockdale; B Burns, J Cooney; A Warwick (E O’Sullivan 46), R Herring, M Moore (T O’Toole 23), A O’Connor, K Treadwell (S Carter 55), M Rea, M Rea (S Reffell 55), N Timoney. 

Replacements not used: D Moore, D Shanahan 

Referee: AJ Jacobs (South Africa)