Rugby

Ulster’s woes on the road continue against depleted Scarlets

Jonno Gibbes’ side capitulate in second half as Pro 14 play-offs slip further from view

Tommy Bowe challenges in the air during Ulster’s defeat to the Scarlets. Photograph: Kevin Barnes/Inpho

Sun Feb 25 2018 - 10:24

Scarlets 34 Ulster 10

Ulster’s hopes of creeping into the Pro14 play-offs are hanging by a thread after conceding four second half tries to the Scarlets in another away-day disaster.

It means Jonno Gibbes’ men are now five points behind third-placed Edinburgh and 13 adrift of the reigning champions in second. Leinster top Conference B with 62 points.

Ulster’s form on the road this season has been their Achilles heel and it was no different at Parc Y Scarlets. Having worked their way into an early lead, and having bossed the majority of the first half against a seriously depleted home side, they caved in after the break.

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It was their seventh defeat in 10 competitive games away from home this season and things will have to change on that front if they are to finish in the top three and creep into the Guinness PRO14 play-offs. Three of their five remaining games are away from home - Cardiff Blues, Edinburgh and Munster - and they host Glasgow Warriors and the Ospreys.

Maybe it might have been a slightly different story if referee Ian Davies hadn’t ruled out what seemed to be a perfectly good try by flanker Nick Timoney in the first-half, but Gibbes’ biggest concern will have been the way in which his side’s effort fell off after the break against a team missing 13 players away on Six Nations duty and with two other internationals ruled out with injury.

Stuart McCloskey caused huge problems for the Scarlets with his direct running in the first half and capitalised on a break by Tommy Bowe to give his side the perfect start with a try after only two minutes that John Cooney converted.

The only other points in the first half came from a Dan Jones penalty to leave the Ulstermen leading 7-3 at the break.

But things soon changed. Four minutes into the second half Ioan Nicholas dived over in the left corner for a try that Jones improved with a touchline conversion and, even though Cooney levelled things with a penalty, the reigning champions were building real momentum with Munster-bound Tadhg Beirne their main forward catalyst.

Three more home tries flowed - they also had another one ruled out by the TMO - and the bonus-point came four minutes from time when the irrepressible Beirne ripped the ball out of Timoney’s grasp over the Ulster line to score an outrageous try.

Scorers - Scarlets: Tries: I Nicholas (44), R Conbeer (57), P Asquith (65), T Beirne (76); Con: D Jones 4; Pens: D Jones 2

Ulster: Tries: S McCloskey (2); Con: J Cooney; Pen: J Cooney

Scarlets: T Williams; C Baldwin (R Conbeer 51), P Asquith, S Hughes (captain), I Nicholas; D Jones (I Hughes 77), J Evans (D Smith 73); D Evans (P Price 49), R Elias (E Phillips 72), W Kruger (S Gardiner 68), S Cummins (L Rawlins 58), D Bulbring, T Beirne, J Davies, J Macleod (W Boyde 56)

Ulster Rugby: L Ludik; A Trimble (P Nelson 64), L Marshall (D Cave 67), S McCloskey, T Bowe; J McPhillips, J Cooney (P Marshall 66); A Warwick (K McCall 51), J Andrew (R Herring 51), W Herbst (R Ah You 62), A O'Connor, K Treadwell, M Rea (M Dalton 67), N Timoney, J Deysel (C Henry 45)

Referee: Ian Davies (WRU)

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