RUGBY/Ulster 24 Dragons 17: Ulster's victory over the Dragons may have extended their lead at the top of the Celtic League table, given that Munster's game at Llanelli was postponed, but the province's coach Mark McCall cut a frustrated figure on Saturday night.
Not only had his side failed to land a four-try bonus point despite racing to a 24-10 lead at the break through tries by Bryn Cunningham, Tommy Bowe and David Humphreys, who converted all three and also landed a penalty, McCall also saw his prized midfield playmaker Paul Steinmetz suffer a suspected fractured cheekbone while trying to break up a scuffle, one of many during a bad-tempered and ugly second half which saw Dragons lose first Gareth Baber and then Adam Black to the sinbin.
Despite laying siege to the Dragons' line for almost the entire third quarter, Ulster lost their way in the face of some questionable tactics by the visitors at ruck and maul time.
And to rub salt into the wounds, it was the Dragons, whose first half points came from a Craig Warlow penalty and a Steve Jones try, who scored the only points of the second half with Welsh centre Hal Luscombe racing over for an injury-time try to earn his side a losing bonus point.
"Our players were desperately unhappy at the way the game was allowed to degenerate the way it did," said McCall. I thought our players were exceptional but I am unhappy with the opposition's tactics and the way they were allowed to get away with whatever they wanted in the last half an hour of the match.
"They were allowed to do whatever they wanted. They came in from the sides of rucks, there were off-the-ball incidents all over the place.
"I thought our players were excellent in their discipline and self-control under some pretty serious provocation out there. The referee gave two yellow cards and I think he decided he wasn't going to give any more because we were so dominant.
"But our players are tearing their hair out in the changing room. We tried to play positive rugby all night and should have scored a fourth try during the first 15 minutes of the second half when we were camped on their line.
"But the game as a spectacle deteriorated because they were allowed to do what they wanted in the final half hour."
But Turner, whose side moved above the Ospreys into ninth place thanks to a losing bonus point, denied his side had done anything wrong.
"We defended well and conditions got worse as the game went on," said the Dragons coach. "Look, Ulster are a fine side but they ain't going to get it all their own way all the time."
SCORING SEQUENCE: 9 mins: C Warlow pen, 0-3; 12: B Cunningham try, D Humphreys con, 7-3; T Bowe try, Humphreys con, 14-3; 19: S Jones try, Warlow con 14-10; 21: Humphreys try and con, 21-10; 40: Humphreys pen, 24-10; 79: H Luscombe try, Warlow con, 24-17.
ULSTER: B Cunningham; T Bowe, J Bell, P Steinmetz, A Maxwell; D Humphreys, I Boss ; B Young, R Best, S Best; J Harrison, M McCullough; N Best, S Ferris, R Wilson. Replacements: K Maggs for Steinmetz (28 mins); R Caldwell for McCullough (28-35 mins); J Fitzpatrick for Young (49 mins); K Campbell for Boss, N McMillan for Ferris (both 66 mins): N Brady for R Best (72 mins)
DRAGONS: A Thomas; N Brew, H Luscombe, C Sweeney, R Fussell; C Warlow, G Baber; A Black, S Jones, R Thomas, A Hall, P Sidoli, J Ringer , J Forster (capt), R Oakley. Replacements: L Charteris for Hall (53 mins); S van Rensburg for (53 mins); D Maddocks for van Rensburg (58-64 mins); C Anthony for R Thomas (61 mins); J Bryant for Fussell (75 mins)
Yellow cards: Gareth Baber, Adam Black
Referee: M Changleng (SRU)
