Ulster bring the festive cheer as they trounce Toulouse

Ulster 38 Toulouse 0

Wow. Ulster’s performance represented a bucket list of aspirations perfectly executed for the most part, with a training ground precision and brio that elevated this Champions Cup to the pantheon of great nights in Belfast: Toulouse, four time champions, kept scoreless for the first time in European competition.

The quality of their rugby, the intelligence, the breadth, the vision and the execution was a joy to behold while the commitment and structure in defence ensured that Toulouse were chaperoned into cluttered corridors. Ulster doled out a rugby lesson.

The French cub may reflect on losing Maxime Medard before the game and Louis Picamoles after 16 minutes but ahead of next week’s return match in France, they’ll have to quickly absorb how they were outthought and outfought.

Singling out any Ulster player would be invidious because this was a perfect marriage of individual brilliance and collective excellence. Ulster’s goal-line defence towards the end of the game exemplified the attitude they showed on the night; they offered nothing to their visitors.

It wasn’t perfect but boy was it high calibre. A word for Paddy Jackson who marshalled the side brilliantly, given his team an irresistible rhythm but there wasn’t a player who won’t look forward to the video review; well maybe one of two moments went awry.

It was a remarkable opening half of rugby from Ulster, who stretched their opponents to breaking point on several occasions and but for a better decision here and there they might have added to their two-try tally.

It’s a slightly harsh criticism because there was much to admire in the accuracy of the home side’s patterns, varying the point of attack with forwards taking the ball on the gainline and running hard at inside shoulders and the backs looking to get outside the Toulouse defence.

Jackson demonstrated that he’s not simply a distributor. Carrying the ball in two hands, he bamboozled would-be tacklers, wriggling through gaps on a couple of occasions that got his side in behind the initial line of defence.

Stuart McCloskey and Luke Marshall were more muscular in their carries while Craig Gilroy’s footwork is as good as there is currently in Irish rugby. Toulouse were sloppy in contrast, particularly some of their passing, and completely overdid the inside pass.

Ulster’s analysis on defence was pitch perfect, their line speed, aggressive and if they fell off the odd tackle, other players compensated in making intelligent reads. Toulouse’s most effective gambit in the half was the rolling maul, a tactic that managed to accrue serious yardage on three occasions, one of which led to a penalty opportunity.

Toby Flood missed two kickable penalties at a time they would have given the visitors a foothold in the game. Ulster weren’t so profligate. Their first try on 21 minutes followed on from electing to kick a penalty to touch inside the Toulouse 22.

Robbie Diack’s sumptuous offload allowed Nick Williams to power over the line. Jackson converted, kicked a penalty and then with both sides down a player for sin bin offences, Ulster grabbed a second try, one minute from the interval.

Andrew Trimble raced through a yawning gap on the halfway line, chipped Arthur Bonneval and collected the ball, before riding a tackle to plunge over. Yacouba Camara became the third player to receive a yellow card for tripping Ruan Pienaar at the very start of the try-scoring move.

If Ulster were chuffed by their 17-0 half-time lead, their night was about to go interstellar. Vincent Clerc made a brilliant try-saving intervention when slapping the ball out of Gilroy’s hands two minutes after the resumption after another gorgeous free-flowing move.

It was a brief respite. Gilroy’s footwork took him past a couple of tacklers in midfield, Trimble was held up in one corner but after the home side rumbled to inches from the Toulouse line.

Pienaar’s wonderful vision was matched by the execution; his cross-kick landing in Marshall’s breadbasket and the centre scampered over. Jackson’s conversion was a formality and at 24-0, Ulster scented a bonus point.

It arrived on 53 minutes, a superb individual effort from McCloskey as he spotted a mismatch initially to glide around the first defender and step inside the last one. Jackson’s conversion took the home side out to a 31-0 lead.

Ulster were worth every point and they embellished the evening with a fifth try from Chris Henry. It came from a beautifully constructed rolling maul, heretofore, Toulouse’s strongpoint on the night, a final ignominy for the French visitors.

It was a stunning night for Ulster at a time when Irish provincial rugby was crying out for some positivity.

SCORING SEQUENCE – 22 mins: Williams try, Jackson conversion, 7-0; 29: Jackson penalty, 10-0; 38: Trimble try, Jackson conversion, 17-0. Halftime: 17-0. 45: Marshall try, Jackson conversion, 24-0; 53: McCloskey try, Jackson conversion, 31-0; 71: Henry try, Humphreys conversion, 38-0.

ULSTER: L Ludik; A Trimble, L Marshall, S McCloskey, C Gilroy; P Jackson, R Pienaar; K McCall, R Best (capt), W Herbst; A O'Connor, F van der Merwe, R Diack, C Henry, N Williams.

Replacements: R Wilson for Williams (52 mins); R Herring for Best (56 mins); A Warwick for McCall (58 mins); R Lutton for Herbst (63 mins), P Marshall for Pienaar, I Humphreys for Jackson (all 63 mins); C Ross for Van der Merwe (71 mins); R Scholes for Trimble (78 mins). Yellow card: Nick Williams (35 mins).

TOULOUSE: C Poitrenaud; V Clerc, G Fickou, T Flood, A Bonneval; L McAlister, S Bézy; V Kakovin, C Flynn, C Johnston; Y Maestri, J Tekori; Y Camara, T Dusautoir (capt), L Picamoles.

Replacements: J Marchand for Flynn (13-18 mins and 49 mins); G Galan for Picamoles (16 mins); G Lamboley for Galan (half-time); C Baille for Kakovin, D Aldegheri for Johnson (both 49 mins); JM Doussain for Bezy (54 mins); A Palisson for Fickou (63 mins); E Maka for Maestri (66 mins). Yellow cards: S Bezy (28 mins); Y Camara (39 mins).

Referee: W Barnes (England)