Ulster 30 Toulouse 3: Ulster's Heineken Cup campaign got off to a flyer this afternoon as they humbled group favourites Toulouse at Ravenhill.
Andrew Trimble's cutting edge played a massive factor and with David Humphreys pulling the strings behind the scrum, Ulster were unlucky not to secure a bonus point against the French aristocrats.
Trimble breached the Toulouse defence twice with Isaac Boss adding a third while Humpheys was devastatingly accurate with his placed kicks, notching three penalties and three conversations.
All Toulouse could muster in response was a solitary Valentin Courrent penalty and while they did threaten Ulster's line after the interval, the home side's defence stood firm.
Coach Mark McCall was delighted with his side's team effort but slightly disappointed Ulster were unable to add the bonus point.
"It was a brilliant team performance and I don't want to pick out individuals because they all played their part," McCall said. "Maybe there is a sense of frustration at not getting a bonus-point but in reality how can be frustrated after winning 30-3 against Toulouse?"
The home side had a insurmountable 30-3 lead at half-time but were unable to add to that tally after the break despite Toulouse's Yannick Jauzion and skipper Fabien Pelous both ending up in the sin bin.
Nevertheless, it was a winning start to Pool Five for Ulster which they will look to extend at Llanelli next week.
Ulster came charging out of the blocks and were a try to the good three minutes in after quick lineout ball from Neil Best saw Humphreys put Paul Steinmetz in space with an inside pass.
The French defence was breached and Tommy Bowe put Trimble clear for a score which Humphreys converted.
Three time European champions Toulouse were clearly rattled and Humphreys stretched Ulster's lead with an eighth-minute penalty after the visitors had killed the ball after their creaking lineout had coughed up ball to Boss.
The home side kept their relentless pressure game ticking over, with Best and Stephen Ferris doing the damage. Another Humphreys penalty followed before Toulouse scrum half Valentin Courrent managed to stroke over a penalty to cut the deficit.
Courrent was wide with a long-range penalty attempt before Ulster, now without the injured Bowe, took complete control.
Boss danced through for a solo effort from 35 metres, which Humphreys again converted to put Ulster 20-3 clear. Ferris was then over from a lineout on the Toulouse line but referee Dave Pearson disallowed the score for crossing.
Unperturbed, Ulster struck again when Trimble grabbed his second after running a line off a short Humphreys pass before bursting through into space.
Despite being tackled on the line, the video referee gave the score and Humphreys again added the two points.
Then, in injury-time, Humphreys kicked his second penalty to give Ulster a 30-3 lead after Yannick Jauzion was binned for an attempted spear tackle on Justin Harrison.
The second half yielded no points for Ulster or Toulouse and both sides ended up having men binned, with Justin Fitzpatrick following Jauzion and Pelous for 10 minutes on the sidelines.
