Ulster ... 25 Cardiff ... 6Ulster hardly scaled the heights of two years ago when putting Cardiff to the sword once more, but then again they didn't have to.
After this season's injury ravages and a tough Heineken European Cup opener at Northampton, an ultra-controlled performance was sufficient to put away an abysmal Cardiff.
Reverting to something of a back-to-basics approach, the Ulster pack turned the screw on the Cardiff scrum with Mark Blair also eating into the visitors' line-out.
Though Ulster again struggled for penetration and tries, one before half-time was enough, and once clear all they had to do was get David Humphreys into field-goal range to steer them home.
One more mountainous effort will be required next week for the visit of Llanelli as they seek a Celtic League quarter-final.
Justin Fitzpatrick augmented his good work in the tight with a big performance in the loose, as did Tony McWhirter.
The whole pack can feel proud of their effort as they largely subdued a flimsy Cardiff unit. Neil Doak sniped, Humphreys kept the target runners going forward and played for position, as by and large Ulster controlled the leather.
The watching Gareth Edwards must have winced. Playing behind a beaten pack mostly every week, the unfortunate Richard Smith has a tough enough time inheriting Robert Howley's mantle, and the sloppy ball which came his way gradually undid an ineffectual Iestyn Harris, who suffered the indignity of being replaced.
Ulster's extensive list of injured internationals was extended in the opening exchanges when Tyrone Howe was helped off with what turned out to be a torn hamstring soon after Iestyn Thomas had kicked the visitors into the lead.
Although Humphreys overcooked an initial up-and-under, he was soon launching a procession of runners off either his inside or outside shoulder at a Cardiff midfield which Alan Solomons and the Ulster think-tank had clearly identified as a weak link.
Cardiff's defence was willing enough to begin with, and their lightweight pack even bucked their seasonal trends with a couple of drives which stunned their travelling press corps.
But they were rare moments of remotely attacking intent, as for the vast majority of the first half Cardiff were on the back foot.
Humphreys duly levelled matters, but without too much in the way of potency or offloading in the tackle, Ulster huffed and puffed through the recycles, though Jonathan Bell and Sheldon Coulter were making inroads.
Utterly inconsistent with his opening penalty for Harris, Rob Dickson decided Ulster had used up their advantage when McWhirter was tackled into touch off a Humphreys cross-kick after signalling a penalty in front of the sticks.
The Ulster outhalf was then wide from 45 metres and intense scrum pressure went unrewarded before Kenneth Fourie conceded another scrum penalty which Humphreys landed, the outhalf then instigating a belated breakthrough try.
Clean off-the-top line-out ball from McWhirter was the basis again as Bell penetrated the Cardiff midfield once more, Warren Brosnihan and McWhirter inching them further forward and sucking in bodies with pick-and-go drives before Humphreys drew the cover off the recycle and put Bell over.
He also added the conversion for a far from flattering 13-3 interval lead. The outhalves exchanged further penalties before Cardiff asked some questions of the Ulster defence for the first time on the night.
It wasn't rocket science though, Ulster had the answers and when a bout of aerial ping-pong ended with Scott Young returning a poor Harris kick into vast acres of unguarded space, to howls of delight it veered into touch by the corner flag.
It seemed a turning point, all the more so when Blair pilfered the ensuing Cardiff throw and Humphreys rewarded the resultant pressure with another penalty.
When another aimless Harris punt was returned with pinpoint accuracy to touch by Humphreys, the poor fellow was hauled off and could only watch as the Ulster maestro continued his master class with a deft drop-goal.
An increasingly ragged Cardiff conceded another three-pointer, Humphreys sealing the win with something to spare to bring his personal haul to 20 points. Standard stuff from the main man really.
ULSTER: B Cunningham; J Topping, S Stewart, J Bell, T Howe; D Humphreys, N Doak; J Fitzpatrick, M Sexton, R Kempson, G Longwell, M Blair, W Brosnihan, T McWhirter, N McMillan. Replacements: S Young for Howe (8 mins); N Best for McWhirter (60); P Shields for Sexton (66); A Larkin for Bell (75); K Campbell for Stewart (82).
CARDIFF: R Williams; Nick Walne, J Robinson, P Muller, C Morgan; I Harris, R Smith; T Payne, A Lewis, K Fourie, H Senekal, A Jones, R Appleyard; D Baugh, M Williams (Capt). Replacements: D McShane for Baugh (41-46 mins, and 55 mins); N Robinson for Harris, A Sullivan for Robinson (both 70 mins).
Referee: R Dickson (Scotland).
SCORING SEQUENCE
7 mins: Harris pen 0-3
11 mins: Humphreys pen 3-3
30 mins: Humphreys pen6-3
38 mins: Bell try, Humphreys con13-3
Half-time: 13-3
43 mins: Humphreys pen 16-3
49 mins: Harris pen 16-6
65 mins: Humphreys pen 19-6
72 mins: Humphreys drop goal 22-6
77 mins: Humphreys pen 25-6
RESULTS: Pool 2: Viadana 28, Gloucester 80. Pool 3: Bourgoin 54, Llanelli 38; Glasgow 26, Sale 14. Pool 5: Newport 19, Toulouse 34.
