Stade Francais - 30 Ulster - 10: There is an enduring premise in rugby that eschews contradiction and it's one Ulster discovered at Stade Jean Bouin on Saturday. Teams that don't win their set-piece ball are like dogs that chase cars; they don't survive.
Ulster coughed up six lineouts by the end of the first half and despite managing to halve that total in the second, they had already ceded the momentum if not quite the match.
Stade Francais have an excellent defensive lineout but as Ulster coach Mark McCall will discover when he reviews the video today, it didn't have to be overly intuitive.
The execution wasn't always up to scratch and that blame can't simply be tossed in the direction of Ulster hooker Paul Shields. There are many components to a successful lineout and all have to function in tandem. In highlighting the battle out of touch it offers an overview of the match.
Two of the three Stade Francais tries came from a catch and drive at lineouts, the execution of which should be preserved on an instructional video. Twin pillars of the French international front row Sylvain Marconnet and Pieter de Villiers might have been missing through injury but there replacements, the South American duo of Rodrigo Roncero and Pablo Lemoine gave a decent impression of five speed dump-trucks.
When a Stade Francais maul came to a halt and they required a little impetus the usual option was to give it to one of the props: it would be a catalyst for a forward surge. At the driven lineouts, the two were in the vanguard with hooker Mathieu Blin and number eight Shaun Sowerby the main beneficiaries as try scorers.
Stade's other try came from right wing Mirco Bergamasco, following a break by Lemoine and another slashing, arcing run by the excellent Brian Liebenberg in the centre. The latter caused problems all afternoon and if he didn't breach the defence by himself his strength in the tackle allowed others to pop through gaps.
Arguably one of the most remarkable aspects of this match was that Stade Francais only managed to score three tries. Ulster barely got their hands on the ball in the first five minutes and in the opening 20 must have missed a half a dozen first-up tackles. They were being torn to shreds and even when they did manage to get the ball they usually handed it straight back.
Trailing just 9-3 at the interval was a staggering achievement. That frailty was never going to suffice and Stade's three tries came in the first 26 minutes of the second half, the third marginally against the run of play.
For at that stage this young Ulster team (nine under 26 years of age) offered more than guts and character; they played some really good football.
That 20 minute passage, facilitated by the introduction of Gary Longwell, Paul Steinmetz and Nigel Brady, all of whom had a pronounced impact, underlined the talent within the team and the rugby they can play. The problem, as it will be again next week is getting enough ball.
Tommy Bowe scored a try from David Humphreys' clever cross kick, the outhalf chipping in with a conversion and a penalty. Bowe looked threatening on a modest diet of possession, Kevin Maggs ran a couple of good lines while up front Roger Wilson and Neil Best were the pick of the pack.
McCall has seven days to turn things around.
"Our inability to win the ball in the first half made it very difficult for us. We also missed some first-up tackles during that opening period but afterwards I thought our defence was excellent.
"You couldn't fault the effort put in but we didn't win enough ball and if you don't get your hands on it you're not going to be successful. We had planned to play rugby if we got ball but our lineout didn't go well. We wanted to be more adventurous but you can't if you don't have the ball.
"In that 20-minute period we showed there is some good rugby in us, we managed to get our hands on the ball. We improved in the second half and scrambled our heads off defensively. Some of the young guys really put their hands up."
Denying Stade Francais their first bonus point of the tournament is a notable achievement but the problem is wresting four points of your own won't get any easier at Ravenhill. Agustin Pichot and Juan Hernandez will be back from international duty and, as the Ulster pack discovered on Saturday, there's enough prime beef in the front row to go around.
SCORING SEQUENCE. 3 mins: Skrela penalty, 3-0; 22: Humphreys penalty, 3-3; 26: Skrela penalty, 6-3; 32: Skrela penalty, 9-3. Half-time: 9-3. 43: Blin try, Skrela conversion, 16-3; 56: Sowerby try, Skrela conversion, 23-3; 66: Bergamasco try, Skrela conversion, 30-3; 68: Bowe try, Humphreys conversion, 30-10.
STADE FRANCAIS: C Dominici; Mirco Bergamasco, S Glas, B Liebenberg, R Poulan; D Skrela, J Fillol; R Roncero, M Blin, P Lemoine; O Brouzet, M James; R Jechoux, S Sowerby, P Rabadan. Replacements: O Sarramea for Poulain (61 mins), G Quesada for Skrela (67 mins), A Castola for Blin (69 mins), Y Montest for Roncero (69 mins), A Marchois for Brouzet (82 mins), D Auradou for James (82 mins), Roncero for Lemoine (82 mins).
ULSTER: B Cunningham; S Young, J Bell, K Maggs, T Bowe; D Humphreys, K Campbell; R McCormack, P Shields, R Moore; R Frost, M McCullough; C Feather, R Wilson, N Best. Replacements: G Longwell for Frost (h-t), N Brady for Shields (54 mins), P Steinmetz for Bell (67 mins), N Doak for Campbell (74 mins).
Referee: Dave Pearson (England).
