MAGNERS LEAGUE Ulster 23 Aironi 10:BRIAN McLAUGHLIN'S side stuttered to their third consecutive league win as they found Aironi harder to put away than expected.
The win still sees Ulster on course for a play-off spot, but they failed to secure the bonus point which could prove costly.
As for Ruan Pienaar’s first start at outhalf, it was, as with his team-mates, hardly a dominant performance, and he ended up with only three successful kicks from six attempts before he moved back to scrumhalf, allowing Paddy Wallace finish the game at outhalf.
It hardly brought more control to Ulster’s faltering game as they struggled to deal with Aironi’s physicality or to impose any pattern on the game.
It all started with a flurry of points which seemed to suggest Ulster were going for the kill early.
Tom Court drove over on three minutes after Ulster had kicked for the corner from their first penalty and Johann Mueller had supplied the possession. Pienaar’s conversion, though, hit the post and stayed out.
Even so, four minutes later they scored again, this time with winger Craig Gilroy’s impressive seventh try in seven games coming from a Chris Henry pass after Wallace had supplied Andrew Trimble with an inside pass which helped set up the position for Gilroy to strike. Pienaar made his kick.
Pienaar’s 14th-minute penalty seemed to suggest a mere break from more try-scoring but in actual fact the opposite happened. Ulster began to get sloppy with some poor passing and even errors at the lineout, allowing them to lose their momentum.
On the half hour Riccardo Bocchino slotted a penalty for the visitors after Ulster had failed to roll away in the tackle, and when Pienaar’s 33rd-minute penalty also hit an upright and stayed out you sensed the Italians just might nick another score.
Indeed they did so right at the end of the half. After a great surge from Nick Williams the ball was moved blind and James Marshall got clear of the cover to score under the posts. Bocchino added the extras and suddenly the Italians were back in the game.
Ulster then had a great chance to immediately strike back when scrumhalf Pietro Travalgi’s pass missed Bocchino and ended up going dead over the Aironi try line.
From the five-metre scrum, Pedrie Wannenburg picked up but went himself, ignoring Paul Marshall and Trimble outside him, and was swallowed up by the defence and then conceded the penalty which ended the half with Ulster leading by a mere 15-10.
With Aironi camped on Ulster’s line with several penalties leading to lineout drives, home skipper Mueller was binned and only some indiscipline from the Italians kept Ulster afloat.
Ulster reacted with some backline switches which saw Pienaar move back to scrumhalf and Wallace slot in at outhalf while Simon Danielli moved to fullback.
The home side at least survived Mueller’s absence and indeed Pienaar even kicked a penalty to keep put them 18-10 up, but they were still hanging on. Nevin Spence saved a tricky situation from a Kaine Robertson kick through.
They did manage one substantial attack which saw replacement Declan Fitzpatrick drive over the line with the TMO giving the score, but Pienaar was again wide with the conversion.
All that remained was Aironi laying siege to Ulster’s line but somehow the home side held on.
ULSTER: A D'Arcy; A Trimble, N Spence, P Wallace, C Gilroy; R Pienaar, P Marshall; P McAllister, N Brady, T Court; J Muller (capt), T Barker; C Henry, W Faloon, P Wannenburg. Replacements: A Kyriacou for Brady, S Danielli for A D'Arcy D Fitzpatrick for P McCallister (all 46 mins); N McComb for T Barker (66 mins). Sinbin: Mueller (56 mins).
AIRONI: J Marshall; K Robertson, G Pavan, M Pratichetti, D Demas; R Bocchino, P Travagli; A De Marchi, R Santamaria, U Gamboa; J Furno, M Bortolami (capt); J Sole, G Krause, N Williams. Replacements: L Redolfini for De Marchi, (59 mins); T Tebaldi for Travagli (64mins); G Rubini for R Bocchino, T D'Apice for Santamaria (both 70mins).
Referee: L Hodges(WRU).
Attendance: 7,700.
