European Cup/Ulster 33 Leicester 0: Explain this one. Go figure how Ulster can prevent Leicester from scoring one point over 80 minutes, for half of which the visitors had a strong wind in their favour and a low winter sun on their backs. Explain how a team jewelled with international players from England, South Africa, New Zealand and Italy can fail to arrive for their biggest match of the season.
Coach Dean Richards couldn't understand the disintegration. Ulster's Alan Solomons looked to his team effort, the Ulster psyche and a communal focus that drove his team to a four-try win and bonus point against one of the perceived forces in European rugby.
No longer. Leicester's invincibility was stripped away as Ulster's ability to be more than the sum of individual parts again shone through.
This was another one of those Ravenhill Road days when the magnitude of the performance far overshadowed the dwindling controversy surrounding the playing of the match on the sabbath.
For Ulster it means stepping back into contention for a place in the latter stages of the competition. After three games, they have beaten Stade Francais, humiliated Leicester and lost to Gwent. The pool is still alive as the trip to Welford Road next week for the second leg looms.
A couple of soft tries in the first half combined with Ulster's ability to knock Leicester back in the second half grabbed this game. Richards's barely concealed irritation over the "soft tries" was understandable - they certainly contributed to the rout, but Ulster's second-half defence ensured it.
It all began after just eight minutes when Humphreys decided to put a deft kick over the Leicester defence following a series of recycles as Ulster tore into the Leicester 22. With Tyrone Howe charging up the left wing and Neil Baxter chasing to cover, it was Howe's hand that got there first.
In the opening exchanges Leicester laboriously inched towards Ulster's half only for Humphreys, with the wind, to kick them back 50 and 60 yards.
A penalty made it 8-0 before the towering Rowan Frost collected from an Ulster lineout and fed it to the middle through Matt Sexton and the breaking Neil Best for Andy Ward to punch through for the first of his two tries.
Best, Ward, Robbie Kempson and Rowan Frost in the lineouts towered above their opponents while again Paul Steinmetz at inside centre broke with pace and with Shane Stewart outside him built a wall around the middle of the park.
Leicester were unlucky to have lost their two centres, Ollie Smith and Daryl Gibson, after eight minutes and in that area they were vulnerable. Austin Healey's presence didn't help any and when Ward ran at him, knocked him over and touched down for his second for 22-0, Leicester were looking like a beaten side.
Humphreys landed another wind-assisted penalty and when Healey fouled in a ruck on 40 minutes Ulster took full advantage, closing the half 28-0 up and very much in the ascendancy.
The key phase of the match was immediately after the break. It was then, we thought, Leicester might begin to take advantage of the wind and come off the leash.
Instead a Frost break through the soft Leicester centre and an off-load to Stewart, who galloped in near the posts, took the fight out of the two-time champions.
From then on it was how Ulster could hold them out. And they did that with ease. Thieving four Leicester lineouts in the second period and once shoving them off their own scrum ball five metres from the home line, Ulster simply kept demonstrating how irrepressible they were.
Leicester showed little hunger and even when flu-struck Martin Johnson, who it is believed will announce this week he is to retire from international rugby, arrived into the game on 52 minutes, the complexion of Leicester's challenge failed to change.
"We'd a particularly good afternoon," said Alan Solomons afterwards. "I would say that was our best performance. We spoke about the necessity for everyone to be on their game.
"Both halves were terrific. Once we lost the toss, we knew then that we had to put points on the board. Then the defensive effort in the second half was superb.
"We were very chuffed to get the bonus point. Now it will take an incredible effort in Welford Road next week."
The Ulster captain captain, Ward, was no less impressed with his team: "It's up there with the top five (Ulster) performances. Leicester have a proven track record. To be able to play that way against them was a joy for us."
Ulster ended the match knocking Leicester back from their impregnable goal-line, Kempson keeping the aggressive edge alive in the front row, Ward making huge yardage out of the danger zone, and of course Humphreys kicking 15 and 20 metres to touch, killing the fight, and moving the province to a comfortable perch atop Group One.
Scoring sequence: 8 mins: T Howe try 5-0; 16: Humphreys pen 8-0; 20: A Ward try, Humphreys con 15-0; 30: A Ward try, Humphreys con 22-0; 34: Humphreys pen 25-0; 40: Humphreys pen 28-0; Half-time: 28-0. 44: S Stewart try 33-0;
ULSTER: P Wallace; J Topping, S Stewart, P Steinmetz, T Howe; D Humphreys, N Doak; R Kempson, M Sexton, S Best, M Mustchin, R Frost, A Ward (capt), N Best, R Wilson. Replacements: M McCullough for Mustchin (67 mins); A Larkin for Stewart (75 mins).
LEICESTER: J van der Westhuyzen; N Baxter, O Smith, D Gibson, L Lloyd; R Pez, A Healy; G Rowntree, D West, D Morris, L Deacon, B Kay, W Johnson, N Back (capt), H Tuilagi. Replacements: G Gelderbloom for Gibson (4 mins); L Myring for Smith (8 mins); S Vesty for Gelderbloom (46 mins); M Johnson for Deacon (52 mins); W Skinner for Tuilagi (60 mins).
Referee: J Jutge (France).
