HEINEKEN CUP QUARTER-FINALS: Northampton 23 Ulster 13:ULSTER WILL reflect on what might have been in Milton Keynes, a defeat that will smart not because they lost a Heineken Cup quarter-final but the manner in which the match slipped through their fingers, figuratively as well as literally in one incident.
The Irish province didn’t toss away countless opportunities carelessly per se, they weren’t the better side although more accomplished behind the scrum, but they were guilty of periodic implosion. That can be attributed to pressure in some instances but there were too many unforced errors.
A brittle performance out of touch, a technique at scrum time that regularly incurred the displeasure of French referee Romain Poite, a penchant for transgressing liberally at the breakdown and a periodic lack of precision, ultimately provided a handicap too debilitating to shoulder.
That’s without factoring in the lumbering power and fitful moments of back-line finesse from a Northampton Saints team who discovered enough answers to pass the test in front of 21,309 spectators at a colourful and passionate stadium:mk amphitheatre. The English club were worried, seriously so at times despite an idyllic opening stanza.
Ulster ratcheted up the pressure at various stages, snapshots of sumptuous running lines and soft hands, but too often when they forced their opponents to back peddle and scramble inelegantly, an error would release the safety valve on the pressure gauge.
Still there was no denying the character, the work ethic, the flair, the thunderous tackling in defence that tantalised them with glimpses of what might be possible on the day. One incident, when the Saints led 20-13 defined the final 20 minutes of the match. Ulster were awarded a penalty deep in the Saints 22 and Ruan Pienaar intelligently took a quick tap, spotting the numerical advantage but Adam D’Arcy spilled possession with Simon Danielli waiting outside to run in a try. It was a horrendous moment for the fullback.
It’s a matter of conjecture as to what might have happened had Ulster drawn level but based on the evidence of the first half, the Saints wouldn’t have been bullish about their chances. Instead, handed the reprieve, they rediscovered the impetus that shepherded them towards the finishing line with the minimum of discomfort.
Northampton were gifted the perfect start, handed possession and position when Andrew Trimble, starring into the sun, dropped a hopeful punt inside his 22, about six metres from the line. Ulster conceded a free kick at the ensuing scrum and following a series of rumbles, the gargantuan Soane Tonga’uiha scrambled through the underbelly of a ruck and stretched out to touch down.
Steven Myler kicked the conversion after just two minutes and 16 seconds. James Downey made a fine break as the Saints continued to dominate but gradually Ulster cut down on the mistakes and discovered a rhythm to their patterns. Ian Humphreys kicked two beautifully struck long-range penalties to give them a foothold in the match and in between, Ulster were denied a try when Humphreys offload was adjudged forward as Danielli scampered down the touchline and over the try line.
The contact areas were fiercely disputed, the collisions on the gain line aggressively uncompromising. Dan Tuohy put in one huge hit, Saints’ secondrow and man-of-the -match Courtney Lawes cut down everything that moved, eventually amassing a tally of 13 tackles.
Neven Spence ran hard, so too the Ulster backrow, Robbie Diack and Chris Henry particularly effective. Rory Best – he produced one great try saving tackle on Brian Mujati, was leading by example as the pack accepted their voracious workload.
Ulster’s back-line play was more creative, graphically illustrated on 32 minutes when Danielli ran a great line off Paddy Wallace’s inside pass. Although grounded six metres out, Ulster worked through several phases before Best rewarded Trimble’s great line with yet another well-weighted inside pass: the winger powered over close to the posts. Humphreys’ conversion took Ulster out to 13-7 but a soft penalty at a scrum seconds before the interval allowed Myler to narrow the gap. The Northampton outhalf brought the sides level three minutes after the restart as Ulster, Tuohy this time, continued to transgress.
The press on the scrum, the concession of possession on their throw denied the Irish province not only the platform of possession but field position. It was a sequence that could not continue without ruinous consequences.
Northampton’s second try on 54 minutes was given life initially by a poorly co-ordinated chase. A quick throw, Meyler swept back against the grain, Ben Foden and Chris Ashton exchanged a number of passes and when the former was grounded, centre Jon Clarke flicked the ball up to supporting Lee Dickson; the scrumhalf had an unencumbered passage to the line.
Meyler kicked the conversion, added a penalty on 63 minutes, missed another on 67 minutes and as both teams began to wilt in the heat, the game petered out: well almost as in the build-up to the final penalty, Northampton captain Dylan Hartley claimed to have been bitten by Ulster number eight Pedrie Wannenburg. The fact he was reefing the South African’s neck backwards will offer mitigation but not absolution if his accusation is founded officially.
Northampton’s brutish physicality up front – Ulster old boy Roger Wilson, Tom Wood, Mujati and Lawes in the van – their ability to sunder their opponents’ set-piece and one moment of inspired back play unlocked a passage to a European Cup semi-final.
SCORING SEQUENCE– 2 mins: Tonga'uiha try, Myler conversion, 7-0; 6: Humphreys penalty, 7-3; 13: Humphreys penalty, 7-6; 32: Trimble try, Humphreys conversion, 7-13; 39: Myler penalty, 10-13. Half-time: 10-13. 48: Myler penalty, 13-13; 54: Dickson try, Myler conversion, 20-13; 63: Myler penalty, 23-13.
NORTHAMPTON: B Foden; C Ashton, J Clarke, J Downey, P Diggin; S Myler, L Dickson; S Tonga'uiha, D Hartley (capt), B Mujati; C Lawes, C Day; P Dowson, T Wood, R Wilson. Replacements: C Clarke for Dowson (73 mins); A Waller for Tonga'uiha (76 mins); B Sharman for Hartley (78 mins).
ULSTER:A D'Arcy; A Trimble, N Spence, P Wallace, S Danielli; I Humphreys, R Pienaar; T Court, R Best (capt), BJ Botha; J Muller, D Tuohy; R Diack, C Henry, P Wannenburg. Replacements: T Barker for Tuohy (57 mins); W Faloon for Diack (62 mins); P McAllister for Botha (71 mins); C Gilroy for Danielli (73 mins); I Whitten for Muller (79 mins).
Referee:Romain Poite (France).
