Rugby/ Celtic League/ Ulster 10; Llanelli 9: Midway point in this Celtic league season and Ulster continue to blow a good deal hotter than the rain-swept terraces of Ravenhill Road. Their chance to replace Llanelli as the leaders of the Celtic League table was taken last night after almost perishing with an uninspiring wind-assisted first-half performance.
The second half? That was a different tale, where again Ulster demonstrated what a nuggety, obdurate, testy and gritty side they can be against the odds. Not for the first time have a team with a reputation come to Belfast and failed to score a single point in the second half. Ulster are now top of the table.
With Alan Solomons still deciding his future in coaching (Northampton are apparently interested) amd with David Humphreys and Tyrone Howe on international duty, Ulster just about pulled it off. They also did it without international second row Gary Longwell.
Has "The Boat" sunk without trace? Not in the Ulster 22 last night, not with Eddie O'Sullivan, not injured and apparently not playing for Ballymena today.
Ulster's first show of teeth came after just three minutes when outhalf Adam Larkin broke inside the Llanelli 22 only to be taken down two yards from the Welsh line. The attack shook Llanelli's composure for several moments and a minute later Ulster took advantage, this time Bryn Cunninghan touching down after Roger Wilson made the penetration into the heart of the visitors' defence right under the posts. Larkin converted.
It was not a convincing beginning for the visitors but as expected from a team who arrived as league leaders, Llanelli steadied. Five minutes later Mike Philips gathered and got his team's initial points with a drop goal after Gareth Bowen's first penalty of the match from 10 yards out came crashing back off the post to land fortuitously at Philips feet. But before the quarter was out Bowen had successfully landed his first and from a promising Ulster start, Llanelli were just a point behind and in the ascendent.
Scott Quinnell, their number eight, then began to bust holes around the park, either making yardage or being used as a launch platform for the Llanelli attacks, which came with increasing success as the half developed.
Llanelli lost their captain Leigh Davies and Shane Stewart departed for Ulster but neither loss changed the complexion of the match.
Humphreys' tactical kicking was glaringly missed and, against the breeze, it was Llanelli who had the home team pinned into their own 22 and at times frantically defending. No more than three kicks in that opening stretch sent the Welsh back into their danger zone as Ulster struggled just to find territory.
That said, Ulster held a 10-9 advantage going into the second half after Bowen and Larking exchanged penalties but it seemed scarcely enough distance between the teams with the rain also slanting into Ulster faces.
But Llanelli had not moved their score on after 20 minutes while Larkin had missed two penalties for a two from five return.
But too often the Llanelli lineouts malfunctioned, especially in the Ulster 22, and luckily for the home side, the Welsh tactical kicking was also poor.
Ulster obviously raised their game and decided on holding possession. The galloping raids by Quinnell had been stopped and the Ulster ball retention also significantly improved. A long range effort from Bowen fell short on 70 minutes as Llanelli became twitchy, a point down and just 10 minutes remaining.
By then Ulster were toughing it out and showing what they rarely lack at Ravenhill, character and organised aggression, Roger Wilson leading the way from the back row.
While it had seemed impossible for them to hold Llanelli scoreless in the second half, with each passing minute that became more attainable and the crowd sensed it too.
Hitting them on the gain line repeatedly and freshening up the pack with Matt Sexton, Simon Best and Matt Mustchin early in the second half served Ulster well. It was a forty minute performance reminiscent of their game here last month against Leicester, when the collective effort outshone anything else on the pitch. Bodies on the line. Big hits. No mistakes.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 4 mins: B Cunningham try, A Larkin con 7-0; 8: M Philips drop gl 7-3; 14: G Bowen pen 7-6; 38: Bowen pen 7-9; 40: Larkin pen 10-9.
ULSTER: B Cunningham; J Topping, S Stewart, P Steinmetz, S Young; A Larkin, K Campbell; R Kempson, P Shields, R Moore, M McCullough, R Frost, A Ward (Capt), N Best, R Wilson. Replacements: P Wallace for Stewart (36 mins), M Sexton for Shields, M Mustchin for Frost, S Best for Moore (47 mins).
LLANELLI: B Davies; T Selly, M Watkins, L Davies, S Finu; G Bowen, M Philips; P John, A Gravelle, J Davies, V Cooper, C Wyatt, D Hodges, G Williams, S Quinell. Replacements: R Rees for Davies (24 mins), A Jones for Wyatt (59 mins).
Referee: D Changleng (Scotland).
