Ulster - 16 Northampton - 13:EUROPEAN CUP/Pool Six: In the end it wasn't enough to qualify for the play-offs but Ulster unearthed a performance closer to the pomp and splendour of their European Cup-winning season of 1999. John O'Sullivan reports from Ravenhill.
They thrashed Northampton 16-13, no joke intended, and with a little better fortune and precision in their opponents' 22 could have got the four tries they needed.
Northampton were reduced to 13 players at one stage in the second half but they defended courageously in a match in which they were outplayed for long periods. Ulster annihilated them in the scrums, were more productive from the lineout but just could not find those scoring passes when tries were on.
They had some outstanding performers, not least Robbie Kempson, Jeremy Davidson, Andy Ward and Neil McMillan in a towering performance from the pack, while Shane Stewart found some gaps behind the scrum. It didn't matter that on the night David Humphreys struggled with his place-kicking because it was tries which were required.
Ulster needed to settle quickly and they were facilitated in this by referee Joel Dume who twice penalised Northampton for encroaching offside. Humphreys, from the visitors' 10-metre line and into a stiff breeze, tugged the first left, pushing the second right of the posts.
It was scant reward for a lively opening by the Ulster eight. The lineout provided an excellent platform with Matt Sexton consistently finding Gary Longwell and Jeremy Davidson. Their mauling was superb and Ulster runners were making headway when released to attack the outhalf channel.
Ulster's eagerness inevitably led to the odd handling error and it was a little worrying that their dominance of the opening quarter wasn't reflected on the scoreboard, a trend that continued to the interval. Centre Shane Stewart ran an exquisite angle off a short pass from Humphreys racing into the Northampton 22 only to be cut down five metres short.
The visitors transgressed at the ruck, Humphreys kicked the penalty to touch and when the pack had rumbled forward from a catch and drive, Neil Doak scampered through a gap. Ben Cohen hauled him down a couple of metres short but from the ensuing ruck flanker Neil McMillan burrowed his way over to score his third try in two matches. Humphreys's conversion was a formality.
Poor control at a lineout saw Ulster turn over possession and four rucks later the home side were penalised for offside on their own 22. Northampton number eight Mark Connors and Sexton were then involved in an exchange of punches: Connors appeared to throw the first one and was fortunate the penalty wasn't reversed.
Paul Grayson had little problem in posting the 23-metre penalty from in front of the posts to reduce the deficit to 7-3. It was Northampton's first serious foray into the Ulster half.
Ulster's aerial assault, combined with excellent mauling of the pack, earned a productive kickback in terms of possession. Unfortunately every error in the Northampton 22 was ridiculously prohibitive in terms of ground lost after the turnover.
Humphreys missed a 22-metre drop-goal in injury time which summed up a half where Ulster's rugby merited a greater return.
Ulster upped the tempo again after the restart, a great scrum on halfway forcing Northampton off their own ball and Humphreys rifling a magnificent kick to the corner. Unfortunately another turnover was to prove very costly.
From a ruck on halfway Matt Dawson put Cohen clear and the England winger stepped inside Bryn Cunningham on a 45-metre run to the line for a fine individual try. Grayson added an excellent conversion from wide out to nudge the visitors 10-7 ahead.
However, the home side responded with grit, Humphreys dropping a superb goal to tie the scores. Cohen's departure to the sin bin on 54 minutes seemed a little harsh, penalised for not rolling away at a ruck. Humphreys missed with the long-range penalty and when Shane Stewart didn't avail of an overlap deep inside the Northampton 22, the crowd's despair was palpable.
Ulster just could not keep their rugby error free long enough to deliver on the approach work. Ulster captain Andy Ward invited Humphreys to kick at goal - a strange decision given the need for tries - on 64 minutes and it was close to the touchline. The outhalf missed for the third time on the night and salt was rubbed into the wound when Grayson slotted a penalty a couple of minutes later to edge his side 13-10 in front.
Ulster once again camped in the visiting 22 and Northampton's increasingly desperate defence saw replacement prop Chris Budgen binned. Still Ulster couldn't breach the English side's line, another catch and drive from a lineout coming up agonisingly inches short.
Northampton were reduced to 13 men when flanker Mark Sodon was dispatched to the bin for a high tackle on Humphreys and Neil Doak stepped up to take the 26-metre penalty in front of the posts. The scrumhalf duly obliged but he was guilty of a shocking decision in kicking away possession after the home side had worked the ball from their own 22 to Northampton's.
There was to be a vindication for Ulster's performance and it came three minutes into injury time when Humphreys slotted a drop goal from eight metres outside the opposition's 22 that guaranteed the victory and their longstanding unbeaten home record in European competition. Unfortunately today they are likely to exit the competition.
SCORING SEQUENCE
22 mins: McMillan try, Humphreys con 7-0
26 mins: Grayson penalty 7-3
Half-time: Ulster 7, Northampton 3
48 mins: Cohen try, Grayson con 7-10
51 mins: Humphreys drop goal 10-10
67 mins: Grayson penalty 10-13
80 mins: Doak penalty 13-13
83 mins: Humphreys drop goal 16-13.
ULSTER: B Cunningham; J Topping, R Constable, S Stewart, S Coulter; D Humphreys, N Doak; R Kempson, M Sexton, S Best; G Longwell, J Davidson; A Ward (capt), T McWhirter, N McMillan. Replacements: J Fitzpatrick for Best 64 mins; R Nelson for McWhirter 67 mins.
NORTHAMPTON: N Beal; J Brooks, P Jorgensen, J Leslie (capt), B Cohen; P Grayson, M Dawson; T Smith, S Thompson, R Morris; S Williams, R Hunter; G Seeley, M Connors, M Sodon. Replacements: C Budgen for Morris 52 mins; D Richmond for Thompson 64 mins; J Sleightholme for Brooks 71 mins; J Phillips for Williams 72 mins; K Todd for Seely 75 mins.
Referee: J Dume (France).
Yellow card: B Cohen (Northampton) 54-64 mins; C Budgen (Northampton) 71-81 mins; M Sodon (Northampton) 78 mins.
