Poor Ulster bow out of Europe after yet another horror show
WASPS: W le Roux, C Wade, J de Jongh, K Eastmond, M Watson, D Cipriani, D Robson; S McIntyre, T Cruse, J Cooper-Woolley; J Launchbury, J Gaskell; J Willis, G Thompson, N Carr.
Subs: A Johnson (for Cruse, 62), B Harris (for McIntyre, 61), M Moore (for Cooper-Woolley, 61), K Myall (for Gaskell, 54), T Young (for Willis, 54), J Simpson (for Robson, 61), R Miller (for Watson, 55), B Macken (for Eastmond, 66)
ULSTER: C Piutau, L Ludik, D Cave, S McCloskey, J Stockdale; C Leali’ifano, J Cooney; K McCall, R Best, R Ah You; A O’Connor, K Treadwell; I Henderson, S Reidy, N Timoney.
Subs: R Herring (for Best, 55), A Warwick (for McCall,54), W Herbst (for Ah You, 50), M Rea (for Treadwell, 55), C Henry (for Timoney, 66), D Shanahan (for Leali’ifano, 72), J McPhillips (for Ludik, 32), R Lyttle (for Stockdale, 17)
Man of the match: Tom Cruse
Referee: Jerome Garces
POLE position in pool one coming into the weekend counted for little by the time all was said and done last night as Ulster made a winter exit from Europe for the fourth season in a row.
The province began the game knowing that a win would see them into the last eight, and in the end any form of victory would have been enough to top the pool, but they were battered by Wasps who themselves saw their slim hopes of qualification extinguished despite taking five match points from the 26-7 win.
To say simply that Ulster were second best in Coventry would feel like doing a disservice to the gulf between two sides who adapted to poor conditions with radically different levels of success.
Periods of the game when Ulster weren’t under pressure felt like a real rarity and, even as the rain teemed down onto an already soggy pitch, Wasps were still able to play with an incision that made it feel as if the next try was always an inevitability.
While Ulster did show doggedness in defence, especially in a first-half that finished only 14-7 despite they and the ball being virtual strangers, their error count ensured that a foothold could never be secured and what could have been a defining game of their season ended with both sides playing out time.
It seemed that whenever Ulster had even the slimmest of openings, a crucial error would undo any progress, while a rejigged backline was given plenty to think about when a Danny Cipriani inspired Wasps attacked.
In what had been a drama-filled round six, Ulster had come in with the enviable status of having their destiny in their own hands.
While Munster’s delayed kickoff muddied the waters somewhat, a win or draw would take them through, while a single bonus point in defeat would not be enough.
With Wasps needing a sizeable, and unlikely, favour from Harlequins out in La Rochelle in order to have any hope of making the quarter-finals, it was clear from the outset that their marginal progression prospects had made little dent in their will to win.
This was no game of ebb and flow, Wasps were on top from minute one, virtually, to minute 80.
There were only 12 minutes on the clock when the Premiership side opened the scoring, and it was a passage of play indicative of Ulster’s afternoon.
They had been putting together what was a rare spell of retained possession in opposition territory when Rodney Ah You barrelled onto the ball and spilled it forward.
From the scrum, Wasps booted the ball clear and were immediately back on the front foot when Rory Best’s line-out throw was pinched by James Gaskell, eventually leading to an Ulster offside.
Three mistakes in quick succession and the game