DRAGONS SLAYERS Five-try Ulster have that killer instinct

ULSTER returned to winning ways in the PRO14 and earned their first winning bonus point of the season when scoring five tries to defeat Dragons at Kingspan Stadium.

Scores from Henry Speight, Dave Shanahan, Michael Lowry and two from Stuart Mccloskey saw coach Dan Mcfarland’s side home after leading 24-13 at half-time.

Johnny Mcphillips kicked 11 points, from four conversions and a penalty, as a strong Ulster side won their first PRO14 game since beating Southern Kings in mid-september.

Dragons, who had not won in Belfast for a decade, scored tries from Huw Taylor and Jarryd Sage with Jason Tovey kicking two conversions and a penalty.

Mcphillips put Ulster 3-0 up seven minutes in and this became 10-0 after Speight’s 11th minute score was converted. The score came after Ulster put together some excellent multi-phase attacking work with 21-year-old winger Robert Balacoune making a strong carry on his debut.

Jason Tovey’s 15th minute penalty, won by Nic Cudd off Shanahan, cut the lead to

10-3. Ulster responded when Addison then rifled through the

Dragons’ defence before drawing the last defenders to give Shanahan

(right) an easy run in for Ulster’s second try on 22 minutes.

Again the Dragons responded and, off a scrum, flanker Taylor barrelled over on the half hour after some good approach work by Adam Warren.

Tovey’s converted and added a penalty to narrow the gap before Iain Henderson then made a huge surge upfield, losing his boot in the process, but his line-bust helped create the half-chance for Lowry which the full-back took to nail Ulster’s third try on half-time. Nine minutes after the restart, Ulster had their try bonus when Mccloskey was put in by Mcphillips after Speight had made ground on the left. Mcphillips missed the extras but Ulster led 29-13.

Centre Sage smashed over for the Dragons from close range in the 67th minute and although the visitors had several chances to score again, it was Ulster who got the last touchdown when Kieran Treadwell’s run put Mccloskey under the posts for his second.