NO TIERS IN WILD WEST
Heroes O’halloran and Dillane run sorry Ulster ragged
RUGBY: PROVINCES FACE OFF IN PRO 14
their side to Ulster’s eight, showed ambition from the outset and were rewarded when they went to the left corner with a penalty, with John Muldoon’s take being followed by a superb maul which finished with flanker Eoghan Masterson peeling away to score after just three minutes.
Ten minutes later an initial run from Tiernan O’halloran set up the field position from which scrum-half Kieran Marmion sniped through the Ulster cover to send Bundee Aki through for his first try of the season and his tenth in 70 appearances for the province.
Jack Carty added the conversion in front of the posts, leaving Ulster with an uphill battle.
Former Connacht scrum-half John Cooney got them off the mark with a penalty from 25 metres after 23 minutes. However, Connacht hit back immediately, with winger Matt Healy superbly collecting the restart to set up a good attack which saw Aki turn provider this time, sending O’halloran through and the full-back crowned a week in which he extended his contract at the Sportsground for another two years by making it to the line to open up a 17-3 lead.
Cooney and Carty exchanged penalties to leave it 20-6 at the interval but Connacht took control from the restart.
Carty tapped over a penalty in front of the posts when Ulster loosehead Andrew Warwick was binned for not rolling away.
The bonus point came when Ulster were briefly down to 13 men when centre Louis Ludik was binned for a deliberate knock-on.
Connacht, unsurprisingly, went to the corner and again got the drive, with Ultan Dillane supplying the finishing touch and Carty adding the conversion to make it 30-6.
Connacht crossed for a fifth on the hour when Jarrad Butler marked his return from injury by scoring his first try since his summer move from Australia.
Craig Gilroy pulled back a try for Ulster with 15 minutes left but Eoin Griffin intercepted and fed Darragh Leader who set up Dillane for the final try. CONNACHT: ULSTER: