Fearless Ulster knock Stade out of their stride

HEINEKEN CUP/Ulster 23 Stade Francais 13:ULSTER COACH Brian McLaughlin said to his players beforehand to "be fearless". Ulster were and rose to meet what has become a regular challenge for the team, that of people underestimating them. The sum of Ulster's parts have often amounted to something more than 22 players and against Stade Francais on Saturday, a side that looked like they would combust from frustration on a cold afternoon, Ulster set up a one-off match in Brussels this week to see who leads Pool Four after the fourth round.

The Stade Francais brand, which club owner Max Guazzini is enthusiastic to expand in the mould of Manchester United, is being brought away from France for Ulster’s visit. It’s not a first for the Heineken Cup as matches have been staged outside home territories before, notably Biarritz moving two of their games to San Sebastian in Spain.

But the decision by Guazzini may well come back to haunt him. For the Parisians next week’s encounter at the experimental location will be as much of an away match for them as for Ulster.

Stade, too, will probably have to rearrange their team. Outhalf Lionel Beauxis departed with his hand heavily bandaged, prop Sylvian Marconnet limped out of the stadium and scrumhalf Julien Dupuy will probably face a citation for seeming to make contact with the eye area of Ulster and Irish flanker Stephen Ferris in the last quarter of the match. If the IRB are consistent with their policy of stamping out that ugly aspect of the game, Dupuy will undoubtedly be sidelined for quite some time.

The match fell Ulster’s way quite early. A nerveless kicking game from Ian Humphreys combined with scrappy efforts from Beauxis and later Noel Oelschig for Stade condemned the Parisians to a chasing game from the moment Ulster took a 10-3 lead after 20 minutes. While they got to within 10-6 on 28 minutes, they didn’t score again until substitute Julien Aras ran in a try six minutes from the end.

But the interim period was of a rushed Stade team that was growing more furious with themselves for botching opportunities and giving up possession. The two or three times they kicked for territorial lineouts a miscueing of the throw or fouling prior to the put-in reversed the advantage. At the end of the first half it happened twice in succession as they were chasing Ulster from 13-6 down and in the home side’s 22. One of the lineouts was cleverly nicked, the other crooked in. Advantage gone.

Ulster will know this fraught, testy and self-destructive Stade side will likely improve next week. But the Ulster boys played a clever game through Humphreys’ kicking and at the breakdown where Ferris, and Chris Henry put themselves around the park and generally kept their cool. A final 25 minutes where Ulster tried to run the ball from defence rather than use the reliable Humphreys boot was a dip in concentration but Stade were never together enough to capitalise.

Stade captain Rodrigo Roncero was not a happy camper and referee David Pearson may still be hearing buzzing in his ear with a South American accent so often was the prop on his shoulder offering all sorts of advice.

Both of Ulster’s tries came from countering out of their defence. Humphreys triggered the first, catching deep from a Garryowen and after a neat interchange with Simon Danielli on the left wing sending Nigel Brady over after 20 minutes. The second-half score rewarded the Scottish international, a half break from Ferris and this time Danielli took off down the flank for 23-6. Finally, replacement prop David Attoup was also binned with Bryan Young after a bout of punching and shoving. It was during this 73rd minute contretemps that the eyes of Ferris appeared to be gouged.

Scoring sequence – 12 mins: I Humphreys pen 3-0; 17: L Beauxis pen 3-3; 20: N Brady try, Humphreys con 10-3; 24: Beauxis pen 10-6; 33: Humphreys pen 13-6. Halftime. 46: Humphreys pen 16-6; 48: Danielli try, Humphreys con 23-6; 74: J Arias try, Oelschig con 23-13.

ULSTER: C Schifcofske: A Trimble, D Cave, I Whitten, S Danielli; I Humphreys, I Boss; T Court, N Brady, D Fitzpatrick, E O’Donoghue, D Tuohy, S Ferris, D Pollock, C Henry (capt). Replacements: W Faloon for Pollack, B Young for Fitzpatrick 63 mins; A Kyriacou for Brady 70 mins; N O’Connor for Humphreys 73 mins; J Smith for Cave 74 mins; J Fitzpatrick for Ferris 77 mins.

STADE FRANCAIS: H Southwell; M Gasnier, M Bastareaud, G Messina, O Phillips; L Beauxis, J Dupuy; R Roncero (capt), B Kayser, S Marconnet, A Marchois, P Pape, J Haskell, A Burban, P Rabadan. Replacements: M Bergamasco for Burbain 40 mins; N Oelschig for Beauxis 47 mins; D Szarzewski for Kayser and D Attoub for Marconnet 48 mins; G Bousses for Messina 52 mins; J Arias for Southwell 63 mins; P Vigouroux for Pape 70 mins; R Slimani for Bergamasco 77 mins.

Yellow cards: Stade – Dupuy 46 mins, Attoub 73 mins. Ulster – Young 73 mins.

Referee: D Pearson (RFU).