Ulster end campaign with defeat

Toulouse 28-13 Ulster:Clement Poitrenaud's two tries salvaged some pride for former European champions Toulouse in an ill-tempered match against Ulster at Stade Ernest Wallon.

In a match-up between the two also-rans in Pool Five, Poitrenaud scored in both halves as three-times champions Toulouse exited with a workmanlike display and Ulster crashed out of the tournament in the pool stages for the eighth straight season.

The last time Ulster made the final eight - in the 1998-99 season - they won the trophy.

Toulouse, and France, suffered an early blow when Test scrum-half Jean-Baptiste Elissalde was helped from the field in the fourth minute, but replacement Valentin Courrent made an immediate impact by supplying the crucial pass to put Poitrenaud over the try-line in the sixth minute.

Courrent added the extras, only to be powerless when the Ulster pack shoved their way over the line to level the scores.

Lock Matt McCullough, facing racial abuse charges at a judiciary hearing in Dublin on Wednesday, emerged from the pile of bodies with the ball and fly-half Paddy Wallace slotted the conversion.

A Courrent penalty goal gave the home side a 10-7 lead at half-time, but not before another France international, centre Florian Fritz, limped off to give national coach Bernard Laporte even more to worry about a fortnight from the start of the RBS 6 Nations.

Toulouse coach Guy Noves sent on international front-rowers Omar Hasan and William Servat as the second half kicked off, but Ulster had the first say with a Wallace penalty goal.

Courrent reclaimed the lead with his third goal of the match, before opposing locks Trevor Brennan (Toulouse) and Justin Harrison - two of the fieriest characters in world rugby - earned 10-minute spells in the sin-bin for trading punches.

Wallace's boot was keeping the visitors in touch, but a breakaway try from Poitrenaud gave his side a seven-point lead as the game entered its final 15 minutes.

Courrent continued to rack up the points with another penalty goal, and back row Yannick Nyanga sealed the victory with a try in the 74th minute as both sides said goodbye to this season's tournament.