Ulster get the job done

Glasgow Warriors 8 Ulster 19: A clinical Ulster performance halted Glasgow's Magners Celtic League revival and kept their noses in front of Leinster in an incident-packed tussle at Hughenden.

The Scots had by far the bulk of possession - but it was the Ravenhill men who took their chances when it mattered.

The Warriors were still in the hunt going into the last quarter, but two tries in less than two minutes killed off their quest for a seventh home success on the trot.

Glasgow had the better of the early territorial exchanges but could not turn pressure into instant points.

There was a setback for Ulster in the sixth minute when influential scrum-half Isaac Boss was forced off with an injury and replaced by Kieran Campbell.

Having repelled the early barrage, Ulster grabbed the lead with their first foray into enemy territory.

Paddy Wallace caught the Glasgow fringe markers on the hop with a burst of pace down the middle. He was hauled down a few paces short of the target, but expertly popped the ball to hooker Rory Best, who was left with an easy finishing job.

Wallace added the formality of a conversion to the delight of the big travelling support.

The score sparked a series of further attacks, but a combination of spilled passes and brave home defence kept Ulster at bay.

There was drama in the dying seconds of the half when Tommy Bowe thought he had snapped up Ulster's second touchdown — only for Welsh referee James Jones to rule a forward pass from Matt McCullough.

The frantic pace continued after the restart with the Warriors quickly narrowing the gap thanks to a Dan Parks penalty for offside from dead in front.

It was the spur that Glasgow needed to up the intensity level, but they were still getting no change out of the tight Ulster back ranks.

And Neil Best struck the killer blow midway through the half when he got the vital touch following a concerted pack drive from a line-out.

The Ulster fans were celebrating again two minutes later as Bowe dashed in for try number three to ensure the win. Wallace converted to stretch the lead to 16 points.

Substitute Andy Newman grabbed a late consolation score for Glasgow.