Ulster 45 Scarlets 24:IT HARDLY gets much better than this. A bonus point annihilation of a poor Scarlets outfit sees Ulster sit top of the table this morning, one point ahead of Edinburgh prior to today's games, and gives them back to back maximum pointers after last week's demolition of Connacht in Galway.

Ulster also managed to score five tries, four coming in a frantic second half which had started with the home side only leading 16-12. Coach Brian McLaughlin could hardly have asked for any more ahead of Ulster’s opening Heineken Cup game against Bath at Ravenhill on Friday night.

There was so much to take from this rather one-sided contest, with Andrew Trimble grabbing two eye-catching tries, Ian Humphreys scoring 20 points from four penalties and four conversions, only missing two kicks all night and a some highly aggressive defending and gut-busting running from the ever improving Willie Faloon.

Poor Scarlets. A fourth defeat in five games leaves them looking even more bedraggled.

After Stephen Jones had marked his first return to competitive action since Lions duty with a second minute penalty, Ulster, conjured up the perfect reply from the restart, flanker Willie Faloon took the scoring pass from Botha to go under the sticks.

The conversion from Humphreys was a formality.

Stephen Jones kicked a penalty for the visitors before Humphreys’ first penalty after Ryan Caldwell was speared by Rhys Thomas and at 10-6 up, and, with the Scarlets down to 14 men in the 16th minute, it again seemed an appropriate time to turn the screw.

But Jones landed two more penalties to put the Scarlets 12-10 up just prior to Rhys Thomas’ return from the bin. But with a bit of decent field position just after the half hour, Humphreys got two more penalty chances, one which he took and the other which sailed high and wide.

Humphreys gave his team mates the perfect final shot of the half with a great injury time penalty strike from 45 metres to give them a morale-lifting 16-12 lead.

Humphreys then made it 19-12 four minutes after the restart after Dafydd Jones was penalised for pulling down a maul and then when Humphreys miscued a bomb, Andrew Trimble followed it up by shoving Gareth Maule aside without the ball and then running in from just under 40 metres.

Humphreys missed the conversion.

But Ulster weren’t finished and on the hour mark, from turnover ball, Humphreys chipped for Nagusa to gather and race clear with the outhalf adding the extras to take Ulster clear at 31-12.

A horrible mix-up at the back by Scarlets allowed Trimble to gather a loose ball and run home from over 30 metres for the bonus point try.

Humphreys’ conversion made it 38-12.

Scarlets got a consolation score with 10 minutes remaining from skipper Lee Williams which was superbly converted by Jones.

There was still time before the finish for tries from Ulster substitute Whitten, converted by Humphreys and an unconverted effort by Scarlets’ Jon Davies.

SCORING SEQUENCE: 2 mins: S Jones pen 0-3; 3 mins W Falloon try: I Humphreys con 7-3; 12 mins S Jones pen 7-6; 17 I Humphreys pen 10-6; 20 mins S Jones pen 10-9, 22 S Jones pen 10-12; 34 mins I Humphreys pen 13-12; 40 mins I Humphreys pen 16-12; 44 mins Humphreys pen 19-12; 48 mins A Trimble try 24-12; 60 mins T Nagua try 29-12, Humphreys con 31-12; 67 mins A Trimble try 36-12, I Humphreys con 38-12; 70 mins L Williams try 38-17, S Jones conv 38-19; 80 mins I Whitten try 43-19, I Humphreys con 45-19; 83 mins J Davies try 45-24.

ULSTER: C Schifcofske, T Nagusa, D Cave, P Wallace (capt), A Trimble, I Humphreys, I Boss; T Court, N Brady, B Botha; E ODonoghue, R Caldwell; S Ferris, W Faloon , R Diack. Replacements: (D Fitzpatrick for Botha (55 mins) T Anderson for S Ferris, and N McComb for Faloon (both 67mins), I Whitten for D Cave (72mins), P Marshall for I Boss and M McCrea for Nagusa (both 74mins).

SCARLETS: R Priestland, S Lamont, G Maule, J Davies, L Williams (capt), S Jones, M Roberts, I Thomas, M Rees, R Thomas, V Cooper, L Reed, D Jones, J Edwards, D Lyons. Replacements: P John for Thomas, D Welsh for Cooper and R Pugh for Edwards (all 59mins), K Owens for M Rees (72mins). Yellow card: R Thomas 17mins.

Referee: P Allan (SRU).