Challenge Cup: Zebre 21 Ulster 40
Ulster got the job done in Parma, claiming their first win of the season and opening their Challenge Cup campaign with the hoped-for five points even though they had to battle to come away with the maximum return.
Last year’s beaten finalists scored six tries and conceding three as Zebre mounted a spirited second-half revival after the visitors had led 26-7 after their most consistent performance of the season.
Hooker Henry Walker scored twice with Jacob Stockdale, David McCann, Michael Lowry and Martin Moloney also touching down.
After a shaky start, Richie Murphy’s side marched down the park and after two penalties encamped them in the red zone, Juarno Augustus’s drive saw the bill ripped from him only to fall to Walker who scored, with Nathan Doak adding the conversion.
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Doak crossed the Zebre line five minutes later after some great Ulster handling, but the scrumhalf lost the ball when hit by Giovanni Licata.
The visitors responded almost immediately, Cormac Izuchukwu and Walker carrying hard before Zac Ward put Stockdale through for a run-in. Doak missed from the angle, but Ulster looked comfortable.
Ulster’s ambition carved out number three, Doak’s chip over the top being gathered by Rob Baloucoune who made ground before Doak crosskicked to skipper McCann who kept the ball alive for Walker to step back in for his second touchdown.
Doak’s conversion made it 19-0 and though Ulster didn’t add to their total, they dominated the remainder of the half whether with ball in hand or through some aggressive defence.
Zebre came out with clear intent from the restart and after a scrum in Ulster’s 22, Licata’s surging run set up Jamie Benson to smash through to score with Giacomo da Re converting.
The visitors responded by putting a penalty to the corner and though their maul splintered when heading towards touch, Walker and Augustus drove it on before McCann reached out and touched the line for Ulster’s fourth try, which went upstairs before being confirmed and converted by Doak.
Discipline and accuracy began to fray somewhat for Ulster, with Jack Murphy being yellow carded for interfering with the ball on the deck just after the hour and only moments after coming on.
The result saw Zebre kick for the corner and after moving it away from the maul, Patricio Baronio gave the scoring pass to lock Alessandro Ortombina who dotted down at the posts allowing Giovanni Montemauri to convert.
With just over 10 minutes left, 14-man Ulster came strongly into Zebre’s 22 with the net result being a yellow card for Baronio and ultimately a score in the corner from Lowry to restore Ulster’s bonus point, the try being superbly converted by Benson.
A helter-skelter final 10 minutes then ensued, Montemauri scoring after a kick through had left Ulster short in the backfield and then converting his own effort to, once more, look like denying Ulster of the bonus point under the new rules that require a side to score by three or more tries that their opponents.
Ulster had to find a response and though looking increasingly ragged, they dug another seven points out when a sweeping attack ended with Moloney crossing in the corner off Murphy’s long pass.
Benson kicked another excellent conversion though they still had to withstand a late push from Zebre, with the game only ending after Izuchukwu’s lineout turnover on his own line.
ZEBRE: G Montemauri; G Bertaccini, M Zanon, D Mazza, T Wade; G da Re, A Fusco (capt); S Pelliccioli, T di Bartolomeo, J Barbotti; F Ruffolo, A Ortombina; G Ferrari, B Stavile Bravin, G Licata
Replacements: F Minervino for Barbotti (48 mins); G Ribaldi for Di Bartolomeo, F Pisani for Pelliccioli, J Botturi for Stavile Bravin (all 51); M Belloni for Da Re (56); P Baronio for Fusco (59); L Krumov for Ruffolo (60); R Casarin for (70).
Yellow card: P Baronio (66 mins).
ULSTER: J Stockdale; R Baloucoune, D Hawkshaw, J Flannery, Z Ward; J Benson, N Doak; T O’Toole, H Walker, K Knox; H Sheridan, C Izuchukwu; J McKillop, D McCann (capt), J Augustus.
Replacements: M Lowry for Ward (45 mins); E O’Sullivan for O’Toole, S Wilson for Knox (both 51); J Hopes for Sheridan, M Devine for Doak (both 60); T Stewart for Walker, M Moloney for McCann, J Murphy for Flannery (all 61).
Yellow card: J Murphy (61 mins).
Referee: B Connor (WRU).
