Hungrier Ulster halt league leaders Connacht

Ulster 18 Connacht 10

In the end, Ulster wanted and needed this that bit more and the four points has halted what looked an alarming slide while also pitching them back in the right direction to potentially reach the play-offs.

After all, defeat here would have seriously undermined their plans to achieve knockout rugby though, for all that, they still look to be a side low on confidence and the ability to play with ruthlessness and consistency.

True, they became the first side this season to win back-to-back against Connacht and also maintained that awful statistic to not have lost to the westerners in Belfast since 1960, but Les Kiss won’t have been impressed that his side - who rose to fourth overnight - failed to score when up against 13 men in the latter stages of the second half.

Only some heroic defence from Connacht - who failed to grab a losing bonus but stayed top overnight ahead of next weekend’s Challenge Cup quarter-final at Grenoble - kept them out in what was, largely, an arm-wrestle of an encounter which was also at times ill-tempered.

Tries from Rory Best and Craig Gilroy made the difference to halt Connacht’s six game winning run but for all Ulster’s directness with the ball they couldn’t effectively kill off the challenge with Caolin Blade getting the visitors’ sole try while Andrew Trimble was in the bin in a game where Eoin McKeon again showed his worth for Pat Lam.

Jackson got the ball rolling for the home side with a fifth minute penalty into the breeze after Tom McCartney came in at the side. Connacht then turned down a shot at goal several minutes only for Bundee Aki’s pass to Matt Healy to end up in Craig Gilroy’s hands and the winger tore up the park into the westerner’s territory.

Though Connacht won the ball back, Andrew Browne’s ambitious carry into contact led to them being pinged at the breakdown allowing Jackson an easy three points which he duly took to make it 6-0 after 11 minutes.

Connacht continued to throw the ball from side to side but got no return and seemed to be harshly penalised by Dudley Phllips after Robbie Henshaw was held up near the line. But then, with John Muldoon pinged for coming in at the side, Jackson put the ball in the corner and from Franco van der Merwe's take at the back, the home side mauled their way over.

Best got the 26th minute touchdown but Jackson’s conversion hit an upright and stayed out. Still, 11-0 looked a reasonable lead but Ulster, not for the first time this season, weren’t able to build any more momentum before the break.

Though Ulster looked dangerous at times with Andrew Trimble occasionally bursting clear, it was the visitors who finally got some traction for all their hard work with the ball. First up, Shane O’Leary hit the upright after an Ulster scrum was pinged for trucking round but then nailed a kick right on half-time after he had broken through off Aki had rumbled off a scrum to put help the Connacht outhalf into space.

It certainly gave the westerners a spring in their step as the sides trooped off with Ulster leading 11-3.

Ulster needed to produce a good start and did so four minutes in after Gilroy managed to keep an O’Leary touchfinder off a penalty in play. Peter Browne trucked it up and then Jackson’s pass to Payne led to the full-back off-loading to put Gilroy in at the corner.

Jackson converted well and the home side were now 18-3 in front but then had Trimble yellow-carded for an intentional knock-on.

Connacht, now releasing their bench, then worked sub Blade over for a well-worked score with the scrumhalf scoring off his first touch courtesy of Eoin McKeon and Muldoon. O’Leary’s conversion of the 55th minute score narrowed it to 18-10 just before Trimble returned.

The response saw Ulster crank up the pressure and camped out in Connacht’s 22 for over five minutes though the closest they came was when Best was held up over the line in the 65th minute and departed for running repairs after having clashed heads with Matt Healy.

Then O’Leary was shown yellow for a high tackle on Gilroy on 70 minutes which was quickly followed by sub flanker Sean O’Brien for interfering with a pass two minutes later. But though down to 13 men, Connacht somehow resisted Ulster’s surges towards their line and Ulster failed to score again.

Ulster: J Payne, A Trimble, L Marshall, S McCloskey, C Gilroy, P Jackson, R Pienaar, C Black, R Best (C), R Lutton, P Browne, F van der Merwe, I Henderson, C Henry, R Wilson.

Replacements: K McCall for Black and S Reidy for C Henry both 54mins, R Diack for P Browne 58mins, D Cave for L Marshall 62mins, P Marshall for R Pienaar 65mins, S Olding for S McCloskey 74mins B Ross for R Lutton 76mins, R Herring for I Henderson 77mins

Yellow cards: A Trimble 47mins

Connacht: R Henshaw; N Adeolokun, B Aki, P Robb, M Healy; S O’Leary, J Cooney; D Buckley, T McCartney, R Ah You; A Browne, A Muldowney; J Muldoon (capt), J Connolly, E McKeon,

Replacements: F Bealham for R Ah You and U Dillane for A Muldowney both 45mins, C Blade for J Cooney and D Poolman for N Adeolokun both 54mins, S O’Brien for J Connolly 63mins, R Loughney for D Buckley and D Heffernan for T McCartney both 74 mins,

Yellow cards: S O’Leary 70mins and S O’Brien 72mins

Referee: D Phillips (IRFU)