Ulster embarrass Munster to top Celtic League

Ulster 27 - 3 Munster: Ulster went top of the Celtic League tonight after a thoroughly deserved bonus point victory over a severely depleted Munster outfit who had gone into the game as league leaders, three points ahead of nearest challengers Ulster.

Ulster scored five tries and the result, with the visitors missing nine first choice players who had been on Ireland duty last week, never looked in doubt despite a rusty performance from the home outfit in the opening 40 minutes.

Munster’s hopes — they failed to register any points after the first quarter — were further hit by the loss of centre Barry Murphy with a suspected broken ankle in the first half, and then the sin-binning of full-back Shaun Payne which saw the visitors finish the game with 14 men.

After David Humphreys saw a seventh minute penalty sail wide, Leicester-bound Paul Burke opened the visitors’ account with a well struck effort from 45 metres.

However, a minute after the half hour, Humphreys put in a super cross kick which Tommy Bowe snatched from Payne for the opening touchdown in the left corner.

Humphreys was wide with the difficult conversion and the game became a fairly dull and scrappy stalemate until two minutes from the end of normal time when Ulster number eight Roger Wilson barged over from a Paul Steinmetz pass in the same corner as Bowe’s try.

Humphreys again missed the two-pointer and Ulster led 10-3 at the turn around.

Three minutes after the restart, Steinmetz ghosted over after some great approach work from Stephen Ferris and Humphreys added the points.

The bonus point nearly arrived courtesy of Jonny Bell, but referee Alain Rolland adjudged that the centre had been put in touch in goal.

Maximum points duly came three minutes after the hour when man of the match Justin Harrison got the score from a driving maul off a lineout.

Substitute Neil McMillan rubbed further salt into Munster’s wounds with Ulster’s fifth try two minutes from time.