Ulster sign off on a winning note

Celtic League round-up: Ulster finished off their league campaign with a 16-10 victory over Edinburgh
to record a first win at Ravenhill in three outings.

Paddy Wallace was the catalyst for the home side as he kicked three  penalties and converted a try he made with a clever piece of play. The win was much needed by the home side as they tamely surrendered their defence of the league title with disappointing defeats against Munster and Glasgow.

The home side took the lead after four minutes with a Paddy Wallace penalty following a good break by hooker Rory Best. Andy Maxwell increased Ulster's lead with a breathtaking try despite the wet conditions.

Paddy Wallace broke out of defence from his own try line after a solid Ulster scrum with full-back Tommy Bowe on his shoulder, Bowe drew the last defender before feeding Maxwell and he raced over from the halfway line with Wallace converting.

Hodge registered Edinburgh's first points with a penalty from the halfway  line on the half-hour mark.

Wallace's second penalty from a tight angle gave Ulster a 13-3 lead at the interval before Edinburgh captain Scott Murray got his side back in the game with a try after 58 minutes.

Wallace sealed the win with two minutes remaining with his third successful kick from close to the touchline.

At Stradey Park, Ceiron Thomas bagged 14 points as the Llanelli Scarlets gave retiring prop John Davies a winning 19-10 send-off in a low-key finale against Connacht.

Thomas scored a brace of tries early in the second half as the Welsh side struggled to put away Connacht.

In a mistake-ridden clash, the home side failed to find the fluency of recent matches, but still had too much firepower for the visitors.

It was pretty dire stuff in front of a half-empty Stradey with mistakes littering the opening half. It was Connacht, who have enjoyed a couple of famous nights in Llanelli, who were first on the scoreboard with a 35-metre penalty from centre Mark McHugh after 20 minutes.

Phil Davies must have issued some sharp words at half-time because his charges then came out firing after the break. Within two minutes of the restart fly-half Thomas did well to swerve over after the Connacht defence had been stretched out wide.

Then, five minutes later Thomas crossed again courtesy of an opportunist effort from a quickly taken penalty, with the Connacht defence expecting a kick to the corner.

With both sides making wholesale changes the game inevitably lost its pattern in the final quarter. But with seven minutes remaining centre Gavin Evans claimed the Scarlets third after good work from replacement full-back Daniel Evans, on his regional debut.

Thomas converted from the touchline and then replacement prop Craig Dunlea was sin-binned for a professional foul late on.

Connacht did manage a late try through flanker John Muldoon, converted by McHugh, but it had little effect on the outcome of the match.