Ulster make no mistake

Ulster achieved their objective at Ravenhill last night when they picked up a full quota of points to qualify for next season's European Heineken Cup.

Ulster had the game virtually wrapped up by the end of the first quarter and booked their European ticket by the 27th minute.

Connacht did nudge ahead in the opening minutes. Tim Allnutt, a late replacement for injury victim Eric Elwood, made a right mess of two fairly easy attempts before Wayne Munn took over to find the mark in the sixth minute.

Then Ulster took off, with their pack stringing together some excellent passages of play to provide the platform for four first-half tries.

First winger James Topping got on the end of a trademark Ryan Constable outside swerve to score in the corner, then lock Mark Blair was at the heels of his pack to charge over.

Next, captain Humphreys looped around to score an excellent try after some exquisite handling between the backs and forwards. Before Connacht could gather themselves, Blair was at it again, taking advantage of a gap at a ruck to barge over.

Humphreys converted three of the tries as Ulster shot a 26-3 lead. However, Connacht countered and flanker Johnny O'Connor showed good pace to crash over for Munn to convert.

The second half was scrappy in the extreme, with neither team able to impose their dominance on the game.

Connacht deserved their second try when they ran wide on the right to find space for Munn to skip in.

Ulster finally shook themselves in the final minutes and Andy Ward charged for the line, giving Shane Stephens a helping stiff-arm hand-off along the way.

Connacht, however, had the final word on the whistle when replacement Gavin Schoemann ran in at the posts.

SCORING SEQUENCE: 6 mins: Munn pen 0-3; 9: Topping try, 5-3; 15: Blair try, Humphreys con, 12-3; Humphreys try and con, 19-3; 27: Blair try, Humphreys con, 26-3; 39: O'Connor, Munn con, 26-10; 54: Humphreys pen, 29-10; 65: Munn try, 29-15; 79: Ward try, Humphreys con, 36-15; Schoemann try, Munn con, 36-22.

ULSTER: G Henderson; J Topping, R Constable, S Stewart, S Coulter; D Humphreys (capt), B Free (N Doak, 67); J Fitzpatrick, R Weir (P Shields,50), C Boyd (S Best,32), G Longwell (P John, 40), M Blair, R Nelson, T McWhirter (D Topping, 62), A Ward.

CONNACHT: W Munn; P Duignan, S Stephens, M Murphy (M Smyth, 72), D Yapp; T Allnutt (C Shoemann, 67), J Ferris (B Shelbourne, 66); J Screene (D McFarland, 58), M Uijs (J McVeigh, 70), M Cahill, R Frost, D Browne, I Dillon (G Schoemann, 10-34 (blood)), J Charlie (capt), J O'Connor.

Referee: Alan Lewis (Leinster).