Sport

Ulster pile misery on Connacht

MAGNERS LEAGUE/Ulster 41 Connacht 10: AS IF to rub further salt into Connacht’s raw wounds after last week’s Amlin Challenge…

Sat May 08 2010 - 01:00

MAGNERS LEAGUE/Ulster 41 Connacht 10:AS IF to rub further salt into Connacht's raw wounds after last week's Amlin Challenge Cup exit, Ulster swept the western province aside with a six-try thumping on Connacht coach Michael Bradley's final game in charge.

Ulster led 12-10 at the interval but Connacht conceded 29 unanswered points in a second half which saw their challenge evaporate.

Tries from Simon Danielli, Ian Humphreys, replacement Andi Kyriacou, Ian Whitten, Dan Tuohy and Jamie Smith brought the home side back-to-back league wins to finish off a poor season.

However Rory Best was carried off early in the second half with a leg injury that could yet jeopardise his involvement in next month’s Ireland tour to New Zealand and Australia.

READ MORE

Connacht outhalf Ian Keatley opened the scoring with an early penalty. Ulster, though, grabbed the lead after winger Danielli followed up his own kick through to score. Humphreys then got on the end of a chargedown off Keatley and stepped inside the scrambling Connacht defence to dot down at the posts. He added the conversion to give Ulster a 12-3 lead.

Connacht struck though at the end of the half when prop Ronan Loughney powered over the home side’s line from a lineout and Keatley’s conversion narrowed Ulster’s lead to 12-10.

However, after the restart, Best’s replacement Kyriacou barged over. Humphreys nailed the conversion and five minutes later Ulster got their bonus point when centre Ian Whitten burst through the Connacht midfield to touch down.

Humphreys converted and added a penalty to stretch Ulster’s lead to 29-10 before Tuohy and Smith piled on the misery for the visitors by adding late tries.

SCORERS: Ulster – Tries: S Danielli, I Humphreys, A Kyraicou, I Whitten, D Tuohy; J Smith. Cons – I Humphreys (4) Pen: I Humphreys. Connacht: Tries: R Loughney. Con: I Keatley. Pen: I Keatley.

ULSTER: J Smith; A Trimble, D Cave (T Nagusa 55), I Whitten, S Danielli; I Humphreys (N O’Connor 69), P Marshall (I Boss 51); T Court, R Best, (A Kyriacou 44 mins), BJ Botha (B Young 65); E O’Donoghue (N McComb 69), D Tuohy; TJ Anderson (A Birch 79), W Faloon, R Diack.

CONNACHT: G Duffy; B Tuohy, N Ta’auso (T Nathan 65), A Wynne, F Carr; I Keatley (M Nikora 51), F Murphy (C O’Loughlin 72); R Loughney (B Wilkinson 44), S Cronin (A Flavin 64), J Hagan; M McCarthy (P Browne 30), B Upton; J Muldoon), M McComish, G Naoupu.

Referee: D Philips (IRFU). Att: 7,755