Wallace comes out of the shadows to inspire Ulster

Rugby: Stade Francais's galaxy of high profile international stars may come and go but their script in Belfast stays dog-eared. The French champions lost their composure and suffered their third successive defeat at the venue, and they could have little complaint.

The effort that the Ulster team put in to get this win was hailed by their coach Alan Solomons, who professed that the victory was the best in his three-year tenure with the province.

"If you look at the players they have, that was like Manchester United playing Crewe. We said we were going to put them under pressure all night and we did that. It was a massive effort by the entire team, just the attitude of the players was fantastic. That's the biggest win in my three years here."

Was the result ever in doubt? Well, in point of fact, Ulster safely defended a two-point lead in the endgame as their greater hunger shone through something of a classical rainy Ravenhill night. But getting there was a different matter.

Trailing 17-12 as the game entered its final quarter their desire was palpable but - save for working David Humphreys into the three-point range - they were in desperate need of some inspiration, all the more so with Ryan Constable absent and something of a one-dimensional Shane Stewart there in his absence.

Enter Paddy Wallace, the heir apparent to Humphreys but something of a lost soul this season as a World Cup and Ulster extra. He wouldn't even have been in the squad last night but for Constable's shoulder muscle tear but within two minutes of his introduction for the comparatively prosaic Bryn Cunningham, Wallace lit Ravenhill by rakishly finishing off a superb move for the match-turning try.

The try shone like a beacon in an error-strewn, penalty riddled affair played for much of the night in a downpour, and was certainly worthy of winning it. Home advantage was vital in an encounter that was utterly typical of the Heineken Cup, especially its pool stages.

Inspired by Wallace's introduction and the Ravenhill roar, Ulster played for territory and piled on the pressure. It required another, typically mighty effort by their entire pack, in which the young tyros Roger Wilson and Neil Best shone alongside the old warhorses Andy Ward and Robbie Kempson.

A surreal pre-match setting saw the Stade players completely submerged by the smoke from the pre-match flares for the teams' arrival, but once the dust had settled a packed Ravenhill was given a traditional fire and brimstone start with plenty of aerial activity.

Helped by the first of two overthrows by Benoit August which Ward snaffled up, a spate of three penalties to the home side culminated in Raphael Jechoux encroaching at a lineout just after he replaced the injured Mauro Bergamasco and Humphreys opened the scoring.

After Diego Dominguez drilled an angled 45-metre penalty between the posts, Ulster went back downfield and back to the air, Humphreys' restoring the lead after Ignacio Corletto failed to hold a towering up-and-under.

Ulster needed to keep things accurate and simple to press home this slim advantage but Tyrone Howe was penalised for not releasing after a risky crossfield pass in broken play by James Topping, and Dominguez nailed another 45-metre penalty.

Worse followed, and in deeply suspicious circumstances. Cunningham ran back another poor kick, but the ball squirted back out on Stade's blindside. Ulster protested, the crowd howled but Pieter de Villiers and August combined for Stade's impressive number eight, Pierre Rabadan, to score in the corner.

It remained attritional stuff, however, with the Ulster pack in the ascendancy. With both backlines pushing up quickly to effectively cramp each other's space, the Ulster eight looked the most potent weapon on view.

A huge lineout rumble had Stade stretched to breaking point, but they kept their numbers out and Ulster had to settle for another penalty by Humphreys, who by now was clearly hampered by a rib injury.

Even with the wind and rain slanting down behind them, Stade achieved little territory gain due to a poor kicking game, but the Ulster scrum and lineout had to survive some injury-time pressure on their line; Wilson ending the half with a vital steal from Rabadan.

Ironically, and perhaps unfortunately, the driving rain ceased for the second-half. Stade found their range, especially Brian Liebenberg, who following up a lengthy touch find after a good defensive take by Corletto to land a drop goal.

Both outhalves exchanged penalties and a pair of missed three-pointers as the half meandered along, with big hits by Wilson and replacement Matt Mustchin upping the noise levels.

Cue Wallace. Out of the blue, Matt Sexton peeled off a Rowen Frost take at the tail and Paul Steinmetz set up a decoy maul in midfield to check the drift defence. Humphreys came steaming around and skip passed to Wallace, who straightened through speedily, leaving Humphreys to convert.

The force was now with Ulster as Stade began to crack, Shane Stewart taking the ball up strongly for Humphreys to nail another penalty after a couple of failed long-range efforts.

Although Dominguez brought it back to two points, a fired up Ulster saw out the game deep in Stade territory and it hardly mattered that Humphreys missed another penalty with the last kick of the match.

SCORING SEQUENCE: 6 mins: Humphreys pen, 3-0; 11 mins: Dominguez pen, 3-3; 14 mins: Humphreys pen, 6-3; 18 mins: Dominguez pen, 6-6; 20 mins: Rabadan try, 6-11; 25 mins: Humphreys pen, 9-11; half-time: 9-11; 44 mins: Liebenberg drop goal, 9-14; 50 mins: Humphreys pen, 12-14; 55 mins: Dominguez pen, 12-17; 64 mins: Wallace try, Humphreys con, 19-17; 73 mins: Humphreys pen, 22-17; 75 mins: Dominguez pen, 22-20.

ULSTER: B Cunningham; J Topping, S Stewart, P Steinmetz, T Howe; D Humphreys, N Doak; R Kempson, M Sexton, S Best, R Frost, G Longwell, A Ward (capt), N Best, R Wilson. Replacements: R Moore for Best, M Mustchin for Longwell (both 58 mins); P Wallace for Cunningham (62 mins).

STADE FRANCAIS: I Corletto; T Lombard, J Hernandez, B Liebenberg, Mirco Bergamasco; D Dominguez, A Pichot; S Marconnet, B August, P de Villiers, D Auradou, A Marchois, C Moni, P Rabadan, Mauro Bergamasco. Replacements: R Jechoux for Mauro Bergamasco (5 mins) M Blin for August, P Lemoine for de Villiers (both 52 mins); J Bado for Jechoux (72 mins).

Referee: Nigel Williams (Wales).