BKT-URC Ulster Rugby Match Day Programme v Dragons

Last Time Out
Ulster left Wales with a bonus point after
a narrow defeat to Ospreys as they were
beaten 19-17 in Round 10 of the United
Rugby Championship.
Marcus Rea scored a try to help Ulster hold
the lead at the break, before the game
opened up in the second half. Tom Stewart
came off the bench to touch down, and
Jake Flannery looked to have won it with a
late penalty before Dan Edwards dropped
a goal at the death to decide the game.
The dramatic finish didn’t look on the cards
Sun 18 Feb
19 - 17
after a scrappy start to the afternoon which
saw opportunities limited for both sides.
The hosts had the first chance to register
points on the board, but Edwards pulled
his kick at goal beyond the posts with 6
minutes on the clock.
Ulster then went close with 21 minutes
gone thanks to some quick thinking off the
boot from Flannery with the fly-half using
a penalty to launch a cross-field kick over
to the left channel, but Jacob Stockdale
was unable to ground the ball.
After half an hour, Edwards had another
kick at goal and this time he was successful
to give Ospreys the lead. At this stage of
the game, Ulster captain Iain Henderson
was replaced by Cormac Izuchukwu, which
came shortly after Scott Wilson had come
on for Marty Moore.
The first try of the game came in the
34th minute after the Ulster pack showed
their power after a set-piece. It came
after Ospreys indiscipline led to a penalty,
allowing Flannery to kick deep into the 22.
From the resulting lineout the Ulster
forwards moved the ball forward several
times with quick drives for the line before
openside Marcus Rea burrowed over from
close range. From left of the sticks, Nathan
Doak slotted his kick to make it 7-3.
Edwards kicked another penalty for the
Welsh side to make it 7-6 at the break.
Ospreys 8 Morgan Morse was shown a
yellow card 8 minutes into the second half
for a deliberate knock-on and Flannery’s
kick into touch allowed the Ulster pack
to have another go from the lineout. Tom
Stewart, who had just come off the bench,
looked to have grounded the ball from the
maul but was judged to have been held up
over the line.
Edwards kicked Ospreys into a 9-7 lead in
the 56th minute before lock James Ratti
was shown a yellow card to temporarily
send them down to 13 men.
Ulster’s Flannery again bombed the penalty
deep into the 22, and this time there was
no stopping Tom Stewart from touching
down after the lineout maul for his 8th
score of the season, with Doak slotting the
extras from wide on the right.
It was then 14 versus 14 when Ulster sub
Luke Marshall was yellow carded for a high
tackle in the 62nd minute, and Ospreys
went on the attack.
Tom Stewart managed to steal the ball from
the breakdown close to his own goal line
and smacked an enormous clearing kick
into the vacant Ospreys half. It bobbled
all the way deep into the 22 before it was
gathered by a defender who was smashed
into touch by the chasing Dave Shanahan.
Ulster came close in the following phases
but Ospreys suddenly broke away after an
interception and the counter attack was
finished by Kieran Williams and converted
by Edwards to give them a 2-point lead
with 66 played.
Ulster moved ahead late in the game when
they claimed the lead in the 76th minute. It
came thanks to a monstrous penalty from
Flannery, who nudged the ball over with
the tee sitting just inside his own half to
make it 17-16 to the visitors.
It looked like it had won the game, only for
Edwards to score a drop goal just as the
clock ticked into the red to win the game
for Ospreys.
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