Nevertheless, despite the comfort of the visitors’ success, one must question their inability to turn vast quantities of possession into scores. A game they should have won by a bucketful of tries was decided by a single score margin.
Ulster may have come to the Sportsground in a mean mood with unaccustomed criticism ringing in their ears but, having done the difficult job against a fierce gale in the first half, they failed to embellish their performance despite an unlimited supply of ball in the second half. In conditions that put a premium on huff and puff rather than silken skills, Ulster showed admirable resolve and determination to restart their season and, by the interval, had Connacht primed for the slaughter, leading 8-6 against the wind.
Compounding Connaght’s woes was the loss of talismanic skipper Bernard Jackman after a midair collision just before the whistle, but by that stage they had got used to losing players with Matt Mostyn (26 minutes) and Christian Short (34 minutes) having been sin-binned by Welsh referee Neill Pollard for persistent infringing. Aside from the opening 10 minutes when fly-half Paul Warwick steered over two penalties, Connacht were forced to operate on slim rations thanks to a dominant performance by the Ulster pack in which No.8 Roger Wilson was a rampaging presence.
A stray Warwick pass outside his own 22 had played winger Ted Robinson into trouble after 10 minutes and, having got a sniff of the try line, Ulster proceeded to control the territorial battle for the remainder of the half.
David Humphreys spurned four kicks at goal in the gusty conditions and, while the Ulster maul delivered precious little from his pops to touch, it at least served the purpose of pinning Connacht into the corners.
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Humphreys was sharp on his seasonal debut — his 100th game for Ulster — and sought to bring debutant Kevin Maggs into the fray at every opportunity. The tactic appeared to pay off in the 18th minute only for Mr Pollard to decree that the Ireland centre had been held up over the line. An illustration of the strength of the wind and of Connacht’s growing desperation was full-back David Slemen’s decision to attempt a failed shot at goal from 60 metres. It was but a brief respite.
The broken field running of full-back Bryn Cunningham was the catalyst of much that was good about Ulster in the first half and it was one of his darting breaks that led to a prolonged period of pressure and the breakthrough try in the 37th minute. Humphreys had earlier landed a simple penalty to open their account and, then, Wilson’s flick off the base of the scrum created the time and space against an undermanned defence for scrum-half Neil Doak to send winger Tommy Bowe skating in at the corner. There was no way back for Connacht in the circumstances.
Not surprisingly, Ulster went for the kill on the resumption and they quickly outflanked the home rearguard for centre Jonathan Bell to cross over in the right corner inside two minutes. Despite their good position, Ulster scarcely threatened after that and were content for Humphreys to stretch their lead from penalty kicks in the 58th and 73rd minutes.
Having been so thoroughly outplayed, Connacht will have been delighted to steal a bonus point four minutes from the finish in their only attack of substance in the second half.
Warwick, in chasing up his own kick ahead, nailed Bell in possession in midfield and substitute scrum-half Connor O’Loughlin stole an interception to scoot home impressively from 30 metres.
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Connacht: D Slemen; T Robinson, M Mostyn, N O’Brien, C McPhillips; P Warwick, T Tierney(C O’Loughlin 61min); A Clarke (D McFarland 57min), B Jackman (J Fogarty 37min), P Bracken (S Knoop 57min), C Short (P Myburgh 57min), A Farley, J Muldoon (P Neville 57 min), M Carroll, M Lacey
Ulster: B Cunningham; T Bowe, J Bell, K Maggs, A Maxwell; D Humphreys, N Doak; S Best, P Shields, R Moore (R McCormack 70min), M Mustchin (R Frost 68min), M McCullough, A Ward, R Wilson, N Best (C Feather 71min)
Connacht: Try: O’Loughlin
Pens: Warwick (2)
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Con: Warwick
Ulster: Tries: Bowe, Bell
Pens: Humphreys (3)
Yellow cards: Mostyn (26min), Short (34min)
Referee: N Pollard (Wales