ULSTER ROMPED TO yet another impressive win in the Pro12 tonight seeing off Edinburgh with six tries in a 45-20 victory.
However, the joy at Ravenhill was tempered by the sight of Stephen Ferris being helped from the field in the second half.
The apparent injury is believed to be to Ferris’ ankle and the blindside flanker and post-match reports can only say ‘too early, too swollen to tell for sure’ according to the Belfast Newsletter’s Richard Mulligan.
Ferris was involved with his province in the hope of gaining some extra match sharpness for Ireland’s opening November test against South Africa in eight days’ time, but this blow is likely to rule him out at least until the meeting with Argentina.
As for the game, Edinburgh once again started brightly and took a seven point lead thanks to Tom Brown’s score after 12 minutes. The sides then exchanged penalties, Ulster’s coming by way of Niall O’Connor on the field as a blood sub for Ruan Pienaar.
The hosts looked destined to trail at the break, but in the final 10 minutes of the half, they cut loose. A penalty try levelled the scores at 10-10 before Jared Payne and Pienaar provided the game-turning swing. 21 points in little over five minutes.
Edinburgh took a score either side of the break, Brown scored his second try before Gregor Hunter brought the gap down to four. It was Edinburgh’s 20th point, and their last of the evening.
After Payne ground his second score of the night, Roger Wilson took his first score in his second spell at the province via a TMO decision. The rout was complete in the 80th minute when Craig Gilroy, creator for Payne’s first half try, deservedly touched down a score of his own.
