VICTORY WAS snatched from Ulster’s grasp in the 83rd minute when the Scarlets conjured up a try through Ellis Mee in the last play of the game.
It looked as though man of the match Nathan Doak’s long-range penalty in the 75th minute to give his side the lead at 22-20 was going to be enough to move Ulster into third place in the United Rugby Championship.
But it is never over until it’s over, and a yellow card against wing Werner Kok for a head-on-head contact with Tom Rogers gave the home side one final shot at glory from a line out just inside their own half.
The line out was secured, outside half Sam Costelow fired a long midfield pass to Mee over half-way, and the lack of a wing obviously played on the minds of the Ulster defenders. Mee burst in between two players, wriggled free and then ran the length of the 22 before diving to score the match-winning try.
It was just what the team propping up the URC table needed and left Ulster reeling. There will have been much head-scratching in the dressing room after the game as to how they let victory slip away.
Having fallen behind by 10 points in as many minutes, the Irishmen worked their way into the lead playing into a ferocious wind over the next 10 minutes before conceding again to head into the break trailing 17-12.
With the wind at their backs, they totally dominated territory and possession in the second half, yet had to wait 28 minutes before finally adding to their tally. That said, they had two tries chalked off by the TMO Marius Jonker.
Advertisement
The game got off to an explosive start when Wales centre Eddie James, celebrating his 50th appearance for the Scarlets, knocked Michael Lowry into the middle of next week, as he caught him coming down after taking a high kick by Sam Costelow.
There was no hint of malice in the tackle, although plenty of menace, a mere 52 seconds into the contest, and after reviewing the incident with his TMO, the South African referee Griffin Colby awarded the home side a scrum. Lowry didn’t take any further part.
Costelow, recently restored to the Wales squad after recovering from injury, was a key character for the Scarlets as he guided them around the field with the blustery wind behind them. He kicked a penalty in the seventh minute to open the scoring and then put in a 50-22 to secure the position from which the opening try was conjured.
Having won the lineout and driven on, the forwards kept making ground before Blair Murray was put through a gap five metres out before racing to the line. Costelow added the extras, and the home side were 10 points clear in as many minutes.
Ulster were quick to respond with a Tom Stewart try from a driving lineout and then another from close range by Bryn Ward. Doak converted the latter to give Ulster the lead for the first time mid-way through the half.
Then, on the stroke of half-time, home skipper Josh Macleod dotted down, and Costelow converted to make it 17-12.
Ulster completely dominated the second half, and after Jake Flannery and David McCann had tries ruled out on review, they made the most of the Scarlets going down to 14 men when Taine Plumtree picked up a yellow card on his own line.
Two minutes later, Scott Wilson barged over from a metre out, and Doak nailed the conversion to put his side back into the lead. Costelow somehow managed to fire a 40 metre penalty over from the 10 metre line to give the home side the lead once again in the 71st minute, but then came the infringement that enabled Doak to seemingly make victory secure.
But the spirit of the Scarlets allowed them to fightback at the death and Mee’s thrilling run tipped the scales in his side’s favour.
It was the first time the Scarlets had beaten their Belfast rivals since November 2018.
Scorers: Scarlets: Tries: B Murray (10), J Macleod (32), E Mee (83); Cons: S Costelow 2 (10, 38, 83)’ Pens: S Costelow 2 (7, 71). Ulster: Tries: T Stewart (18), B Ward (21), S Wilson (68); Cons: N Doak (22, 69); Pen: N Doak (75)
Scarlets: Blair Murray (Macs Page); Tom Rogers, Eddie James, Joe Hawkins (Johnny Williams 66), Ellis Mee; Sam Costelow, Archie Hughes (Dane Blacker 61); Kemsley Mathias (Josh Morse 69), Ryan Elias (Marnus van der Merwe 57), Archer Holz (Henry Thomas 69), Sam Lousi, Harvey Cuckson (Jac Price 57), Taine Plumtree (Jarrod Taylor 82), Josh Macleod (captain), Fletcher Anderson
YC: Plumtree 66
Ulster Rugby: Michael Lowry (Jake Flannery 1); Robert Balucoune (Jude Postlethwaite 41), James Hume, Stuart McCloskey, Werner Kok; Jack Murphy, Nathan Doak; Angus Bell (Eric O’Sullivan 52), Tom Stewart (Rob Herring 52), Tom O’Toole (Scott Wilson 52), Iain Henderson (captain, Harry Sheridan 61), Charlie Irvine, David McCann, Nick Timoney, Bryn Ward (Matthew Dalton 69)
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
11 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
Scarlets beat Ulster at the death
Scarlets 27
Ulster 22
Rob Cole reports from Parc y Scarlets
VICTORY WAS snatched from Ulster’s grasp in the 83rd minute when the Scarlets conjured up a try through Ellis Mee in the last play of the game.
It looked as though man of the match Nathan Doak’s long-range penalty in the 75th minute to give his side the lead at 22-20 was going to be enough to move Ulster into third place in the United Rugby Championship.
But it is never over until it’s over, and a yellow card against wing Werner Kok for a head-on-head contact with Tom Rogers gave the home side one final shot at glory from a line out just inside their own half.
The line out was secured, outside half Sam Costelow fired a long midfield pass to Mee over half-way, and the lack of a wing obviously played on the minds of the Ulster defenders. Mee burst in between two players, wriggled free and then ran the length of the 22 before diving to score the match-winning try.
It was just what the team propping up the URC table needed and left Ulster reeling. There will have been much head-scratching in the dressing room after the game as to how they let victory slip away.
Having fallen behind by 10 points in as many minutes, the Irishmen worked their way into the lead playing into a ferocious wind over the next 10 minutes before conceding again to head into the break trailing 17-12.
With the wind at their backs, they totally dominated territory and possession in the second half, yet had to wait 28 minutes before finally adding to their tally. That said, they had two tries chalked off by the TMO Marius Jonker.
The game got off to an explosive start when Wales centre Eddie James, celebrating his 50th appearance for the Scarlets, knocked Michael Lowry into the middle of next week, as he caught him coming down after taking a high kick by Sam Costelow.
There was no hint of malice in the tackle, although plenty of menace, a mere 52 seconds into the contest, and after reviewing the incident with his TMO, the South African referee Griffin Colby awarded the home side a scrum. Lowry didn’t take any further part.
Costelow, recently restored to the Wales squad after recovering from injury, was a key character for the Scarlets as he guided them around the field with the blustery wind behind them. He kicked a penalty in the seventh minute to open the scoring and then put in a 50-22 to secure the position from which the opening try was conjured.
Having won the lineout and driven on, the forwards kept making ground before Blair Murray was put through a gap five metres out before racing to the line. Costelow added the extras, and the home side were 10 points clear in as many minutes.
Ulster were quick to respond with a Tom Stewart try from a driving lineout and then another from close range by Bryn Ward. Doak converted the latter to give Ulster the lead for the first time mid-way through the half.
Then, on the stroke of half-time, home skipper Josh Macleod dotted down, and Costelow converted to make it 17-12.
Ulster completely dominated the second half, and after Jake Flannery and David McCann had tries ruled out on review, they made the most of the Scarlets going down to 14 men when Taine Plumtree picked up a yellow card on his own line.
Two minutes later, Scott Wilson barged over from a metre out, and Doak nailed the conversion to put his side back into the lead. Costelow somehow managed to fire a 40 metre penalty over from the 10 metre line to give the home side the lead once again in the 71st minute, but then came the infringement that enabled Doak to seemingly make victory secure.
But the spirit of the Scarlets allowed them to fightback at the death and Mee’s thrilling run tipped the scales in his side’s favour.
It was the first time the Scarlets had beaten their Belfast rivals since November 2018.
Scorers: Scarlets: Tries: B Murray (10), J Macleod (32), E Mee (83); Cons: S Costelow 2 (10, 38, 83)’ Pens: S Costelow 2 (7, 71). Ulster: Tries: T Stewart (18), B Ward (21), S Wilson (68); Cons: N Doak (22, 69); Pen: N Doak (75)
Scarlets: Blair Murray (Macs Page); Tom Rogers, Eddie James, Joe Hawkins (Johnny Williams 66), Ellis Mee; Sam Costelow, Archie Hughes (Dane Blacker 61); Kemsley Mathias (Josh Morse 69), Ryan Elias (Marnus van der Merwe 57), Archer Holz (Henry Thomas 69), Sam Lousi, Harvey Cuckson (Jac Price 57), Taine Plumtree (Jarrod Taylor 82), Josh Macleod (captain), Fletcher Anderson
YC: Plumtree 66
Ulster Rugby: Michael Lowry (Jake Flannery 1); Robert Balucoune (Jude Postlethwaite 41), James Hume, Stuart McCloskey, Werner Kok; Jack Murphy, Nathan Doak; Angus Bell (Eric O’Sullivan 52), Tom Stewart (Rob Herring 52), Tom O’Toole (Scott Wilson 52), Iain Henderson (captain, Harry Sheridan 61), Charlie Irvine, David McCann, Nick Timoney, Bryn Ward (Matthew Dalton 69)
YC: W Kok 82
Rep Con Unused: Conor McKee,
Referee: Griffin Colby (South Africa)
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Ellis Mee Frustration Nathan Doak Report Rugby Scarlets Ulster