Harlequins 47
Ulster 19
ULSTER HAVE FALLEN into the Challenge Cup after a 47-19 thumping in their final Champions Cup pool game against Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop.
The northern province went into the game knowing a win would see them through to the last-16 of the top-tier European competition but they shipped seven tries for the second week in succession with the English side barely made to work for any of them.
Allied to Ulster’s wastefulness in attack and the visitors can have absolutely no complaints over a failure to qualify from Pool 2, an outcome that will be confirmed regardless of the result between Racing And Cardiff later today.
That Ulster went into this game with the stakes so high was largely down to last weekend’s home defeat to Toulouse. Beaten 48-24 at Kingspan Stadium, and taking no match-points in the process, left them needing an away win to make it through to the knockouts for a fifth time in the past six seasons under Dan McFarland.
Having lost a pair of back-rowers in that one, with both Dave Ewers and Sean Reffell, now out injured, the return of Dave McCann to the number seven jersey after two months out was certainly a timely one.
Quins, who were already through to the last 16 but had a chance of securing a home tie pending the result between Toulouse and Bath, themselves had a welcome returnee in the shape of England loosehead Joe Marler.
The first half was a bizarre affair with Ulster playing a huge percentage of the rugby but gifting their opposition three of the softest tries imaginable to trail 21-7 at the break.
The visitors had repelled two early lineouts when Quins were in a promising position but, when Jacob Stockdale kicked into touch inside the opposition half, nobody within the Ulster ranks was alert to the quick throw from Andre Esterhuizen and Nick David ran from 60 metres without even the hint of a tackle.
Ulster looked to quickly regroup. They forced the try-scorer into a yellow card when he knocked down Stuart McCloskey’s pass with an overlap out wide.
Dan McFarland’s men would level the scores during the sin-binning period, McCann going over despite Ulster making heavy work of things, but the 10 minutes featured a string of turnovers in the opposition 22′ also.
To let so many opportunities go begging was one thing; to gift Quins another 14 points before the turn was another.
Having already scored one from their own half, this time Marcus Smith tapped and went off a mark and again Ulster were slow to react. Louis Lynagh blasted through Billy Burns but Stockdale still looked to have the edge in the race to gather his kick ahead. The Ireland wing was beaten all ends up by the bounce, however, and Lynagh, a late inclusion on the bench, had his first of the half.
If that was fortunate, his second was a gift. Again Quins hacked forward, and this time it was Stockdale’s opposite wing Robert Baloucoune making a mess of things.
Quins earned the bonus point they needed to retain hope of a home last-16 tie just eight minutes into the second half: Ulster’s scrum was penalised and Danny Care went over shortly after it was penalised again.
The hosts were on the hunt to improve their points difference by this stage and they duly did so over the course of a chastening half hour for Ulster.
Andrew Esterhuizen and Will Evans turned a comfortable winning position into a rout with the hosts’ fifth and sixth tries of the afternoon.
Stuart McCloskey’s try in response was of little consolation.
David’s second of the day saw Quins edge to 47 points – just one fewer than Toulouse managed against Ulster last week – while Jacob Stockdale’s last score of the game did nothing to sugarcoat the bitter pill that Ulster must now swallow as they fall into the Challenge Cup.
Scorers
Harlequins: Tries: Nick David (2), Louis Lynagh (2), Danny Care, Andre Esterhuizen, Will Evans. Conversions: Marcus Smith 6/7
Ulster: Tries: Dave McCann, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale. Conversions: John Cooney 1/1, Nathan Doak 1/2
HARLEQUINS: Tyrone Green; Nick David (Lennox Anyanwu, 74), Oscar Beard Louis Lynagh, 16), Andre Esterhuizen, Will Joseph; Marcus Smith, Danny Care; (Will Porter, 59) Joe Marler (Fin Baxter, 40), Jack Walker (Sam Riley, 59), Will Collier (Dillon Lewis, 56); Irne Herbst (Joe Launchbury, 53), George Hammond; Chandler Cunningham-South (Archie White, 70), Will Evans; Alex Dombrandt (c)
ULSTER RUGBY: Mike Lowry (Will Addison, 71); Robert Baloucoune, James Hume (Luke Marshall, 40), Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Billy Burns, John Cooney (Nathan Doak, 54); Steven Kitshoff (Andrew Warwick, 54), Tom Stewart (John Andrew, 49), Tom O’Toole (Marty Moore, 54-57, 70); Kieran Treadwell (Harry Sheridan, 36), Iain Henderson (c); Matty Rea (Marcus Res, 71), David McCann, Nick Timoney
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (FRA)
