FULLBACK RICKY ANDREW secured a bonus point with his first try for Ulster as they breezed past Zebre with a 36-3 win.
The league leaders were never really troubled by the winless Italians and Andrew’s 75th minute score came on the back of a brace from Robbie Diack and Rob Herring’s opener.
Being in the middle of a Six Nations, however, international matters were to the forefront of many minds as Luke Marshall impressed at inside centre before leaving the field at half time.
Ulster’s medical team reported his issue as two dead legs, and the hope is that he may yet be fit to contend for a place in Ireland’s midfield next weekend with Gordon D’Arcy ruled out for the next six weeks.
Injuries in the pack meant that Iain Henderson could also count this outing as an audition of sorts and he walked away with the man-of-the-match gong after impressing both int eh close exchanges of the breakdown and when carrying the ball forward.
The northern province got off to a flying start and were unfortunate not to score in the opening minute after a Marshall block-down bounced over the dead ball line just before Darren Cave could reach it.
The home fans would not have to wait much longer, though.
In the sixth minute, Chris Cochrane’s trailing left boot denied him the opening score in the corner after a fine one-handed offload from Andrew Trimble.
However, straight off the following stolen line-out Rob Herring burrowed over the line for his first provincial try.
The lead allowed Ulster sit back a bit and they did not manage much in the way of sustained pressure on the Zebre line.
Daniel Halangahu reduced the gap to four points with a penalty, but on the stroke of half time a Ruan Pienaar break on the right set the base for Paddy Jackson to veer to the left where Cave committed the defender and gifted Diack a simple score with a confident offload to make the half time score 12-3.
Flagging
Diack got his name on the score-sheet a second time at the end of the third quarter and from then the bonus point seemed inevitable against the flagging visitors.
The critical score came five minutes from time, Andrew making a 15-yard dash to the line and grounding despite a tackle upending him.
Pienaar would convert to round off another fine night for him with some telling line-breaks, but with all eyes on Marshall it was Cave who really made Ulster tick with some clinical touches and passes at vital times to guide Ulster over the line without much of a fuss.
