OSPREYS 12 – 24 ULSTER
IAIN HENDERSON COULD be out of the running for Ireland’s two held over Six Nations matches at the end of this month after being sent-off in the 75th minute of Ulster’s win at the Liberty Stadium.
The Ulster skipper was given a straight red card by Scottish international referee Mike Adamson after reviewing footage of Henderson charging into a ruck on half-way and connecting with the jaw of Ospreys full back Dan Evans with his shoulder.
Andy Farrell’s Irish side meet Italy on 24 October and then seven days later are due to travel to Paris to meet France. They then face Wales at the Aviva Stadium in the Autumn Nations Cup on 13 November.
His dismissal came two minutes after Ulster had finally put to bed a contest in which they should have been out of sight given the control they had. Rob Lyttle made the break in midfield from a scrum just outside the Ulster 22 and he found John Cooney on his inside in the home 22 to take a return pass and score.
Cooney’s conversion gave him 14 points for the match and put the game out of reach for the Ospreys, who came into the game having beaten Edinburgh at Murrayfield in their opening match.
Ulster ended up scoring three tries without reply and the only thing that kept the home side in the game were four penalties from the boot of out-half Stephen Myler.
Jacob Stockdale turned on the style in front of British & Irish Lions head coach Warren Gatland to help steer the Ulstermen to back-to-back wins in the championship for the first time since January.
Stockdale gave them the perfect start with a try after only eight minutes and went on to show some wonderful touches in the second half with his full range of attacking talent. The other try came from man-of-the-match Marcell Coetzee from close range early in the second half.
The Ospreys had little answer to the power of the Ulster pack and even against 14 men conceded possession on the try line right at the death to lose a chance of stealing a losing bonus point.
Scorers:
Ospreys: Pens: S Myler 4;
Ulster: Tries; J Stockdale, M Coetzee, J Cooney; Cons: J Cooney 3; Pen: J Cooney
Ospreys: Dan Evans; Mat Protheroe, Owen Watkin, Kieran Williams 72), Luke Morgan; Stephen Myler (Josh Thomas 78), Rhys Webb (Harri Morgan 55); Nicky Smith (Rhodri Jones 55), Sam Parry (Dewi Lake 51), Tom Botha Ma’afu Fia 55), Adam Beard (Will Griffiths 76), Alun Wyn Jones, Olly Cracknell (Dan Lydiate 51), Justin Tipuric (captain), Morgan Morris
Ulster: Jacob Stockdale; Matt Faddes (Louis Ludik 72), James Hume, Stewart Moore, Rob Lyttle; Ian Madigan, John Cooney; Jack McGrath (Eric O’Sullivan 46), Rob Herring (Adam McBurney 72), Marty Moore (Gareth Milasinovich 66), Alan O’Connor (Kieran Treadwell 60), Iain Henderson (captain), Matthew Rea (Greg Jones 60), Marcus Rea (Sean Reidy 55), Marcell Coetzee
Reps Unused: David Shanahan
Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)