Benetton 34
Ulster 19

Michael Sadlier reports from Treviso

A DIABOLICAL EVENING for Ulster as they plummeted to new depths to lose again to Italian opposition, this time Benetton coming from behind to claim the win and five points.

The Irish province imploded in the second half shipping two yellow cards when Nick Timoney and Stewart Moore were binned to cut them to just 13 men – David McCann had also been binned early in the new half – and shipping a hatful of penalties.

The result now does severe looking damage to Ulster’s play-off hopes in a contest where they failed to score any points in the second 40 minutes, though a Matty Rea try was chalked off when Tom O’Toole was pinged for a high elbow.

Ulster needed to start well and did so, scoring after just three minutes when Nathan Doak dived over after the visitors had laid siege to the Benetton line.

The scrum half converted his own effort, which was at the posts, though the lead lasted just five minutes.

A clever Ulster move off a lineout resulted in the ball being spilled and Matt Gallagher simply hacked through from distance and nailed the score. Tomas Albornoz added the conversion, and it was now seven points apiece.

The Italians then reciprocated when Michael Lowry easily intercepted Albornoz to race in unopposed, Doak easily adding the extras.

Albornoz then kicked a penalty on 26 minutes before Ulster ran back a long kick, Nick Timoney finding Jacob Stockdale who slalomed his way through for a dazzling try though Doak failed to convert.

The Italians had the final say of the half, attacking on the left with a penalty advantage and then Lowry went for what looked like a deliberate knock-on which went unpunished after Rhyno Smith tapped and went, Ignacio Mendy scoring over on the right.

Albornoz then slotted an excellent conversion for the 38th minute score and Ulster’s lead was cut to 19-17 at half-time.

David McCann was yellow carded at the start of the new half for coming in offside at a breakdown and not long after he returned – Ulster didn’t concede during his absence – Nick Timoney was also shown yellow for a high hit on Toa Halafihi on 56 minutes.

The first points of the second half followed, Albornoz slotting the penalty to put Benetton in front for the first time. Ulster’s discipline then started to crack and Stewart Moore’s hit on Fekitoa was deemed a deliberate knock-on in his own 22 and the full back was binned reducing Ulster to 13.

Mirco Spagnolo then barrelled over from the driving maul launched from the penalty being put to the corner, Albornoz converted and now it was 27-19 to the hosts.
Back to 14 men with Timoney back, Ulster did manufacture a try through Matty Rea only for it to be chalked off via the TMO for a high elbow thrown by O’Toole.

Benetton Rugby: R Smith, I Mendy, M Fekitoa, M Zanon, M Gallagher, T Albornoz, A Uren; T Gallo, S Maile, G Zilocchi, G Marini, E Snyman (capt), A Izekor, M Zuliani, T Halafihi.

Replacements: B Bernasconi for Maile 40mins, M Spagnolo for Gallo 40mins, T Pasquali for Zilocchi 60mins, R Favretto for Marini 56mins, S Koroiyadi for Zuilani 56mins, J Kingi for Halafihi 57mins, N Casilio for mins, Marin for Mendy 72mins.

Ulster: S Moore, M Lowry, J Hume, S McCloskey, J Stockdale, A Morgan, N Doak; J Boyd, R Herring, T O’Toole, A O’Connor (capt), C Izuchukwu, Matty Rea, N Timoney, D McCann

Replacements: J Andrew for Herring 59mins, B O’Connor for O’Toole76 mins, S Wilson for Boyd 47mins, K Treadwell for Izuchukwu 20mins, R Crothers for McCann 73mins, D Shanahan for Flannery 71mins, J Postlethwaite for Lowry 43mins, J Flannery for Morgan 56mins.

Yellow card: D McCann 43mins, N Timoney 57mins, S Moore 63mins

Referee: C Evans (WRU).