Ulster 19
Cardiff 17
Michael Sadlier reports from Kingspan Stadium
ULSTER MANAGED TO rescue victory from the jaws of defeat thanks to John Cooney’s 78th minute penalty as they banked a vital win for their URC play-off hopes.
Behind for most of the contest, the northern province looked to be heading for defeat until being given a reprieve in the closing moments of this less than memorable clash with Cardiff who will feel aggrieved they didn’t win.
Ulster got off to the worst possible start when winger Theo Cabango scored after 11 minutes after coming in on an angled run off a lineout. Tinus de Beer converted.
Their error count from Ulster was worryingly high in the opening minutes resulting in Nathan Doak missing touch with two penalties and Will Addison throw a forward pass to Michael Lowry.
There were no further scores until the 27th minute – by which stage Ulster had lost centre James Hume to injury – when Ulster managed to get off the mark with a Nathan Doak penalty.
Then shortly after Taulupe Faletau had departed on his first game back since the World Cup, Ulster went to the corner and though Tom Stewart knocked on, they were awarded another penalty though this time after again going to the corner and driving towards the Cardiff line Dave Ewers was held up in the inevitable driving maul.
It wasn’t a good look but at least the hosts did register a score, Doak landing the penalty to narrow Cardiff’s lead to a solitary point.
Ulster needed to come out firing but didn’t and instead were skinned out wide when Cabango got away to score his second which De Beer converted taking Cardiff to 14-6.
More damage was then shipped by the hosts when Jacob Stockdale was yellow carded for a deliberate knock-on on 48 minutes.
Just before Stockdale returned Ulster kicked a penalty to the corner and though the possession was scrappy, David McCann was the one to surge over the line.
John Cooney, on for Doak, converted and Cardiff now led 14-13 and then he stepped up again and kicked a long-range effort in the 65th minute when Cardiff were penalised at a breakdown, putting the home team in the lead for the first time in the game.
Then with less than 10 minutes to go Postlethwaite was pinged at a breakdown and De Beer put the visitors back in the lead.
The game then swung on Rhys Carre being adjudged to have knocked on Cooney’s pass and though Cabango thought he had scored his hat-trick at the other end, play was called back by Mike Adamson who yellow carded the Cardiff hooker and awarded Ulster a penalty.
Cooney slotted it and Ulster held on for the last two minutes.
ULSTER: Addison; Lowry, Hume (McIlroy, 19), Postlethwaite, Stockdale; Flannery (Burns, HT), Doak (Cooney, 54); O’Sullivan (Warwick, 51), Stewart (Andrew, 60), Wilson (O’Toole, 51); Sheridan, O’Connor (capt) (Izuchukwu, 75); Ewers, Marcus Rea, McCann.
Yellow card: J Stockdale, 48.
CARDIFF RUGBY: Winnett (Beetham, 3); Adams, Grady, Thomas, Cabango; de Beer, Bevan (Bertranou, 55); Domachowski (Carré, 52) Belcher (capt) (Lloyd, 75), Assiratti (Parker, 71); Donnell, Williams (Thornton, 65); Mann (Jenkins, 57), Young, Faletau (Martin, 29).
Yellow cards: Carre, 78
Referee: M Adamson (SRU)