Scarlets v Ulster Ulster Rugby Live

Ulster have been unbeatable so far this season. His first try, back

with his old province. Nine out of nine in the RaboDirect Pro12.

Ulster of the leaders, hoping to make it the perfect 10 this

afternoon and keep that winning streak intact. But this could be

their toughest test as they face their nearest challengers, first

against second as the Scarlets welcome Ulster for this top-of-the-

table showdown. It is their third away in a row for Ulster and the

start of a festive fixture list coming up this month with two

European clashes and the RaboDirect Pro12 derby against Leinster and

Munster. Kicking off is this crucial visit to Wales. Kick-off in

10 minutes and also coming up this afternoon, back to school for three

of Ulster's rising young stars. Paddy Jackson, Craig Gilroy and

Michael Allen go back to their alma matter. Men who have done their

homework are my guests, for Ulster players Andy Ward and Ryan

Constable. Nine wins in a row, two wins in Europe, can Ulster

continue? A everybody has turned on the television to hope that will

continue. They have had a couple of struggles this last few weeks but

they have been depleted in the squad and there are big names

coming back today so everybody hopes they will keep the momentum

going. What look at the table makes for healthy waiting for Ulster at

the moment, six points clear. This is what they wanted, this is

crucial. First and second, that lead can be eroded with some poor

performances and it will be stressed in the lead-up to this

match after Ulster to get these vital points and create that

separation, because they want to finish first and second. It will

take a very good side to beat Ulster at Ravenhill so the aim has

to secure -- has to be to secure that one and two spot. It also go

in with that ten-point gap approaching halfway, that goes

along way to securing those home play-off places? Without doubt. And

the momentum this season has been superb. As I said earlier, the

influx of international players coming back, confidence will be up

so that will have a knock-on effect in the team with young players and

it is fantastic to see. Let slip that the Ulster team this afternoon.

How will that benefit from a lot of those returning young stars? They

bring that experience of having played at the highest level and

when you go up that level and come back down, you feel you have more

time and space and things are easier for you and they will be

looking forward to this. Henderson coming back, Jackson had experience

midweek. That good partnership that is working well, so that will

invigorate the squad and it is important to get back into the flow

of things with matches coming up and they had the Scarlets at the

right time. They played that Fourth International yesterday against

Australia, this is the time you want to get them a way and Ulster

need to get the points. By is an exciting young back line. Real

competition for places there. Tommy Bowe on the bench! That is crazy.

It is a very dynamic set up. Andrew Trimble must feel like a young man!

It is very exciting. Credit to everybody involved, they're getting

more experienced every week. It is coming together nicely. The a seem

to slot into the Irish international set up with these and

they have all created quite the impact? They go up there

opportunities through that good form and we can see some of this

highlights against Fiji. They were exceptional, Paddy Jackson playing

another right parts of the pitch, executing very well and Craig

Gilroy, his finishing. He translated that into the green for

Ireland. Darren Cave, setting up well. This was an electric finish,

the number of defenders beaten, that strong, core strength. And the

pace to go on and an amazing individual try. Craig Gilroy, he

has lit up the international world? He relies has. And Henderson. And

he is getting stronger and stronger. It is all down to the experience

and wording that green shirt. Gilroy again. Every year there is

always somebody who comes onto the scene and thankfully it is a home-

grown player. To an early to hear talk about Craig Gilroy in the

British and Irish Lions? He see and to cope with the pressure. At each

stage she has stepped up with limited opportunities for Ulster

but he has taken nose and he finds himself in possession of the green

jersey and if you play well at that level and you get the opportunities,

you have to consistently repeat that form to be in contention for

that jersey. But why not? He has to much belief. He really believes in

himself and that comes across. It is so exciting, everybody loves to

see him getting the ball into his hands. It is fantastic. If he can

keep that form, who knows? Exciting player. Ulster's Irish contingent

were on international duty, winning two games on a rogue -- in a row.

But according to the coach, they rode their luck. We didn't play

well. We know what we need to do. We will be in the dressing room

this week and addressing that and it is a long season and the fact

that sometimes it doesn't always go the way you wish, but we have shown

character and some steal from the group. They're hanging in there,

the one thing they have shown is a can play for 80 minutes. The last

two games, they have to have that possession and the set pieces have

been pretty good. The scrum was good over in Italy but the line-out

let ourselves down. We were not building pressure on the opposition

because they turned the ball over too often. That has been a strike.

Something that has drained over the last month and we have to pick that

up. The Ulster coach will be delighted to welcome back Johan

Muller this afternoon. That is a big plus. All with a big plus.

the experience he brings to the squad, the other players will feed

off him. The sort of guy that if he says something, he stops and

listens and they will react to that. He brings a lot. And then the last

couple of games, his experience in that line-out and the set piece

area was crucial. Is it fair to say that Ulster were perhaps lacking

some Ladyship the last couple of weeks? That is what he will bring?

Minute take away the experienced players, the senior internationals,

it does leave a space and Johan Muller welcome back, we know about

his leadership credentials and it will be important this afternoon

because the Scarlets against Munster, that was packed dominance

and their defensive system and that is where they will challenge. They

need to get the platform in the set-piece to provide quality of

possession and on paper they have the team to win this but as England

showed against using an, it doesn't always go to form and you must have

the intensity and the application. Thank you very much. Time to join

the match commentators this afternoon at the Parc y Scarlets.

Also hoping to make a clean sweep. After victory against the Ospreys,

the Blues and the Dragons already this season. Let's join Bryn

Cunningham but also good afternoon playing touch down in Cardiff

airport. The sun was shining but by the time we got here, the weather

has been miserable. Steady rain at all the way through. The pitch is

slippery but it's pretty good otherwise. Johann Muller returns

for Ulster at Callum Black and John Afoa starting. And Robbie Diack

which is from lock to the back row. -- switches. Jackson, Marshall,

Darren Cave and Gilroy, back to lead duty. -- League duty. No

better advertisement for the RaboDirect Pro12. On a wet Sunday

afternoon, the top of the table against the second. This is a

crucial game and Ulster could afford to lose this and still be

ahead but it's not something they really Bobby countenancing. It is a

tough week for Ulster. -- really we'll be. And they have a crucial

Heineken Cup game on Friday. Two changes for the Scarlets. Johan

Snyman comes in on the second-row and No. 8, Kieran Murphy has a

colour. -- call up. Nick Reynolds was on the bench but he has been

promoted to the outside centre. And Kristian Phillips is on the right

wing. Dan Newton, in his third year with the Scarlets, starts at full-

back. The man in the middle is a familiar face, international

referee Peter Fitzgibbon from Munster. During his 43rd league

game. So, the Scarlets, in familiar red... Ulster, taken in by Craig

Gilroy. What a couple of weeks that young man has had. Paul Marshall,

outside the 22. Plenty of height and good covering by it Murphy.

Good solid defence in the middle of the park. Still inside their own

half. Gareth Davies kicked it away. That was a clever looking kick by

Alan Thomas. Gathered in by a Ulster. The touch judge flag was up.

And it was carried into touch by Ulster and that is going to name

the line-out for the Scarlets. Conditions will dictate how this

game will be played? Without doubt that the Scarlets have shown last

week that they can play a very tight game. They have traditionally

been a side that likes to throw the ball about but having beaten

Munster in that tight affair up front, they will look to seek

dominance in that area once more. Weather can nations in Court last

week were very similar. Not raining just as hard. There is a hard nosed

coming to the side with pragmatism. Peter Fitzgibbon playing advantage.

The Scarlets can do the heavy stuff, moving. Gareth Maule takes it

forward. Knocked forward. And the advantage isn't over. He will go

all the way back for the penalty. The Scarlets, one man down injured

but they will be pleased with the way they have started. Discipline

will be a big part of this, traditionally the sides, never much

more than one score between them at the end. History has shown it's

always a very competitive game and it might come down to kicks at the

post, certainly with these conditions. The only time Ulster

have beaten Llanelli in Llanelli, whether it was the old Parkmore

Parc y Scarlets, it was a couple of years ago when Ruan Pienaar kicked

that late, late penalty. Jacoby and Yancy. One of three sec Africans in

this pack. And the Argentinian second role. Tomas Vallejos on the

bench. Alan Clark. Niall Malone, the former Ulster outside-half and

David Humphreys behind him. Mark Anscombe, scribbling away. All eyes

points. He has given that a fair old strike and he has not made it.

That is a bit of a let-off for Ulster. Still no score. The maiden

mission for Ulster will be to try to get the ball back and hold onto

it for at least a couple of minutes and were never playing away from

home, that is how you get confidence, get a hold of the ball

and build some places. A Paddy Jackson, well taken in by Christian

Phillips, he is pretty quick. Gareth Owen. That was a good tackle

by Luke Marshall. That isn't a bad effort. Here comes Gilroy. Dan

Newton, full-back. Gilroy shuts him down. That was a good kick. Taken

in by Roger Wilson. Peter Nelson... Jackson gives it a thump. Great

covering by his opposite number, Alan Thomas. And easily down the

line. Taken in by Jackson. Decides to run. Slippery underfoot.

Marshall. Luke Marshall, the outside-half. Roger Wilson.

Relishing the prospect of play against his old club, the

Northampton Saints, next Friday. Luke Marshall trying to keep the

lid on it. Well-covered and it is out. Quite good tactical kicking,

Brendan. I think, as we mentioned earlier, we are going to see a lot

of that today. Conditions are not wonderful, it is early in the game,

they do not want to make mistakes, so they need to make sure they are

playing in the right areas of the against Treviso. That was pretty

straightforward, nicely done by Diack. Roger Wilson eased his way

past a couple of defenders. John couple of games in the second row.

Iain Henderson. Ulster need to be a couple of tackles, better work

I'll stay in dreadful conditions. - - by Ulster. Good control of a very

slippery tache. That is exactly what they want to you, hold on to

the ball. The set piece is going to work well at the beginning, then

they need to make sure they get their forwards involved nice and

early, get their hands on the ball. Neil McComb is very athletic, they

have got to be careful as well that they get the support to the ball-

carrier very quickly. Just a second off the pace, that could

was an offence. So Paddy Jackson, five points short of a league

Scarlets. No! And he has missed that one as well. Well, two

attempts at goal, and nothing resulting from it, as you work,

seven minutes gone, no score. You cannot afford to miss those. Paddy

Jackson will be disappointed with that, his goal-kicking in the past

number of weeks has been absolutely exemplary, so we will want to make

sure that his one bad one put behind him. Restart by the Scarlets,

cannot go directly to touch. Good covering by Roger Wilson. Andrew

chasing up by Andrew Trimble, as again, good positioning. He ran

advantage, there was an offside, and he is going to come back to the

penalty for Ulster, and I would not be surprised if they had another

crack at the posts. Good play by Ulster. They will want to make sure

that they get numbers under the ball, tried to challenge for the

ball. You do not want to give them easy catching opportunities. It is

going to be very difficult to catch the ball above their heads in

greasy conditions, so I would like to see the kick comeback five yards,

compete for the ball, and then try to scramble under any loose balls.

Paddy Jackson has indicated to the referee, indicated to the touch

judges, that is going to go for the posts. Just about three minutes ago,

there was a chance for the first points. It is longer but directly

in front of the posts. It is all about getting the foot placement

right in very difficult, slippery too far away. He will want to make

Clare, and that looks a lot better, and what a good start by Paddy

Jackson. He missed the first but got the second, 9 1/2 minutes gone,

Ulster leading 3-0. That just settles the side, outstanding kick,

straight away he turned around, strike was beautiful, timing

outstanding. Ulster will be happy with that, and they will want to

keep possession and build the phases. Alice Thomas, a very good

gate for his forwards to chase. -- has waited that just about

perfectly. It was taken in by Dan Newton, who gets it to Murphy, who

has been very busy. A chance now for the Scarlets to put a bit of

one of three South Africans in the pack. Snyman could do nothing about

that, he overran it slightly. The first scrum of the evening, and we

have played nearly 11 minutes, and that is surprising in itself.

think we will see a few handling errors today. They have got a good

strong line, it is going to be difficult to make passes in these

conditions. It is important they do not allow the opportunity to spread

injured, just 24 years old, born in Aberdeen. He moved down to Swansea

when he was two years of age, so he it is, when you look at it on the

pitch, you would think what rain? But it is teaming down. This is the

Scarlets front row that caused Munster's so many problems in the

set piece in Cork last weekend. Ulster are that little bit heavier.

A good squeeze by Ulster. The referee says, used it, but they are

going to lose it. You heard him say it, Roger Wilson complaining that

they were still moving forward. At the set piece, like the breakdown,

once he calls that, you have got five seconds and you have to obey

the referee. That is it, you have to listen to the referee, even if

you feel it is the wrong call, you have to adhere to it, and that is a

communication issue between 8 and 9. It is a case of just get the ball

about any way you can as quickly as possible. I think the Scarlets who

go might have got himself hurt. When something like that happens,

you automatically think, has he done something to his neck or Pop

David? It looks like his neck is giving him a wee bit of trouble. He

seems to be fine. Emyr Phillips, 25 years of age. This is his 60th

appearance for the Scarlets. The club skipper, Rob McCusker, is not

blame but is being interviewed by our colleagues from BBC Wales. --

scrummage, Ulster of free from any engagement. It is taken on by

Jonathan Edwards, the Scarlets captain, this is more like it from

going to blow or something, he is, because the Scarlets have knocked

it on. So we have had quite a little bit of decent play without

any handling errors, and now all of a sudden they are starting to

happen. I think he can feel hard done by that he did not force the

penalty. He had his hands firmly on the ball. The referee put

themselves in a bad position and could not see what was going on.

But could work at the breakdown for Diack, he was playing slightly out

of position. A pretty hefty looking does, but in favour of Dan Newton,

who finds a good touch. -- to bounce. The result of that is that

Ulster have made 10 metres, maybe not even 10 metres, directly over

the pitch from where the scrum was, so no ground gained. Good-looking

scrum, mind you. Very solid, they will be happy with that. It is

obvious that Ulster do not want to take any chances, they want to get

field position. Can Ulster challenge is pretty useful Scarlets

line-out? Touch judge on the far side is Jane Jones, who people may

remember from the Under 19 World Cup final. -- James Jones. He seems

has gone straight up in the air, just about, wonderful take! Quick

Muller. Ulster are back infield advantage is over. Well covered by,

but he did really well. Good tackle by Rob Herring. Gareth Owen goes to

ground, but Herring does not get away. Peter Fitzgibbon St... Well,

I thought that was harsh, I thought he was doing his best to get out of

the way, but obviously not to the satisfaction of the referee.

Certainly, Ulster will be disappointed with that. They will

want to stay down in the Scarlets' 1/2, and the kicking has been a

little bit long, that has given the Scarlets an opportunity to get

behind the ball and start pushing. Once we see more competition for

the ball in the air, we will hopefully see Ulster reaping the

rewards for that. It was a good take, albeit at the second attempt,

means full, maybe not even half full, which is a good and the sad

side, but there is a certain match at the Millennium Stadium yesterday,

breaking a Welsh hearts. That does not look terribly straight. Play on,

says the referee. A little bit of basketball when Don there. -- went

think the culprit might well have been the oldest man in the Scarlet

and he has given Ulster a decent field position as we come up to the

end of the first quarter. They are leading 3-0 but will be looking for

more. We saw why he is such a wonderful signing, not only is the

brilliant been handling, but he is like another open-side flanker, he

can force penalties as well. work at the breakdown is terrific

as well. Good line-out, Milan back in things. What about the bounce?

It has bounced handily for the Scarlets, and they have pushed

their way back to Ulster's 22. Maybe the chasing was not

aggressive enough, or maybe the kick was too long, but either way

Ulster Avalos 60 metres. I think the idea was definitely right, in

conditions like this the defence is going to try to come up very

quickly. Ulster have witnessed that early on, so they said, let's look

behind with the chip kick, and with the tight defence, maybe it could

be a little bit wider and they could be opportunities for the

very useful chap has come on. Kirby Myhill. The captain of the Welsh

Junior World Cup side. That was a good kick down the line. And Ulster

have got themselves offside. No hesitation from Peter Fitzgibbon.

Might have been Craig Gilroy? This is within kicking range. This will

give the Scarlets a chance to get themselves back on level terms.

Ulster did everything just about right. Youthful exuberance, we

shall put that down to, on the part of Craig Gilroy. The referee has

been pretty good, he has given both sides an opportunity and has called

what he think is the right call and has given the boys a chance to

react. He shouted hold to the winner, Craig Gilroy probably did

not hear him. If you just decided not to go up onto the defensive

line, it would have allowed play to continue. It is a pretty tight

- matches. -- matters. That looks pretty good. A little bit of

hesitation but no real need, Alan Thomas has messed with one and

landed the next. Three points apiece in a very wet Parc y

Scarlets. Ulster will definitely want to get their hands on the ball,

here. They want to go through some phases, that is when they will

break down the defence and the opportunities welcome for those

little chip kicks. Gathered in by the Scarlets. Murphy, yet again. He

has been the outstanding forward of the evening. Roger Wilson, knocks

it backwards. Well, the touch judge said that was forward. At the very

worst, I thought that was sideways. I would like another look. Roger

Wilson, incredulous. Did that go forward? I have to be honest, I

think that went backwards. That is the home crowd decision and if that

happened at Ravenhill, it would have been played on. Amen to that.

John a full, Callum Black, he has been scrummaging mightily well.

That was a good squeeze by Ulster. That was a good covering tackle and

he just had his elbow in touch, and the same touch judge puts his flag

up and the Scarlets will get a line out and that was a great scrum by

Ulster. A outstanding, when you consider the Scarlets have the

upper hand against Munster. With that very powerful front row

playing as well. That is an area they probably fancied themselves

end and that is an area that will be important in these conditions.

Ulster will glean an awful lot of confidence from that. Callum Black,

scrummaging his socks off. Tom Court and the bench, remember. Mark

Anscombe has rested quite a few players. Ruan Pienaar, Chris Henry,

Jared Payne, Paddy Wallace, lots of players have been given that five-

day turnaround. He is fortunate to be able to do that and take Rory

best and Tommy Bowe onto the bench. That is the key to success so far.

They have so many players that are playing well presently, they can

afford the opportunity to rest some of these guys. And they know that

it gives the other boys an opportunity to stake a claim for

that place and they will be itching to get back into the fold. The 26

year-old South African seems to be fine. Nicely done, nothing wrong.

Richard Kelly took that in. Ulster grappling at the breakdown. That

forced the Scarlets to concede ground into their own half and

Ulster still trying to hold up. Much better for the Scarlets.

Ulster cannot be caught bring that down, otherwise it will be a

penalty. And Ulster have taken that end and that is a good bit of

defence by Ulster. The crowd, giving that little manner of

disapproval. The Scarlets skipper has given more than that. That is a

great attacking opportunity, the split scrum, they can put a couple

of receivers on the left-hand side, on the short side, shaping up with

Peter Nelson, to be the first receiver and see what the defence

is doing and they will call it wants the scrum goes down and

decide what the play is what you would like to see Ulster trying to

hold onto the ball and go through a couple of faces. -- faces. Gilroy

on the nearside. And that was another good, solid Ulster scrum.

Marshall. Jackson. Offside again by Ulster and this time it was Andrew

Trimble. Andrew Trimble and Craig Gilroy have both given away

penalties. Yes, 10 metres ahead, you were told. Andrew Trimble.

Maybe it was Darren Cave on the wing? It just comes down to timing

more than anything. We are playing in conditions like this and from 9-

10, the pace will be slower. Those little fractions make a difference

and it is important to hold that fraction to allow for that. Well...

I think that was a bad call. I think that was absolutely wrong,

there was nothing wrong with that positioning by Andrew Trimble.

Another bad call. The replacement hooker. That was too long. Gathered

in by Roger Wilson. He needs no second bidding. Marshall, got

himself caught. Not his fault, played on. Knocked forward by

Ulster. They did all the hard stuff, stealing the ball, and then they

have given it away. 24 minutes gone, three apiece. What a remarkable

sequence he has had. The ball was out and he did get himself caught

by his opposite number. Marshall, his 70 eighth match today. Squad

appearance. He has been the most regular member of the squad over

the past couple of seasons. Another big scrum, Ulster need it. Penalty

against the Scarlets. Good work by Callum Black and the boys on the

front row. Going backwards. The referee decided he had to pull it

down to prevent any further retreat. Jackson. That was a good strike by

Paddy Jackson. Wonderful kick. Again, it shows a lot of confidence

in the young man, to be able to go for it like that. Often, with all

of those 10 - 15 yard kicks. That shows a lot of confidence, somebody

who was very happy with his kicking at the moment and that has but

Ulster in a very good attacking position. Rob Herring. Henderson at

the front. He makes good ground but it is now on the floor. It will be

more difficult. Marshall. John a full. Callum Black. Leaves it for

the scrum half. Neil mod-con, relishing a decent run of games.

Bobby Diack. Henderson. Paul Marshall. Darren Cave. Tackled well.

The referee having a good look. And he penalises Ulster. Decent

continuity and then a penalty. good player but unfortunately, not

a lot of yards gained. Holding onto the ball as important but you have

to try to get across that gain-line time and again. That is the way

they will break this defence down and if they don't get over, there

will resort to the kicking option. Speaking of kicking. 27 minutes

gone and Aled Thomas has taken the Scarlets back. Afoa. The referee

says he did not perhaps release quickly enough. He took his team to

Irish victory in Cork. Good challenge by Ulster. Callum Black

does the tackling. Slow ball but still within that time frame. Kelly.

Murphy. Good work by Henderson. Well away by Gareth Davies. The

Scarlets piling in, the referee had a good look at the breakdown. Taken

on by George Earle. Again, the slow ball. The replacement hooker is

Kirby Myhill. I thought he was going to set up for a drop goal.

Thomas. Well gathered by Ulster. That looks all right! Break away!

Andrew Trimble. In he goes. Just a little bit fortuitous but you make

your own luck and you take your chances. And Andrew Trimble, in his

97th league game, gets his 27th league try. Typical. He saw the

opportunity and he went for it. That is how you do it as a winner.

If you think about it for a split- second, you will not make it. That

is the key, come out early and there is a good chance you welcome

away with it. He had at home now -- he had no doubts. He was always

going to have the pace to finish that off. That is a real serious

piece of defending and Jonnie Bell will be delighted. They were right

up in the faces of the Scarlets boys and with Andrew Trimble

scoring the try, Paddy Jackson adding the points and with 11

minutes to go until the interval, Ulster are leading by 10 points to

three points. They need to get more distance and confidence. It is now

very important, you can see when the team's cause, they can take

their feet off the gas. And a lack of discipline can get away points.

It is important to set up for possession again. The Scarlets

restarting. Gilroy underneath. That was a good call. That has been

knocked forward. Advantage to Ulster, Marshal... No real option

for Darren Cave. Kicking for position. And he has. And that was

not a bad kick at all. A little bit more might have come out of that

but Ulster will not be too disappointed. When the knock-on

came, you thought Ulster might be able to capitalise but just one way

would pass put them on the back foot. Darren Cave, he often looks

up and as an experienced head, he can see there is nothing on it and

he hits that nice, low kick into the corner and he executes that

the spacing of the line-out. Well taken by big Richard Kelly. And

that was a good organised line-out. Trimble gathering. Peter Nelson.

Let food, that was great. Great cheers. Knocked forward by Ulster.

Luke Marshall attacks through! No score. That was very close. You can

see the confidence they have taken from that break away from Andrew

Trimble. That is exactly the sort of kick you like to see going up.

It can be caught under it. There is going to be the ought not gone, no

doubt, but sometimes, 50 - 50, you never know, it could bounce your

way. The attacking side can pounds on the loose ball. Kim Wright, he

could not quite gather. He knocked it forward but that just underpins

his appetite for the game. Not just the season but in previous seasons.

Ulster have brought three players to the nearside to cover the three

Scarlets players. This could be getting very low before he makes

but Ulster get a good squeeze on. - - a better scrum. A terrific piece

of driving brings the penalty, and that is the advantage of a dominant

scrum. We got BJ Botha out but scrummage, but John Afoa is just as

good, it seems. It is amazing he did not pick up more or Black Caps.

36 is not bad, he should double that, at least. Whenever he came

across, the one question mark was over his scrummaging ability, and

his scrummaging ability since he arrived in Ulster has been

absolutely unbelievable. Do not forget the efforts by Johann Muller

and Neil McComb, the biggest guy on the park, but it is all about an

eight-part machine working in harmony, and my word, they did

there. So this is to put 10 points between the sides as we head into

Scarlets three, Ulster 13, and about 7 minutes until the interval.

Ulster will be delighted with that scrum. They know that with any

opportunities to have free kicks, they will have a crack at the

Scarlet' scrum, and that is where we will see their dominance in the

rest of this game. He kicks Parc y Scarlets. A couple of weeks

ago, they had the most wonderful celebratory dinner, remembering the

40th anniversary of the day that Llanelli beat the All Blacks. The

outside-half was one of the main organisers, they had 1,200 people

and a splendid dinner. And that is splendidly not straight! Well, that

comes whenever the site is starting to lose confidence, they feel the

only way they are going to get possession is by things like that,

throwing cricket throw-ins. That is where the Scarlets will be starting

to doubt themselves, taking their put off the gas, as you mentioned,

the crowd has got quite. If Ulster can capitalise and get the next

score and put daylight between the two sides, the Scarlets will start

to doubt themselves. They have to great control, Roger Wilson. I do

not know what Marshall is scrum-half. That puts Ulster into a

strike position, the red zone, as they call it. That is good vision

by Marshall. I think he was trying to get the referee to call a

penalty, suggesting there was some ill-discipline going on in the

front row. He knew that the way to deal with it was to go blind with

it. It was definitely the right by the Scarlets at the second

attempt. -- pulled in. Charged down by Ulster, where is that going?

pretty cross with himself. A nice sweeping movement there, great

steel by Ulster, pressure at the line-out, well won on the ground by

Callum Black. He has been was a little bit high, around

shoulder level, not a bad pass, and in normal conditions you would

expect to take that, so Darren will be disappointed. It was certainly a

great attacking platform for Ulster. The pressure is still on the

Scarlets, though, they are in scrum territory, and they have not been

comfortable there for most of the nearly got through. All the

pressure is coming from the league challenge. Callum Black, Phil John,

number one against number one. Paddy Jackson. -- a wee bit too

much on that. Still two and a half minutes to go, all the pressure

coming from Ulster. They have really upped the tempo. I think

they can sense the Scarlets doubting themselves, they want to

speed up the game, and played down to the 22. That all started from

Luke Marshall on the 22 stealing the ball, and that is something we

have seen his team do all season. You see D'Arcy and O'Driscoll doing

it for Ireland, and it is an important part of the game now.

Marshall get it at the second attempt, that could have been

word, they are going through their paces. The referee is playing

Gilroy. Advantage over, says the did that last week for Ireland, his

one miscue of the game, we hope. That just shows you how difficult

the conditions are, I do not know how many turnover is there work,

the ball was like a bar of soap. What Ulster need to do is be a

little bit patient, not try to force it, hold on to the ball. We

know it is going to be very difficult on an afternoon like this,

but Ulster have got the better of this side, they are in the

ascendancy, and they have got to capitalise on that. Into the last

minute of this first half, Iain Henderson. Could take by Snyman. --

could take. Ulster get the put-in at the scrum with 30 seconds

remaining. The Scarlets man ran into one of his own men, and the

referee said there was an advantage gained by that, and Ulster will

have the put-in at the scrummage. They may be content to put this

into touch and say, well, let's not risk anything, or they may try

something. I just saw Paddy Jackson poised to do a bit of serious

line-out if it goes into touch, but it hasn't. Trimble through it

forward, and the flag was up on the far side. It is blowing for half-

time. A little bit of an adventure there by Ulster, I'm not sure if

the gate was all that desperately adventurous, but Ulster will not be

terribly unhappy. They went ahead with a penalty by Paddy Jackson,

cancelled out by one by Alan Thomas, breakaway try by Andrew Trimble,

conversion and penalty by Jackson. Of the lead 13-three, and they will

be pretty happy with that. -- Ulster. I think they will be happy

with that, and second half, more of the same, just hold on to the ball,

and I'm quite sure they will take the victory today. It has been a

very good opening 40 minutes for this Ulster side, and at the moment

they are on course to maintain their place at the top of the table,

and they are leading the Scarlets In a top-of-the-table battle, it is

tense and tight. It is not a thriller as yet, but Ulster have

the upper hand at half-time after deadlock earlier on, with a penalty

apiece, one magical intervention by Andrew Trimble kept Ulster in the

lead. Are they sliding their way to another Pro12 victory? It is 13-3

at half-time, helped by those eight points by Paddy Jackson. We have

been watching, what has been a pretty scrappy first half, but the

weather has played its first half. -- played its part. The weather has

played a massive part, but there is a lot of tension as well. They want

to up their standard from the previous two weeks, and they have

certainly done that in certain areas, but credit to the Scarlets,

their defence is hard, they are pushing up in difficult conditions,

and it is difficult to get the ball into the right channels where

Ulster have been strong in recent weeks. It seems to be a catalogue

of errors. Yeah, look, the weather is the pervasive feature in this

match, and when that is the case, both teams are going to struggle to

get tempo into the game. They are going to have to adjust their

tactics. We will see more tactical kicking to establish field position,

primary possession from the set piece becomes Michael, discipline

in the opposition half, maintaining possession. -- Michael. No point

playing rugby in your own heart. Ulster had started to establish

that tactic in the first half, and expect to see that continue in the

second. We saw the coach saying he wanted to improve the line-out, and

that has happened, they have functioned very well. This goes to

his point as well, they can afford to play his game when they need to

the scrum or having a Scarlet line- out. The pressure keeps demanding.

The more this continues, the more the Scarlets will feel the pressure.

Did Ulster give too much ball away? The decision to kick was fine,

early in the game we were not finding the open spaces, a lot of

balls being taken and contested, but they addressed that well into

the latter half. They made it a contest double kick, and that has

been the key feature, and that is why we saw then start the rhythm in

the latter stages of the first half. Scrummaging, very powerful against

another very good scrummaging team. Very much so, it is a real platform

for them, showing a lot of strain on the Scarlet ball as well as

their own. In this situation, it became very messy, that was

probably the worst scrum of the game in Venice. But from here on, a

bit of a power-play from Ulster. You cannot underestimate the

psychological impact on the opposition, when they are heading

backwards on roller-skates in the scum, -- scrum, and it really goes

throughout the whole spine of the team, and Ulster will feel it in

Carmont at present. It feels like grinding the opposition down.

much so, and it is a real psychological blow. If the referee

calls a scrum, especially if it is your own ball, there is a little

bit of panic in the back of the mind, so Ulster will not be averse

to putting the ball down to the 22, applying the pressure. We will come

away with something. It does not feel like when or where the winners

should be involved, but they have been, Kilroy and Trimble, a lot of

focus on them with Tommy Bowe. -- Gilroy. It is an enviable position,

to have world-class players. Craig Gilroy gets over the advantage line

courtesy of that footwork, and then they have got to perform the basics

as well, Andrew Trimble claiming that ball and moving forward. That

is what you want as 18, when the ball is in the air, knowing that

one of your back three will claim that. -- as a team. I suppose a

little bit disheartening for the Scarlets, the first time to the

Ulster 22, in pop's Andrew Trimble. Thank goodness for that, because

they were looming on the outside, and it could have been dangers of

Ulster. It has just gone through their hands, Paddy Wallace al

Darren Cave putting on a lot of pressure to allow that to happen.

Credit to Andrew Trimble, he really read that well. It was a very good

defensive breed, he recognised the overlap, comes into nullify that,

then he changes tack and goes for the interception. That is what you

want from him out wide, that game I've been changing ability. He has

done it on plenty of different occasions before, and that is the

experience he has of playing at that level, and he is drawn on that

experience. That could be crucial. This is not going to be a thing of

beauty, Ulster are not going to score four or five tries, so that

opportunities. And discipline will be the key thing, the kickers

missed their first couple of kicks. That bonfire we have just seen

might be the only try in this match. It isn't a night for a pretty when,

but it is for victory and Ulster have a very impressive bench.

Coming into this game, you felt the bench was there to we used and to

integrate them for next trick. Judgment calls have been made On

the Run. But Rory Best, Tom Court, Dan Tuohy, established

internationals, they will be integrated. As and when the coach

decides they are needed. Thank you for that. Any of Ulster as talented

young players came through the conveyor-belt of one of Northern

Ireland's top rugby schools, Methodist College. We took three of

been back in a while but it has brought back some good memories -

and bad ones as well! You are looking well. Watching him train,

nothing has changed. Since we used Did you ever look at these when in

third year and think, I want to be in the first 16? Yes. Marshall. He

is the same size. Jackson. That is the dream team, right there.

Undefeated. Jackson? Right there. The most successful side in the

history of the competition. It is great to see them coming through,

the boys from the academy and the guys on the fringes who have come

through that Methody team. Only his second competitive Ulster's dark,

what a seasoned the youngster is having. If I didn't play this year,

I would not have been involved, that would have been my

professional career over. It was make or break. The opening try with

Luke Marshall and Craig Gilroy, that was straight from the training

paddock. It was good, I remember seeing Craig go over and I started

jumping in the air, I was so happy. I have seen him going over so many

times for Methody but it is great to see him going over in the green

jersey. It has been a better world went. But something I have worked

hard and. -- bit of a whirlwind. It has been a great couple of weeks.

It is great that he steps up when it matters. I knew he would be fine.

I kept telling him that. And he went over for the try. We were in

the stands, going bonkers! He had a brilliant game. I have enjoyed

every bit of this, I just hope it continues in the future. You have

even been mentioned this week as a potential British Irish Lion.

would be getting ahead of myself! I'll get my face back at Ulster

first. He has his feet on the ground and the serious point about

us competition is the competition for places is very healthy. These

boys have to stay on their toes, one bad match and their back on the

bench. But it is creating a very healthy environment at the Ulster

level and for the supporters and spectators, this is only a very

healthy situation we find ourselves in. Only one of many schools

producing quality players but they have not left that long ago so I

suppose for young people playing schools' rugby, there is that real

pathway and it shows what you can achieve. You can get in quickly if

good enough. The outside back, Ulster have got the talent

identification Hathway and the development pathway and that is

enshrined and it comes from the schools and the engine that academy

structure and they are fast-tracked. Do in Australia and New Zealand, if

you don't make it by the age of 23, you probably are not going to sell

it is refreshing to see youngsters being given an opportunity at the

highest level. Lots of credit to that group of guys, and David Wells,

who heads up the rugby at Methody, he has been a fantastic servant for

Ulster rugby in terms of what he has brought through and they are

starting to read those rewards. Methody has been very strong over

the years so it is full credit to divot Wells. What do these young

fellows need to do in the second half? To make sure they secure

another win for Ulster Day? Stick to a very well-defined game-plan,

no point in playing in your own have, established territory and go

through the possession. They have the primary set piece sorted and

the need to continue that and they have established the lead. Kick the

goals and take the opportunities but it is about discipline,

defensive alignment and maintain possession. Cut out the mistakes.

Brit flick, the next score is absolutely key? Without a shadow of

a doubt, it will seal the deal. Thank you very much indeed. Back to

half underway and Ulster have made a couple of changes at the interval.

Johan Muller has made way for Irish international Dan Tuohy. And Tommy

Bowe is back on the park. And he might just be playing in place of

Craig Gilroy. I'm pretty certain I saw him coming out wearing No. 23

and he has gone over to the left wing, not normally his position.

Tommy Bowe is on. And Dan Tuohy. The Scarlets are the same as at the

interval. They replaced their hooker. So, Ulster are 10 points to

the good and Paddy Jackson starts the second half with not a bad kick.

Tommy Bowe puts the pressure on. The it is going to be the first

line-out and it is going to be the line-out for Ulster. Dante's jersey

is nice and dry, number 19. -- Dan Tuohy's jersey. The line-out duties

of Johann Muller, the skipper. Neil McComb comes along to help.

Henderson. Gets across the gain line. Paul Marshall. Roger Wilson.

Well, that was a good, bruising run by Roger Wilson. Paul Marshall,

Luke Marshall. Nice little show. Peter Nelson does well. He scored a

try last week in Italy against Treviso. Paddy Jackson. Ulster

conceded about him metres. Darren Cave, it's all about the past and

the kick and tea sets it up nicely. Paul Marshall. Dan Tuohy. Penalty

against the Scarlets. Not many would Ulster wanted but they will

take the chance for three more points. That is a very good start

by Ulster. Couple of great balls. Henderson, that nice soft shoulder.

And Roger Wilson, again, over the gain-line. Ulster need a good

platform to gain momentum. Clever as well with Paddy Jackson, Paul

Marshall under pressure and he had to throw it up. Knowing the

conditions, rather than picking up from his shoelaces, he let the ball

go on and that is clever play. He can just rebuilt, even if losing

five yards, start again, with the opportunity to increase the lead.

Jackson with eight of those first half points. Just to make life that

little bit more difficult for the Scarlets. Swinging the right foot...

And up goes the flak. Another cracking kick by Paddy Jackson.

Ulster stretch the lead. 16 - 3. And only 2.5 minutes of the second

half gone. They know from the first half they have dominance. If they

just continue in that vein, Cape to those structures, they will be very

confident of coming away with a victory. Gathered in by Roger

Wilson. Tackled well by Marshall. Inside the 22. That is another good

strike by Ulster. Jackson is a con flab about who will start the

line-out. They had decided to keep all their forwards in it. Nicely

done. Taken on Welbeck Gareth Owen, who has had a quiet afternoon.

Gareth Davies gets under way. Tommy Bowe came across and just about the

Scarlets to take the inside shoulder. The referee playing

advantage. There will be a penalty going against Ulster. What were the

scorers do if it goes to the panel to? The advantages being played.

Andrew Trimble. He let the kick take place. No advantage came from

it. They have gone back for the penalty. Bobby d'Arc, the man

penalised for not running at the breakdown. -- Robbie Diack. Ulster

looked a little bit stretched. That was very good play in the centre.

He spent all last year injured with the Ospreys. Speaking to Tommy Bowe,

they reckoned he was the next Gavin Henson. He doesn't use as much fake

tan but he is a quality player. They will see the benefit of pen

being fit this season. Not the opportunities today. -- of him

being fit. Aled Thomas. One successful penalty in the first

half. Trying to just reduce that not. It remains 16 - 3. Simon

Easterby in the middle, just that little shake of the head. Jackson.

Into space. Gathered in by Christian fops. Alan Thomas.

Wonderful take by Wilson. Absolutely superb. Here comes Tommy

Bowe. And he has made good ground. He has help from Marshall. Jackson.

Wilson really has been busy and he gives away the penalty. Red Ed

penalty. Ulster very enthusiastic but not getting the accuracy.

Another close call. Slow at the breakdown and that allows the

Scarlets to get over that ball and forced a penalty. And now look at

that opportunity to get back into Ulster territory and spring another

attacking phase. That is the first time we have seen this car it's

getting behind Ulster and that will have given them confidence. They

will look to do the same again. Look to use those sectors of the

middle of the park. Get their hands free to get runners coming onto the

ball. Mark Anscombe's selection was quite clever initially, given the

game coming up on Friday. Completely resting Ruan Pienaar,

Wallace, Nick Williams, Jared Payne. And those from Down players on the

bench but he has now brought on Tommy Bowe and Dan Tuohy, giving

them a little game time. Bodger was in getting underway. -- Roger

Wilson. A Johan Snyman. Much better by the Scarlets. Good tackling by

Ulster and by Darren Cave, the referee has given away the penalty.

That is being played. The Scarlets would have preferred the try. But

they had to take the penalty. Ulster putting the tackle in, they

have been so adept at this this season. The Scarlets, good stuff by

George Earle but no advantage. I am pretty sure the Scarlets will take

the three points on offer. The Ulster discipline needs to pick up.

That is the scarred it's coming back into it, building, confidence

is gaining. You can hear the crowd getting into it. They will try to

be a little more positive. You can see that already, moving the ball

one pass wider and get hands free. If they can get one of runners,

that will not be the way forward against this very solid Ulster side.

Strong defensively. They will have captain in Ulster after Molo went

off, and the referee has had a word and said if there is any more

infringing, it will result in somebody getting themselves a

yellow card, which Ulster cannot at this stage afford to do, because

they lead is by no means unassailable. -- and their lead. He

just squeezes it over, that is what counts, 10 points between them.

Just over eight minutes of the second half played. Scarlets

managing to be very patient. If they continue to play the way they

have been the last five minutes, they will be able to eat into the

lead, so Ulster have to put the pressure on. Jackson with a long

take by Luke Marshall, well- weighted, tremble. He is going

from Nelson, oh, good take by the Scarlets, and away they come. A

faces. The home side are still inside their own half. That is a

clever kick, and Reynolds is chasing, getting the better of

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 41 seconds

murmur and burble and bubble behind the busy number 8. Ulster might

just have turned that over, what a crucial time to do it! Well, the

Scarlets have got the put-in to the scrum. Well, Ulster may be sat back

after those initial three points from Paddy Jackson, and he is not

giving too much away in terms of facial expression, but he must be

churning inside. We can see the intensity of the Scarlets has

picked up substantially from the first half. They have obviously had

a good talking-to at half-time. They have been told to be more

positive with the ball, not kick away as much possession, and

whenever kicking in the air, or kick to retain possession. We saw

the benefits of being able to challenge for the ball, coming

through, able to get their hands free and offload the ball and how

the Scarlets attackers coming on to them, putting the Ulster defence

under pressure. Aled Davies, the replacement. A good position, this,

for the home side, but can Ulster's good scrummaging be maintained?

Penalty against Ulster, and that is going to B3 points, and gradually

the Scarlets are coming back into this game. This will B3 more points,

I am sure. As a full-back, I find that difficult to understand, you

could probably educate me more about that front row play, but when

the scrum is so dominant, I cannot see why it Ulster would want to

take that down a straight away. am sure they did not, there was

probably a sled on the far side by Callum Black. We did not hear from

the referee or the touch judge in respect of the offence, but the

penalty has been given. Aled Thomas, who has been on from the start,

now a converted try would level this game up. 9-16. I think they

will be happy to pick away at his lead and just pick up the penalties.

There is no reason they cannot keep continuing to do that. Ulster will

have to try to get the next score. Well taken in by the Scarlets. The

man who caught the pair was the number eight, Kieran Murphy, and he

ran into one of his own players, and that is the old accidental

offside, and the referee reckoned an advantage was gained, so that

gives Ulster the scrum, and they want to be doing something from

this pretty good field position. good attacking opportunity, two or

three attacking options, and they will want to get over the gain line

here, retain possession and do what the Scarlets have been doing for

the last five minutes, try to retain possession, and if not break

and score a try, at least forced a penalty and kicked three points and

only seven points between them. from his back row, and he gets it

control, and there is now greater treasure -- greater aggression from

the Scarlets at the breakdown. -- prop. Now Paddy Jackson, inside to

Luke Marshall, who was quite happy but loads of red jerseys there, and

he is hustled into touch. That is good defending by the Scarlets, and

when you defend as comfortably as that, it gives you good confidence.

Excellent defence from the Scarlets, disciplined, they held their line,

and it is not a day for throwing 50-50s, it is going to be difficult

to get the offloads Inn, but Ulster need to straighten up. Nelson was

left in a situation where he could have a feeling. Scrum to Ulster.

Ulster are going to bring on a replacement at prop, down below us,

the familiar figure of Tom Court. The even more familiar figure to

Ulster fans, Rory Best, is getting himself ready, maybe not for this

scrum but for the one afterwards. There are they go into bring them

in together to give them an all- international front row resulted

through the Heineken Cup campaign last season all the way to the

final? The answer is absolutely yes! It is hardly surprising, with

the way the game has panned out over the last 10 or 15 minutes,

that Ulster needed to regain the momentum in his game. The calendar

of these players to come on, the Scarlets will not be too happy to

see that. -- the calendar. Absolutely not. So Rory Best and

Tom Court, having missed the last four games because of a neck injury,

Rory Best, sustained in his last trip to Wales against the Dragons.

Tom Court will be anxious to prove to the Irish management that his

international career is by no means gone. Very good scrum by Ulster, it

forces the penalty straight away, take that, they say! That is the

impact of fresh blood, and pretty good but at that, the scrummaging

power of those two. Rory Best is well renowned for being a strong

scrummager. They have regained the advantage they had throughout the

first half, and getting a penalty now puts them in a position to

extend that lead. Look at that driving position by Afoa, he lost

his footing, but parallel to the ground, legs really thrusting, Rory

Best in the middle, all those years of running pedigree cattle around

the farm has done him no the harm get Ulster back into a slightly

more dominant position as we come Paddy Jackson. And Ulster will be

happy with Paddy Jackson, because he has landed at Dorn, and the gap

opens up to 10 points once again, and a small band of Ulster

supporters roared their approval. Plenty for them to muse upon. A

quick turnaround, as we have seen before from Ulster. The Northampton

Saints next Friday for the Heineken Cup game, which you can here on BBC

Radio Ulster. Taken in by Tommy Bowe, who is taken down by Richard

Murphy! This could change they can move this. They have

committed, and the Cannes has gone forward. Well, they seemed to have

an overlap, and the Ulster defence very nearly did not get away with

that. The crowd is not happy with Peter Fitzgibbon, who has given one

or two decisions which would not have pleased the Ulster vans, but

this one will, what a letter of! That was a serious lack of -- let

macro off. The defence was trying very hard to shut it down, but that

puts pressure on the inside man to produce an excellent pass, and

obviously it has gone slightly forward. Great tackle by Paddy

Jackson, the last line of defence, very good to have a 10 in mayor who

puts his body on the line. Not only that, he was on his feet and tried

to steal the ball as well, just slowing it down for a second.

Ulster will be disappointed that he got so far in the first place.

replay showed that the ball was passed by the Scarlets ball-carrier

from outside the 22 and was gathered inside the 22, so if that

does not signify something going forward, I have no idea. However, I

have a feeling Mike McComish is preparing to come on, so Robbie

Diack or Ian Anderson will leave the field. Ulster scrum. That is

another good scrum by Ulster, that has been their clear period of

dominance. The Scarlets give away the penalty under fierce pressure,

and they have collapsed. Ulster will be relieved about that. If

Ulster are to win the game, it will have been the scrum that does it.

There is little doubt of that. They have not had a lot else to go on,

it has been a fragmented affair, difficult for either side to really

gain substantial momentum with the nature of the slippery ball, and

certainly at the set-piece Ulster will be very happy, moving into the

next couple of games, that their scrum has been so dominant. Well,

this is interesting. Neil McComb is leaving the field, and Mike

McComish is coming on, which would indicate that Henderson will

probably go into the second row. Henderson, of course, spent most of

his schoolboy and under-age rugby as a second row forward. So Mike

McComish is on. Well, that is not the line-out that Ulster wanted

from their own throw. That is not a The Scarlets gather this, I Ulster

could be in trouble. But they have not. The ball was forward. No

complaints from the sky and its fans, they were very grateful that

Peter Fitzgibbon was right on the spot and the Eagle eyed man from

Ulster if spotted that forward pass. Into the final 20 minutes.

probably just was marginally forward. It never looks like that

when the player is taking the run onto the ball. And that was a great

offload, showing the full scale set. His kicking out of hand has been

very good. He managed to get the ball high enough to challenge or at

least put the opposition under pressure. Nice to see the Ulster --

the other Ulster supporting players expecting that loose ball and

trying to get onto it. If the pass was marginally forward, it

certainly would have been a try. Tomas Vallejos has come on, he

plays on the back row. Playing on the blind side of the flank. The

scrum comes down on the side. To under fierce pressure from John

Afoa. That was a slap, says Peter Fitzgibbon. Keep your heads and

shoulders up on engagement. He have to have her head and shoulders

penalised. Time for the Scarlets to come back. Tom Court penalised. He

is a very tall man for a loose head prop. Close to six feet and two

inches. That is along back for that particular position. And that is a

good strike. Good to see Rory Best back in and Ulster Jersey.

Ireland's most capped hooker of all time. His brother, Simon, was a

former Irish captain. But too often that brothers play for Ireland,

never mind captain the side. Substitutes coming on thick and

fast. No. 17. Shaun Hopkins has come on. And Deacon Manu, wearing

number 18. The captain of the Fijian side. And they just about

got away with that, Anne Davies. Into Rory Best. No scrum half, the

replacement hooker will have to oblige. Ulster up quickly. The

drive by Murphy, who has been outstanding. This is very kickable.

Once again, the Ulster lead is starting to be attacked. And Dan

Tuohy has gone to the sin-bin. This will not help Ulster's cause. Left

with only one specialist second row, if you could call Iain Henderson

that. The referee did warn them and dad to be infringed. The Ulster

management will be thinking, can we hang on? They were starting to

infringe a little bit too much for the referee's liking. It was

inevitable that somebody was going to be sent to the sin bin sooner or

later. The Scarlets will try to capitalise on this. This will bring

it down to the converted try, within one converted try. They will

look to just eat away and maximise with 14 men. He reckoned he was

trying to get away. And Alan Thomas has blown it the chance of three

points and reducing the gap to the converted try. So, his goal-kicking

has not been anywhere near to the accuracy of Paddy Jackson. Which is

fairly good news for Ulster. He must be wondering. Jackson gives it

quite a decent whack. Alan Thomas, returns. Not quite with interest.

That was somewhere up in the stratosphere. It has gone amiss.

Offside. Against the Scarlets skipper, Johnathan Edwards. One of

his team-mates touched it. Well, no need for translation from that man.

He was ahead of the man who played the ball. Sometimes it's very

instinctive, you just go for the ball. The first reaction is to

concentrate on the ball and you don't realise you are off site.

That is right but that stemmed from that excellent up and under from

Paddy Jackson. To get that sort of distance and the players underneath,

putting the Scarlets under pressure. It is just again for Ulster to

grind out a victory. There are no major rushers. No huddling. You

knew it was the line-out, get on with it as best you can. Henderson,

he has brought on his head protector. Since he is playing in

the second row. Gets across 22. Murphy made the tackle. Mike

McComish, in the scrum half position. He does just that. That

is good work. Another penalty against Ulster at the breakdown.

Not releasing. Another chance for the Scarlets to get back into

Ulster territory with 14 minutes remaining. If they win this game,

they will need 10 unanswered points. That was solved by Ulster, they

will be disappointed. Having got down into that territory, it is

unfortunately about winding the clock down and keeping the

possession in the opposition half and being clinical at the breakdown.

Forget about getting numbers into the back line to try to create

something, just get the numbers into the ruck to go through the

phases. That is all they have to do to come out on top. The referee

cannot be happy with the Scarlets taking their time. But they have

lots of options. Ulster have lost Dan Tuohy. Kirby Myhill. Stolen by

Henderson. Marshall. Wilson gets it. Jackson. Underneath, Andy Fenby.

Marshall. Here is Jackson. Into the high tackle. That was a clever kick

into space. It needs to roll. Dan Newton got back. And that was a

good kick by Dan Newton. James Jones on the nearside. Ulster take

it quickly. Paddy Jackson. Into a huge amount of space. Trimble has

to retreat. Thomas. They have to make the first tackle. Just about

and no more. Charged down by Tommy Bowe. Good tackle by Tommy Bowe.

Well covered by Thomas. Oh, big gap. Aled Davies! Tom Court promptly

drops it. The referee said it went backwards. Ulster got away but that.

This game has gotten very scrappy. Jackson. He needs to get this right.

And has he ever? That was a fabulous kick by Paddy Jackson.

Super kick. But it was a comedy of errors creeping in. Just as the

Scarlets break out and there is the potential for a try, Ulster steal

possession back. It all stemmed from a very good line-out steal by

Henderson, who read the play very well and was very quick off the

ground. Ulster, kicking has been pretty good and Marshall probing

down into the corners. Ulster will be happy enough if the Scarlets

continued to make those sort of mistakes. A scarlet slide out, only

about 80 metres from their own line. -- the Scarlets line out. Trimble.

Peter Nelson. Tommy Bowe outside. He decides to put it up into the

air. The possession has been given away. The Scarlets going forward.

They have got men out wide. This could be interesting. Tommy Bowe.

Good tackle. This guard it's not quite able to put it together. Luke

Marshall defending well. Dan Tuohy must be due to come back on

producing. -- the Scarlets. 10 points between them. At this point

it is about Ulster recognising where they are in the park. There

is no doubt it inside you don't have at this stage, they want to

just kick territory and press and stay down into their half but if

they get inside the ten-metre line, that is the time to keep possession

and keep things nice and tight and run the clock down. Particularly

with one man off the pitch. Back with the Scarlets, Thomas, bringing

in the men from the far side. Darren Cave. Hanging on. Ulster

hoping to do the choke tackle and put the boot into the scrum. The

referee says, let it come. Deacon Manu, the veteran from Fiji. That

was a good tackle from Roger Wilson. No penalties from Ulster and they

get their foot into the scrum. Good work at the breakdown by Rory Best.

As ever. Dan Tuohy, still sitting below us on the knotty step.

looking too happy with himself. We saw Rory Best, and although the

scrum was already given, who saw him over the ball and that was

excellent at stealing. He is now down on one knee and he is holding

his chest. Hopefully, that is nothing serious. He did get that

bang in the ribs. I can just see him below was. One of the Scarlets

players getting treatment as well. Just having come back from that

neck injury. It would be awful luck if Rory Best got himself a chest

injury. They're having a word. The doctor is down there, as well. And

with the scrum coming up, the last place you want to be is in the

middle of the front row if you have a dicky chest. One breakaway try.

By Andrew Trimble. Rory Best seemed to be well enough to take part in

the scrum. The clock will start. Under nine minutes remaining and 10

points between them. The free kick against the Scarlets. Early

engagement, just a little bit too exuberant from the replacement prop,

Shaun Hopkins and Deacon Manu. Hopkins wearing No. 17. Free kick,

so Paddy Jackson is going to give it the old-fashioned kick. The

highest of the night. Not forward by Robbie Diack. He did not really

know when the ball was. Alan Davies, complaining it isn't coming out

quickly enough. That is a slow ball for the Scarlets and they have to

kick. Nelson. Could take by the young full-back. And a clever kick

down the line. The Scarlets line out. Certainly the right idea from

Peter Nelson. He just wanted to get possession back down. Their winger,

the full-back, they were in good conditions -- positions so the only

option was along the ground and hard. Another replacement. Adam

Warren is coming on for Christian Phillips, who is leaving. And Dan

Tuohy, it seems like a very long 10 minutes but we have had stoppages.

Ulster are still down to 14 men. Well taken by the scarlet. Thomas.

Into space. Well covered by Nelson. -- well taken by it the Scarlets.

Ulster set it up. Here comes Roger Wilson, the Ulster captain. Paul

Marshall. That is a good kick by Marshall. Trimble. Back in the

Ulster side. Offside. The referee was playing advantage because the

person he touched the ball initially was from the Scarlets and

that is a chance for Paddy Jackson to put Ulster deep into the scarred

its territory and may be close at this game. -- scarlet. That goes

back to that excellent kick by Paul Marshall, it allowed Andrew Trimble

to get up and contest that ball. And fairly poor play and in

experienced play on the behalf of the Scarlets. He should have known

he was offside. Ulster in a very good attacking position. And with

Dan Tuohy back on the field, this is the opportunity to strangle the

long as they do not concede 10, that is what matters. Only five men

in the line-out. Dan Tuohy got one hand to it, but that was not

terribly clever of. The referee is retreating position, they have done

well. Luke Marshall has a go himself. A good impression of a

overrun by Ulster. They need to scoop it up, and they have done. A

quiet, because they know with five minutes remaining, it is going to

be asking an awful lot of the Scarlets to get the 10 points they

need to win this game. I think Ulster will be disappointed, and

you have to question why they went for a long line out over the top.

In that sort of position, and where we are with the scoreline, may be a

simple throated and Julie might have been the best option, easy

possession. -- a simple throw to Dan Tuohy. Impressed with Luke

Marshall, he has looked to get involved as much as possible, and

he has almost taken a role as an extra four would run at times, and

he has looked strong and physical of rugby here at Parc y Scarlets,

but Ulster and very much in the winning position, but they will

take that, because Scarlets are outside having the losing bonus

point, so Ulster would have a four- point lead. The Scarlets have had a

lot of bonus points, five so far. It looks like being 10 from 10 for

Ulster unless something untoward happens. That is a messy scrummage.

Peter Fitzgibbon saying both front rows went down, no-one at fault.

The Scarlets have made three replacements in their front row,

John Afoa has been there from the start. Tom Court and Rory Best,

both of Ireland. The clock resumes again. Just over three minutes

remaining. Some of the crowd are starting to drift away, they have

seen enough. Ulster are happy enough to let them see the clock

ticked away. The referee will have bit of a mess. He gives it to Bowe,

and Robbie Diack, who has not played badly at all, reverting to

the blind side now that Mike McComish has come on, he spilled it

thought. Time is still ticking away, and I honestly cannot say the

Scarlets coming back to win this one. I cannot see it either.

Marshall, the right idea again, putting Tommy Bowe under a little

bit of pressure with the pass. Maybe a kick into the corner was

the option. But it runs down the clock, and at this stage the

Scarlets are probably out of the game. Ulster have you just stay in

this part of the park, stay down here, and Llanelli cannot do much

about it. Ulster have pretty much taken at a patent on winning and

glee at the moment, two in Italy, and maybe one here, you would think.

-- winning it and belief. The Scarlets will at least one to get a

winning bonus point out of this. There's time for them to do more,

but are they capable of it? Aled Thomas does the first bit right,

get a decent bit of ground. If they get any penalties, they will go for

the points. All those bonus points at the end of the season add off,

and in terms of third or 4th place, it could be very important. From

Ulster's point of view, it could be important, they will want to

restrict Llanelli and not allowed and the bonus point back row. --

allow them. The Scarlets have not won that quickly or cleanly. Not

much more than a minute to go, and Ulster pressure in all the way

through. That was knocked forward by Ulster, the referee is playing

advantage to the Scarlets. Ulster have got to the last four of this

competition and won every single game in Wales. This is their 4th

game in Wales, the beginning of December, and they may come away

with a 4th successive victory in the principality. The referee

brings them back for the put-in at the scrum, which the Scarlets

probably would not want. All they can hope for is a penalty from this

and somebody to kick it and get the losing bonus point, because they

are not going to win this game, we can say with more than a fair

degree of confidence. Ulster have played down and won 10 in the

league. That is what they will take away from this game, nothing much

to write home about, the scrum has been effective, but outside of that

it has been an average display at best. They will accept that, but

you cannot get away from what a victory does to their confidence.

There is the penalty gate, and with 10 seconds remaining, I am sure the

Scarlets will go for the post to try to get the bonus point. They

got the scrummage, Ulster infringed, 10 seconds remain, and what are

they go into do? They have to go for the post. Jonathan Edwards has

asked his outside-half, who has kicked three penalties from six

attempts so far, to try to get them the losing bone as point, because

the game is over. -- Bowness point. Well, the conditions have actually

got better in the last 10 minutes, but the rain which started mid-

afternoon in Wales has really made it a bit of a nonsense in terms of

decent handling rugby, which to be fair would suit neither side.

Malone, the former Irish international, and Clarke, the

former international who go. Both will be relieved. They are wrapping

Thomas to nail this one. That does not look bad. And he has done it,

what a great kick by Thomas. Well, they got something out of it, Simon

Easterby will be pretty disappointed that it was not more.

A fortuitous try by Andrew Trimble in the first half said the platform

for Ulster, not the most solid of platforms, but they have come

through it, maintained their unbeaten record, 12 out of 12 in

all competitions. As far as the Pro12 League is concerned, played

10, won 10, still leading the Scarlets. The Ulster will be happy

with that. Performance wise, it was not what they were looking for, but

it is the victory that counts, and they do not know how to lose right

now. They will take that momentum into the next couple of weeks. You

know, obviously the scrum was a big bonus for them, and that will

probably be the only major bonus for them today. Obviously, it is

confidence, that is the main thing. They know how to win, they went to

Italy and played not particularly well. Big pluses, too, no apparent

injuries, and obviously it puts them in reasonable form, albeit

with a quick turnaround, quickly going to Northampton on Friday.

does, and we see him out of players that have come on. They will be

fresh for next weekend, and that is the most him -- most important

thing, rotating the team well. final score here, Scarlets 12,

the-table tussle by any means, but Ulster ground out a victory. Andrew

Trimble's interception try was the stand-out moment as the visitors

took a 13-3 half-time lead. Paddy Jackson, effective with the boot

again this afternoon, and the Scarlets could not capitalise when

Dan Tuohy was sin-binned. Jackson knocked over a 70 -- a penalty to

seal the victory, and in the last minute of the game, the Scarlets

got something from it, the losing bonus point. But it is another

winner for Ulster. 19-12, including 14 points by Paddy Jackson and that

Well, it was not pretty, but it was effective. I at the end of the day,

you know, all that matters is the scoreline. I think they are

probably been a fair few cups of tea made at a home saved and the

knowledge you were not going to miss much, it was a bit

disappointing as a spectacle. -- safe in the knowledge. The coach

will not be pleased with the performance, but he comes away with

another important victory. In the context of the Pro12 and what is

coming ahead, it was important they got the victory. When you have that

set-piece dominance, you have the option to establish field position

through Paul Marshall, Paddy Jackson, Luke Marshall, and if you

couple that with excellent kicking from Paddy Jackson in those

conditions, and a piece of opportunistic brilliance from

Andrew Trimble, there is your recipe for success today. Does it

matter to the coaching staff that it was not that an impressive a

performance, a ground that victory? Or is the victory the paramount

thing? Without a doubt, they will be concerned in certain areas. They

would have liked to have held the ball better, they gave it away

cheaply at times. They will be concerned with that. Irrespective

of the conditions, that is the same for both sides, and Ulster were

struggling with control of the ball. There will be aspect of the game

that the coaching staff will be disappointed with. We know Ray

Burnell can be a cauldron, a place where Ulster know how to win, but

this is something they have turned around on the road, they are hard

to beat. You are going to win trophies later in the season, but

to get into position to do that, you have to win away from home.

Good teams travel well and get results. In teams like that, of all

security is going to be an issue. They will look at discipline.

Neither side was able to get any real tempo, but at the start of the

second half the Scarlets really lifted their intensity, and that is

what brought them back to the game. Strip out the try, it was 12-12.

The Ulster coach said he wanted improvement in the set-piece, and

and one to stay in the game, keep an eye on him. When the big guns

came on... Certainly, the platform is so tight, Roger Wilson is in an

armchair ride there. That was the first on, away we go, eight points,

John Afoa is technically perfect there. They are all singing on the

same page. It is one thing getting those penalties, but then it is

what you do with them. With Paddy Jackson, all season and again

tonight, you need 85% jigging to do that, and he has got the metal to

deliver for Ulster. A brilliant decision in a way to release them

at the start of the season, but Paddy Jackson has matured into that

position very quickly, with great confidence and control. Look at the

way he is imprinting himself on his team, the composure he is showing

in what is effectively his second season, pretty much the first

season he has been in control of that shed. The maturity he is

showing, in a team that has got internationals across the park, you

need your nine and 10 to give you direction, and he is doing that,

putting Ulster in the right places, performing his basics well, taking

out of hand is exceptional, kicking for goal is outstanding, and that

is a wonderful package for Ulster across the park. Is that in getting

experience? Very much so, we were quite concerned with him after the

European exploits last year and how it affected him, but he has come

back so much stronger. He has learned from that experience, and

that is 80 of a top-class player, going through bad experiences and,

at the other side. -- that is a cave. He is just getting stronger

and stronger, and in two years' time we have to bear in mind he is

just a young kid. He is going to be there but in this example, they are

almost went their way when the forward pass was caught. Was that

harsh? It looked like it on the first call, excellent work fielding

deep in the Ulster territory and that was the key to their tactical

kicking, they switched up for 20 minutes, contesting those balls and

Peter Nelson is one of the quickest boys in the squad. That was harsh.

I would rather have seen the attacking advantage given. Not the

best camera angle but it looked as though Roger Wilson's hands were

passing. The move was not finished. He would like to see some attacking

advantage given the circumstances and conditions. Peter Nelson is an

exciting young prospect. Another one who has come through the system

and he seems to be more accomplished this season than he

was last season so once again it comes down to gain time. It's a

credit to everybody involved for spreading the load through the

squad. He is getting more confidence and amongst those senior

players, he is looking like a very strong contender. The Scarlets had

a great opportunity when Dan Tuohy was put into the son Ben. What did

you make of that? I thought it was harsh. It was not a repeat

infringement, he dominates the tackle and falls alongside. It was

a huge pile-up, obviously not enough for the referee. 50 metres

out, that was crazy. High was the man supposed to get out of that?

They know what thereat. Just one of those situations. You fall on the

wrong side and you have a Tim Stone on top of you, it's not easy! -- 18

stone. You don't want to give away cheap points and that looked like

the on the way the Scarlets were going to brake Ulster down. Fairly

composed performance, I want to look at the discipline and the

number of penalties and ball security but different -- difficult

to see it on a television just how difficult the conditions were.

Ulster adapted well and ultimately, when 10 from 10, you are doing

something right. The defining moment was that Andrew Trimble

drive. This was so high that, I have to say. The Wicky future for

the game was that line speed from Ulster, defensively. You can see

where this tackle was being made, behind the advantage. That puts

Ulster on the front foot. That has been key this whole season, the

intensity and the lines bit defensively causes mistakes. They

are conceding yards every time, that is down to the fact that there

pushing hard and Ulster, not over committing, playing efficient rugby

but the line has been coming up. Just putting that passed under

pressure. That is what you want from outside men, identifying what

is in front. They have the overlap, he needs to complain to nullify

that and he switches from defence mode to attack when he sees the

opportunity and that was the crucial score, that was what set

these teams apart. What has the coach learnt from today as he goes

into this crucial December period for a Ulster? European games,

against Northampton and those big Irish derbies. It could define the

season. And he carries momentum. Which is very important in team

sport. Northampton, they will have Ben Foden, Woods will be back,

other big names. It all be a step up in intensity, always that

happens with European competition. Northampton have pedigree and

Ulster will be very focused, the five-day turnaround, a lot of that

will be based on mental preparation with some tough decisions to be

made with selection but you want that choice and pressure as a coach

in selecting. Where is the toughest call for the coach? In those back

three positions? The winners? Obviously Jared Payne but he has to

pick. Ultimately, you can have whoever you want at the back but

there has to be some key decisions, Nick Williams and Roger Wilson had

a good game today. He needs to be quite dynamic so he has big

decisions but in the front five, has Johann Muller played enough?

Going on today's performers, he looked quite good and he will only

get better. Interesting to see how he finished that came. Is that his

strongest front row? Every time, the last season there was the press

announcement about the team and you knew what the team was going to be

a but because of Ulster as recruitment in the off-season and

the youngsters coming through, you are looking forward to seeing the

announcement because you are unsure of what it is going to be because

there are so many quality players being put into only 15. It's great

to see, everybody will be saying, this should have been plant and he

should have been picked but in years gone by, that was the team.

Now we have some great headaches. Pro12, the table makes for good

reading but for the coach, going into this key part of the season,

winning breeds confidence and that is what this team has in abundance?

It becomes a habit and Ulster are very good at it, those games

against Leinster and Munster, that is a big impact, they are playing

against competitors who are in that top four teams and Foster's