Cardiff Blues v Ulster

:00:33. > :00:40.Good afternoon and welcome to Ulster rugby live. Andy Ward and Paddy

:00:41. > :00:45.Wallace are with us for around 16 of the Guinness Pro12. After last

:00:46. > :00:51.week's defeat to the Scarlets, Ulster under some pressure today.

:00:52. > :01:09.There have been some games played already this week.

:01:10. > :01:21.The table at the moment looks like this.

:01:22. > :01:30.When you look at that table, how important is the game today in the

:01:31. > :01:33.overall scheme of things? It is absolutely crucial given the fact

:01:34. > :01:38.that the games we have got left after this, it is not an easy

:01:39. > :01:41.run-in. Every point is guided potentially keepers were we need to

:01:42. > :01:47.be because there are teams below us who have games in hand. It will be a

:01:48. > :01:50.tricky outing. They need to make sure they come away with something.

:01:51. > :01:57.They are scraping through games at the moment. Today is crucial. The

:01:58. > :02:02.performance levels against the Scarlets were poor. They had been

:02:03. > :02:08.winning ugly until then. There were probably due a loss. They will be

:02:09. > :02:15.disappointed. Hopefully they will have a reaction today. Andy, what do

:02:16. > :02:19.you want to see Ulster do better? Some communication, and a bit of

:02:20. > :02:30.tackling would not go astray. That was looked -- a lacklustre. Some of

:02:31. > :02:36.our tackles were feeble. There is a dog leg in that defensive line. The

:02:37. > :02:40.inside defence is not coming through. It was sixes and sevens.

:02:41. > :02:46.The body language of the players was really poor. It was disappointing. I

:02:47. > :02:52.suppose a defeat at home can work two ways. You can be deflated or

:02:53. > :02:57.work hard to bounce back? Nothing galvanises you more than a poor

:02:58. > :03:00.performance. Carl Frampton had a poor performance in his last outing

:03:01. > :03:04.and he came back and had a great win last night. Hopefully it will be

:03:05. > :03:09.something similar for Ulster today, a sting in the detail, a reaction.

:03:10. > :03:20.They have about seven more games left in the season. Takeaway Zebre

:03:21. > :03:28.home and away. Our Ulster stronger paper? I think so. There is

:03:29. > :03:35.experience. There is a good looking back row line-up. We have heard it

:03:36. > :03:40.all before. It is not won and lost on a piece of paper. It is what you

:03:41. > :03:45.do when you put the shirt on. We are looking to see what sort of reaction

:03:46. > :03:48.we get this week after last week. Cardiff looked out of the mix for a

:03:49. > :03:54.play-off place. It is difficult to play them? It is. They want to play

:03:55. > :04:01.European rugby next year. It is a fast track over in Cardiff. The

:04:02. > :04:15.Ulster back line potentially are very youthful, energetic. I am

:04:16. > :04:20.getting old! A young, energetic back line. Do we have the pack to unleash

:04:21. > :04:24.their potential? Hopefully Nick Williams coming back in today,

:04:25. > :04:30.ironically against Cardiff where he is moving next year, will provide

:04:31. > :04:34.some of that go forward that Ulster lacked last week. It is a hard game

:04:35. > :04:38.when you cannot get across the gain line. Nick is provided that all

:04:39. > :04:43.year. It is great to have him back. Thank you for the moment. Ulster

:04:44. > :04:49.rugby one of the first to congratulate Carl Frampton last

:04:50. > :04:54.night. Let's see if they can win on points deliver a knockout blow today

:04:55. > :05:02.in the company of Eddie O'Sullivan and Jim Neely.

:05:03. > :05:08.Good afternoon. It is a cold afternoon at the old Cardiff Arms

:05:09. > :05:26.Park. Sam Arnold makes his first start at

:05:27. > :05:32.inside centre. The Cardiff Blues, as has been

:05:33. > :05:37.mentioned, a bit off the pace as far as a top four finish goes. They

:05:38. > :05:42.still have their sights set on Europe. They are coming off the back

:05:43. > :05:49.of some defeats. They need to perform well. It is a very

:05:50. > :05:56.experienced Cardiff Blues team. They have lost a number of players to the

:05:57. > :06:02.National side. They performed so well against France in the Six

:06:03. > :06:08.Nations on Friday night. This is the man who recovered from major

:06:09. > :06:16.surgery, cancer, Matthew Rees leading the Cardiff team out. A

:06:17. > :06:23.British and Irish Lions in 2009. He played in all three tests. Matthew

:06:24. > :06:35.Rees and Josh Turnbull the two Welsh internationals in the pack.

:06:36. > :06:40.A couple of Welsh internationals at ten and 11. Rhys Patchell and Tom

:06:41. > :06:58.James. The referee, who was one of the

:06:59. > :07:03.World Cup referees and most recently did the Calcutta cup game between

:07:04. > :07:08.Scotland and England, is John Lacey from Munster. This is his 49th game.

:07:09. > :07:22.Paddy Jackson starts this crucial game. Dan Fish takes it. A very good

:07:23. > :07:30.exit strategy, Eddie O'Sullivan? Yellow -- yes. A good start from

:07:31. > :07:36.Cardiff. It is important for both teams. It should be a good game on a

:07:37. > :07:38.good service. It is called here. But it will be a lively game, I would

:07:39. > :07:57.say. Franco van der Merwe has played more

:07:58. > :08:10.games in his starting position than anybody else this season.

:08:11. > :08:20.Nicely done by Cardiff. Knocked forward, it seems, by Cardiff. A

:08:21. > :08:25.rather suntanned John Lacey indicating it is going to be the

:08:26. > :08:29.first scrum to Ulster. Jacob Stockdale of very quickly. On this

:08:30. > :08:36.pitch, it is tailor-made for running rugby? Yes, it is a very fast track.

:08:37. > :08:48.Perfect for running rugby. Tough on the joints. We should see a lively

:08:49. > :09:00.game. Cardiff, must go round the corner. A good intervention. John

:09:01. > :09:04.Lacey has changed his call to a scrum to Cardiff.

:09:05. > :09:15.I hope John enjoyed his break in the sunshine, where ever it was!

:09:16. > :09:25.Ulster conceding ?3 a man. John Lacey not altogether happy. There

:09:26. > :09:30.was a lot of nonsense in scrummaging over the weekend. We do not want to

:09:31. > :09:40.see it this afternoon. It is starting to ruin games a little bit.

:09:41. > :09:58.Callum Black celebrated his 100th Ulster tap a few weeks ago. --

:09:59. > :10:02.capped. A squeeze on from Cardiff. That was nicely done. But

:10:03. > :10:05.unfortunately the past was too high for Tom James. He is not a small

:10:06. > :10:13.man. That went across the ground like a

:10:14. > :10:13.man. That went across the ground pass. But there was no need to make

:10:14. > :10:19.that pass, Jim. An overlap on the outside was available. That is twice

:10:20. > :10:27.that Cardiff have almost got around the corner. Ulster are getting a

:10:28. > :10:31.little bit narrow -- narrow. As they tend to do at the start of games

:10:32. > :10:40.this season. That was the problem against the Scarlets last week.

:10:41. > :10:48.Craig Gilroy, who started off his Ulster career about six years ago

:10:49. > :10:52.when he was only a baby. The first penalty against Ulster. Down the

:10:53. > :11:05.injured already is Luke Marshall. That is not good. Port cleaning up

:11:06. > :11:12.by Ulster. -- poor. Luke Marshall stayed down. It looks like an ankle

:11:13. > :11:18.injury. That is not unusual on this surface. Too at one stage had an

:11:19. > :11:27.embarrassment of riches in the middle of the park. Fortunately

:11:28. > :11:31.Darren Cave is on the bench. Darren Cave has emerged from the tunnel

:11:32. > :11:38.with his gear on. Luke Marshall is sitting up. The referee will just

:11:39. > :11:48.pause for a moment. Robbie Dayak and of Nick Williams.

:11:49. > :11:57.That will be a big blow to Ulster early in the game. He looks a little

:11:58. > :12:14.bit ginger. Is he going to stay on? That is the question. He gives the

:12:15. > :12:18.thumbs up to his opposite number. The referee telling Callum Black to

:12:19. > :12:34.stand back and observe the distance between the respective lines.

:12:35. > :12:48.Good tackling by John Andrews. Good start by the men in blue and black.

:12:49. > :12:51.Man over so I is keen to get a contract to remain here at Cardiff.

:12:52. > :13:21.Manoa Vosowai way. The referee has decided that once

:13:22. > :13:27.again Ulster have knocked the ball forward and once again it is a scrum

:13:28. > :13:37.to Cardiff. Once again Luke Marshall is in trouble.

:13:38. > :13:47.It looked harmless enough, the way he fell, after tackling Rhys

:13:48. > :13:54.Patchell. It is his shoulder. Ankle to shoulder. He is not a happy man.

:13:55. > :13:58.Darren Cave had gone back into the little dugout. He may well be

:13:59. > :14:02.required. Maybe he is just winded. I think he might just be winded. Nick

:14:03. > :14:12.Williams is offering him some consolation. If he is winded he will

:14:13. > :14:18.get over that. Ditty come down on the point of the shoulder? He put in

:14:19. > :14:26.a strong tackle. Got his arms around Patchell, which is perfectly legal.

:14:27. > :14:32.He is coming off. He landed on his elbow and jarred his shoulder. It is

:14:33. > :14:33.very unfortunate. Darren Cave is coming on. He was stood down for

:14:34. > :14:46.this game. The Irish international, who played

:14:47. > :14:51.a couple of games during the World Cup, will be keen to come on and

:14:52. > :14:57.show what he can do. He will be playing at outside centre. Not quite

:14:58. > :15:01.six minutes played. Still no score. Advantage all the way to Cardiff

:15:02. > :15:09.Blues. I think Darren will be called into play very quickly. He will get

:15:10. > :15:21.to rectify his mistakes from last week. On the tight head side for the

:15:22. > :15:24.Cardiff Blues is Ma'afu. He played 14 times for the Wallabies. A

:15:25. > :15:32.controversial figure off the field on occasions.

:15:33. > :15:42.Cardiff trying to force a penalty. Ulster giving ground a little bit.

:15:43. > :15:46.John Lacey is going to give a penalty against Ulster. The Ulster

:15:47. > :15:51.scrum in a bit of bother. They are starting with their third choice

:15:52. > :15:58.hooker and probably their third choice prop. I think it is obvious

:15:59. > :16:02.they feel they have the edge on Ulster in the scrum and they will

:16:03. > :16:07.exploit that every chance they get. The scrum was square. They could

:16:08. > :16:11.have played away from it. They just kept working the scrum and Ulster

:16:12. > :16:17.went around the corner and they just drove through. It looks like a

:16:18. > :16:23.really decent chance for three points. Cardiff looked like they are

:16:24. > :16:27.in cup mode about getting a result. This game is so important to them in

:16:28. > :16:36.terms of their position in the league.

:16:37. > :16:43.Good work by Brad Thyer, the 23-year-old having his first start

:16:44. > :16:51.for the Cardiff Blues. But it is all eyes on Rhys Patchell. Fast

:16:52. > :16:57.approaching 600 points for Cardiff. That went wide. That is a bit of a

:16:58. > :17:03.let off. It is indeed. Patchell is a good kicker. But it never left his

:17:04. > :17:09.foot properly. It is a let off for Ulster and they will take it on a

:17:10. > :17:13.day like today. Paddy Jackson has been a member of the Six Nations

:17:14. > :17:30.squad to date but has not featured in any of the match date 22s.

:17:31. > :17:36.Lee-Lo turned 30 last week, the Samoan international. He played in

:17:37. > :17:42.all four games in the World Cup for his country. Look at the space

:17:43. > :18:06.Cardiff Blues are creating. That pass look a bit on the foreword

:18:07. > :18:10.side but John Lacey happy enough. Ulster have to make the first

:18:11. > :18:20.tackles. That has been knocked forward. Ruan Pienaar is given it.

:18:21. > :18:25.What a good kick by Ruan Pienaar. And also for the very first time

:18:26. > :18:33.inside not just the Cardiff Half Marathon, but the Cardiff 22. -- the

:18:34. > :18:38.Cardiff Half Marathon. Good defence by Ulster. Cardiff are trying long

:18:39. > :18:41.passes. If Cardiff or to put the ball through the hands it might be

:18:42. > :18:48.more difficult. Cardiff made no inroads. Ulster eventually turned

:18:49. > :19:04.over the ball. Great tackle by Callum Black.

:19:05. > :19:12.Is there a chance of an Ulster turnover? Not at the moment.

:19:13. > :19:19.Williams is shaping up to kick. He has brought within field. Gilroy

:19:20. > :19:24.knotted forward. The referee played advantage. But none came. It was not

:19:25. > :19:33.a particularly good kick. He had plenty of time. He fumbled it in the

:19:34. > :19:39.air. I think he turned his body at the wrong time and it went through

:19:40. > :19:43.his hands. Craig Gilroy chasing Tommy Bowe and Andrew Trimble in

:19:44. > :19:57.terms of try scoring. He has got five in the league this season. 40

:19:58. > :20:09.in all four Ulster. -- for Ulster. Still no score. The only chance was

:20:10. > :20:18.a missed penalty by Rhys Patchell. Thomas Williams playing in his sixth

:20:19. > :20:20.league game. Out on the far wing behind him are Dan Fish and Tom

:20:21. > :20:33.James. Pienaar has a wee look to see what

:20:34. > :20:42.is going on. He has indicated to Craig Gilroy to watch the blindside.

:20:43. > :20:56.Ulster trying to dig in. A better scrum.

:20:57. > :21:08.Good driving by Turnbull. Sam Arnold was in there holding him up. Penalty

:21:09. > :21:17.against Cardiff. Well played Ulster. Held them up, held them up, went to

:21:18. > :21:26.ground. Good turnover. Josh Turnbull was the man who made all the ground.

:21:27. > :21:36.Jackson gave that a nice clip. Once again Ulster and a good position and

:21:37. > :21:45.this time it is their line-out. The wind perhaps favouring Ulster at the

:21:46. > :21:52.moment. Peter Browne riding over the ball, holding on. -- right in. That

:21:53. > :22:39.was untidy. Darren Cave tackled by Vosawai. The

:22:40. > :22:41.crowd thought Ruan Pienaar had fumbled that forward but he didn't.

:22:42. > :22:53.Now Jackson. Good work by Olding. Pienaar in so quickly to get it

:22:54. > :23:07.away. Peter Browne came on last week as a

:23:08. > :23:31.replacement for Alan O'Connor. Lack of concentration by Darren

:23:32. > :23:37.Cave. Tom James may have the legs on Craig Gilroy. Play on says the

:23:38. > :23:45.referee. Paddy Jackson came back to support. That fumble as cost Ulster

:23:46. > :24:11.some 50 metres. But they still have the ball. They have to be patient.

:24:12. > :24:21.Callum Black god man, ball and most of the population of Cardiff! On to

:24:22. > :24:30.the knees by a Cardiff forward. I think it might well have been so

:24:31. > :24:39.Lacey Ma'afu. A good phase of play. Ulster building good pressure but

:24:40. > :24:44.then one handling error cost them. Cardiff making mistakes at the ruck.

:24:45. > :24:51.They are mistaking -- make mistakes with ball in hand. A thunderous

:24:52. > :24:57.tackle by Josh Turnbull on Callum Black, who felt that. To give black

:24:58. > :25:02.a lot of credit, he held up and he managed 2% of the quite nicely.

:25:03. > :25:06.Turnbull has been capped by Wales seven times. A good line-out by

:25:07. > :25:35.Ulster. Chris Henry got it away. Darren Cave wren smack back into the

:25:36. > :25:40.American, Blaine Scully. Everybody seems to be committed offences. Yes,

:25:41. > :25:43.holding on again. It is interesting because recently referees have been

:25:44. > :25:48.giving the attacking team more latitude on the ground to clear the

:25:49. > :25:56.ball. Lacey has been the other way today. He is having none of it for

:25:57. > :26:03.sure. The players have to adjust to that.

:26:04. > :26:13.That was scruffy from Patchell. The man with two Welsh caps. He is

:26:14. > :26:18.another of the Welsh players who would have been playing for the

:26:19. > :26:36.British and Irish Lions. Robbie Diack has done a good job of

:26:37. > :26:50.spoiling. It is still Cardiff's ball but it is slow ball.

:26:51. > :27:07.There is a penalty against Cardiff. Another holding on call at the ruck.

:27:08. > :27:12.Great turnover by Ulster. Chris Henry had something to do with it as

:27:13. > :27:19.well. The referee is really working at the moment in favour of the

:27:20. > :27:23.defenders. Paddy Jackson has an opportunity to put Ulster into the

:27:24. > :27:37.lead. Paddy Jackson has a breeze behind him.

:27:38. > :27:53.Coming up to the end of the first quarter. Rhys Patchell missed a

:27:54. > :27:56.penalty after only seven minutes. This would do Ulster's cause no harm

:27:57. > :28:10.whatsoever. He allowed a little bit too much for

:28:11. > :28:16.the wind. Patchell has missed, Jackson is missed. Still no score.

:28:17. > :28:22.This game has yet to take off. A lot of penalties at the breakdown. There

:28:23. > :28:25.is no rhythm in the game. It is hard to see any team take the initiative.

:28:26. > :28:30.It is therefore one team if they grab it. In terms of territory, the

:28:31. > :28:42.opening ten minutes belonged to Cardiff. The last ten have belonged

:28:43. > :28:50.to Ulster. Patchell put that long. Scarlets leading Edinburgh by 23-16

:28:51. > :28:56.at the interval. Edinburgh led initially but Scarlets out of come

:28:57. > :28:59.back. Treviso leading Munster by 7-5 at half-time, which would not be a

:29:00. > :29:17.good result for Anthony Foley's side.

:29:18. > :29:29.Vosawai was well taken down by his opposite number, Nick Williams.

:29:30. > :29:46.It is all a wee bit flat. Nick Williams got across well. Likewise

:29:47. > :29:50.Chris Henry. The referee is going to give the penalty against Ulster.

:29:51. > :29:55.Offside in the midfield. I think it was Nick Williams who jumped the gun

:29:56. > :29:58.a little bit. The ball was out but the referee will always watch for

:29:59. > :30:05.somebody being out of the line. And Nick was out of the line. It is a

:30:06. > :30:11.wee bit outside the range of Rhys Patchell. He took two three metres

:30:12. > :30:17.out of it before he kicked the ball. I am surprised John Lacey did not

:30:18. > :30:20.pick him up on that. He held the ball exactly where the penalty was

:30:21. > :30:27.given and he ran three metres before he kicked it. Most tickers do that

:30:28. > :30:37.in their sleep if they can get away with it! -- kickers.

:30:38. > :30:48.That was a good ball once again by Cardiff. Tom James coming in off the

:30:49. > :30:52.left wing. He has posed Ulster all sorts of problems in the past. He

:30:53. > :30:53.had a spell of rugby in England before returning to his native

:30:54. > :31:12.Cardiff. Rey Lee-Lo, the 30-year-old Samoan.

:31:13. > :31:25.Here is the astray William, 30 years of age. Josh Turnbull. Cardiff press

:31:26. > :31:28.in, looking to squeeze another penalty out of Rhys Patchell.

:31:29. > :31:40.Spilled it forward, advantage to Ulster. I think he kicked back into

:31:41. > :31:50.touch from just outside. I think he took a pass back in and then he

:31:51. > :31:54.kicked the touch. I knock-on. -- a knock-on. The defence has been good.

:31:55. > :32:00.I think we looked skinny on the outside challenge. You see Cardiff

:32:01. > :32:05.going through the phases. Ulster are going nowhere in a hurry. All it

:32:06. > :32:12.takes is someone to make a mistake like we saw against the left lane.

:32:13. > :32:32.They have held the line, they have a good balance. -- Llanelli. A scrum

:32:33. > :32:36.to Ulster. If my calculations are right, they have played almost 23

:32:37. > :32:48.minutes and still nothing happening, a wonderful win from Connacht last

:32:49. > :32:51.night. There are still quite a few games to go, Pat Lam doing a

:32:52. > :32:59.wonderful job way out west as they say.

:33:00. > :33:06.With the ball is Ruan Pienaar who seems to have recovered from the

:33:07. > :33:19.virus bug which also affect Paul Marshall. He had to cry off. Well

:33:20. > :33:26.away to Rey Lee-Lo. Ruan Pienaar again looking for a runner.

:33:27. > :33:31.Turnbull, he has made it available. Thinking about the kick and puts the

:33:32. > :33:36.kicked in, giving plenty of height, Dan Fish is well positioned and he

:33:37. > :33:45.is quick off the mark. He just held onto it, big Peter Brown, Tomos

:33:46. > :33:58.Williams. A bit unfortunate. Here goes Jarrad Hoeta. Williams, Rhys

:33:59. > :34:01.Patchell. Taken by Dan Fish, Ellis Jenkins, Ulster in quickly, still

:34:02. > :34:06.that the Josh Turnbull, a good tackle by Peter Brown once again.

:34:07. > :34:11.Williams once again, better stuff from the Cardiff Blues. A lovely

:34:12. > :34:17.pass, Rey Lee-Lo tries to do a hitch kick. Cardiff making life

:34:18. > :34:24.unnecessarily difficult for themselves. They seem to have loads

:34:25. > :34:28.of men over on the far side, Ulster throwing themselves at the tackles

:34:29. > :34:43.with gusto. A small slip, tackled by Van der Merwe. Jarrad Hoeta again.

:34:44. > :34:52.Rey Lee-Lo steps back inside, grabbed by the ankle. Nick Williams

:34:53. > :35:01.has tried to turn him over, Tomos Williams. Dan Fish sells a nice

:35:02. > :35:08.dummy and Sam Arnold, Munster by next season makes the tackle. Trying

:35:09. > :35:11.to get through the gap. Ulster will be pretty happy about getting the

:35:12. > :35:19.scrummage. The defence is well organised. Cardiff got caught around

:35:20. > :35:23.the corner. You can see it coming up here, they were in trouble at this

:35:24. > :35:28.point, but they recovered really well. The initial tackle goes in

:35:29. > :35:34.just outside the 22 and after much toing and froing, Ulster had pretty

:35:35. > :35:38.much control of the situation. A lot of unnecessary hard work, holding

:35:39. > :35:42.the line further. You have to give credit where it is due, a good

:35:43. > :35:48.recovery, Cardiff coughed up the ball and there was contact. Every

:35:49. > :35:51.time there is a stop in play, there seem to be about half a dozen

:35:52. > :35:59.fellows in orange bibs distributing the water. I cannot imagine why. I

:36:00. > :36:04.doubt there is much of the risk of dehydration due to the temperature.

:36:05. > :36:11.I don't know about you, Edward, I am freezing! I'm sure it is more about

:36:12. > :36:16.passing on information than water. 26 minutes played, still no score

:36:17. > :36:20.here. A to and fro game, the first ten minutes or so were Cardiff in

:36:21. > :36:29.terms of territory, then Ulster's turn. Now it is Cardiff on the

:36:30. > :36:38.offensive. It is an Ulster scrummage and they don't in and got the last

:36:39. > :36:42.one away reasonably cleanly. Not poised to clear, Paddy Jackson, his

:36:43. > :36:49.legs were way out to the side of the Ulster scrum. Down it goes and John

:36:50. > :36:53.Lacey has accepted that is a slip. The one thing that does not happen

:36:54. > :37:03.is you should not slip, it increases injuries. They need to keep this up.

:37:04. > :37:08.Lacey is doing a lot of talking. One of the problems with John Lacey, he

:37:09. > :37:12.is a very good referee, but he holds the forwards for a long time in the

:37:13. > :37:22.same position. You have 16 men ready to spring from a coiled position, he

:37:23. > :37:33.is very slow. Here they go again. That is very slow. A good call, Ed.

:37:34. > :37:38.A good strike by John Andrew. They go down on one knee though. Oh! They

:37:39. > :37:42.need to watch themselves, if you go down on a knee, it is deemed to be a

:37:43. > :37:47.penalty. My scrummaging friends who know a lot about this thing, the one

:37:48. > :37:51.thing about this particular surface, it is great if you can get the grip,

:37:52. > :37:59.but if you try to readjust, you can slide. It is mainly plastic, you

:38:00. > :38:05.can't slide. At the same time, I'm sure there was a penalty there, I

:38:06. > :38:10.had no idea which way it was coming, Lacey was not sure. It is pretty

:38:11. > :38:15.boring to watch, but it is not fair to guess as some referees do. Ruan

:38:16. > :38:20.Pienaar has a look over the lifetime shoulder to see if the Cardiff

:38:21. > :38:29.defence has advanced any. Certainly from this position, Ulster seemed

:38:30. > :38:37.poised to attack. It is hard to see what it was from where we are, Jim.

:38:38. > :38:45.Matthew Rees just questioning John Lacey's decision. He is not taking

:38:46. > :38:50.any old nonsense. Matthew Rees is obliged to question the referee.

:38:51. > :38:54.What a kick by Paddy Jackson, even allowing for the wind. He has not

:38:55. > :38:58.just release the pressure of Ulster, but he has put them in a good

:38:59. > :39:01.attacking position. This is a good field position for the men in white

:39:02. > :39:06.who desperately need to win this game. It is a great opportunity. The

:39:07. > :39:15.game has gone from penalty to scrum to penalty, no real momentum in it.

:39:16. > :39:21.Defence has been dominant, but it is an opportunity to come forward and

:39:22. > :39:28.score. Danty Chris Henry. Well executed technical line-out. -- down

:39:29. > :39:40.to Chris Henry. John Andrews in there as well, Diack will try to

:39:41. > :39:47.straighten. Across the 22, a quicker ball for Ulster. Paddy Jackson puts

:39:48. > :39:53.a chip in. Jacob Stockdale, all 6-foot three of him could not get to

:39:54. > :40:05.it. Ruan Pienaar covers. Craig Gilroy, here is Gilroy. An awful

:40:06. > :40:09.pass by Gilroy. A walloping tackle by Tom James. Nick Williams in the

:40:10. > :40:18.far side has a surge in self, back inside to Darren Cave. A good switch

:40:19. > :40:25.by Ulster. -- himself. He straightens. He needs to release.

:40:26. > :40:38.Dan Fish told to get away, Nick Williams again scrum. Sammy Arnold.

:40:39. > :40:50.Jackson has a wee dance. Ulster winning the ball. Callum Black. He

:40:51. > :40:54.made it available, Ulster get the penalty in front of the posts, the

:40:55. > :40:59.best passage of play for the visitors so far. Some good game

:41:00. > :41:06.lines. It really came from broken play situation. Had bad decision by

:41:07. > :41:13.Gilroy to pass the ball. A brilliant break on the short side. A fantastic

:41:14. > :41:24.passing side and ulcer or away. You are going back to your Munster days.

:41:25. > :41:27.That is all right! He was the guy who started the whole thing he was

:41:28. > :41:34.the first serious southern hemisphere import. A nice guy. Paddy

:41:35. > :41:39.Jackson, the nice guy that he is, but it is a nice kick for Ulster. We

:41:40. > :41:48.have played coming up to 32 minutes and we have the first points. Yes, I

:41:49. > :41:54.suppose to be fair on Ulster it took that one. You have to think in their

:41:55. > :42:00.heads they have to wonder what to do. The dominance they were hoping

:42:01. > :42:12.for has not really materialise. It may be changing game plan now.

:42:13. > :42:35.Paddy Jackson directly behind. Ulster still moving forward. Jackson

:42:36. > :42:47.inside the 22 from the past. He has given that a big sum. -- thump. Well

:42:48. > :42:52.taken by Rhys Patchell, he has nudged it forward. Tidied up by

:42:53. > :43:05.Darren Cave. The initial knock forward by Pat -- Rhys Patchell. He

:43:06. > :43:18.had the ball in his hands, he spilled the ball quite legally. Did

:43:19. > :43:23.Patchell actually knock it forward? He had the ball on his arm. It was

:43:24. > :43:31.tight to take the scrum. Every day of the week they will take it. Nick

:43:32. > :43:39.Williams is shook up. He seems OK again. He would be sad if he went

:43:40. > :43:50.off now. The Roger Wilson is on the bench, now you have got me at it!

:43:51. > :43:57.LAUGHTER The crowd giving John Lacey the

:43:58. > :44:04.bird. It is very hard on the players, I don't think they need

:44:05. > :44:07.that. It is causing the problems. It was the same in his last

:44:08. > :44:15.international, very slow, tough on the players. He is telling the front

:44:16. > :44:26.rows just to hold their balance, on the far side of us.

:44:27. > :44:38.Now remember Li Na, get it in! Squeezed by Cardiff. -- now Ruan

:44:39. > :44:46.Pienaar. Off-load to Chris Henry, over the halfway line. Ruan Pienaar

:44:47. > :44:50.running wide. Deciding to go for position and what a good kick that

:44:51. > :44:56.is. Even Tom James could not do anything about that. Nice to see him

:44:57. > :45:04.in the world Six Nations after a long gap. His first game against

:45:05. > :45:07.England was nine-year ago. A very smart player, Pienaar, Tom James

:45:08. > :45:12.came up, thinking the ball was going wide. Blades like a real

:45:13. > :45:21.professional. He knew exactly what was needed. -- he played like a real

:45:22. > :45:34.professional. A shortened line-out, taken and I sleep, James Down. --

:45:35. > :45:50.taken nicely. Again unnecessary, just holding on in the tackle.

:45:51. > :45:59.Leinster are away to Zebre and they are up five points. Treviso are

:46:00. > :46:04.leading Munster seven points to five. That would be an upset if

:46:05. > :46:15.Treviso can hang onto that one. We will have to wait and see. A great

:46:16. > :46:19.penalty. Ulster would probably like Edinburgh to win their game. More

:46:20. > :46:24.importantly they want to win this one, Paddy Jackson can help them if

:46:25. > :46:29.he gets a second penalty and he has done. No mistake from Ulster's

:46:30. > :46:36.outside-half. As we approach half-time, Ulster have gone from

:46:37. > :46:41.level pegging to 6-0 up. I think they will be happy with that. They

:46:42. > :46:51.have had two sorties into Cardiff territory.

:46:52. > :46:57.We are being asked if we would like a cup of tea at half-time and the

:46:58. > :47:02.answer is absolutely! We may work a bit of something into it. The

:47:03. > :47:09.initial knock forward was Ulster's. Oh! It is not, it may be an

:47:10. > :47:19.accidental loss involving the Cardiff fact -- flanker. This was

:47:20. > :47:22.supposed to be the last weekend of winter and from the start of this

:47:23. > :47:32.coming week it is supposed to be spring. It is a bit not springlike

:47:33. > :47:36.here. It is dry fortunately. Ulster need to hang on and see out this

:47:37. > :47:42.half and turn around six points if they can. Cardiff will put

:47:43. > :47:48.everything into this scrum, one of the set pieces of the first half. A

:47:49. > :48:01.bigger squeeze by Cardiff, Ruan Pienaar gets it away. Fish, that was

:48:02. > :48:06.unfortunate for Dan Fish. A little dummy he has got outside Nick

:48:07. > :48:15.Williams. Inside Craig Gill worried -- Craig Gilroy. Jacob Stockdale

:48:16. > :48:24.following. Here is Patchell. Tackled by Peter Brown, the ball has gone

:48:25. > :48:43.loose, can Darren Cave capitalise. Rey Lee-Lo scoops it up. Coming

:48:44. > :48:55.through illegally. Salesian -- Ma'afu. That was not the smartest

:48:56. > :49:02.play. Here is Fish. A very deceptive runner. It looks like you have got

:49:03. > :49:06.him and then he glides away. He saw the mismatch, he knew he would have

:49:07. > :49:13.the legs on Nick Williams, he was able to step inside Jacob Stockdale,

:49:14. > :49:19.Chris Henry eventually brought him down. Here is the line-out and it is

:49:20. > :49:27.the Cardiff line-out. Here is Matthew Rees. A bit of a dummy by

:49:28. > :49:31.Matthew Rees which you are not allowed to do. He should know that,

:49:32. > :49:36.he has been around for ever, he is 35 years of age, he has played in a

:49:37. > :49:43.World Cup and he has been a Lion and he did a silly thing you are not

:49:44. > :49:48.allowed to do, he did a dummy. Darts players do it all the time, they can

:49:49. > :49:53.get away with it. There was some confusion on the left and he went

:49:54. > :49:57.early. Paddy Jackson has put that high up in the air. It was a free

:49:58. > :50:08.kick, he could not kick directly into touch. Paddy Jackson, as it

:50:09. > :50:12.turned out, the right thing. Cardiff still motoring forward. We are

:50:13. > :50:18.almost up to the first 40 minutes. Rhys Patchell moves it wide. Good

:50:19. > :50:24.stuff from Cardiff. Rey Lee-Lo tries to get it away. Cardiff still in

:50:25. > :50:31.possession. Now we have played 40 minutes. Men out wide, they go

:50:32. > :50:42.close, taken on by James Down, the second row. Tomos Williams, Manoa

:50:43. > :50:49.Vosawai again. Williams on the narrow side, here is Turnbull. John

:50:50. > :50:57.Andrews sticks to him like a limpet. Tomos Williams, Matthew Rees. Ulster

:50:58. > :51:09.give away the penalty and it is very kit cable -- kick able.

:51:10. > :51:17.He is sizing this up and he is going to go for it. When you are 6-0 up

:51:18. > :51:20.with a few minutes ago, the last thing you want is to make the

:51:21. > :51:24.stakes, you have to play a percentage game. That is what is

:51:25. > :51:28.required and Ulster were not able to do that. The ball went back and

:51:29. > :51:35.nobody touched it, the decision was right. Again, the situation, it is

:51:36. > :51:39.very simple, just play out the half. Ulster gave away two penalties on

:51:40. > :51:43.the bounce, Cardiff did not look like they were going anywhere. Now

:51:44. > :51:49.Cardiff have a chance to claw their way back into the game. This'll be

:51:50. > :51:57.the last bit of play, the first half has not exactly set the world

:51:58. > :52:00.alight. He has got three points. That was three very unnecessary

:52:01. > :52:08.points conceded by Ulster, they will not be too displeased by trailing by

:52:09. > :52:12.just three points. At the very end, giving away the soft penalty, I

:52:13. > :52:15.think they will take the lead at half-time. The opportunities they

:52:16. > :52:22.have made the most of those they have had. Not a game to inspire by

:52:23. > :52:34.any stretch of the imagination. No sign of a try, both penalties.

:52:35. > :52:39.Half-time at the Arms Park. STUDIO: It is certainly not a classic in

:52:40. > :52:44.Cardiff, wake up gentleman! Ulster do lead by 6-3. It has not been

:52:45. > :52:51.overly entertaining. No disrespect to any of my dentist friends, but I

:52:52. > :52:54.would rather go visit them than have watched that. They need to grab the

:52:55. > :52:59.game by the scruff of the neck, nothing has happened. 30 players on

:53:00. > :53:04.the pitch, the only person who has done anything semi-decent would be

:53:05. > :53:09.Nick Williams. He has gone for it, he has made a few big hits and stare

:53:10. > :53:13.I say it, he has done that all year for Ulster. They will miss in next

:53:14. > :53:17.year if that is the case. The breakdown has been very messy, a

:53:18. > :53:22.slowdown ball on both sides and there has been no flow to the game

:53:23. > :53:25.on either side. It will be disappointing, hopefully John Lacey

:53:26. > :53:32.will stamp his authority down on the area so the game can flow a bit

:53:33. > :53:36.more. It has not been entertaining. I was up late watching the Carl

:53:37. > :53:40.Frampton fight, maybe that is why they are tired. This is an important

:53:41. > :53:47.fixture of Ulster, what will they have to do to see the game out? They

:53:48. > :53:58.have gone in front. That is a positive to take out a bit, we have

:53:59. > :54:02.not five too many shots, we have not got some structure into it, we need

:54:03. > :54:07.to go forward and keep attacking and we need a bit of energy in this

:54:08. > :54:10.game. As players we need to inject something into this, hopefully the

:54:11. > :54:16.boys can satiate your legs, what is going on here. We need to create

:54:17. > :54:23.momentum and that means holding onto the ball, carrying it through

:54:24. > :54:26.phases, getting over the gain line. Hopefully some gaps will appear.

:54:27. > :54:31.They are not stressed at the moment, the Cardiff team and they will be

:54:32. > :54:35.energised by that. Ulster gave away a silly penalty at the end of the

:54:36. > :54:39.first half to claw back three points. That was an unnecessary

:54:40. > :54:43.penalty. Darren will be disappointed with that, I would like to see it

:54:44. > :54:47.again, and unnecessary penalty and shooting themselves in the foot a

:54:48. > :54:52.bit. Littered with mistakes in the first half. Look at the body

:54:53. > :54:57.language, watching the ball, watching the player, no urgency to

:54:58. > :55:01.get in behind it. It is not until we spilled the ball that we show some

:55:02. > :55:06.energy and take it deep. Darren takes his eye off the ball, he has

:55:07. > :55:10.not had a particularly good game, he did not intend to get fully back

:55:11. > :55:15.into the game, but he has been thrust into it. Paddy Jackson has

:55:16. > :55:20.bought time for players to get back, but I know it is Darren again, look

:55:21. > :55:24.at his body language on the ground, it says a lot about his state of

:55:25. > :55:28.mind and where he is. You cannot have great days all the time, that

:55:29. > :55:33.is a cheap penalty to give away at the death. There was no need for it.

:55:34. > :55:37.These guys are experienced, professional men, they know right

:55:38. > :55:42.from wrong. The coaches will not have much to pull out. Darren Cave

:55:43. > :55:47.had a bout of sickness during the week and I think it was a long shot

:55:48. > :55:54.to get him on the bench. He would not been expecting to come on after

:55:55. > :56:00.ten minutes. Hopefully the injury is not too bad. -- he would not have

:56:01. > :56:06.been expecting. It will be instinctive see how Ulster come out.

:56:07. > :56:09.With the directorate B, you would expect him to stick a rocket

:56:10. > :56:18.somewhere in that dressing room and tried to get them coming out firing.

:56:19. > :56:22.-- with the director of rugby. They will want some phase play rugby.

:56:23. > :56:29.That will on the front of it and get them a chance to play rugby and

:56:30. > :56:34.score points. Nick Williams. He is the only one with a bit of a punch.

:56:35. > :56:39.The guy who actually tackled him did not release him at any point. That

:56:40. > :56:43.was harsh. There is the tackle been made, he has not released him, he

:56:44. > :56:48.has gone to ground, you have to show your hands, but he hasn't. John

:56:49. > :56:54.Lacey has potentially got that one wrong, but that is a big boy, a big

:56:55. > :57:00.skill set and it is great to see him like that. We are going to miss this

:57:01. > :57:04.fellow next year. He is putting on a show for Cardiff and the crowd are

:57:05. > :57:14.going, yes, I cannot wait for him to don the blue shirt. Ruan Pienaar is

:57:15. > :57:17.playing off the calf rugby well. He is finding positions in the back

:57:18. > :57:22.field to put the ball and develop territory for us will stop that OP

:57:23. > :57:26.can do that in the second half. We had to wait half an hour before the

:57:27. > :57:36.first points were put on the board. The one good passage of playing.

:57:37. > :57:41.Craig Gilroy, I don't think it was so important, but a lovely bit of

:57:42. > :57:46.play. There is no one coming onto theirs and back play from here, this

:57:47. > :57:51.is a slow rock. We are all queueing up here and waiting for someone else

:57:52. > :57:58.to do something. There is no interplay, not much crossing over.

:57:59. > :58:03.It is a mess. Whenever you make half breaks like that, you need from

:58:04. > :58:11.football and I don't think Lacey, I don't think he is refereeing very

:58:12. > :58:19.well. There is no flow to it as a result. It is a couple of good

:58:20. > :58:23.angles, you can see Darren looking, where is everybody? No one is

:58:24. > :58:28.running off my shoulder. A great switch from the big man and you can

:58:29. > :58:34.see Darren, where is the cavalry? It was not quite there. For me, it sums

:58:35. > :58:39.up Ulster in the last few months, they do not seem to be punching as

:58:40. > :58:46.hard as they need to. As simple as that. We will pause and reflect on

:58:47. > :58:50.the Six Nations championship. More disappointment for Ireland who are

:58:51. > :58:55.still without a win after three games, they lost to England 21-10.

:58:56. > :59:02.Here is a look back on what happened. Commentary from Andrew

:59:03. > :59:12.Cotter. COMMENTATOR: The two second row is coming together and a penalty

:59:13. > :59:16.to England. Side entry. Makes the adjustment and a true kick from Owen

:59:17. > :59:20.Farrell. England lead with five minutes to go here at Twickenham in

:59:21. > :59:26.this first half. Another advantage, a penalty coming to Ireland. Ireland

:59:27. > :59:32.are driving towards the line and just short, Connor Murray looking

:59:33. > :59:39.down the blindside. He reaches and he has got there! It is a try for

:59:40. > :59:44.Ireland! What a strike that is, never deviated. It is a 7-point try,

:59:45. > :59:50.a 4-point lead over one-man advantage, over seven minutes. The

:59:51. > :59:56.gaps are beginning to appear, then it may still be there that England,

:59:57. > :00:01.it will be a try! It is Anthony Watson who scores! England have the

:00:02. > :00:06.lead again, they have their try now. Five metres from the line, here

:00:07. > :00:14.again, real pace about England now. Once more over the head, it goes far

:00:15. > :00:19.and wide to Farrell. Mike Brown this time, Brown is in and England have a

:00:20. > :00:26.second try, they are moving clear at Twickenham. Curls this around, a lot

:00:27. > :00:33.of movement of the ball and England move beyond 20 points.

:00:34. > :00:45.Sexton into the open. Wonderful play. It is Robbie Henshaw for the

:00:46. > :00:50.line. What a covering tackle! What a moment in this match. Henshaw racing

:00:51. > :00:56.down into the corner. We were tested a lot defensively in

:00:57. > :01:02.the first half. We fronted up. We were well organised, made some big

:01:03. > :01:09.hits. The second half we had real hope. We made too many mistakes in

:01:10. > :01:16.the opposition 22. At this level if you do not take your chances, they

:01:17. > :01:21.are few and far between against a quality side like England.

:01:22. > :01:28.The table does not make pretty reading Ferraro Ireland. -- for

:01:29. > :01:34.Ireland. One of the big talks from the -- talking points was the

:01:35. > :01:40.incident of alleged foul play. It went to the TMO. There was no

:01:41. > :01:45.decision taken. What do you think? I think for him to be still on the

:01:46. > :01:50.pitch after this is ludicrous. This is a guy who knows what he is about

:01:51. > :01:54.all the time. He plays the game pretty full on. To be getting away

:01:55. > :02:00.with that in the modern game, he knows where his head is. He knew

:02:01. > :02:12.that foot was well behind where the ball was. How the stain on the pitch

:02:13. > :02:18.is crazy. That was reckless. The TMO said there was no foul play. I find

:02:19. > :02:23.it surprising. Mike Browne has a reputation of playing the game on

:02:24. > :02:27.the edge. He has a duty of care for the player on the ground. He cannot

:02:28. > :02:32.defend himself. He has gone in with his boot. He knows what he is doing.

:02:33. > :02:36.He is trying to shift the ball but he has a duty of care for the player

:02:37. > :02:43.on the ground. He makes contact with his face a few times. Have we heard

:02:44. > :02:48.the end of that incident? I don't think so. It will be looked at again

:02:49. > :02:58.under the microscope by the sighting committee. I am delighted for him.

:02:59. > :03:03.It is a big arena at Twickenham. He delivered for me. I do not think

:03:04. > :03:08.anybody else in the backline would have held that ball. He did

:03:09. > :03:13.everything he was required to do yesterday and more. Fantastic

:03:14. > :03:17.defence here. I am just -- delighted for Stewart. He has had a good

:03:18. > :03:21.season. He has been awarded and he stepped up to the plate. That

:03:22. > :03:29.backline looked well balanced. The only change I would like to see is

:03:30. > :03:35.to put Jared Payne at full-back. He can put some magic into the

:03:36. > :03:39.backline. Delighted to see Stewart go so well. It has been an 18 month

:03:40. > :03:46.journey to get here. He has played so well for Ulster. I thought his

:03:47. > :03:51.performance was excellent for a first capped in a daunting place

:03:52. > :03:55.like Twickenham. He carries well, he is smart enough to keep the ball

:03:56. > :03:58.away from touch. He was effective in the tackle. It frees up potential to

:03:59. > :04:10.play in his more natural position of 13. If Jared Payne was fit, you are

:04:11. > :04:15.spreading your resources better. Thank you very much indeed. The

:04:16. > :04:21.teams are back on the pitch. Ulster lead by 6-3. It can only get better.

:04:22. > :04:26.You stay with us. Do you think Ulster can see this out? I think so.

:04:27. > :04:30.They have to get their stuff together. It is that simple. Pull

:04:31. > :04:37.your socks up and get on with this game. Yes, I think so. We are in the

:04:38. > :04:41.lead. A win away from home is exactly what we need and I do not

:04:42. > :04:48.really care if it is scrappy, as long as we get those points. A great

:04:49. > :04:53.surface for running rugby. Let's hope we see some in the second half.

:04:54. > :04:59.Amen to that, Stephen. A couple of minor adjustments. One by each

:05:00. > :05:17.coach. The tight head props have been changed. Taufa'ao Filise, he is

:05:18. > :05:33.on to play tight head. Ricky Lutton is on.

:05:34. > :05:53.Pina kicks it down the tramline. Fish did really well.

:05:54. > :06:00.They cannot hang on to Ricky Lutton. Cardiff on the front foot, which is

:06:01. > :06:39.where they want to be. Filise is now 38 years of age. More

:06:40. > :06:44.than 70 caps for tongue. -- tongue. There is a penalty against Ulster.

:06:45. > :06:52.They ended the first half with a penalty against him. These are bits

:06:53. > :06:58.of careless action. We want to get a game of rugby. The Ulster defensive

:06:59. > :07:04.shape is good. They are not under any pressure. There is no need for

:07:05. > :07:12.these careless penalties. It goes 50 metres. But again, a careless

:07:13. > :07:21.penalty. It brings Cardiff into the game. The first chance at points in

:07:22. > :07:26.the first Havant came from Patchell. He missed. He was kicking into the

:07:27. > :07:30.wind. This time he is further out but he has got a fairly stiff breeze

:07:31. > :07:47.behind him. He is not wasting any time. I think he fancies this one.

:07:48. > :08:02.That is a core king cake from Risse title. -- courting kick.

:08:03. > :08:08.Cardiff have scored just before and after the end of. Completely

:08:09. > :08:38.unnecessary. Patchell covered well. He looked to

:08:39. > :08:42.bring it inside. Stockdale is off his wing. Cardiff spotted that.

:08:43. > :08:53.Cleverley read. Blaine Scully can scamper a bit. Cardiff on the front

:08:54. > :09:17.foot. Good covering tackle by John Andrews.

:09:18. > :09:25.Fish dearly got through at outside-half. -- nearly got through.

:09:26. > :09:47.Interception by van der Merwe. Penalty to Ulster. Pienaar takes it

:09:48. > :10:03.quickly. Gilroy did well with a poor pass.

:10:04. > :10:28.Good work by Arnold. The first try of the game! The sixth try of the

:10:29. > :10:33.season in the league Craig Gilroy. Sam Arnold did really well to set up

:10:34. > :10:37.the winger. Just the response this Ulster team needed. They took full

:10:38. > :10:45.advantage of the interception. They kept their patients. Sammy Arnold

:10:46. > :10:51.barrelled over one of the Cardiff defenders. Great ball carrying. Just

:10:52. > :10:59.19 years old and very strong. He had the time the pass. It was perfect

:11:00. > :11:03.rugby. He drew the full-back, got the scrum out of the way, perfect

:11:04. > :11:18.pass to one of the best finishers in the game at the in doubt.

:11:19. > :11:35.So it is Paddy Jackson. Delighted very nicely between the posts.

:11:36. > :11:38.Suddenly a gap of seven points as "The Ulster leading. Sammy Arnold

:11:39. > :11:47.showed them a clean pair of heels. What a nice crisp pass that was.

:11:48. > :11:48.Indeed it was. That is a big blow to Cardiff. They did not see that

:11:49. > :12:16.coming. They have been punished. Nick Williams trying to make some

:12:17. > :12:19.ground. Pienaar gave that a lot of height. Fish was very well

:12:20. > :12:23.positioned. He laws that little dummy. -- he loves that little

:12:24. > :12:38.dummy. Great tackle by Gilroy. Peter Browne

:12:39. > :12:43.is in there and he has done well. He was on his feet taking the whole

:12:44. > :12:47.weight and Tom James did not release the ball. Great work of the

:12:48. > :12:54.breakdown. That is his third turnover of this game. When you have

:12:55. > :13:05.your second rows in on top of those...

:13:06. > :13:23.Paddy Jackson has not made a lot of ground.

:13:24. > :13:39.Callum Black has gone off for Ulster. Kyle McCall has come on.

:13:40. > :14:20.Robbie Diack getting Cardiff a little flat-footed.

:14:21. > :14:29.Kyle McCall has wriggled and presented the ball nicely. The first

:14:30. > :14:39.time Stuart Olding has about had the ball in hand from open play. This is

:14:40. > :14:45.better from Ulster. Better work by Ulster on the front foot. John Lacy

:14:46. > :14:50.having a good look at that bake -- breakdown. He has penalised Ulster.

:14:51. > :14:53.The ball was being played by a man on the floor. When you are on the

:14:54. > :15:02.floor you cannot touch the ball at all. Ulster have the wind in their

:15:03. > :15:08.sales at the moment. They are keeping the pressure on Cardiff. I

:15:09. > :15:16.do not see Cardiff getting out of their half in this one. Keep the

:15:17. > :15:23.pressure on. They are in the driving seat, Ulster in terms of the

:15:24. > :15:27.momentum of the game. The ball was released. Somebody on the ground who

:15:28. > :15:28.had not been involved actually touched the ball and that brought

:15:29. > :16:04.the penalty. Ulster just nudged the ball forward

:16:05. > :16:07.at the Cardiff line-out. John Lacey had played advantage to Cardiff but

:16:08. > :16:14.because there was no advantage they will come back for the scrummage.

:16:15. > :16:21.Ten minutes of the second half gone. Ulster were 6-0 ahead but then found

:16:22. > :16:28.themselves pegged back to six piece. But a try from Gilroy and a

:16:29. > :16:39.conversion from Jackson has given them the lead. The first scrum of

:16:40. > :16:46.the second half. Ulster with two fresh props on. Ricky Lutton on the

:16:47. > :16:55.near side for Ulster. John Lacey is very slow. I think they are binding

:16:56. > :17:07.early because they are expected to bind. He can speed this up. It is

:17:08. > :17:08.slowing basement. It is a very Irish thing, a slowing basement, isn't

:17:09. > :17:35.it?! No comment! -- slow engagement. Good work by the Cardiff forwards.

:17:36. > :17:39.That is going to bring a penalty. That Ulster scrum has got no better

:17:40. > :17:54.with the introduction of two new props.

:17:55. > :18:01.Ulster gave away a penalty at the breakdown. They gave away a penalty

:18:02. > :18:08.at the set piece. Patchell will put them into a very good attacking

:18:09. > :18:13.position. Once again errors costing Ulster in terms of possession and

:18:14. > :18:17.territory. I know we are only 12 minutes into the second half but if

:18:18. > :18:24.Cardiff score here, it is game on again.

:18:25. > :18:37.Matthew Rees, the veteran Cardiff skipper. Good defence. Knocked

:18:38. > :18:44.backwards. Well done by Tom James but Robbie Diack has him. James

:18:45. > :18:56.squeezed it back, quite legally it would seem.

:18:57. > :19:20.What a pass by Pienaar. Stuart Olding... Good run. Knocked to the

:19:21. > :19:27.ground by Turnbull. Ulster still driving forward. How do they manage

:19:28. > :19:28.to lose that? Patchell had men outside him but he went for the

:19:29. > :19:57.kick. Lee-Lo has got right through. Or

:19:58. > :20:08.Ulster defending. Great chance for Cardiff. The game is certainly

:20:09. > :20:30.livening up. The skill set is not wonderful. There was a huge space.

:20:31. > :20:33.Ricky Lutton might just have hurt himself. I think he has done

:20:34. > :20:52.something to his left wrist. Nice little check by Jacob

:20:53. > :21:00.Stockdale. Chip and chase by Paddy Jackson. He does not quite have the

:21:01. > :21:08.pace. Ulster coming back. The game has livened up. Still scrappy at

:21:09. > :21:10.times at the turnover but at least there is some entertainment.

:21:11. > :21:17.Surprise that Paddy Jackson. He may have been better off keeping the

:21:18. > :21:24.ball in hand. The first of -- players only getting their second

:21:25. > :21:30.wind at this stage of the game. Sean Reidy, who has signed a two year

:21:31. > :21:36.contract extension, is coming on for Ulster. Nice footwork by Rey Lee-Lo.

:21:37. > :21:41.Kim off the left and right and did it again. Slipped just before Paddy

:21:42. > :21:44.Jackson got him. I think it is going to be a blood replacement. Chris

:21:45. > :21:48.Henry is going off the field holding his head as we look at Rey Lee-Lo's

:21:49. > :22:04.fancy footwork. There is a lot of the old claret, as

:22:05. > :22:09.they say in boxing parlance, coming down Chris Henry's head. Nice to see

:22:10. > :22:38.Olding getting more involved. Not much room to move in. Ulster

:22:39. > :22:55.trying to turn it over. Not forward by Ulster. -- knocked forward.

:22:56. > :23:01.Nearly 17 minutes played in the second half. It is a scruffy,

:23:02. > :23:22.scrappy game. Gilroy eventually gets himself

:23:23. > :23:31.caught. Good presentation by Kyle McCall.

:23:32. > :24:16.Ulster need to be patient. The referee was happy with that.

:24:17. > :24:24.Ulster making life difficult for the Cardiff Blues.

:24:25. > :24:31.Craig Gilroy will take its time. That is what Ulster have to do.

:24:32. > :24:35.Almost at the end of a third quarter, a converted try between

:24:36. > :24:42.them. Gilroy read that really well. He was open the line covering

:24:43. > :24:51.defence. There was only one option, to kick long. He was in the right

:24:52. > :24:59.position. Patchell got past Gilroy. Port tackle. Fisher of a corner!

:25:00. > :25:04.What a tackle by Olding. Paddy Jackson gets carried over the line.

:25:05. > :25:07.It has gone into touch. It will be a Cardiff line-out. What a covering

:25:08. > :25:14.tackle that was. What a break by Rhys Patchell. It is one of those

:25:15. > :25:18.breaks were you thought it was a 7-point. Fantastic covering tackle.

:25:19. > :25:25.Saved the day. Timed his pass brilliantly. This has got a lot of

:25:26. > :25:28.pace. That was a brilliant covering tackle by Stuart Olding. Paddy

:25:29. > :25:36.Jackson tidies it up. Ulster still under the cosh. Paddy Jackson came

:25:37. > :25:49.back infield and was dragged into touch. In the last scrum Cardiff

:25:50. > :25:56.seemed to have the advantage in the front row. Jenkins has come on for

:25:57. > :26:34.Cardiff. Good work by John Andrew Landry at

:26:35. > :26:36.the breakdown. Cardiff men outside. Patchell... Great tackling by Darren

:26:37. > :26:56.Cave, equally strong. Vosawai held up by Peter Browne. Not

:26:57. > :27:04.the first time he has done that. Horrific bit of defending. Excellent

:27:05. > :27:10.tackling by also. That is his fourth turnover today.

:27:11. > :27:17.They probably went wide a bit early, Cardiff, but great defence on the

:27:18. > :27:25.outside channels. When they came back they were met head on again by

:27:26. > :27:30.the Ulster defence. Once again a whole raft of water carriers coming

:27:31. > :27:31.on. We are into the last quarter of this game. It is tantalisingly

:27:32. > :27:59.poised. Were you ever approached in charge

:28:00. > :28:09.of Ireland asking you, Eddie, what do you think, when you are 15 points

:28:10. > :28:12.down? Thankfully not. It is tough on the coaches. You cannot say too much

:28:13. > :28:16.because you will probably give information away. It is the way the

:28:17. > :28:20.game has progressed from a media point of view. It is one of those

:28:21. > :28:27.things that coaches could probably do without if they could get away

:28:28. > :28:38.with it. Franco van der Merwe seemed to accept a big bag of ice and put

:28:39. > :28:43.it inside his jersey. If my Welsh is good, Edinburgh are leading the

:28:44. > :28:50.Scarlets by 24-23, which may not be a bad result for Ulster. 21 minutes

:28:51. > :28:56.played in the second half. The Ulster scrum... The last one did not

:28:57. > :29:01.go so well. Williams gave it away. Catastrophe for Ulster. Again a

:29:02. > :29:06.great tackle, this time from Craig Gilroy. What was Nick Williams

:29:07. > :29:14.doing? Ulster have got the ball into touch. What an escape. That was

:29:15. > :29:20.living dangerously. Nick Williams did really well to pick the ball

:29:21. > :29:25.going backwards in the scrum. He probably should have held on and

:29:26. > :29:31.just drove on. He off-loaded straight to a Cardiff player. They

:29:32. > :29:39.have survived again. Another chance to exit. Josh Navidi, another Welsh

:29:40. > :29:46.international, is on Philly home side. He may well play number eight

:29:47. > :29:47.macro. The man he is replacing, Vosawai, has been playing at number

:29:48. > :29:56.eighth. The Ulster scrummaging not going

:29:57. > :30:11.according to plan. All full tackling once again. Nick

:30:12. > :30:15.Williams in very slow. Pienaar has to make the tackle. Ulster not

:30:16. > :30:24.closing their men down at all. Very slipshod. A dummy by Evans, the

:30:25. > :30:29.replacement. Looked like a high tackle from Ulster. The referee is

:30:30. > :30:34.happy enough. Matthew Rees going for glory. Picked up by Blaine Scully.

:30:35. > :30:37.Cardiff within touching distance of the Ulster line. This could change

:30:38. > :30:42.the whole complexion of this game. Cardiff on the front foot. Matthew

:30:43. > :30:46.Rees has another go himself. Not much in the way of options. The

:30:47. > :30:52.referee says play on. Ulster have turned it over.

:30:53. > :31:02.The touch has got to be found. Pienaar does not really care, but he

:31:03. > :31:05.has found touch. Not his most effective kick, Ulster living very

:31:06. > :31:15.dangerously, a lot of rugby to be played here. Ulster were given a

:31:16. > :31:23.turnover, they were very lucky. Just missed tackling here. -- Miss

:31:24. > :31:40.tackled. Taken at the front by Jarrad Hoeta

:31:41. > :31:46.for the Cardiff Blues, now they are turning forward yet again. He is

:31:47. > :31:53.still motoring forward, he has done well and still Cardiff lay siege to

:31:54. > :32:07.the Ulster line. Jarrad Hoeta looking for another runner. Tomos

:32:08. > :32:13.Williams is looking, the enormous Tongan moves forward. How can Ulster

:32:14. > :32:20.hold this out? Surely now Rey Lee-Lo, tackled by Sammy Arnold. It

:32:21. > :32:25.is scooped up a legally. Now decision time for Cardiff. Lots of

:32:26. > :32:29.time on the clock, do they go for the three to close the gap or do

:32:30. > :32:34.they go for the scrummage where they have the advantage. I would not be

:32:35. > :32:40.surprised if they go for the scrum. Maybe not, it is a big-time in the

:32:41. > :32:44.game, Ulster can hold them out here. They have taken the kick.

:32:45. > :32:47.Psychologically the Ulster, it is a big statement for the rest of the

:32:48. > :32:54.game. They are happy to take the points go back for more. Darren Cave

:32:55. > :32:59.got in there and a bit of a hint of a headlock. Darren Cave realised he

:33:00. > :33:05.did something not necessarily wrong, but a bit controversial and he

:33:06. > :33:11.released. I am not sure why John Andrew was penalised, maybe he was

:33:12. > :33:15.offside from that angle. Rhys Patchell, taking his third penalty

:33:16. > :33:17.of this afternoon, he does exactly that and now we are back to a

:33:18. > :33:32.4-point game. Now we are getting the scrum-half

:33:33. > :33:40.Lewis Jones. Cardiff are coming back. It is really a one scored game

:33:41. > :33:44.here. It looks like Cardiff may need a try, at the moment you would not

:33:45. > :33:52.bet against that. Roger Wilson will be coming on for Ulster. Van der

:33:53. > :34:01.Merwe has had a bit of trouble with his ribs. Roger Wilson who has

:34:02. > :34:06.passed 200 caps for Ulster is on. Taken by Patchell again, brave as

:34:07. > :34:11.well as skilful. Ulster get the penalty straightaway. Ulster will be

:34:12. > :34:21.hoping that this will re-establish that 7-point gap. Patchell took a

:34:22. > :34:28.great catch, sloppy at a ruck. Ulster got in and a soft three

:34:29. > :34:33.points. You could put your house on this one, the front of the post.

:34:34. > :34:38.Don't say that, Eddie, don't say that! I don't think you would put

:34:39. > :34:43.that lovely house of yours in the West of Ireland on the line to

:34:44. > :34:49.anything, would you? No. But I would be very surprised if he does not put

:34:50. > :34:54.this one through. Good work at the restart by Ulster, a really serious

:34:55. > :34:59.challenge there. Stuart Olding looks on. Hopes to take Ulster to 17

:35:00. > :35:15.points. Well, so much for the house in the

:35:16. > :35:20.West of Ireland. You will have two by a tent. Paddy Jackson has missed

:35:21. > :35:28.that one, that looks to be regulation, that was a wee lapse of

:35:29. > :35:43.concentration. Matthew Rees is going off and on comes Christian

:35:44. > :35:59.Dacey -- Kristian. A clever kick. A trap by Jacob Stockdale. Where is he

:36:00. > :36:05.going? A lot of blue and black jerseys. Pienaar, Jackson, Henry, a

:36:06. > :36:17.nice flat pass to Arnold. Here he goes again. Nice feet by Sammy

:36:18. > :36:29.Arnold. At., -- at., he will be missed. He has done something to

:36:30. > :36:36.himself. Peter Brown clears out, Pienaar on the outside. A lot of

:36:37. > :36:43.tackling by the Cardiff Blues, Pienaar, Jackson. Roger Wilson

:36:44. > :36:51.tidies it up. Ulster cannot afford to make silly mistakes like that.

:36:52. > :36:56.Taken on by Chris Henry. Cardiff battling. A silly mistake from silly

:36:57. > :37:05.mistake. That has given Patchell a chance to close the gap to one

:37:06. > :37:09.single point. John Lacey has been consistent in his interpretation of

:37:10. > :37:13.the breakdown. He is giving the opposing team a chance to win the

:37:14. > :37:17.ball and giving them a call if they get their hands on it. Ulster, a

:37:18. > :37:23.sloppy pass that went to ground. A lack of accuracy over the ball and

:37:24. > :37:30.Cardiff cannot get their hands on it. Sammy Arnold is down again, I

:37:31. > :37:36.think that is the problem hamstring that got him out for quite a while.

:37:37. > :37:38.He is only 19 years old, if he is getting consistent hamstring

:37:39. > :37:45.problems, he needs to take a rest from the game. He is in a bit of

:37:46. > :37:49.trouble, but we are concentrating on outside-half for the Cardiff Blues,

:37:50. > :37:55.Rhys Patchell, he has kicked three, can he make it four? He has given

:37:56. > :38:09.that a fair wallop, Ulster will be breathing a huge sigh of relief.

:38:10. > :38:13.Rory Scholes has come on for the unfortunate Sam Arnold. Sam Arnold

:38:14. > :38:18.looks in a lot of distress with his hamstring, looks like a serious

:38:19. > :38:24.hamstring tear unfortunately. Jackson, not a bad distance, taken

:38:25. > :38:30.in by Jarrad Hoeta. The Cardiff Blues are in Ulster's half. Lewis

:38:31. > :38:38.Jones to the replacement Kristian Dacey. This is Rey Lee-Lo, a bit of

:38:39. > :38:41.acceleration and upper body strength. Really making life

:38:42. > :38:49.difficult for Ulster's defence, taken on buying the loosehead prop.

:38:50. > :38:55.Back in the Ulster side, here is Scholes, did the right thing, a good

:38:56. > :39:01.kick by Scholes. Patchell recovers well. Scholes puts in a very good

:39:02. > :39:13.tackle. Lewis Jones looking for a wee gap. Runs into Kyle McCall. Very

:39:14. > :39:17.aggressive across the halfway line. Less than ten minutes to go. Ulster

:39:18. > :39:22.still hanging on by their fingertips. Cardiff making progress,

:39:23. > :39:33.Lewis Jones, Ellis Jenkins with the float, well tackled by the massive

:39:34. > :39:42.Tongan. Here is Dacey. Steps inside. The flailing arms of Ruan Pienaar.

:39:43. > :39:47.Jones, Williams up quickly, too quickly. Jarrad Hoeta gets it away.

:39:48. > :39:55.Ulster have to move. A penalty against Cardiff. Hanging onto the

:39:56. > :39:59.tackle. This time it is Nick Williams, he made a mistake coming

:40:00. > :40:03.off his line, he recovered really well and got back to the ruck. He is

:40:04. > :40:11.playing like a man possessed at the moment and that was a big turnover.

:40:12. > :40:19.A good tackle thereby Diack and Ricky Lutton. Ulster have cleared

:40:20. > :40:23.their lines, just about eight minutes remaining. Ulster are

:40:24. > :40:44.enjoying a 4-point lead at the moment. Another Cardiff replacement,

:40:45. > :40:52.McCauley Cook -- Macauley. An Ulster throw, a great take by Robbie Diack.

:40:53. > :40:59.Ulster keeping it tight and going forward. Trying to keep Cardiff

:41:00. > :41:06.offside. Up very quickly. That was a dreadful pass. Cardiff have got the

:41:07. > :41:14.ball back. Here come the Blues, a bit of zip, get it away to Rey

:41:15. > :41:20.Lee-Lo. Rey Lee-Lo has got away. Temporary work -- Patchell is going

:41:21. > :41:24.to win it for Cardiff! Rhys Patchell who has been outstanding in just

:41:25. > :41:31.about everything has been as did for Cardiff I am pretty sure. A sloppy

:41:32. > :41:36.play again off the line-out. No reason to turn it over. Cardiff have

:41:37. > :41:44.taken full advantage. They had long way to go, but Rhys Patchell had a

:41:45. > :41:50.fantastic finish. He was involved in the movement twice. A poor attempt

:41:51. > :41:55.at a tackle by Stockdale, he bamboozled everybody. Patchell kept

:41:56. > :41:59.his line and the support play was quite superb. There was the dummy.

:42:00. > :42:05.Stockdale and somebody else inside him missed, it may have been Darren

:42:06. > :42:10.Cave and away went Patchell. What a finish here at Arms Park. Rey Lee-Lo

:42:11. > :42:19.did well, but the tackling was sloppy. Patchell adds points

:42:20. > :42:23.himself. Cardiff in the lead for the very first time in this game. This

:42:24. > :42:28.has happened Ulster far too many times this season. The defence was

:42:29. > :42:32.very poor, too many first half tackles, what actually gave it away

:42:33. > :42:36.was the mistake in the middle of the part when possession was lost from a

:42:37. > :42:42.fairly straightforward line-out and also tried to over elaborate. 16-13

:42:43. > :42:54.to Cardiff. Well taken at the restart by the Blues. Six minutes

:42:55. > :42:59.remaining. Patchell. Paddy Jackson, Ulster's captain. Lost at home last

:43:00. > :43:05.week. May well be losing again at home this week, straight into the

:43:06. > :43:10.arms of the grateful Patchell. Lewis Jones may give it a week kick. He

:43:11. > :43:19.changes his mind, Josh Turnbull who has been excellent. This is going to

:43:20. > :43:24.be a serious blow to Ulster's never mind semifinal hopes but top six

:43:25. > :43:29.hopes. Lewis Jones gets it away, Cardiff playing with confidence, Rey

:43:30. > :43:37.Lee-Lo, a lovely pastor Tom James. An attempt at a tackle by the Ulster

:43:38. > :43:44.forwards. Jones waiting for Jarrod Evans who takes it. Cardiff play

:43:45. > :43:51.with increased confidence. Again he gets it away! It is Rey Lee-Lo, if

:43:52. > :43:56.anyone deserves to score it is him. A good tackle by Rory Scholes.

:43:57. > :44:02.Ulster have turned that over, can they break from here. Here goes

:44:03. > :44:05.Darren Cave. He gives it a chip by the full-back. The cross comes

:44:06. > :44:13.Patchell and he gathers and get it away again. Wonderful stuff by

:44:14. > :44:18.Cardiff. Dacey. Into Lewis Jones, the replacement scrum-half. The

:44:19. > :44:33.Blues in full flow yet again. The loosehead prop, Thomas Davis. --

:44:34. > :44:46.Davies. Patchell steps back inside. Dacey adds the pounds to help. -- 20

:44:47. > :44:54.odd pounds to help. Into Jackson and away from Jackson and away from

:44:55. > :44:59.Wilson and away from Lutton. Rey Lee-Lo has scattered Ulster's

:45:00. > :45:02.defenders, Tom James, straight and hard. Cardiff looking for one

:45:03. > :45:07.conclusive score, perhaps even to deny Ulster the losing bonus point

:45:08. > :45:12.which would be doubly catastrophic for the men in white. Cardiff

:45:13. > :45:17.pressing as well as they can. Josh Turnbull, support from Ellis Jenkins

:45:18. > :45:28.and from the replacement prop Jones again. McCauley Cook saying give it

:45:29. > :45:33.to me and I will go forward. -- Macauley. Just over three minutes

:45:34. > :45:40.remaining. The one Ulster the stake has cost them the game and god knows

:45:41. > :45:46.what this season. -- mistake. Here they come again, Turnbull has got it

:45:47. > :45:51.away nicely, a lovely touch. It is Summerhill for Cardiff's second try

:45:52. > :45:56.and that will make it a dreadful afternoon in the capital of the

:45:57. > :46:05.principality for this Ulster side. The build-up, soft tackling, Cardiff

:46:06. > :46:10.were let deep into the heart of the Ulster territory. Cardiff have shown

:46:11. > :46:14.great patience and they had a little past behind at the back and around

:46:15. > :46:20.the corner. Smart play on the short side. Lovely stuff, a lovely

:46:21. > :46:29.transfer by Turnbull and beautifully moved the near side. There is

:46:30. > :46:34.Turnbull and Ellis caught the ball as you are taught to when you are a

:46:35. > :46:42.little fella. Playing down the centre. He has managed to pick up

:46:43. > :46:46.his fifth try for Cardiff. Here is the man who has been outstanding all

:46:47. > :46:55.afternoon, he will try to convert this. The second Cardiff drive. --

:46:56. > :47:00.he will try to convert this second Cardiff try. What a nice strike.

:47:01. > :47:07.When you are on form, you are on form and when you are hot, you are

:47:08. > :47:12.hot and Patchell is on fire. He has come into his own in the second

:47:13. > :47:16.half. He is master of the game at the moment. He is the real

:47:17. > :47:25.difference between the two teams. 13 points the Patchell. -- for

:47:26. > :47:32.Patchell. Our colleagues have made Rey Lee-Lo the man of the match. Is

:47:33. > :47:40.there a chance for Ulster to come back? We need something to try to

:47:41. > :47:48.squeeze back a bonus point, even a penalty, that may do them well to

:47:49. > :47:53.get a losing bonus point. Ulster have not scored for over half an

:47:54. > :47:57.hour. Unfortunately they have lost momentum in the game, but there is

:47:58. > :48:00.still an important bonus point if they can sneak it come the end of

:48:01. > :48:14.the season when it comes to the play-offs. Dave Shanahan has come on

:48:15. > :48:18.for Ruan Pienaar at scrum-half. I am not sure what the point is bringing

:48:19. > :48:26.someone on for one minute of the game, but never mind. So, can

:48:27. > :48:34.Ulster's often times believe good scrum stand up well enough to get

:48:35. > :48:39.the ball away to the backs? Sam Arnold, that looks like a serious

:48:40. > :48:42.hamstring problem again, unfortunately for him. Shanahan

:48:43. > :48:52.popped it in. Shanahan has got it away well. It went backwards.

:48:53. > :48:54.Stockdale picks it up. Unless Ulster produced something quite

:48:55. > :48:59.spectacular, they will come away without a single point from this

:49:00. > :49:04.game. The referee says play on and Cardiff are trying to turn it over,

:49:05. > :49:08.but Jackson has got away with it. Ulster lobbed it out wide to see who

:49:09. > :49:18.is out there and Stockdale is out there. A step-by-step Dale. Still in

:49:19. > :49:25.Ulster's hands. -- a step by Stockdale. He is well contained, no

:49:26. > :49:30.one at scrum-half for Ulster. Stuart Golding, no way through. In goes

:49:31. > :49:36.Lutton to help Wilson again at scrum-half and it is Jackson back to

:49:37. > :49:43.Gilroy. Well, Gilroy, no room to use those flashing foetuses. Again it is

:49:44. > :49:50.a slow ball, Shanahan does get it away, Wilson, Jackson. Brought

:49:51. > :49:58.forward by Rey Lee-Lo. Ulster still go forward, Shanahan less than the

:49:59. > :50:02.aside. Here goes Rory Scholes, a nice run, he is well tackles, into

:50:03. > :50:11.touch and that will be game over. John Lacey blows and look at the

:50:12. > :50:16.grin on the face of Rhys Patchell, as wide as the River tap itself

:50:17. > :50:20.which runs just past this famous old ground and Cardiff have put together

:50:21. > :50:25.a very good little sequence and they have pounced on the all too many

:50:26. > :50:29.Ulster mistakes and they have punished the Ulster side. Having

:50:30. > :50:36.lost at home to the starters last week, now to Cardiff. Ulster's

:50:37. > :50:39.season may well be unravelling. You have to say it is very

:50:40. > :50:45.disappointing. In control of everything, turnover of the ball,

:50:46. > :50:53.and then the second try which took the bonus point, very frustrating.

:50:54. > :50:56.It looked good for Ulster, but that was it as far as they were concerned

:50:57. > :51:03.and they have come out of the wrong end of the scoreline which reads

:51:04. > :51:09.Cardiff Blues 23, Ulster 13. STUDIO: Not a good afternoon for Ulster

:51:10. > :51:15.Rugby, we have been watching. There is the current Pro12 table. Ulster

:51:16. > :51:19.are in fourth position, but a lot of rugby to be played. A couple of

:51:20. > :51:24.weeks ago he may have said Ulster were hoping to get a home semifinal,

:51:25. > :51:29.now they actually look as though they are under pressure to qualify

:51:30. > :51:36.for Europe. Coming out on a poor run of form, resulting in these losses

:51:37. > :51:40.on the trot. That Champions Cup place is looking like what as you

:51:41. > :51:43.say a foregone conclusion, now Munster will creep up and they have

:51:44. > :51:49.an easier run-in to the end of the season and they have a game in hand.

:51:50. > :51:52.It will be very tight now. As you say we were hoping for a home

:51:53. > :52:00.semifinal in the Pro12. We just want to qualify now. Ulster's challenge

:52:01. > :52:07.wilted. How costly war that defeat the in the context of the season? It

:52:08. > :52:12.is what it is. Jim alluded to it in the commentary, it is starting to

:52:13. > :52:16.unravel a bit here. We have been plastering over cracks for the last

:52:17. > :52:23.three or four months, there have not been any out and out stand-up

:52:24. > :52:27.performances as individuals or as a team and it has started to go here

:52:28. > :52:30.and now we are getting to the nitty-gritty end of the season.

:52:31. > :52:35.Things are starting to really come on done. You can only plaster over

:52:36. > :52:39.the cracks were so long. Ulster will be particular disappointed with the

:52:40. > :52:44.way they threw the game away today. They were in control. They were in a

:52:45. > :52:48.winning position, maybe some complacency because Cardiff really

:52:49. > :52:53.did not threaten them. The Jackson missed penalty may come back to

:52:54. > :52:59.haunt us as well, because that would have given us a bit of a buffer. We

:53:00. > :53:05.turn this one over massively and Patchell has had a good game. He has

:53:06. > :53:15.had a brilliant second-half and he puts an injection into the game

:53:16. > :53:19.between out half and him, they have set the thing alight. The defence

:53:20. > :53:27.going backwards is not great at all. That. Did from the mistake from us

:53:28. > :53:32.60 minutes down the park. -- that all started from the mistake from us

:53:33. > :53:37.60 minutes down the park. There seems to be a lack of communication

:53:38. > :53:40.as to who is taking the ball carrier there, people assuming that they're

:53:41. > :53:50.inside guy will get there, drifting off, leaving gaps. Also, Ulster will

:53:51. > :53:55.be very worried about their defence. They are leaking tries to easily.

:53:56. > :53:59.When you look at the team sheet and so forth, we said that earlier on as

:54:00. > :54:03.well, it does not happen on paper, we should have had the stronger

:54:04. > :54:08.side, if you look at the sheet there is a bit of inexperience. A lot of

:54:09. > :54:14.youngsters, brilliant for moving forward, Stuart Golding is still a

:54:15. > :54:18.young guy. Stockdale is in there. It starts to unravel somewhat, then you

:54:19. > :54:22.need the experience to say let's put this together, let's hold its

:54:23. > :54:28.together for the next ten minutes, let's focus on this. That helps to

:54:29. > :54:34.build the young guy's conference up. If someone is not prepared to do

:54:35. > :54:38.that, then the whole thing. Are. The correlation that is the Six Nations.

:54:39. > :54:44.When you take those leaders out of the team, it has a big effect.

:54:45. > :54:52.Likewise Cardiff have probably decimated the Six Nations as well.

:54:53. > :54:55.Ulster from a winning position, then they let another score to concede

:54:56. > :55:01.the bonus point, that could be key come the end of the season. This

:55:02. > :55:06.position towards the start of the second half even was very good. But

:55:07. > :55:10.a bit of communication here, that should never have got to that point,

:55:11. > :55:15.it was all fairly static, there were numbers to deal with that situation.

:55:16. > :55:19.Was there enough communication? Again it comes down to

:55:20. > :55:25.communication. Rory Scholes commits to quickly to the ball carrier when

:55:26. > :55:31.he has Stuart Golding inside him, he could have drifted out and not let

:55:32. > :55:34.the man go free. It was a well executed try by Cardiff, but down to

:55:35. > :55:40.disappointing defence from Ulster, bad communication again. They lot of

:55:41. > :55:44.line breaks against Ulster last week and Cardiff had been threatening to

:55:45. > :55:51.do that. That all needed to be ten rows back in the stand, Cardiff

:55:52. > :55:56.looked at their best in broken play. He is fantastic, but this was a

:55:57. > :56:01.tremendous try saving tackle. We did exceptionally well to get out of

:56:02. > :56:07.jail in this position. A great tackle by Stuart Golding there,

:56:08. > :56:10.Craig will be very disappointed. He set the league alight with his try

:56:11. > :56:14.scoring ability and maybe these other small issues that probably

:56:15. > :56:19.stop him progressing to the international stage, a missed tackle

:56:20. > :56:32.like that will not be something that Joe Schmidt would be happy to have

:56:33. > :56:38.in his team. -- Smit. It was lots of missed tackles that cause us to leak

:56:39. > :56:42.tries and black momentum. We are sitting waiting for the game to come

:56:43. > :56:46.to ask, we do not push hard, we take two steps forward and then do not

:56:47. > :56:53.plant the feet. It was a good bit of scrambling defence. It was Richard

:56:54. > :56:59.Loftin at that point. It was not a great clearance. Ruan Pienaar is

:57:00. > :57:04.normally phenomenal at clearing the lines, a massive, big boot, just a

:57:05. > :57:07.few cracks. Craig Gilroy, the one thing he does do well is scored

:57:08. > :57:14.tries and on the scoresheet again today. A great scorer and Ulster's

:57:15. > :57:19.best passage of play, created by Sam Arnold with a great switch. Great

:57:20. > :57:25.outside to inside line, he ran right out through the scrum-half and

:57:26. > :57:29.Ulster played their best rugby up to Christmas when they were doing the

:57:30. > :57:34.likes of that against Toulouse. You were screaming for the likes of Ruan

:57:35. > :57:41.Pienaar to take the penalty and both a post. A bit of momentum, some

:57:42. > :57:46.phases, a well taken try by Craig. For a young guy, 19-year-old, he

:57:47. > :57:49.showed some really good strength. The Cardiff scrum-half will not be

:57:50. > :57:55.looking forward to their bit of a video nasty in terms of the fence.

:57:56. > :58:00.For 19 to take it on, it was fantastic. He did not give the

:58:01. > :58:07.full-back any chance to get out to Craig. All done. I hope his

:58:08. > :58:11.hamstring will be OK, he was stretchered off. Can Ulster still

:58:12. > :58:17.make the play-offs when you look at their remaining fixtures? Are you

:58:18. > :58:21.still confident? It is a bit of an optimistic thing really. We see some

:58:22. > :58:26.of those games, Leinster and the Ospreys, those players will be

:58:27. > :58:32.dealing with all their international players as well. It will be a tough

:58:33. > :58:40.run. They certainly need to create some amends in the Zebre game. You

:58:41. > :58:43.would expect them to put in a good game, but hopefully it will lead to

:58:44. > :58:48.additional confidence that the team need to go across to Glasgow and get

:58:49. > :58:53.results. There are winnable games, but it will be a tough result, all

:58:54. > :58:58.hands to the pump. Thank you very much indeed. As Paddy says, Ulster

:58:59. > :59:05.are in action next weekend when they take on Zebre.

:59:06. > :59:12.Let's hope for much better, this afternoon it has been a bit of a

:59:13. > :00:01.horror show in Cardiff. From all of us here, it is goodbye.

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