Zebre v Ulster

:00:34. > :00:43.STUDIO: The race is on for a place in the top four. Ulster have three

:00:44. > :00:46.games left, against Zebre, and Leinster and the Ospreys, to make it

:00:47. > :00:48.into the play-offs, today they need to make it two from two, against the

:00:49. > :00:54.Italians. One big name is back for this

:00:55. > :01:02.crucial match, Tommy Bowe returns from injury, first game of the

:01:03. > :01:08.season for him. It is Ulster Rugby live, and it is a must win match.

:01:09. > :01:18.Welcome to Round 20 of the Pro12, joining us, good afternoon to

:01:19. > :01:21.Stephen Ferris and Maurice Field, before we chat, let's see how this

:01:22. > :01:27.weekend is shaping up, thence to have already beaten Edinburgh this

:01:28. > :01:43.weekend, 30-23, Edinburgh getting a crucial losing bonus point.

:01:44. > :01:50.The outcome of the Scarlet is against Glasgow game, very important

:01:51. > :01:54.to Ulster today, this is what has happened so far, Scarlet leading

:01:55. > :01:58.15-10, Finn Russell scoring all of the Glasgow points, first try after

:01:59. > :02:02.just six minutes, then he added another one after 25 minutes, just a

:02:03. > :02:07.short time ago, Liam Williams touched down for Llanelli Scarlets,

:02:08. > :02:12.which means that it is a 5-point game, all to play for. Leaving the

:02:13. > :02:17.table currently looking like this. As it stands. Taking into account,

:02:18. > :02:19.we assume that Glasgow will continue to beat Llanelli Scarlets. This is

:02:20. > :02:30.what the table will look like. The chance today to make it into the

:02:31. > :02:36.play-off place. We have a really good chance, we have got to get

:02:37. > :02:40.across the line against Zebre today, that has proven harder in the past

:02:41. > :02:45.than anybody had expected, but we have the team to do this. We need

:02:46. > :02:48.the platform, from the boys ahead of them, and it is great to see Tommy

:02:49. > :02:53.Bowe back on the team sheet, hopefully we can get across the

:02:54. > :02:58.line. We play the numbers game at the start but probably number six is

:02:59. > :03:01.the most important. Ulster still battling for a place in the top six

:03:02. > :03:06.and important qualification. That is what it is all about, no European

:03:07. > :03:12.qualification, no marquee signings, no revenue, no sponsors, not the

:03:13. > :03:17.best people to challenge. It is important that they keep themselves

:03:18. > :03:21.in the run. Looking for a fourth place finish, thinking about

:03:22. > :03:27.Biarritz. Glasgow, beating scholars, probably a good result for Ulster

:03:28. > :03:32.Rugby. Every Ulster Rugby fan wants the Glasgow Warriors to win! We

:03:33. > :03:38.don't usually say that. It is difficult to get a result. At the

:03:39. > :03:42.moment, they need to concentrate on themselves, three cup finals, the

:03:43. > :03:45.next three games. In the media in the week, Liam Henderson talked

:03:46. > :03:49.about taking it one game at a time but I fully expect them to go out

:03:50. > :03:55.there, 20 degrees, at the minute, not like Belfast! Hopefully if they

:03:56. > :04:01.can get to five points, that is what everybody wants. Do you think that a

:04:02. > :04:07.bonus point win is absolutely crucial? Yes, you need 57, 58 points

:04:08. > :04:11.to make the top four, the platform must be set, exciting players, Tommy

:04:12. > :04:19.Bowe, we have the midfield, Luke Marshall... They have the tools out

:04:20. > :04:30.there to get the bonus point win. Thank you very much. 20-10, the

:04:31. > :04:32.Glasgow, against Scarlet. Look out for the special feature with Paddy

:04:33. > :04:37.Jackson. For the moment, sit back and enjoy the first half.

:04:38. > :04:50.COMMENTATOR: Good afternoon, from Parma, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi,.

:04:51. > :04:55.Just one change today in the Ulster pack, Roger Wilson winning his 204th

:04:56. > :05:01.cap, and Franco van der Merwe winning his 50th cap for Ulster.

:05:02. > :05:05.Just a couple of changes behind the scrum, the most significant, the

:05:06. > :05:08.return of Tommy Bowe, first game this year, Stuart Olding taking over

:05:09. > :05:12.in the middle of the park from the injured Stuart McCloskey. Otherwise,

:05:13. > :05:15.as you were, all international pact division.

:05:16. > :05:28.-- packed. Three changes upfront, in the front row, from South Africa,

:05:29. > :05:34.Jean Cook, in a very useful looking back row. The captain once again,

:05:35. > :05:40.the vast experience Quintin Geldenhuys. At half-backs, playing

:05:41. > :05:45.in all four games in the most recent World Cup, Guglielmo Palazzani. And

:05:46. > :05:51.after Glasgow at the end of the season, one of their midfield men.

:05:52. > :06:05.Matteo Pratichetti, back, as well. The referee, Nigel Owens, he did the

:06:06. > :06:13.most recent World Cup final armour refereeing his 133rd Pro12 game.

:06:14. > :06:18.Ulster are in their change strip of blue. A bit ominous paps, last time

:06:19. > :06:23.they wore that was here, you may remember, Fitzpatrick got himself

:06:24. > :06:30.sent off, Ulster did not fare particularly well that day. Jean

:06:31. > :06:36.Cook taking it and making ground. Guglielmo Palazzani getting it away,

:06:37. > :06:40.not the greatest pass in the world, Carlo Canna, tall and leggy, putting

:06:41. > :06:46.the boot to it. Jared Payne on the counter. Brushing aside the first

:06:47. > :06:51.tackle. Go forward for Ulster. Pienaar. Callum Black, celebrating

:06:52. > :06:57.his 100th appearance with a try against Glasgow. Delicate chip, not

:06:58. > :07:01.delicate enough, the wind is treacherous on that far side, that

:07:02. > :07:04.is the only error, they cannot afford to make those.

:07:05. > :07:09.CO-COMMENTATOR: Good afternoon, everybody, tremendous playing

:07:10. > :07:17.conditions. Asking the question, should we be playing rugby here? If

:07:18. > :07:26.it means a move to Italy, probably, I would not say no to that! First

:07:27. > :07:32.line-out, Callum Black. Back goes Franco Manda now, big day for him,

:07:33. > :07:41.50 caps for his adopted Ulster. -- Franco van der Merwe. Good call. Set

:07:42. > :07:47.up again, tight head prop, both props involved early on. Good try

:07:48. > :07:53.from the men in blue, first time they have all the outfits this

:07:54. > :07:58.season. Ulster very nearly giving away the intercept. Craig Gilroy has

:07:59. > :08:09.come away. That looked like a high tackle. Into the Zebre half once

:08:10. > :08:15.again. Little step and a spiral, and now, Tommy Bowe, getting his teeth

:08:16. > :08:22.into the game. Likewise, this fellow, Ian Henderson.

:08:23. > :08:33.He has pain with him. What a start for the Ulsterman. Ruan Pienaar,

:08:34. > :08:40.half-backs partner, Paddy Jackson, and that was exquisite. Beautiful

:08:41. > :08:47.heads up rugby from Ulster, already we see the benefit of having Ian

:08:48. > :08:51.Anderson back. I couple of early ball-carriers. Reducing quick ball.

:08:52. > :09:00.It is Jackson on the wraparound. Spotting the whole. Right through.

:09:01. > :09:08.Picks out Ruan Pienaar, he goes under the posts, great start. Paddy

:09:09. > :09:17.Jackson wasting no time. Adding in the extra points. What a start for

:09:18. > :09:21.the visitors. 7-0 up. Zebre play with the wind advantage, they will

:09:22. > :09:29.have to manage what they can do with the ball. Perhaps we will see more

:09:30. > :09:33.of a ball in hand approach. Ruan Pienaar, licking it between the

:09:34. > :09:42.opposition posts. Well taken in by Tommy Bowe. Meant to be on the

:09:43. > :09:47.bench. Rather nasty tummy bug. Drafted straight into the starting

:09:48. > :09:59.15. All-too-familiar. Nice little sidestep. Ulster looking to play

:10:00. > :10:04.heads up rugby, as they call it. Good defending by Zebre. Change by

:10:05. > :10:10.Zebre, nicely done, this could be interesting. Extra man or two.

:10:11. > :10:19.Outside centre. Well tackled by Ulster Rugby. Ulster do well once

:10:20. > :10:26.again, great steel by Rory Best. Marshall kicks, and that is a better

:10:27. > :10:31.one. -- steal Set up nicely for Zebre.

:10:32. > :10:40.Nice kick by him, right by the tramlines, judging that perfectly.

:10:41. > :10:42.The danger, given the conditions, and the pitch is firm and fast,

:10:43. > :10:52.sucked into the approach, already we have seen it quite early on. With

:10:53. > :11:01.that approach, high risk as well. Turnover rugby is very dangerous.

:11:02. > :11:06.Ulster Rugby's line-out... Sean Reidy, again. Treacherous wind. Rory

:11:07. > :11:13.Best may be thinking about going to the front of the line-up. With Pete

:11:14. > :11:22.Brown, he has the scrum protector, the head protector, he waiting

:11:23. > :11:30.there. Nigel... Don't you come in pushing, and don't close the space.

:11:31. > :11:34.Is that clear? Nigel Owens telling of Callum Black, for trying to

:11:35. > :11:41.orchestrate the line-out. Taken it down at the front. Outcomes best.

:11:42. > :11:48.Slow ball, Pienaar... Does not put much distance on that. Craig Gilroy

:11:49. > :11:57.got himself offside. Dion Berryman thought about taking

:11:58. > :12:02.it quickly, I'm pretty sure they will go into the corner. Quintin

:12:03. > :12:08.Geldenhuys, making up his mind, outside-half. Can he have a go at

:12:09. > :12:15.the post? No, into the corner, right decision. Yes, given the wind, it is

:12:16. > :12:19.treacherous, blustery... Bloody, as well, it does not have the same

:12:20. > :12:23.consistency, drops and then picks up. From a Zebre point of view, that

:12:24. > :12:29.is a pretty straightforward decision. Having morning coffee in

:12:30. > :12:33.the middle of the delightful city of Parma, we recorded the temperature

:12:34. > :12:38.at 23 degrees. Great summer 's day back at home. Well taken, the

:12:39. > :12:44.line-out, Ulster Rugby will have to defend from here, they will try to

:12:45. > :12:54.rumble. One of the new international caps in this side, slipping it back.

:12:55. > :12:59.Guglielmo Palazzani has it. They have got the try. They have

:13:00. > :13:04.responded immediately. Ulster will have to work much harder at the set

:13:05. > :13:09.piece are they going to do something today. It was the half-backs,

:13:10. > :13:13.Guglielmo Palazzani, who has brought them back within two points of

:13:14. > :13:18.Ulster. Always a little bit too easy for Zebre, Ulster dig in but it is a

:13:19. > :13:26.containment job rather than any disruption. Around the corner...

:13:27. > :13:33.Holding... Blocking off... Getting the diminutive scrum-half over, when

:13:34. > :13:37.a we see Zebre, well over six foot four... Line-outs is going to be

:13:38. > :13:43.interesting for Ulster this afternoon, especially defensively.

:13:44. > :13:51.Ulster conceding quite a bit in terms of height and weight. Zebre

:13:52. > :13:54.back... Chance of the scores being levels, if Carlo Canna can get this

:13:55. > :14:01.one over, big, tall, leggy fella, but this is a difficult one, but he

:14:02. > :14:06.does give it a fair old boot. Part of the World Cup campaign last

:14:07. > :14:13.autumn. Slipped a wee bit... It might come in, that is a very good

:14:14. > :14:19.kick indeed. Last time out, Zebre when 7-0 down to Glasgow Warriors,

:14:20. > :14:22.came back to 7-7, only ended with 14-7 before they were put away,

:14:23. > :14:26.Ulster will have to do something similar. In the opening seven

:14:27. > :14:30.minutes we have seen the way that both teams play. Fast and loose.

:14:31. > :14:36.Zebre, playing with the forward, very structured.

:14:37. > :14:44.Hanging nicely, in the breeze. Ulster Rugby have a hand to it.

:14:45. > :14:47.Zebre have won the ball on the ground, no, they have not, Ulster

:14:48. > :14:53.come away with it. Rory Best, now Tommy Bowe. The man who is Glasgow

:14:54. > :14:57.bound next year, Leonardo Sarto, one of the stars of the Italian side in

:14:58. > :15:04.the recent Six Nations. Callum Black making good running. Clever pass.

:15:05. > :15:08.Sniffing a bit of a gap. Goes through it. Ulster Rugby on the

:15:09. > :15:18.front foot, inside the ten metre line. Again, outside-half, Roger

:15:19. > :15:26.Wilson. Pienaar, holding looking to change direction. Might be a gap.

:15:27. > :15:35.The Zebre skipper brings him down, Callum Black, clever... Very

:15:36. > :15:48.quickly. Always happy about that. Roger Wilson, 204th game, Pienaar

:15:49. > :16:01.looking to come this side. Franco van der Merwe, judged by the

:16:02. > :16:10.referee, Nigel Owens, to be holding the ball for too long. Shows the

:16:11. > :16:17.referee that he has the release, and makes the decision very easy.

:16:18. > :16:22.Whenever Ulster attack, they have got a couple, at 13 at and 12, each

:16:23. > :16:30.making the decision to shoot over the line.

:16:31. > :16:37.The opening break, same defensive structure, need to find some space.

:16:38. > :16:47.Cook made the initial tackle and got himself into the right body position

:16:48. > :16:53.to affect the penalty. Bit untidy, but he took his eye off the ball

:16:54. > :16:58.there... Matteo Pratichetti, and we are going to have the first

:16:59. > :17:03.scrummage of the game. Sometimes you wonder whether the best thing to do

:17:04. > :17:09.is to score, in the first couple of minutes, does it give you a full

:17:10. > :17:12.sense of security? Maybe, certainly from an Ulster Rugby perspective,

:17:13. > :17:29.that early score would have settled any nerves... 11 minutes gone.

:17:30. > :17:43.Conditions perfect. Ulster conceding. I'll stop against an all

:17:44. > :17:50.international front row. Solid looking scrummage. Wilson making it

:17:51. > :17:57.set up nicely. Owens nearly getting in the way. Gets away with it,

:17:58. > :18:02.nicely done, and looking like a high tackle. Inside. Ulster Rugby inside

:18:03. > :18:10.the 22. He has his hand out the penalty no matter what happens.

:18:11. > :18:14.Jackson, van der Merwe. Away... Looking for try number eight of the

:18:15. > :18:22.season, Gilroy. Great bit of passage of play. Ian Henderson driving the

:18:23. > :18:28.line. Half a metre short. Pienaar again, Rory Best, scoring one week

:18:29. > :18:36.ago. A fortnight ago at Ravenhill. Once again. Jackson, inside to Tommy

:18:37. > :18:41.Bowe... He's right through... The arch poacher strikes, straightaway!

:18:42. > :18:46.Certainly far from match fitness, but the brain, and that alertness,

:18:47. > :18:51.still there, what a good score. Great play, running the lines so

:18:52. > :18:59.well. Such a clever player. Just a little bit of top end speed. Runs

:19:00. > :19:01.those of the lines... Look at the effectiveness, shrugging off the

:19:02. > :19:06.second row, containing balance, going through. Just cannot buy that,

:19:07. > :19:11.in terms of the experience, need has been doing it for years. Lovely

:19:12. > :19:15.little shoulder dip, ambling through. Like he was going out for

:19:16. > :19:23.the Sunday newspapers! Nicely done from Pienaar, of the scrum,

:19:24. > :19:28.attacking the macro zebra -- Zebre defensive line. Good work. Jared

:19:29. > :19:32.Payne Bosch older, it was him who led to this speed of breakdown,

:19:33. > :19:39.quick release, also getting chance to move wide. Tommy pokes through

:19:40. > :19:43.under the posts. Paddy Jackson has the conversion. Similar pattern to

:19:44. > :19:50.the game against Glasgow, one week ago, for Zebre. 14-7. Good value,

:19:51. > :19:55.playing some nice rugby. Given the conditions, classic, in terms of how

:19:56. > :19:59.they want to approach the game. This is how they enjoy playing rugby.

:20:00. > :20:03.Stephen Ferris mentioned before the game, a backline such as theirs,

:20:04. > :20:07.given the people they have available, it is ideal for them.

:20:08. > :20:16.Glorious afternoon in this wonderful stadium, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi,

:20:17. > :20:21.another veteran Italian forward, Valerio Bernabo. And this is Carlo

:20:22. > :20:25.Canna, one of the new breed. It was Valerio Bernabo himself who got up

:20:26. > :20:31.and knocked it on, that is going to be a scrum to Ulster. Really should

:20:32. > :20:36.have made sure of it, not leaving it to chance. That is absolutely

:20:37. > :20:45.essential. Big faux pas of Ulster this year. It has cost them point,

:20:46. > :20:49.many occasions. After they have scored, they have taken their foot

:20:50. > :20:56.off the pedal. On that occasion, it should have been cleared. Roger

:20:57. > :21:03.Wilson... Get the ball away when I tell you to use it, that seems to be

:21:04. > :21:10.what Nigel Owens is saying. Almost 15 minutes played. When we last

:21:11. > :21:18.heard, Glasgow were leading scholars, 20-10, if that continues,

:21:19. > :21:25.and Ulster win this one, Ulster will move into the top four. -- Glasgow

:21:26. > :21:29.were leading Scarlet 's. Most importantly of all, you have got to

:21:30. > :21:31.finish in the top six to be assured of a finish in the Champions Cup

:21:32. > :21:44.next season. -- Scarlets. Whatever has been going on with this

:21:45. > :21:51.one, it has taken ages to get together. Good contingent of

:21:52. > :21:57.travelling Ulster supporters, as always, making plenty of nice, as

:21:58. > :22:04.always, wide pass. Second receiver. What a great pass. Gilroy... Brushes

:22:05. > :22:09.off the tackle of Dion Berryman, the New Zealander. Dropped out of it.

:22:10. > :22:15.Zebre give away the penalty for not rolling in the tackle. Handling by

:22:16. > :22:21.Ulster, interesting. Multiple options... You see Stuart Olding

:22:22. > :22:25.stepping in, and Paddy Jackson employed... More of a midfield

:22:26. > :22:29.role... As a good depth to his pass, in terms of speed and accuracy, on

:22:30. > :22:34.that occasion, going clear down the left-hand side. Jackson has added in

:22:35. > :22:48.difficult conditions a very nice dink in kick, down to the Zebre 22.

:22:49. > :22:51.16 minutes gone. -- dinking. Paddy Jackson, more than 30 Irish

:22:52. > :23:05.international caps, only played one game in the most recent World Cup.

:23:06. > :23:08.-- 13 Irish international cap. Ulster get their heads down, and the

:23:09. > :23:15.backs are parallel to the ground, trying to shun forward. Van der

:23:16. > :23:21.Merwe, losing his head protector, Roger Wilson doing a good bit of

:23:22. > :23:24.clearing out. Here comes Pienaar. Nicely done. Back inside to Craig

:23:25. > :23:32.Gilroy, gets away from the first tackle. Good work by Gilroy, Pienaar

:23:33. > :23:36.again, little slip to Henderson. Set it back nicely, another try in the

:23:37. > :23:42.offing. Jackson runs wide. Not quite sure who that was meant for. Zebre

:23:43. > :23:46.have got it away, missed tackle, this is the last man you want to

:23:47. > :23:53.pass it to, Leonardo Sarto, probably the quickest man on the park, big

:23:54. > :24:03.gap spotted by Guglielmo Palazzani. Well covered by holding. -- Stuart

:24:04. > :24:08.Olding. The try scorer, Guglielmo Palazzani... Moving it wide. Number

:24:09. > :24:17.eight in the corresponding game, in Belfast, six or seven weeks ago,

:24:18. > :24:23.Federico Ruzza. Gap... Skipper... Calvin Hayes, an enormous man, six

:24:24. > :24:26.foot eight, six foot nine. And there are loads of white shirts out here,

:24:27. > :24:32.and that should have been given. Knocked forward. That was a real

:24:33. > :24:39.scoring chance, butchered. Sean Reidy tackling hard. They come back

:24:40. > :24:43.for the scrum. How did Zebre not school? Tommy Bowe, injured as well,

:24:44. > :24:50.going wide, if the pass had come early. Ricky Loughlin made the

:24:51. > :24:55.important pass. Incredible try scoring opportunity, other than this

:24:56. > :25:00.extra rugby corner. Poorly executed chip pass. From their, Zebre turned

:25:01. > :25:09.the game on their head, going to the feet. A vastly experienced official,

:25:10. > :25:14.used to be a referee, they are looking to see if there was pulling

:25:15. > :25:21.back some stage, and then the tackle by Oliviero Fabiani. On Sean Reidy,

:25:22. > :25:27.a legal one. So we are going to look at both of those. First of all, the

:25:28. > :25:33.pull-back. And as a pull-back, that could be a professional foul. This

:25:34. > :25:45.is the quick ball coming back. And we have Mateja patted Seti -- Matteo

:25:46. > :25:53.Pratichetti. I don't know if you can Pienaar lies that. The pass is

:25:54. > :25:59.forward. -- penalise. Contact made, yes contact has been made I don't

:26:00. > :26:05.think he would have picked up the pass, the poor ball, it is going

:26:06. > :26:12.forward, and we see Ricky making the tackle, just doing enough. I want to

:26:13. > :26:22.look at the tackle made by number two, white. OK I shall send it to

:26:23. > :26:27.you. Is waiting to see the other one, he may give us a double-header.

:26:28. > :26:31.I hope he has good eyesight, the screen years looking at is about 100

:26:32. > :26:37.yards away, and it is not the biggest to start with, anyway! Yes,

:26:38. > :26:42.we... Half decent monitors here, but... Courtesy of our Italian

:26:43. > :26:45.colleagues, they have been working all afternoon to get things up and

:26:46. > :26:50.running, when it works, it is wonderful. He's telling him, it is

:26:51. > :26:54.coming, it is coming. There is not forward, that was going to warn the

:26:55. > :27:03.scrummage, the ball is loose... Who picked it up? Franco van der Merwe

:27:04. > :27:06.picked it up first of all, somebody came in... Nothing wrong with

:27:07. > :27:12.that... That was the tackle on him. Nigel asking for it to be played on.

:27:13. > :27:24.Sean Reidy gathered it in from the backward pass by Franco van der

:27:25. > :27:26.Merwe, and did Oliviero Fabiani go in with a no arms tackle? Somebody

:27:27. > :27:29.did... I think it was Matteo Pratichetti, that is a penalty, but

:27:30. > :27:34.it will supersede what may be the previous penalty! I cannot see from

:27:35. > :27:39.that angle. OK, we will check against quite the referee says he

:27:40. > :27:42.cannot see from that angle... Karl Lowe is going to have another look

:27:43. > :27:53.at it and see if we can get another angle. The whole process is so slow.

:27:54. > :28:05.Really, the screen... Minuscule in the extreme. Telling us there is no

:28:06. > :28:09.other angle for the second one, Carlo Damasco. I think that he's

:28:10. > :28:17.just going to tell people to behave themselves. There is a pulling back

:28:18. > :28:21.there, are we showing it there now? There is a pull-back, check if it is

:28:22. > :28:25.a no arms tackle, I cannot see nothing wrong with that, pictures

:28:26. > :28:28.down here are not showing me anything, I have looked, I'm going

:28:29. > :28:35.to go back, because it was obstruction. Penalty against Ulster,

:28:36. > :28:39.for Franco van der Merwe, taking out the tsar brat -- Zebre midfielder

:28:40. > :28:43.without the ball. Even with the pictures that were there, spot on,

:28:44. > :28:50.making it difficult, may speed up the game. That will keep the game a

:28:51. > :28:59.little bit quicker. Only one screen across the other

:29:00. > :29:02.side of the field, almost the full length of the field, given the angle

:29:03. > :29:09.from Nigel Owens, quite small, not terribly good. In the meantime,

:29:10. > :29:16.resulted from a penalty, for Zebre. Carlo Canna, adding the conversion,

:29:17. > :29:16.earlier on. The gap is only four. Straightforward, produced rate

:29:17. > :29:35.forward from there. 18 minutes gone. Nicely struck. Putting Zebre into

:29:36. > :29:40.double figures. Ulster Rugby have been warned. Leonardo Sarto,

:29:41. > :29:45.certainly that all of the backline. If you take your eye from him, he

:29:46. > :29:54.will cut you open. Ulster have been warned. Can they challenge the

:29:55. > :30:04.restart kick? Fairly longish. Jean Cook is underneath it, the tackle is

:30:05. > :30:07.by Tommy Bowe. Charged down. Gathered in by Carlo Canna, running

:30:08. > :30:18.into a couple of blue shirted Ulsterman. Straight into touch,

:30:19. > :30:21.Ulster line-out, they did not do too badly from the restart, not a lot of

:30:22. > :30:25.territory but they have possession. I would like to see more

:30:26. > :30:29.competition, exceedingly good kick by Jackson, held for a long time in

:30:30. > :30:34.the wind, even with its holding, they were still off the pace. When

:30:35. > :30:35.it landed, the 22. Perhaps more impetus needed to get into the air

:30:36. > :30:45.and win back the ball. Ulster going to the seven man

:30:46. > :30:50.line-out with Wilson at the front. Up goes Pete Browne, and that was a

:30:51. > :30:56.complete pains. Roger Wilson turned his back and Rory Best bounced it

:30:57. > :31:01.off his backside. Jean Cook, very aggressive, only 24 years old, from

:31:02. > :31:05.Pietermaritzburg in South Africa, a former South African schools player.

:31:06. > :31:12.Gone wide, looking for Berryman, who is very quick. Kayle van Zyl,

:31:13. > :31:16.another South African. Play on, said the referee. It was the Ulster

:31:17. > :31:22.line-out. Tommy Bowe wanting to take it down the far side. Jared Payne

:31:23. > :31:26.gets away from the first tackle. Ulster, still stuck in second gear

:31:27. > :31:30.at the moment after scoring two very good tries. Stuart Olding, a pretty

:31:31. > :31:36.horrible pass and well taken by Sean Reidy, down and up in one movement.

:31:37. > :31:41.Referred to Chris Henry today. Pienaar, kicking for position. All

:31:42. > :31:46.the way back towards Sarto. He has kept it in. Back to Van Zyl. The

:31:47. > :31:54.wind has held it up and Ulster are back inside the Zebre ten metre

:31:55. > :31:57.line. Into the second quarter, Zebre 10-14 Ulster. More composure needed

:31:58. > :32:01.by Ulster and it is Pienaar who gives it on this occasion with a

:32:02. > :32:06.beautiful grubber kick," the end and Zebre clear their lines. But you are

:32:07. > :32:11.right, a bit of sloppiness creeping into their play and again, looking

:32:12. > :32:15.to go to wide, too early, perhaps. Maybe they should be taking it up

:32:16. > :32:18.the guts of the Zebre midfielder bit more. They need to get this line-out

:32:19. > :32:26.right and they have done. Van der Merwe. Pienaar. It went backwards

:32:27. > :32:31.and Olding makes good ground. Henderson. Jackson. Beautiful pass.

:32:32. > :32:41.Gilroy with a chip chase. Well covered, though by Van Zyl.

:32:42. > :32:48.Palazzani is there quickly. Taken on by the big flanker, Frederica

:32:49. > :32:52.Roussow. South African born, of Italian parentage. -- Federico

:32:53. > :32:58.Ruzza. Palazzani to clear the lines. Was that touched by Jared Payne?

:32:59. > :33:01.From an Ulster perspective, I hope not but it was. He could not resist

:33:02. > :33:06.having a little nibble at it and perhaps regret it because it will be

:33:07. > :33:10.a throw to Zebre. I'm not sure if it was him, maybe somebody at the ruck,

:33:11. > :33:14.seem to take a deflection as it went over the top. But once again,

:33:15. > :33:18.Jackson fizzing the ball around. He has it on a string out there today.

:33:19. > :33:23.He has picked out Gilroy a few times with the flat ball, and Gilroy

:33:24. > :33:27.getting plenty of space. Taken by Bernabo at the front of the Zebre

:33:28. > :33:33.line-out. Ulster, trying to squeeze them towards the touchline.

:33:34. > :33:39.Palazzani. A few men over. Cook runs into Reidy. Well taken by Sean

:33:40. > :33:44.Reidy. Ulster will get the put into the scrum which is good work by

:33:45. > :33:48.Reidy. Yes but again, from Cook's point of view, don't lead with the

:33:49. > :33:52.ball into contact. He did, there, and Reidy stripped it all too easily

:33:53. > :33:56.from an Ulster perspective. That is the kind of technical issue that the

:33:57. > :34:03.coach will be tearing his hair out about. 23 minutes gone. Good

:34:04. > :34:08.attacking scrummage for Ulster. They will have options on both sides,

:34:09. > :34:11.maybe on the -- mainly on the openside. Gilroy is on the left.

:34:12. > :34:13.Pienaar is having a little look to his left to see where Craig Gilroy

:34:14. > :34:28.is. A big, strong Zebre front row.

:34:29. > :34:29.Ceccarelli won his first and only Italian cap so far against Ireland

:34:30. > :34:41.in the recent Six Nations. Ulster, shunting forward. Wilson.

:34:42. > :34:46.Pienaar on the narrow side, a chip through and here comes Gilroy, and

:34:47. > :34:51.he gathers and he is going to score! What a try by Ulster, their third in

:34:52. > :34:58.23 minutes. Andrew and Pienaar's kick could not have been more

:34:59. > :35:01.perfect. -- and Ruan Pienaar's. Gilroy scores, he and Tommy Bowe

:35:02. > :35:05.have this unerring ability, their strike rate is quite phenomenal.

:35:06. > :35:09.Ulster have proved an proved down the left-hand side. Pienaar puts the

:35:10. > :35:12.ball through an shoulder to shoulder with Berryman, who I think goes down

:35:13. > :35:16.a bit easily but Gilroy was in the right place at the right time once

:35:17. > :35:20.again, happy to pick up the pieces and. It down for five points. Jared

:35:21. > :35:28.Payne right on his shoulders and it would have been him if not Gilroy

:35:29. > :35:31.but that is you were's eighth try of the current campaign. He's having a

:35:32. > :35:33.good season in terms of tries goring for Ulster. Ulster have obviously

:35:34. > :35:36.done their homework because they have seen something in the way that

:35:37. > :35:40.Berryman defence because all of the attacking play from first phase is

:35:41. > :35:43.going from the Ulster right, down the left-hand channel. Gilroy looks

:35:44. > :35:52.as though he has the beating of his man all-day long.

:35:53. > :36:00.Jackson, to keep his perfectly clean record going this afternoon. A

:36:01. > :36:04.solider of contact and the flags go up and Jackson, once again, has

:36:05. > :36:12.judged it very nicely. Three tries, three conversions. Macro 10-21

:36:13. > :36:16.Ulster. From Les Kiss' perspective, it does not get much better than

:36:17. > :36:20.what we have seen in this opening 25 minutes. Three quarters of the way

:36:21. > :36:26.to the bonus point, and potentially nearly all the way there in terms of

:36:27. > :36:30.the win. Canna with the restart, plenty of hype and can Ulster deal

:36:31. > :36:37.with it? Yes, Tommy Bowe deals with it, nobody better. Reidy. Enterprise

:36:38. > :36:46.again from the men in blue. Jared Payne. Pienaar set it up. Jackson,

:36:47. > :36:58.flats to big Pete Browne. Well taken by Ceccarelli. He now. Jackson with

:36:59. > :37:02.a handoff, running into Pala Deeney. -- Pala Deeney. Pienaar looking to

:37:03. > :37:06.come down the near side and that is a clever kick. Underneath it is

:37:07. > :37:11.Canna, back in the Ulster side, taken on well by Brown. He needs to

:37:12. > :37:18.control it and he has done, Rory Best at scrum-half. Van der Merwe.

:37:19. > :37:27.Gilroy twinkles again. A dummy from Henderson. Pienaar. Jackson. Change

:37:28. > :37:34.is the angle completely. -- changes the angle. Play it back quickly and

:37:35. > :37:39.Rory Best in rapidly. Reidy, who has scored four tries this year from

:37:40. > :37:43.openside flanker in the league. The referee has given a penalty against

:37:44. > :37:52.Zebre for being obviously offside at the ruck and I'm pretty sure Ulster

:37:53. > :37:56.will go to the corner, Tony. Yes, I think so, just listening to Nigel

:37:57. > :38:00.Owens giving his explanation, and Pienaar is going to prod this into

:38:01. > :38:03.the corner but already, we seize Abra macro on their hands and knees,

:38:04. > :38:08.some of the forwards, and the pace with which Ulster are lit -- zipping

:38:09. > :38:10.the ball about, they are not letting Zebre contestable because they can't

:38:11. > :38:16.get into the breakdown to slow Ulster down but the width Ulster are

:38:17. > :38:18.putting into the game, Zebre are finding it difficult, moving side to

:38:19. > :38:25.side to get their defensive line restructured. Just under 13 minutes

:38:26. > :38:30.until the interval and Ulster are one try away from the bonus point

:38:31. > :38:35.and what a big boost that would be. Priority, of course, is top six, and

:38:36. > :38:43.the preference would be top four. A looping fro, Paul. -- throw, poor.

:38:44. > :38:48.That is going to be a Zebre scrum. You can't make errors like that. A

:38:49. > :38:51.couple of dodgy once Ron Mori, the first Roger Wilson after he turned

:38:52. > :38:54.his back and that did not look as though it came out of the hand

:38:55. > :39:01.properly. He was throwing it into the wind as well but it did not get

:39:02. > :39:05.the release on it. And nobody tractors is more and more often than

:39:06. > :39:11.Rory Best at throwing. -- and nobody practices macro more and more often.

:39:12. > :39:18.The wind is still blowing, probably in zebra's favour. -- Zebre's

:39:19. > :39:21.favour. Ricky Lutton on the Ulster tight head side to get the squeeze

:39:22. > :39:24.on and that is a good bit of scrummaging by Ricky Lutton, nice,

:39:25. > :39:28.straight back by the tight head. Zebre in all kinds of trouble and

:39:29. > :39:33.Ulster have done well at the set piece. Can they turn it over? No,

:39:34. > :39:39.they can't at the moment. Zebre have do bring it in field to give Canna a

:39:40. > :39:45.better angle. Palazzini has got back into his normal position and he's

:39:46. > :39:49.going to kick the ball. And that is going to be an Ulster line-out but

:39:50. > :39:54.what a good Ulster scrummage. Yes, very good from Callum Black, with a

:39:55. > :39:57.few extra was power provided by Iain Henderson behind them. Henderson,

:39:58. > :40:02.for a back row forward, scrummage is very hard and low. It has been

:40:03. > :40:06.noticeable early on that Ulster have used him deliberately behind Ricky

:40:07. > :40:09.Lutton, to give him a bit of extra confidence, to get himself into the

:40:10. > :40:18.game. He's up against Andrea Lovotti, who has been the Italian

:40:19. > :40:20.first choice loosehead, and certainly, Lutton has also started

:40:21. > :40:22.the game well. Terrific back position from Ricky Lutton. Rory

:40:23. > :40:24.Best, much better. Van der Merwe and Rory Best comes round, flat, to

:40:25. > :40:30.Stuart Olding who gets away from Bernabo. It has come back on the

:40:31. > :40:35.Zebre side. A bit of carelessness and they get it wide to the

:40:36. > :40:40.full-back, Van Zyl. Tommy Bowe with the tackle. Luke Marshall in there

:40:41. > :40:50.as well, foraging. Slow ball coming back from Zebre. As that gone into

:40:51. > :40:59.touch? Not quite. Olding. -- Palazzini. Taken on by his skipper.

:41:00. > :41:04.Tommy Bowe. Paddy Jackson. Jared Payne.

:41:05. > :41:14.Tries to get outside Andrea Lovotti. Somebody needs to go into that and

:41:15. > :41:20.-- for that and it is Pienaar. Nicely done by Olding into Tommy

:41:21. > :41:25.Bowe. Jackson has a little glance, don't know about the kick about

:41:26. > :41:30.Henderson. Reidy. Pete Browne, good work by him. Set up nicely. Someone

:41:31. > :41:33.has to control the ball. Pienaar, Jackson again misses out Van der

:41:34. > :41:40.Merwe. Callum Black with Ricky Lutton Outside In. Pienaar, probing

:41:41. > :41:46.again. Roger Wilson. -- outside him. 204 Ulster Caps plus 117 Northampton

:41:47. > :41:51.Saints, Wilson, an outstanding senior club record. Pete Browne, by

:41:52. > :41:58.Luke Marshall. Good continuity by Ulster. Henderson, low and

:41:59. > :42:05.purposeful. Pienaar again looking for the narrow side. Is it to Black

:42:06. > :42:12.who again puts it heads down. -- gives it. He is rolled but that was

:42:13. > :42:17.legal. Van der Merwe into his opposite number, Bernabo. Ulster to

:42:18. > :42:23.go left. Jackson to Payne. A bit flat. Gilroy. Olding, lovely little

:42:24. > :42:27.step. Tommy Bowe off the left wing. He makes good ground and gets it to

:42:28. > :42:33.Payne who to did wonderfully behind him with one hand. Once again,

:42:34. > :42:39.Ulster putting on the pressure. Could not quite get the pass away.

:42:40. > :42:42.This could be interesting. All the way back goes Luke Marshall and he

:42:43. > :42:47.does not want Berryman to get it and he has done well, Luke Marshall, and

:42:48. > :42:50.kicked cleverly. That is going to sit up, not make the dead-ball line

:42:51. > :43:02.all the goal-line, anyway. Palazzini. Van Zyl. Canna to clear.

:43:03. > :43:06.And that will be an Ulster line-out on the far side. Eight minutes to

:43:07. > :43:10.go, Ulster leading by 11 clear points. Well played, Luke Marshall.

:43:11. > :43:13.It looked as though Berryman had the run on him but he read the bounce

:43:14. > :43:18.well and then used good footwork and a bit of pace to dig himself out of

:43:19. > :43:21.the hole. Once again, as you said, Ulster going through the phases

:43:22. > :43:26.well. Roger Wilson caught himself a bit flat of the pass from Ricky

:43:27. > :43:30.Lutton otherwise he was threw a huge hole. Ulster, really going to town

:43:31. > :43:33.on the zebra pack in the loose at the minute, working them from side

:43:34. > :43:37.to side and plenty of space out here. And Ulster have a pretty dated

:43:38. > :43:42.looking bench with players like Robbie Diack and Chris Henry, Paul

:43:43. > :43:49.Marshall and Darren Cave in the back division to come on. Tommy Bowe,

:43:50. > :43:54.incidentally, top of the Pro12 try scoring list with his 63rd, his 45th

:43:55. > :43:58.for Ulster in this competition today. He made quite a few for spray

:43:59. > :44:02.is, remember. Pienaar to Henderson, very nearly up to full steam and

:44:03. > :44:08.still going. Gave it away cheaply and rather carelessly, Henderson.

:44:09. > :44:14.John Cook takes it on. -- Jean Cook. The two flankers, working together.

:44:15. > :44:21.Palazzini and Canna with no option but to kick. That might go a long

:44:22. > :44:29.way. Jared Payne, just dotting it down for the 22, to Ulster with

:44:30. > :44:34.seven minutes to go. Nigel Owens saying to Jared Payne, "That was

:44:35. > :44:39.only just moving", and Jared Payne said, "Never in doubt, referee", or

:44:40. > :44:45.words to that effect! He's relieved. He's breathing heavily as well.

:44:46. > :44:50.Ulster have been probing, and Zebre, the outside-half defender with

:44:51. > :44:53.broken play, usually forward but that inside pass which Tommy Bowe

:44:54. > :44:58.scored from, Henderson nearly found a way through on this occasion.

:44:59. > :45:02.Aberdeen by Kayle van Zyl. A little chip gathered by Sean Reidy. He

:45:03. > :45:10.needs someone with him and he's got Olding. Actor Reidy. Franco van der

:45:11. > :45:15.Merwe. -- back to Reidy. Stuart Olding. This is a great chance for

:45:16. > :45:21.Ulster to get the bonus point try. Reidy. Could not get it away, just a

:45:22. > :45:25.bit overdone. Zebre offside. I don't think there's any point in Ulster

:45:26. > :45:29.going for the three point is there? Not really, no but they made a bit

:45:30. > :45:33.of a mess of that. When Sean Reidy picked it up, it was three against

:45:34. > :45:36.one for Ulster and it was a case of someone pinning their ears back and

:45:37. > :45:39.going to the line but it was passing to each other instead of someone

:45:40. > :45:43.putting their foot to the metal and getting over the try line. They

:45:44. > :45:50.conspired to make a mess of it in the end. A bit of a delay, a

:45:51. > :45:58.stoppage because someone is injured. Has Rory Best opted for the scrum?

:45:59. > :46:04.Stuart Olding has looked very, very dangerous this afternoon as well.

:46:05. > :46:09.Nice to see him back at inside centre. I think that is potentially

:46:10. > :46:13.his best position. His footwork is second to none. Really starting to

:46:14. > :46:19.probe in and around Pratichetti's inside shoulder and finding a lot of

:46:20. > :46:23.space. I thought he had given a penalty against Zebre but he

:46:24. > :46:27.indicated it was a scrum to them and maybe they are not as upright as I

:46:28. > :46:31.thought. In fact, it is an Ulster scrum. Can they get the right

:46:32. > :46:35.shoulder on to release Roger Wilson on the near side? Will they go to

:46:36. > :46:40.the openside? Here we go, Olding with the sidestep, strong, set it

:46:41. > :46:45.up. Pienaar. Wilson steps back of the left leg. Ulster, churning

:46:46. > :46:54.forward. Pienaar again, taken on hard by big Pete Browne. Pienaar.

:46:55. > :46:57.Wilson, looking for a rare try, but leaves it behind. Pienaar, better

:46:58. > :47:02.ball from Ulster, Pienaar looking for a second on the Ulster bonus

:47:03. > :47:11.point. Held up a metre short. Very nearly turned over by Zebre.

:47:12. > :47:15.REFEREE: It is a bit of a 50-50. I am not going to Pina lies one over

:47:16. > :47:19.the other. Ulster will get the scrum right on the Zebre line with four

:47:20. > :47:23.minutes remaining. They really need to be thinking about scoring from

:47:24. > :47:27.this one, don't they? Yes, they would love to have four tries in the

:47:28. > :47:31.bag before half-time. Ruan Pienaar getting onto his back. I think he

:47:32. > :47:34.thought he could roll it over and let his momentum take it over the

:47:35. > :47:40.line but the Zebre defenders did well to snuff it out. A bit of a

:47:41. > :47:43.stoppage as a Zebre player gets one of the treatment and a lot of them

:47:44. > :47:48.are standing with hands on hips and blowing and puffing, such has been

:47:49. > :47:52.the pace of this game. Ulster, Johnny Davis has this side in tiptop

:47:53. > :47:55.condition. Absolutely and don't underestimate how warm it is out

:47:56. > :47:59.there, it is seriously warm. There's been very few breaks in play and

:48:00. > :48:02.opportunities to get water on board which again takes its effect. You

:48:03. > :48:07.made a valid point earlier, Ulster have a lot of pace on the bench and

:48:08. > :48:11.certainly, I would imagine on 50, 55 minutes, we will see most of those

:48:12. > :48:17.players coming on and injecting some more velocity into this Ulster

:48:18. > :48:20.attack. A bunch of very jolly Ulster supporters this morning, including

:48:21. > :48:25.the former Ulster and Ireland video, John Martin, who was the physio when

:48:26. > :48:28.they won the European cup in 1999 and him and a bunch of guys flew

:48:29. > :48:31.over from Dublin first thing and they are having a pretty jolly

:48:32. > :48:36.weekend by the sound and sites of things this morning. Stay out of the

:48:37. > :48:42.way later if John Martin is involved! We will be on the plane

:48:43. > :48:49.home by then. Everything seems to be fine and the clock has restarted.

:48:50. > :48:55.Well, they have started the clock before Nigel Owens has said... The

:48:56. > :48:58.clock should have stopped and now it. Again. A big scrum for Ulster,

:48:59. > :49:05.they will be looking to score from this. It has been a good set piece

:49:06. > :49:08.so far. Good, solid back by Ricky Lutton, against the current

:49:09. > :49:11.international Italian loosehead prop, great work by Ricky Lutton and

:49:12. > :49:15.the Ulster front row and now it is grabbing around and Wilson lost

:49:16. > :49:19.control of it, penalty against Zebre. I'm pretty sure Ulster will

:49:20. > :49:29.take another scrum from there. REFEREE: Not driving square, Zebre.

:49:30. > :49:33.That is what Nigel Owens thinks. Alan Clark will be loving the ball

:49:34. > :49:36.position in there, nice and low, chasing the feet underneath you,

:49:37. > :49:40.good control from Roger Wilson at the back. It was quite evident early

:49:41. > :49:43.on, Ruan Pienaar put the ball in and dropped four or five yards directly

:49:44. > :49:51.behind the scrum because he knew the forwards would have a shove at that.

:49:52. > :49:57.They might have another one. 21-10 would be a pretty decent half-time

:49:58. > :50:02.lead for Ulster. 26-10 or 28-10 would be even better. It is

:50:03. > :50:06.important they keep concentrating here, Jim.

:50:07. > :50:17.Well, I'm afraid that Ceccarelli and Andrea Lovotti were taking that down

:50:18. > :50:25.a little bit. Lovotti on the Lucent side. The big issue with this is

:50:26. > :50:27.that two or three reset scrums takes 60 seconds, maybe 90, which will

:50:28. > :50:34.take you post to the half-time whistle. Do you think Zebre have not

:50:35. > :50:37.noticed that? I think they have but that should in courage Ulster to get

:50:38. > :50:42.the ball in and out quicker, rather than letting it lie in their and

:50:43. > :50:49.potentially letting the reset occur. -- in there. Another penalty against

:50:50. > :50:57.Zebre, taken quickly by Ulster. Olding. Pienaar. Paddy Jackson.

:50:58. > :51:03.Jared Payne. Payne, back inside. Kept in by Jackson, who is taken by

:51:04. > :51:07.Palazzini. Still there, for Ulster, if they can conjure something up

:51:08. > :51:12.now. Pete Browne did well to scoop up a rather sloppy pass. Still

:51:13. > :51:15.there, for the men in blue. Callum Black, Ricky Lutton and Rory Best,

:51:16. > :51:21.the front row trundling forward. Wider to Payne. A bit of obstruction

:51:22. > :51:24.but the referee says play on. The tackle had been made before the

:51:25. > :51:30.crossing occurred. Good refereeing by Nigel Owens. That is why he is

:51:31. > :51:34.the best. Zebre making life difficult for Ulster at the Bay

:51:35. > :51:39.ground -- breakdown. It is not coming back quickly or cleanly. Now

:51:40. > :51:46.they have it. Pienaar to his fellow spring, Van der Merwe. -- Springbok

:51:47. > :51:50.full stop Pienaar again. Rory Best in the outside-half position, helped

:51:51. > :51:55.by Pete Browne. A bit more zip in this one. Jackson, nicely done,

:51:56. > :52:00.Gilroy gets away, looking for a second. Ulster, two or three metres

:52:01. > :52:03.away. Penalty coming to Ulster. Luke Marshall steps back inside and

:52:04. > :52:07.again, the referee still playing advantage to the men in blue. Head

:52:08. > :52:15.down, driving for the line, Van der Merwe. Surely the try must come?

:52:16. > :52:23.Henderson. Tommy Bowe gets it away and this is the try! Nicely worked,

:52:24. > :52:31.Jared Payne on the narrow side. REFEREE: No attempt to release, off

:52:32. > :52:36.you go, please. Ulster have a try and Palazzini, the man who scored

:52:37. > :52:40.the Zebre try has also been been so a double blow for the home side.

:52:41. > :52:44.Great hands by Tommy Bowe, composure by Ulster, happy to go through the

:52:45. > :52:47.phases. Tommy Bowe has been there many times before. The slight of

:52:48. > :52:51.hand, you almost did not see the transfer coming through. Great

:52:52. > :52:55.refereeing by Nigel Owens, Palazzini quite clearly made a tackle early,

:52:56. > :52:59.lent over the ball and stopped the quick release. Eventually Ulster

:53:00. > :53:02.scored but Nigel Owens ayes judgment, going back through a

:53:03. > :53:05.couple of phases and giving him a yellow card, which will give Ulster

:53:06. > :53:11.an even bigger Filipe at the start of the second half. -- an even

:53:12. > :53:15.bigger Filipe. It's not been bad for Ulster but from conceding a try,

:53:16. > :53:20.they have rattled off four tries so the bonus point is in the bag. It is

:53:21. > :53:25.now a question of pressing him the victory and the superiority. --

:53:26. > :53:30.pressing home. The toughest conversion Jackson has had so far in

:53:31. > :53:33.this game. And when he kicks this, that will be the end of what has

:53:34. > :53:38.been a pretty decent first half in Italy. , who have oftentimes

:53:39. > :53:46.struggled in this part of the world. -- in Italy for Ulster. A nasty,

:53:47. > :53:50.swirling breeze for Jackson. It may drift across the front and he's just

:53:51. > :53:54.overcompensated, a rather dull thump and he knew he did not make the

:53:55. > :53:58.contact but Ulster with four tries in the bag, must be pretty happy

:53:59. > :54:02.about the opening 40. They've done everything asked of them, Jim.

:54:03. > :54:05.They've been efficient, good with ball in hand. Yes, they've made a

:54:06. > :54:08.few mistakes but they've been prepared to have a cup that it which

:54:09. > :54:11.has been the enjoyable thing to see. Nice to see Jared Payne getting a

:54:12. > :54:15.try because he could have had three in the first half, had a couple of

:54:16. > :54:17.others taken off his thing tips by Tommy Bowe and Craig Gilroy and no

:54:18. > :54:22.more than he deserves, the touchdown at the end of the first half. I'm

:54:23. > :54:28.sure Ulster will want to press home disadvantage. Not a bad opening 40

:54:29. > :54:31.minutes for them, despite conceding a try, they scored tries through

:54:32. > :54:33.Ruan Pienaar, Tommy Bowe and Craig are wherewith his eighth of the

:54:34. > :54:37.season and at the end of the first half, from Jared Payne. Paddy

:54:38. > :54:42.Jackson kicked three conversions. At half-time in Italy, it is Zebre

:54:43. > :54:46.10-26 Ulster, who are in good form. STUDIO: Stephen Ferris and Maurice

:54:47. > :54:50.Field have been enjoying what has been a very comfortable first for

:54:51. > :54:53.Ulster. Very entertaining and great to see the ball being thrown around,

:54:54. > :54:59.good conditions over there, four tries on the board already. We were

:55:00. > :55:02.talking, do they build on it, take a few players off and rest them for

:55:03. > :55:05.the Leinster game coming up? The boys have got a week off and I think

:55:06. > :55:09.they will go full throttle in the second half and score more. Unlike

:55:10. > :55:13.recently, that was a fairly easy watch in the first half. It has

:55:14. > :55:19.been, more like a training run at times. A couple of little elements

:55:20. > :55:23.that you can't be happy with, the concentration after they've scored,

:55:24. > :55:26.the boys switching off. That and an Zebre to come back into it. But when

:55:27. > :55:31.they played with a high tempo they can, Zebre could not staying to

:55:32. > :55:33.them. It is the multiphase I've been impressed with, people don't

:55:34. > :55:37.understand it, you are going through so many phases and the Zebre boys

:55:38. > :55:40.will be tired at half-time and they've got another 40 minutes to go

:55:41. > :55:44.where is the Ulster boys can't wait to get out for the second half and

:55:45. > :55:50.do the same again. They set the tone very early with an excellent first

:55:51. > :55:54.drive. Two minutes in, taking the game, a simple wraparound play.

:55:55. > :55:58.Paddy Jackson taking the ball and wrapping around. It is a mismatch

:55:59. > :56:02.which is what you want as a back, identifying the mismatches in the

:56:03. > :56:07.forwards in front of you. That was a very simple, one against three.

:56:08. > :56:11.Jared Payne was not happy with not getting the short ball back inside!

:56:12. > :56:16.Reed Brown does an excellent job at blocking. It just opens up for Paddy

:56:17. > :56:21.Jackson, puts his head down and throws the missed pass to Ruan

:56:22. > :56:25.Pienaar for him to score. Good all-round play by everyone. When

:56:26. > :56:30.Paddy Jackson is that is best, he controls the game superbly well. He

:56:31. > :56:33.has the physical ability to play like an inside centre. He can take

:56:34. > :56:37.the contact. He's no wallflower Andy Watts to take the ball to the gain

:56:38. > :56:42.line, and he is looking for attacking options. He wants to come

:56:43. > :56:46.back into the kicking game as well. When he's on the front foot, she's

:56:47. > :56:49.playing exceptionally well. Tommy Bowe's first game this season after

:56:50. > :56:55.picking up the World Cup injury, nice way to come back! It is and you

:56:56. > :56:58.see his name on the team sheet and you instantly know that he's in with

:56:59. > :57:01.a shout of scoring. Paddy Jackson with a dummy switchback incited

:57:02. > :57:05.Tommy and missed tackle from the second rope and Tommy Bowe bumps him

:57:06. > :57:09.and goes between the sticks. That is Tommy Bowe, he's very vocal in

:57:10. > :57:13.attack and defence. Paddy Jackson would have known Inzaghi where he

:57:14. > :57:19.was and the ball was given and then he goes. -- exactly where he was.

:57:20. > :57:23.That is Paddy Jackson reading what is in front of him again, a prop, a

:57:24. > :57:26.second row and a vulgar in front of him and Tommy Bowe against those

:57:27. > :57:29.individuals, running different angles, they can deal with it

:57:30. > :57:34.head-on but Tommy Bowe on the angle, he looks as though he's travelling

:57:35. > :57:38.and he is deceptively powerful and quick. Coming back for all static

:57:39. > :57:41.regrettable -- critical time of the season. Greg Luer doing what he's

:57:42. > :57:48.done all season, finishing off tries. He's electric, I love

:57:49. > :57:52.watching him. Internationally, he's not got as many caps as a lot of the

:57:53. > :57:54.Ulster fans would have wanted but he's electric. This is a great

:57:55. > :57:57.finish, fantastic, keeps his head down and it pops up. He gets over,

:57:58. > :58:01.closer to the sticks. Ruan Pienaar has been controlling the game fairly

:58:02. > :58:05.well, putting the ball in the right areas. A bit fortunate there as well

:58:06. > :58:10.but when it comes, you have to take it and he was there at the right

:58:11. > :58:12.time. Good skill from grade. Berryman will be disappointed he

:58:13. > :58:18.went down like an Italian goalkeeper, there! He can't be happy

:58:19. > :58:22.with that but it was shoulder to shoulder, legal. Craig Tuck is

:58:23. > :58:24.opportunity well. Ulster pushed right until half-time because they

:58:25. > :58:29.know the importance of getting the bonus point today. It has gone

:58:30. > :58:32.brilliantly for them and they have done it before half-time. But Tony

:58:33. > :58:36.touched on it just before half-time, when they work eating scrum after

:58:37. > :58:40.scrum, yes, the forwards would have liked to barrel it over but Ruan

:58:41. > :58:44.Pienaar, got the pace back into it, quick tap and Tommy Bowe, first

:58:45. > :58:51.receiver, just half of a no look pass and putting Jared Payne into

:58:52. > :58:53.the corner. No need for these zippy passes, he just pushed Jared Payne

:58:54. > :58:57.in and he's been fantastic in attack. He has performed really

:58:58. > :59:03.well. Tommy Bowe, again, in the right place at the right time. Into

:59:04. > :59:07.space, simple hand, the ball moves quicker out of defence and Jared

:59:08. > :59:10.Payne is in the right place to storm. This Zebre team have not won

:59:11. > :59:15.since the turn of the New Year and they are second bottom of the table.

:59:16. > :59:19.But at times, they showed what they can produce. Yeah, look, they are

:59:20. > :59:24.just playing for pride every week. They don't really have anything to

:59:25. > :59:28.play for. But they get a good maul setup and the scrum-half has been

:59:29. > :59:32.fairly lively. He got a yellow card just before half-time. This is a

:59:33. > :59:37.good pack effort and Ulster are on the back foot. They should take

:59:38. > :59:40.something out of this for the second half, because it is a brilliant day

:59:41. > :59:45.for running rugby. Maybe Ulster are a bit vulnerable and the set piece

:59:46. > :59:50.and maul time. It is a good score but it is all about Ulster today.

:59:51. > :59:55.One of the few mistakes Paddy Jackson made when Ulster got turned

:59:56. > :59:59.over as well. It gave Zebre an opportunity to counter. You look at

:00:00. > :00:03.this and the Italians like playing with ball in hand. It is about the

:00:04. > :00:11.accuracy and the simple things. You need to be able to defend. Again,

:00:12. > :00:14.dog-eared defence -- dogged defence. They are three big and strong men.

:00:15. > :00:18.It is slow ball coming back but there's a penalty given for an

:00:19. > :00:23.infringement. To me, I don't think Van der Merwe really made contact.

:00:24. > :00:26.It looks worse in slow motion. If we are going to stop everyone for

:00:27. > :00:31.blocking runs, you are going to be giving penalties away all the time.

:00:32. > :00:43.But as you said, it has been all Ulster so far.

:00:44. > :00:57.There is a creative site to the Ulster Number ten when we found out

:00:58. > :01:03.when he met another local artist. Would you have done this in school?

:01:04. > :01:08.Yes, in rugby playing schools Art is not so cool. It was not the coolest

:01:09. > :01:15.thing, but it was always something I did and loved. I did art and I was

:01:16. > :01:20.bored at home and I thought I would give it a go again. I can only draw

:01:21. > :01:27.something right in front of me, I cannot do something from my head.

:01:28. > :01:34.Have you played rugby? Yes in primary three. Up until I was about

:01:35. > :01:39.20 I thought I was going to play, but I can still wounded deeply that

:01:40. > :01:50.that they never came. Is much safer than doing this kind of stuff

:01:51. > :01:56.anyway. He has not done that for a while and he has landed that. What a

:01:57. > :02:01.good strike by Paddy Jackson. I did a bit of arts in school and I am

:02:02. > :02:07.into music. Rugby is a short career, so you have to have other interests

:02:08. > :02:10.outside it. Paddy Jackson has not captained the side since his last

:02:11. > :02:16.year at Methodist College. I had been sick and I had not been in at

:02:17. > :02:21.the start of the week and I went in and they gave me the nod. There were

:02:22. > :02:28.two little lads and they were the same size as me. But the gave me the

:02:29. > :02:39.captaincy and at a young age it was something really special for me and

:02:40. > :02:48.my family. Out of all the drawings who is the easiest and the hardest?

:02:49. > :02:58.You can go down to the simplest, a rectangle with a pronounced chin.

:02:59. > :03:03.And he has got doleful, dog eyes. But Trimble was more satisfying

:03:04. > :03:24.because he is an intense guy. There is an intense look about him. Are

:03:25. > :03:32.you ready? Yes. Can you handle this? The fact you can do that in ten

:03:33. > :03:42.minutes is pretty impressive. This is numbered two. I will let you

:03:43. > :03:53.decide about those, what do you think? He is such a great guy. What

:03:54. > :03:57.do you reckon? The one on the right? Pre-match and post match. He has

:03:58. > :04:02.been very good to date on the pitch. A reminder about our online show.

:04:03. > :04:11.McCluskey joins us in the studio and that programme is on BBC sport in

:04:12. > :04:15.our website. Let the update you on the other important game, Scarlett

:04:16. > :04:21.against Glasgow. It is crucial for Ulster. It is good news if you are

:04:22. > :04:26.and Stephan because Scots led at half-time with two tries by Finn

:04:27. > :04:33.Russell and this one by Lee Jones. They have pulled further away in the

:04:34. > :04:41.second half. They are now leading 46-10. They scored in the very first

:04:42. > :04:48.minute of the second half and they have added two more tries. That

:04:49. > :04:56.secured the try scoring bonus point. It is 46-10 at the moment. The

:04:57. > :05:03.former Ulster player Tommy Seymour had this touchdown. Glasgow are

:05:04. > :05:04.comfortable minutes today -- winners today, with a couple of minutes

:05:05. > :05:22.left. It leaves it in Ulster's own hands.

:05:23. > :05:27.It does. Everybody should be scared of Glasgow, they are very dangerous.

:05:28. > :05:32.But it is an Ulster's hands. Can they speak in the back door and get

:05:33. > :05:39.into a top four play-off? I really hope so. Today hopefully they will

:05:40. > :05:43.have that cup final in the bag. Could they rack up a few more points

:05:44. > :05:48.in this second half and see where it goes? They need one more win to make

:05:49. > :06:01.European qualification absolutely secure. I think they will need 66 or

:06:02. > :06:09.67. The injuries that the Scarlet have mean they do not have the depth

:06:10. > :06:18.to maintain a challenge. But they have to be careful now about

:06:19. > :06:25.injuries and Ruan Pienaar and Jared Payne might get pulled going into

:06:26. > :06:29.the second half. We don't want to look ahead when we have not finished

:06:30. > :06:34.the job today, but they have got Leinster at home. You have to look

:06:35. > :06:41.ahead. I have played against Leinster at home and it is a really

:06:42. > :06:50.tough match. But we are starting to play some good stuff. Hopefully we

:06:51. > :06:53.can stay injury free and get a bit more momentum going into this

:06:54. > :06:58.Leinster game. It is sold out already, so hopefully the crowd will

:06:59. > :07:05.get behind as and we can get that win. We are talking about can Ulster

:07:06. > :07:08.make the top six and the play-offs? But with two big performances after

:07:09. > :07:21.this, Ulster could win the Pro12 this year. Let's qualify first. It

:07:22. > :07:25.is still there. Do we want an Ulster performance or do we want to win the

:07:26. > :07:33.Masters? We would like to see Ulster when some silverware because it has

:07:34. > :07:38.been to cents the last time. Go for the glory. They have already got a

:07:39. > :07:46.bonus point. Let's see how they get on in the second half.

:07:47. > :08:01.No changes since the first half. Palazzani was in the sin-bin for

:08:02. > :08:11.being a naughty boy. A great bit of many rugby activity around the

:08:12. > :08:15.stadium this weekend. Christian Wade has scored six tries for Wasps in

:08:16. > :08:21.the English Premiership to equal the record held for many years by a

:08:22. > :08:27.certain Ryan Constable who scored six tries in one game for Saracens.

:08:28. > :08:33.All records, as Ryan said a couple of minutes ago, I meant to be

:08:34. > :08:44.broken. Ruan Pienaar scored one of the tries. That was a terrific kick

:08:45. > :08:49.by Jackson. You can see the forward up on their toes saying well done,

:08:50. > :08:57.master Paddy. Paddy Jackson is full of confidence. The force is flowing

:08:58. > :09:03.through his veins and he can do no wrong. That is a great start from

:09:04. > :09:09.Ulster, clearing their lines well. Ulster have a game next weekend and

:09:10. > :09:14.they still may well make changes in the second half. Good tackle by Sean

:09:15. > :09:28.Reidy on his opposite number, cooker. A penalty given away

:09:29. > :09:30.unfortunately by Van der Merwe. Ruan Pienaar drops back to a company

:09:31. > :09:43.Tommy Bowe on the far touchline. A good strike by Carlo Canada. It

:09:44. > :09:47.would be wrong of Ulster to expect this game to be won at this stage.

:09:48. > :09:51.If they could get some points at the beginning of the second half, it

:09:52. > :09:55.will make them feel better. You would like to think they have done

:09:56. > :09:57.enough to win it, but they cannot afford to take their eyes off the

:09:58. > :10:12.ball. Glasgow walloped the Scarlet 's by

:10:13. > :10:16.46-10. If it stays this way here, Ulster will move up into fourth

:10:17. > :10:25.place ahead of the Scarlet is. That was a good tackle by Sean Reidy who

:10:26. > :10:27.is having a good season. Chris Henry is on the bench and will relish the

:10:28. > :10:47.chance to come on and impress. Tommy Bowe goes right through the

:10:48. > :10:54.middle. Have they got that old zip? Jared Payne, his second try. What a

:10:55. > :10:58.burst of gas by Jared Payne. He looks as if he is to play along and

:10:59. > :11:04.then all of a sudden the turbo kicks in. The New Zealander is now an

:11:05. > :11:11.essential part of this Ulster side. What a start to the second half. A

:11:12. > :11:19.great line from Tommy Bowe, good acceleration. He just pulls back and

:11:20. > :11:25.Olding takes the tackle and is able to play the ball and keep it alive.

:11:26. > :11:28.Jared Payne just appears from nowhere and turns on the

:11:29. > :11:35.afterburners and goes over in the corner. For any youngster sitting at

:11:36. > :11:39.home, play with your head up and look at the space in front of you

:11:40. > :11:45.and keep the ball in your hands and give yourself the chance to make

:11:46. > :11:54.that path. I wonder if Jackson is injured a little bit. Darren Cave is

:11:55. > :11:59.due to come on. Ruan Pienaar is taking the conversion. He has not

:12:00. > :12:07.been doing a lot of kicking this season because Paddy Jackson has

:12:08. > :12:11.been doing most of it. It will be Ulster's fifth try and we are only a

:12:12. > :12:25.couple of minutes into the second half. Oh, yes! That is a pitch by

:12:26. > :12:34.Ruan Pienaar. The Ulster contingent are chanting his name. -- a pitch.

:12:35. > :12:41.Paddy Jackson is applying some ice to his left side. It looks like a

:12:42. > :12:47.dead leg. With their commanding lead they are taking no chances and

:12:48. > :12:49.Jackson comes ashore. You assume Stuart Owen will go into that left

:12:50. > :13:39.half position. That was a bit wayward, but he makes

:13:40. > :14:08.the best of it. Good continuity by Ulster. He could

:14:09. > :14:17.not quite get the pass away. Not forward by Tommy Bowe. It is good to

:14:18. > :14:24.see his enthusiasm. Maybe the top ends it is not there, but the brain

:14:25. > :14:32.is still working. I don't think it was intended for Tommy Bowe, there

:14:33. > :14:36.was another player further out wide. It is the first thing that has not

:14:37. > :14:39.stuck for Tommy Bowe this afternoon because everything has gone

:14:40. > :14:45.beautifully. He could not have made a more auspicious comeback. One or

:14:46. > :14:57.two replacement is starting to come on.

:14:58. > :15:08.Rob Herring is coming on. Rory Best goes off. Rob Herring will have a

:15:09. > :15:13.little chat from the current skipper and he will take over as the new

:15:14. > :15:18.skipper for the rest of the game. They have played a good shift this

:15:19. > :15:22.afternoon, the three elder statesmen of the pack. Maybe the sunshine has

:15:23. > :15:32.taken a bit of a toll on them as well. We are lucky we are

:15:33. > :15:36.commentating from the shade. A knock-on by Ulster, six minutes

:15:37. > :15:45.gone. Ulster with five tries in the bag and looking for a match points.

:15:46. > :15:49.Ruan Pienaar, Tommy Bowe, Craig White and Jared Payne and three

:15:50. > :15:58.conversions by Paddy Jackson and in the second half the try by Jared

:15:59. > :16:06.Payne. Palazzani is due to come back on again. Ulster get the penalty. A

:16:07. > :16:17.good scrummaging effort by the men in blue. Fabiani going down on his

:16:18. > :16:24.knees to hook the ball as Nigel Owens is saying. Pienaar to the

:16:25. > :16:30.corner to give Ulster the attacking platform for the line-out. A chance

:16:31. > :16:36.for Rob Herring to go through his paces. He has been one of Ulster's

:16:37. > :16:44.standout performers this year. Ulster are lucky to have him because

:16:45. > :16:45.he is a man of many talents. Presumably Chris Henry will go to

:16:46. > :17:16.number eight. That is good control by Ulster. A

:17:17. > :17:21.penalty against Zebre. They cannot say that Nigel Owens didn't warn

:17:22. > :17:26.them. I don't think anybody has any thing to quarrel about because you

:17:27. > :17:30.can hear him. Even from where we are sitting, he is very simple and

:17:31. > :17:37.straightforward and gets his point across. There is no excuse for not

:17:38. > :17:40.being able to understand what he is saying. It was a good

:17:41. > :18:02.well-controlled stride by Ulster. The coaching team will not be happy

:18:03. > :18:12.with that, there was a great chance for the sixth try to be constructed.

:18:13. > :18:20.Ulster once again have a very good attacking position. They are playing

:18:21. > :18:27.with an advantage. There is a very strong wind playing straight down

:18:28. > :18:30.the ground at their backs. In some cases it makes passing difficult.

:18:31. > :18:42.But Ulster moved the ball pretty well into the wind. Patches of

:18:43. > :18:49.bright sunlight here. The sunshine is just disappearing below the stand

:18:50. > :18:50.from where we are commentating. Rob Herring has started 15 games for

:18:51. > :19:35.Ulster as captain. It was not forward. I don't think it

:19:36. > :19:48.was deliberate. REFEREE: Scrum down, blue ball, knock-on.

:19:49. > :20:01.So Palazzani comes on. Number 22 is probably going to go to full-back

:20:02. > :20:18.because Van Zyl is coming off. They have just gone to the video

:20:19. > :20:27.referee to see whether or not it was a knock-on. That is what TMOs are

:20:28. > :20:32.for. One recalls the game between Ulster and Glasgow with John Lacy in

:20:33. > :20:37.a similar position. The referee decided it was not a forward pass

:20:38. > :20:43.and would not go upstairs to check. They were dismissive of the pleas of

:20:44. > :20:47.the Ulster captain Rob Herring. The TMO can relate that to the referee,

:20:48. > :20:54.rather than the game having to stop and become very disrupted. Ten

:20:55. > :21:03.minutes gone in the second half. Ulster leading by 23 points. Sean

:21:04. > :21:12.Reidy is in at number eight which is interesting.

:21:13. > :21:33.That was heading for touch, so Reidy did exceptionally well.

:21:34. > :21:41.A hat-trick for Jared Payne! What a finish. Zebre are appealing for

:21:42. > :21:46.obstruction and the referee is saying, do not be silly. A perfectly

:21:47. > :21:53.good try and what a good day for Jared Payne. Not many people scored

:21:54. > :21:59.hat tricks for Ulster. And Olding opened up the Zebre defence like a

:22:00. > :22:10.can. Good feet and awareness around him again. Gilroy with the dance and

:22:11. > :22:17.a symbol transfer to Jared Payne. A lot of people have been saying ever

:22:18. > :22:26.since he arrived a few years ago in Ulster that full-back would be his

:22:27. > :22:30.position. He reads the game fantastically. I think sometimes we

:22:31. > :22:35.underestimate his pace to hit the line. Sometimes you need blistering

:22:36. > :22:42.pace to do that. He has a blistering pace and also the ability to read

:22:43. > :22:46.the game and time the run and it makes him very effective. There is

:22:47. > :22:57.an Italian sub coming on. More of that in a moment. Ruan Pienaar is

:22:58. > :23:00.going to convert try number six. That is another cracking kick from

:23:01. > :23:05.Ruan Pienaar. It has been such a long time since we have seen him go

:23:06. > :23:12.for the post and he has not disappointed. Ulster are 30 ahead.

:23:13. > :23:16.That was a sublime finish. This is a really good opportunity in terms of

:23:17. > :23:21.confidence building in the second half. Nothing gives you more

:23:22. > :23:25.confidence than running up a big score against the other team and it

:23:26. > :23:30.gives you a chance to go through your phases and you can try

:23:31. > :23:33.different bits and pieces as well. Given the overhead conditions and

:23:34. > :23:45.the underfoot conditions, Ulster have a great chance here. Nigel

:23:46. > :23:48.Owens is saying I am watching everything and if I think there is

:23:49. > :24:09.something wrong, I will let you know.

:24:10. > :24:23.They have brought on another replacement.

:24:24. > :24:34.Caffini comes on and will be playing in the background. If they do not

:24:35. > :24:35.take a step back, the referee will penalise them. That was not

:24:36. > :25:02.straight. Rob Herring came to illegally on the

:25:03. > :25:11.right-hand side. There is no point for Zebre to go for the post right

:25:12. > :25:13.here. Their score in the first half was the highlight of their

:25:14. > :25:23.first-half because nothing else went right for them. Certainly the subs

:25:24. > :25:27.who have come on have something to live up to because the first-half

:25:28. > :25:33.performance was as good as it has been for Ulster for quite awhile.

:25:34. > :25:44.Zebre are replacing one international prop with another.

:25:45. > :25:52.De Marchi has come on. He has won a couple of national call ups. Doing a

:25:53. > :26:33.good impression of Castro Giovanni. A big tackle by Olding. Passed into

:26:34. > :26:35.touch by Zebre and Ulster's line-out, taken quickly. A good

:26:36. > :26:54.appreciation of space by Ruan Pienaar. He kept back infield.

:26:55. > :27:03.Not so delicate, straight into touch, the Zebre line-out. They have

:27:04. > :27:11.had two tries in the second half and four in the first half. They are

:27:12. > :27:19.looking pretty comfortable. It was Scarlett 's and Glasgow 46-10, with

:27:20. > :27:24.a victory to the scurrilous. If Ulster win here, they move up to

:27:25. > :27:28.fourth place with two games to go, Leinster in a couple of weeks' time

:27:29. > :27:41.and then they are away to the Ospreys.

:27:42. > :27:46.We have seen so little of Sato in this game. A good covering tackle by

:27:47. > :28:07.Rob Herring. Good work by Jared Payne, who held

:28:08. > :28:22.him up off the ground and by Rob Herring. That might just have been

:28:23. > :28:26.nudged forward. It is important Ulster keep that intensity,

:28:27. > :28:30.defensively as well. This is the most sustained period of pressure

:28:31. > :28:39.that Zebre have had in the whole game. It is workrate of the ball and

:28:40. > :28:45.in defence that they will be looking for. The first of tackles are

:28:46. > :28:58.non-negotiable, they will have to be made. Congratulations to Chris on

:28:59. > :29:05.his recent engagement to Jade. We wish them the best of luck. Paul

:29:06. > :29:08.Marshall and Andrew Warwick are about to come on for Ulster, but not

:29:09. > :29:49.until this scrum is over. Down and up again, a terrific

:29:50. > :29:53.appreciation of space. That was not the greatest pass in the world. I

:29:54. > :30:01.don't think anybody was expecting that. Zebre get the line-out. Bury

:30:02. > :30:06.man looking to take it quickly. In his third year with Zebre. Fast

:30:07. > :30:13.approaching 50 caps. Just a little bit sloppy from Ulster. When you

:30:14. > :30:19.consider the first half and how effective Ulster were in their

:30:20. > :30:36.phases. Three quarters of the game gone,

:30:37. > :30:41.this is the Zebre blindside flanker, Jean Cook. Well carried by Sean

:30:42. > :30:48.Reidy. Pienaar. A little bit space Annie macro covered it well. -- a

:30:49. > :30:52.little bit of space but Canna covered it well. Pete Browne should

:30:53. > :30:56.have underneath that. This is going to be a drive. I don't think anyone

:30:57. > :31:01.is going to catch all Rick Beyers but Marshall contrived. Zebre have

:31:02. > :31:07.capitalised on a mistake and that is their second try and you would think

:31:08. > :31:10.they had won the title is. Careless by Ulster, nobody claimed the high

:31:11. > :31:16.ball, it was allowed to bounce and this fellow, for a full-back and

:31:17. > :31:20.winger, is very tall and he took it and that is the softest rival Ulster

:31:21. > :31:24.to concede. Conversion taken quickly and it is a quick shot in the arm

:31:25. > :31:29.for Zebre the second half but again, poor from Ulster in terms of lack of

:31:30. > :31:32.concentration. The ball was up there for a long time and any number of

:31:33. > :31:35.players could and should have been underneath it. You would have

:31:36. > :31:40.thought that Jared Payne, coming forward from full-back, that should

:31:41. > :31:49.have been his, all day long. It was allowed to bounce and Ulrich Beyers

:31:50. > :31:54.could not believe his luck. Zebre have progressed up to 17 but Ulster

:31:55. > :31:58.have six tries in the back and have 40 points. Ricky Lutton has been

:31:59. > :31:59.replaced by Andrew Warwick and Paul Marshall has come on for Ruan

:32:00. > :32:14.Pienaar. That might give Zebre a bit of

:32:15. > :32:19.confidence but not knocking the ball on. That was a bit unfortunate by

:32:20. > :32:24.Jean Cook, who has been one of the better Zebre players today. He's had

:32:25. > :32:27.a good afternoon. Obviously very effective at the breakdown. He has

:32:28. > :32:31.carried the ball well and is certainly one of the few Zebre

:32:32. > :32:35.players who has really turned up this afternoon. A scrum to Ulster in

:32:36. > :32:39.just about the most perfect position. That is the unfortunate

:32:40. > :32:43.not on-again, just to the right the Zebre posts, options on both sides

:32:44. > :32:48.and Ulster have split their forces. On the near side, Stuart Olding,

:32:49. > :32:52.Darren Cave and Kilroy, and on the other side, Payne, Luke Marshall and

:32:53. > :33:16.Tommy Bowe. In it goes, good control by Ulster.

:33:17. > :33:19.Marshall, now Stuart Olding. Cave thought about the inside pastor

:33:20. > :33:23.Jared Payne but it was rather obvious he was going to do it so he

:33:24. > :33:26.held on. -- the inside pass to Jared Payne. A knock-on by Ulster who

:33:27. > :33:37.could not get away at the breakdown. Good competing by Rob Herring. The

:33:38. > :33:41.referee will say no advantage to Zebre and they will get the scrum.

:33:42. > :33:45.That was a bit unfortunate. The whole thing has gone a bit stale,

:33:46. > :33:49.Ulster now intend to stand off and forwards to want to be backs rather

:33:50. > :33:52.than getting in there and securing ball. Unfortunately, Paul Marshall

:33:53. > :33:56.did not have enough protection in the ruck and was bundled out of it

:33:57. > :34:01.quite easily. If Ulster had committed an extra forward, the ball

:34:02. > :34:08.would have been in a much better position for Marshall to service the

:34:09. > :34:12.backs. Kyle McCall has slipped on, if we can use that word for a belly

:34:13. > :34:18.substantially built prop forward, to play loosehead. -- a fairly

:34:19. > :34:22.substantially built. The Ulster have -- game has gone flat, Ulster have

:34:23. > :34:27.long since won it but I'm sure they would like to finish with something

:34:28. > :34:34.resembling a flourish. Solid enough to Zebre scrum on their own put in.

:34:35. > :34:42.That is not a bad clearance kick. Well kept in by Jared Payne. Tommy

:34:43. > :34:47.Bowe. Likes to set off from a standing start. Tommy Bowe with that

:34:48. > :34:51.familiar arcing angle. That is not a contradiction in terms, an art and

:34:52. > :34:54.an angle. Penalty against Ulster for hanging on in the tackle which they

:34:55. > :34:58.did not need to do. Ulster, giving away a series of unnecessary

:34:59. > :35:02.penalties and making a series of unnecessary errors. Once again, to

:35:03. > :35:05.slow to the breakdown, Tommy Bowe did not present as cleanly as he

:35:06. > :35:08.would have liked but again, for the support players in over the top,

:35:09. > :35:14.there's no excuse for cleaning that out and not letting the ball be

:35:15. > :35:18.played quickly. They put teams like Zebre well and fully to the sword,

:35:19. > :35:21.they should instead of letting them come back into it. There's no doubt

:35:22. > :35:25.as to who will win this game but they want to finish it with a bit of

:35:26. > :35:29.blood on their swords. You want to see the scalpel dripping with blood,

:35:30. > :35:32.you want to see Zebre put away, talking to coming in at half-time,

:35:33. > :35:36.he spoke about a good start, there's a GPS system that Ulster are wearing

:35:37. > :35:42.at each man ran an extra 800 metres in the first half, given the length

:35:43. > :35:45.of time the ball was in play. That is quite a considerable distance

:35:46. > :35:47.when you add up the figures at the end. Perhaps there's a bit of

:35:48. > :35:52.tiredness creeping in. Identity guided that in a whole season! Taken

:35:53. > :35:56.by Zebre near the Ulster ten metre line and the home side are chancing

:35:57. > :36:04.for it and again Ulster give away a penalty. I think Nigel Owens is

:36:05. > :36:08.having a word with Rob Herring. Ulster close the gap. If the ball is

:36:09. > :36:11.held in the line-out, you have to maintain the ten metres back and

:36:12. > :36:16.Ulster did not do it. This is giving Canna a chance to go to the corner

:36:17. > :36:21.and perhaps a chance for Zebre to get yet another try, and some people

:36:22. > :36:24.would say, planning cheek four quick converted tries and they are backing

:36:25. > :36:27.this game, but who knows, Tony? They're driving has been effective

:36:28. > :36:30.this afternoon. You could see clearly from the replay, Stuart

:36:31. > :36:37.Olding breaking the ten metre line far too quickly. Nigel Owens holds

:36:38. > :36:45.up his hand until the line-out moves off the mark. Well taken in... One

:36:46. > :36:48.of the greats of Italian rugby, there, Marco Bortolami. REFEREE: We

:36:49. > :36:53.keep the space. Stay on your own site and get the ball down the

:36:54. > :36:59.middle, OK. Both sides, keep the space. Don't close it. Ball down the

:37:00. > :37:03.middle, please. He's giving both sets of four a bit of a telling.

:37:04. > :37:10.There's got to be eating gap between the respective forward lines at the

:37:11. > :37:16.line-out. Zebre get another chance. Lots of huge men in there. -- got to

:37:17. > :37:21.be a metre gap. Taken by Bortolami, here they go at the second time of

:37:22. > :37:24.asking, looking for the drive. Have Ulster got enough men? Cook has made

:37:25. > :37:29.some ground and Chris Henry has done a good job at holding his progress.

:37:30. > :37:34.Ulster have turned it over well. How did they do that? Paul Marshall's

:37:35. > :37:37.kit is not great, into the hands of Berryman. That was not a good pass

:37:38. > :37:43.and that has been knocked forward. Ulster have got away with it. They

:37:44. > :37:46.have, initially great play by Henry at the breakdown, taking Cook to

:37:47. > :37:50.ground and turning him over but then Marshall with a sliced kick infield

:37:51. > :37:53.and one would expect Leonardo Sarto, an international class left wing, to

:37:54. > :37:58.hold onto the pass will stop the game was just ebbing away. I think

:37:59. > :38:01.Nigel Owens will be becoming a bit exasperated as well. He enjoyed the

:38:02. > :38:04.first half because they can do great flow and it was officiated well and

:38:05. > :38:09.that is the way he likes to see the gameplay. -- it had a great flow.

:38:10. > :38:14.The second half has been a bit stop start and a lack of accuracy

:38:15. > :38:18.therefrom Zebre. I think it was forward anyway but it was knocked on

:38:19. > :38:21.by Leonardo Sarto. He will play in Scotland next year under the

:38:22. > :38:28.tutelage of Gregor Townsend, who I am hearing might be associated with

:38:29. > :38:31.the vacancy at Harlequins, now Conor O'Shea is coming to this part of the

:38:32. > :38:38.world to coach the Italian national team, so Gregor Townsend would be

:38:39. > :38:41.the director of rugby. Front row going down, always the case when you

:38:42. > :38:50.bring on a replacement in the front row. Dario Chistolini, now on the

:38:51. > :38:55.Italian tight head side. REFEREE: Get in the scrum, steady, pick it up

:38:56. > :39:01.and keep it up because there's nothing wrong with the surface so

:39:02. > :39:08.there's no excuses. That's a great man, Nigel, that is the way to talk

:39:09. > :39:12.to them. Somebody is down, getting a little bit of treatment. I think it

:39:13. > :39:21.is a bit of cramp for one of the Ulster forward on the far side.

:39:22. > :39:27.Andrew Warwick and Callum Ball, playing under number 17. -- Kyle

:39:28. > :39:32.McCall. Rory Best has started 15 times for Ulster this season, 15

:39:33. > :39:37.times as skipper. It's Pete Browne, Jim, just getting up off the deck.

:39:38. > :39:41.He has had a good game and a pretty good season for star, on those

:39:42. > :39:50.occasions when he has been chosen. Just his eight start of the season.

:39:51. > :39:55.-- for Ulster. -- just his eighth start. Well, back to this scrum.

:39:56. > :39:59.Only 12 minutes remaining and Ulster are well in control of this game.

:40:00. > :40:02.They won't want to concede anything more and if they can possibly not

:40:03. > :40:06.chop another try, you never know, in the final analysis, it could be

:40:07. > :40:10.hugely important. But a win is important and they have got it and

:40:11. > :40:12.the five points. A better scrum. Marshall. Darren Cave. Stuart

:40:13. > :40:21.Olding. Gilroy had to come back inside for

:40:22. > :40:27.that and he is well tackled by the replacement, Boni, who has come on.

:40:28. > :40:31.Looked a bit high by Cook on Reidy but he's not complaining. Paul

:40:32. > :40:39.Marshall to Luke Marshall. Taken by Andrew Warwick. Paul Marshall, and

:40:40. > :40:45.again, it is Luke. Where is that going? It is bouncing nicely for the

:40:46. > :40:50.try scorer in the second half, Beyers. He has found touch but it is

:40:51. > :40:54.going to be Ulster ball. Sean Reidy has had a nice afternoon in the blue

:40:55. > :40:58.shirt of Ulster today, been very effective in the first 45 minutes at

:40:59. > :41:02.openside. You expect your number seven to be busy and he has to be.

:41:03. > :41:06.He's done everything very well. He's been good with the loose ball on the

:41:07. > :41:08.ground. His support play has an excellent. Now we are seeing him

:41:09. > :41:12.playing a slightly more unaccustomed role in the second half at number

:41:13. > :41:19.eight. But again, his workrate is exceedingly high. The line is the

:41:20. > :41:25.Zebre ten metre line. Just over in 11 minutes remaining. Well, lack of

:41:26. > :41:31.communication yet again and away come Zebre. Good work by Paul

:41:32. > :41:34.Marshall to bring down Caffini. A penalty against Ulster. Well, on

:41:35. > :41:37.this second-half performance, after Jared Payne's second try, has been

:41:38. > :41:48.pretty poor. Yes, they have not reached the

:41:49. > :41:51.heights they were playing within the first. Obviously, rubber substitute

:41:52. > :41:55.and take their effect as well, in terms of new players and different

:41:56. > :41:59.combinations. But it has not clicked in the second half in the way Les

:42:00. > :42:04.Kiss would have liked. A lot of the players that have come on, to be

:42:05. > :42:07.fair, have played a lot of rugby for Ulster this season. A lot of them

:42:08. > :42:12.have been starting on a pretty regular basis until the latter part

:42:13. > :42:15.of the season. Yes, they have, and we talked about it earlier in the

:42:16. > :42:18.day, about how much pain -- pace and strength in depth Ulster have. Given

:42:19. > :42:21.the conditions on the likelihood people would be tired and

:42:22. > :42:26.substitutions would be made, the bench could really impact. But it

:42:27. > :42:31.has not quite happened. It has gone a bit flat in the last 20 minutes or

:42:32. > :42:35.so. Less than ten minutes to go. Ulster, well in command and control.

:42:36. > :42:40.Dropped back on the Ulster side, they may well have stolen that one.

:42:41. > :42:49.Paul Marshall to kick. That is a better effort. That was nicely done.

:42:50. > :42:53.Made about 30 metres will stop Zebre have the throw but now they are

:42:54. > :42:56.further away from the Ulster line. Still plenty of Ulster supporters

:42:57. > :43:13.enjoying what has been a lovely afternoon.

:43:14. > :43:21.Kyle McCall at the front of the Ulster line-out. Sarto. Of whom we

:43:22. > :43:24.have seen so precious little. Perhaps just as well from an Ulster

:43:25. > :43:32.perspective. That seemed to be knocked forward, unfortunately.

:43:33. > :43:40.Unlucky, says Nigel Owens. Palette seen in, the 25-year-old now with 20

:43:41. > :43:45.Italian caps to his name. -- Pahlavi needs -- Palazzani. That was a bit

:43:46. > :43:49.of an unforced error from him. You mentioned Conor O'Shea coming to

:43:50. > :43:53.Italy next year, earlier, taking a big step in international rugby.

:43:54. > :43:58.Quite an exciting move for him. And challenging, and taking Steven Bruce

:43:59. > :44:04.with him who has been his technical bureau in the last 20 -- his

:44:05. > :44:09.technical guru in the last 15 or 20 years. We wish them both well.

:44:10. > :44:19.Indeed, until, of course, they play Ireland!

:44:20. > :44:28.Reidy changes direction. A little chip to chase but here comes Gilroy.

:44:29. > :44:36.It is not going to bounce for him. It has bounced for Beyers who is

:44:37. > :44:44.thrust to the ground by Gilroy. Google Leberg sets it up. Canna. --

:44:45. > :44:49.Koegelenberg set it up. Is there time for one more Ulster dry?

:44:50. > :44:53.Looking at the clock, you would think yes, seven and a half minutes

:44:54. > :44:57.of aiding -- many. Zebre are not a great outfit. No, they have released

:44:58. > :45:00.or the whole game and even the change in personnel has not done

:45:01. > :45:03.much for them. Ulster should be putting away a site like this quite

:45:04. > :45:06.comfortably, every day of the week. They have to tighten things up in

:45:07. > :45:09.the last ten minutes, go back to doing a few basics well, get

:45:10. > :45:18.themselves over the gain line, get good ball protection. That was

:45:19. > :45:22.another pretty woeful line-out. And that is another knock forward by

:45:23. > :45:26.Zebre so Ulster are giving them the ball and Zebre are incapable of

:45:27. > :45:33.doing anything with it. It a bit keystone cops at the game, it has

:45:34. > :45:35.lost its way completely. -- at the moment, the game. Both teams

:45:36. > :45:38.standing with hands on hips. Someone needs to grab the game by the scruff

:45:39. > :45:44.of the neck and take it upon themselves to spark it back into

:45:45. > :45:49.life. Rory Scholes is coming on. I'm not sure who is going off for

:45:50. > :45:53.Ulster. It is Luke Marshall, I can see now. Jared Payne will go into

:45:54. > :45:56.the centre, me thinks, and great Gilroy will allow Rory Scholes to

:45:57. > :46:03.play on the wing by going to full-back. Scholes will perhaps be

:46:04. > :46:09.playing against Leonardo Sarto a few more times the normal next year when

:46:10. > :46:14.he is playing for Edinburgh. -- than normal. Sarto will be at Glasgow.

:46:15. > :46:17.Nice performance by Luke Marshall, I thought the centres dovetail

:46:18. > :46:22.beautifully, especially in the first half and it is good to see that Luke

:46:23. > :46:29.Marshall has lost none of his pace. Good Ulster scrummage, well left by

:46:30. > :46:30.Reidy. Marshall to Payne. Paul Marshall again. Reidy, who has been

:46:31. > :46:41.terrific. The Brown is met with stern

:46:42. > :46:46.resistance from the Zebre defence. -- Pete Browne. Marshall, Reidy,

:46:47. > :46:52.back inside and Tommy Bowe could not quite gather. Well, he held that and

:46:53. > :46:57.he was in underneath the posts. Darren Cave was on his shoulder.

:46:58. > :47:01.Tommy is trying to brush off the rust, mentally as well as

:47:02. > :47:05.physically. He's had a very good game, perhaps rushed slightly back

:47:06. > :47:07.into this given Andrew Trimble's unfortunate set of circumstances but

:47:08. > :47:11.there's nothing better than four Tommy Bowe to get back on the pitch

:47:12. > :47:16.because you get your match sharpness back only one way, by playing 80

:47:17. > :47:18.minutes. Perhaps surprising to see Marshall come ashore and not Tommy

:47:19. > :47:24.Bowe, considering it is his first game back. But he has shown class

:47:25. > :47:28.all day long. May be just as well that Tommy Bowe has not got a

:47:29. > :47:35.microphone! REFEREE: Five metres, defensive scrum. That's a very jolly

:47:36. > :47:38.bunch of chaps, the Ulster supporters, despite the

:47:39. > :47:46.black-and-white outfits, I have a feeling. Into the final five

:47:47. > :47:50.minutes, the game really as a spectacle entertainment or art form

:47:51. > :47:54.has faded quite badly in the last 20 minute, ever since Jared Payne got

:47:55. > :47:57.his second try for Ulster 12 minutes into the second half. It has been

:47:58. > :48:03.flat but there might be a little spark remaining. Kyle McCall moves

:48:04. > :48:10.it outside and Ulster trying to get a squeeze on. Up they come, and is

:48:11. > :48:19.the referee happy with that? So far, he's telling them to use it but now

:48:20. > :48:23.not happy with it. It is funny, when the front row changes it becomes a

:48:24. > :48:27.shambles. The first half was so good Nigel Owens has made a point on many

:48:28. > :48:29.occasions, there can be no complaints in terms of underfoot

:48:30. > :48:35.conditions because it is rock solid, perfect. But maybe that sums up what

:48:36. > :48:40.Zebre are all about, 76 minute gone, getting beaten by 20 feet -- by 23

:48:41. > :48:46.points and they want to arm wrestle you for a penalty in the scrum. It

:48:47. > :48:51.seems pointless. Canna having a word with the outside backs. Are they

:48:52. > :48:56.going to try something constructive? They tried but they have not got it

:48:57. > :49:00.to come off, thanks mainly to some good Ulster defending as much as

:49:01. > :49:05.their own ineptitude. Just about three minutes remaining. The

:49:06. > :49:10.sunlight has come out this time it is Zebre's turn to make a mess of

:49:11. > :49:15.the line-out. Herring goes back. We'll Ulster show a bit of

:49:16. > :49:21.enterprise from here? Who knows? -- will Ulster. Taken on by Iain

:49:22. > :49:31.Henderson. Still going on a handful of cylinders. Gilroy. A little bit

:49:32. > :49:36.on the high side from Boni. Zebre have got to get onside. The

:49:37. > :49:42.outside-half has a go himself, taken by the immense Bortolami, the former

:49:43. > :49:50.Italian skipper. Herring. Chris Henry takes it forward. Makes it

:49:51. > :49:54.available, as US dollars. Well gathered -- as he always does. Well

:49:55. > :50:02.gathered by Darren Cave. Scholes. Robbie Diack, assisting. A poor pass

:50:03. > :50:05.by Stuart Olding and knocked forward by Andrew Warwick, I think, and

:50:06. > :50:13.Ulster have conceded a scrum with just over two minutes remaining. It

:50:14. > :50:18.is, to quote TS Eliot, going out with a whimper rather than a bang.

:50:19. > :50:22.But Les Kiss will be more than happy nonetheless, four tries for the

:50:23. > :50:25.bonus point and also a clear and effective win. They have not shipped

:50:26. > :50:29.any injuries, which is important. And they have got Tommy Bowe back at

:50:30. > :50:31.a very important time of the year. You can't underestimate the

:50:32. > :50:36.influence and experience he brings to the side. But also, we see the

:50:37. > :50:40.likes of Olding back at centre who's had a very effective game and Sean

:50:41. > :50:43.Reidy has been good at setting, Ricky Lutton scrum do very well as

:50:44. > :50:46.did the front five in the first half. Certainly, the plus points

:50:47. > :50:51.from the performance have all been gleaned from the first half. It

:50:52. > :50:54.gives off a large amount of confidence to take forward into the

:50:55. > :50:59.remaining two games. Leinster at the Kingspan Stadium will be one hell of

:51:00. > :51:05.a contest. And then a fortnight's gap and then another fortnight so

:51:06. > :51:08.the games are well spaced out. All the Ulster players were replaced are

:51:09. > :51:12.standing on the touchline, waiting to come on. Picked up by Cook who

:51:13. > :51:16.has been one of the better Zebre players. Again, a bit on the sloppy

:51:17. > :51:21.side by the referee is happy. A waiter Tommy Bowe, and Tommy Bowe is

:51:22. > :51:26.going to get Ulster's seventh try and his second. -- away to Tommy

:51:27. > :51:29.Bowe. He came close a couple of minutes ago but put clear and he

:51:30. > :51:36.legged it away from a despairing Zebre defence. It is welcome back to

:51:37. > :51:41.Ulster, Tommy Bowe. Still be Pro12's top try scorer, his second of the

:51:42. > :51:46.afternoon, and that is his 64th, Tommy Bowe, topping the all-time

:51:47. > :51:51.list. He is a tries coring machine but well played, Darren Cave, nicely

:51:52. > :51:54.flipping the ball to him and then again, gathering into hands and

:51:55. > :51:58.getting the pass away. Tommy Bowe does what he does best. On the

:51:59. > :52:06.shoulder, whenever you need him, his support line is second to none.

:52:07. > :52:10.Stuart Olding with the trusty left foot, popping it between the posts

:52:11. > :52:19.and it is now looking even more respectable, 30 points between them.

:52:20. > :52:23.It is now Zebre 17-47 Ulster, if my sums are right. They will go back

:52:24. > :52:28.into Parma very happy indeed and I suspect a drop of the good stuff

:52:29. > :52:35.will be consumed a night. -- to night. Well taken by Pete Browne. He

:52:36. > :52:41.has been very good this afternoon for Ulster. Marshall. Herring.

:52:42. > :52:45.Stuart Olding. Found a bit of a gap and a little offload and well taken

:52:46. > :52:56.on by Sean Reidy. Marshall will switch direction. Back inside.

:52:57. > :53:02.Darren Cave with a bit of pace. Reidy hangs onto it and gets it

:53:03. > :53:09.away. Craig Gilroy, dancing and twisting, well off-loaded by Kyle

:53:10. > :53:13.McCall. Henderson does really well. He was taken back but he used his

:53:14. > :53:19.great strength to get on the front foot. Ulster, still inside their own

:53:20. > :53:24.half, looking perhaps for the eighth try. Andrew Warwick, what a sidestep

:53:25. > :53:30.by the loosehead prop, playing today as tight head replacement. He is all

:53:31. > :53:34.on his own, needs a bit of help and gets it from Payne. Great stuff by

:53:35. > :53:41.Ulster. What a final flourish to entertain the travelling fans. The

:53:42. > :53:46.referee telling Zebre to get away from it. Olding. Taken by Berryman,

:53:47. > :53:52.who makes the mark. They will have to come back. That may well be

:53:53. > :53:56.full-time. They have told Berryman to come back and he can take it

:53:57. > :54:01.again if he wants. By my card relations, we have played 81 minutes

:54:02. > :54:05.and it should be game over. Maybe Nigel is enjoying this? Reds he

:54:06. > :54:08.enjoyed Adam Warren's outside break, I bet his eyes nearly popped out of

:54:09. > :54:12.his head when he saw Warwick standing up the Zebre defender,

:54:13. > :54:15.teeing him up, using his feet to good effect, sidestep of the right

:54:16. > :54:20.and showing a good turn of pace as well. Into touch it goes from

:54:21. > :54:23.Berryman and Nigel Owens checking with Carlo Damasco that it is all

:54:24. > :54:27.over and indeed it is. Ulster, despite a flat period in the second

:54:28. > :54:32.half, can't complain about their afternoon's work in sunny Parma.

:54:33. > :54:38.They were 26-10 up at half-time, 16 points ahead and they have finished

:54:39. > :54:41.30 clear points ahead, tries in the first from Pienaar, Tommy Bowe,

:54:42. > :54:44.Craig Gilroy and Jared Payne, and two more in the second half from

:54:45. > :54:50.Payne and then another from Tommy Bowe, right at the very end. Not a

:54:51. > :54:56.bad performance. A fortnight's gap and no apparent injury so it is job

:54:57. > :55:00.done. Absolutely, every box on Les Kiss' wish list from before kick-off

:55:01. > :55:04.would have been ticked. Yes, there was 25 minutes when the substitutes

:55:05. > :55:07.came on for both teams where Ulster lost their way slightly and conceded

:55:08. > :55:10.some soft points but they have come back well at the end. You made some

:55:11. > :55:15.good points, no injuries, very important. But the confidence gained

:55:16. > :55:18.from scoring a hat full of tries, one hopes, will lead on to bigger

:55:19. > :55:23.and better things for this team for the rest of the season. No

:55:24. > :55:29.complaints whatsoever, job done by Ulster, the victory and the bonus

:55:30. > :55:33.point victory, final score, Zebre 17-47 Ulster.

:55:34. > :55:42.STUDIO: Yes, a controlled, confident, composed performance by

:55:43. > :55:46.Ulster which leaves the Pro12 table looking like this. Ulster into the

:55:47. > :55:51.play-off places with two games left and everything to play for, Stephen

:55:52. > :55:56.and Morris? Very happy, looking at the table. It is amazing, three

:55:57. > :56:00.weeks ago, every Ulster supporter did not have the belief, were

:56:01. > :56:03.writing us off. I said, to everyone, stick with them because they will

:56:04. > :56:07.come good and they came very good today. Yes, there were periods in

:56:08. > :56:11.the second half where it was not great, the standard. But we topped

:56:12. > :56:14.it off with another lovely score at the end. Let's get behind the lads

:56:15. > :56:19.and make sure against Leinster, they go out and give the crowd something

:56:20. > :56:23.to cheer. A hat-trick for Jared Payne today who was sublime.

:56:24. > :56:28.Excellent, and another excellent performance based on his performance

:56:29. > :56:33.at full-back, which I believe is his best position, since he's come in.

:56:34. > :56:37.He gets more freedom from there. At 13, he is quite constrained. But at

:56:38. > :56:42.15, she can pick the lines, great break from Tommy Bowe, coming

:56:43. > :56:45.across, he did not have the gas so switched with Stuart Olding and it

:56:46. > :56:49.is timing, Jared Payne coming from full-back, can see the gap and

:56:50. > :56:52.accelerate onto the ball. From full-back, he has the vision. He can

:56:53. > :56:58.see the gaps and has the skill set to do it. Tommy Bowe as well today.

:56:59. > :57:05.Reminds me of an old Maurice Field, back in the 60s and smack -- 60s! We

:57:06. > :57:08.met in the backline and we said the forwards needed to give them good

:57:09. > :57:11.front football and they did that but the pace out wide, Jared Payne at

:57:12. > :57:15.full-back, Stuart Olding, stepping boys inside the box at 12, was

:57:16. > :57:20.absolutely brilliant to watch. Hopefully more of the same and as

:57:21. > :57:25.Tony said, it is all about building confidence and racking up a handful

:57:26. > :57:28.of tries will build a lot of confidence. Ulster have had a lot of

:57:29. > :57:31.criticism in the last few weeks but always with the big-name players

:57:32. > :57:34.returning, Henderson back a couple of weeks ago, Tommy Bowe today,

:57:35. > :57:40.Jared Payne as well, they are all coming back at the right time in

:57:41. > :57:43.this very important run in. Yes, they are coming back at different

:57:44. > :57:47.times but it takes awhile to gel, to get back up too much pace. Tommy

:57:48. > :57:50.Bowe may be fit for the gym but he is coming back into his match

:57:51. > :57:54.fitness and pace and that takes a bit of time. It might take half a

:57:55. > :57:57.match or two matches but they are gelling at the right time. We missed

:57:58. > :58:02.their leadership and ability and decision-making on the pitch. But

:58:03. > :58:06.now they are coming back we are seeing the rewards. Two tries for

:58:07. > :58:10.Tommy Bowe and this put a smile on your face. I thought the quicksand

:58:11. > :58:14.world is going to get him again when you was 15 or 20 metres out but

:58:15. > :58:19.great gas. He played 60 minutes for the reserves and now he is getting

:58:20. > :58:24.great game time for the main site. I think he's ready to go. -- side. He

:58:25. > :58:27.has not played a lot of minutes but has so much experience and knows

:58:28. > :58:30.where he has to be at the right time. If Tommy Bowe is nearly fit,

:58:31. > :58:35.leading the team every day of the week. Zebre are obviously a team

:58:36. > :58:39.that all Ulster supporters would expect Ulster to beat and beat

:58:40. > :58:42.convincingly today. But when a team has been lacking confidence, that is

:58:43. > :58:47.the kind of performance you need approaching a very important last

:58:48. > :58:50.couple of games. And let's be honest, they only performed for 50

:58:51. > :58:54.minutes of the match. There are areas that Les Kiss will be

:58:55. > :58:58.frustrated with, the lack of concentration and anchor of the

:58:59. > :59:02.Abbey intensity in that 15 minutes, up to 78 minutes. -- and the lack of

:59:03. > :59:05.intensity. They are just standing there, watching you never let the

:59:06. > :59:09.ball bounce even if the full-back is coming forward. That is a breakdown

:59:10. > :59:13.of communication and win the people in the vicinity of the ball and the

:59:14. > :59:16.players coming forward. It is just switching off, not a lack of skill

:59:17. > :59:20.but concentration. The lads are waiting for it to bounce into their

:59:21. > :59:23.hands so they can run and score a try which is the kind of thing that

:59:24. > :59:29.happens when you are winning by 20 or 30 points. But the line-out did

:59:30. > :59:33.not function that well today. A couple in the first half did not go

:59:34. > :59:37.our way. Rob Herring came on and I don't know who was calling it in the

:59:38. > :59:40.second half but we lost a lot on our own ball and they were getting a

:59:41. > :59:42.jump are straight up in front, easy pickings and we can't afford to do

:59:43. > :59:47.that against Leinster because if we do, it will be a score and that is

:59:48. > :59:50.what we have to avoid next week. Let's take a look at the first half

:59:51. > :59:54.tries because of that came out of the blocks quickly, had the bonus

:59:55. > :59:57.point secured before half-time. What will have pleased the most about

:59:58. > :00:01.today's performance, looking ahead to the massive derby in two weeks

:00:02. > :00:05.against Leinster? Probably something they have not done in the previous

:00:06. > :00:09.weeks, in the game they lost, identifying their opportunities and

:00:10. > :00:12.taking them. -- games they lost. It is identifying the weaknesses in the

:00:13. > :00:15.opposition and executing. Previously, we have been trying to

:00:16. > :00:22.create situations but in the first half today, they were identifying

:00:23. > :00:26.the situation and executing. How many times have we sat in the box

:00:27. > :00:32.behind us at the Kingspan Stadium, going, "We nearly got there," but we

:00:33. > :00:37.were so clinical delay and we need to be, going forward, and as the

:00:38. > :00:40.players say, another two cup finals. Ulster are now in the position they

:00:41. > :00:44.wanted to be, yes, they have faulted along the way but it's in their own

:00:45. > :00:51.hands with two games to play. -- faltered along the way. We have live

:00:52. > :00:55.commentary of the Leinster game on BBC radio Ulster and the final game

:00:56. > :00:58.to Ospreys is on the 7th of May and this will be on BBC sport Northern

:00:59. > :01:02.Ireland. They have put themselves where they want to be, to winds will

:01:03. > :01:07.take them into the play-offs and I suppose, we have worked it out by

:01:08. > :01:11.our maps, one win should secure a European place next year and a top

:01:12. > :01:17.six finish. Four points should. Seeing that the matches that the

:01:18. > :01:20.Scarlet and Munster have to play against each other, that is negating

:01:21. > :01:24.bonus point win is for those deemed so four points will probably

:01:25. > :01:27.guarantee European qualification and maybe even, depending on results,

:01:28. > :01:33.the top four. But one more win will get us into Europe. Again, the

:01:34. > :01:36.Claudio Ranieri thing, one game at a time, let's focus on the next game,

:01:37. > :01:40.don't look at Ospreys and let the others worry about themselves. The

:01:41. > :01:43.Ulster boys just have to look at their own performances and about

:01:44. > :01:47.executing. Stephen was right, the Leinster game will be massive. We're

:01:48. > :01:49.not going to get seven scoring opportunities against them. You may

:01:50. > :01:53.get one or two but the confidence they will get from today, showing

:01:54. > :01:57.that they have executed set moves from the training field on the

:01:58. > :02:00.pitch, that they have it in their armoury to get those scores and it

:02:01. > :02:07.is about having the confidence to execute. Do you expect Ulster to

:02:08. > :02:11.beat Leinster? I expect in Ulster team you are not going to see this

:02:12. > :02:15.season. They will bring physicality. -- and I'll team you have not seen.

:02:16. > :02:18.Let's face it, every person in the dressing room you if they went out

:02:19. > :02:23.there and played half decent, they would get a victory. I can't wait!

:02:24. > :02:26.I'm excited inside for this match. But I think we are going to see a

:02:27. > :02:32.different Ulster team, one that is going to get stuck into Leinster and

:02:33. > :02:36.I firmly believe we can win. That is the kind of performance it is going

:02:37. > :02:39.to need, isn't it? They are going to have to find their inner dog. We

:02:40. > :02:42.have said it all this is in, there aren't enough dogs, as such, on the

:02:43. > :02:47.pitch for Ulster. Against Leinster, it is one of the oldest and hardest

:02:48. > :02:53.matches you will play and it does not matter, whatever you want to

:02:54. > :02:58.call them, it raises the hackles, so I'm ready for you, bring, if you are

:02:59. > :03:00.watching! Before we get to that stage, there is one important game

:03:01. > :03:03.this evening which will shape the table we have looked at witches

:03:04. > :03:09.Connacht against Munster, massive game. Yes, we are waiting for

:03:10. > :03:13.Munster to come, everyone is waiting but they have not yet. I think they

:03:14. > :03:18.are going to put in a performance tonight against Connacht. Obviously,

:03:19. > :03:22.we want Connacht to win and get Munster out of there but you know,

:03:23. > :03:26.it is all it after beat Munster and they have a good record at the

:03:27. > :03:30.sports ground as well. -- always tough to beat Munster. And if

:03:31. > :03:33.Munster lose, they are battling for the European places as well which is

:03:34. > :03:38.not good for Irish rugby if they don't make it. It is a scrap between

:03:39. > :03:42.them and Leinster for the European position. But I think Connacht have

:03:43. > :03:46.the validity, they are not going to lose against Grenoble, so two

:03:47. > :03:50.losses, it is not in their vocabulary. When they go to the

:03:51. > :03:56.sports ground, it plays into the hands. I'm going for the Connacht

:03:57. > :04:02.win! Briefly, do using Ulster can still win the league? Of course they

:04:03. > :04:05.can. -- do you think. They have got the experience, they can score tries

:04:06. > :04:11.when they are going well. You just never know when it gets to knockout

:04:12. > :04:15.rugby. They can maybe sneak it. Who would have sorted a weeks ago? Apply

:04:16. > :04:19.always have my Ulster hat on and hopefully we can get into a play-off

:04:20. > :04:21.place and take it from there. We shall see, the ever confidence

:04:22. > :04:26.Stephen Ferris. Thank you for joining us. 20 games gone, two to go

:04:27. > :04:28.and then you never know, there maybe a couple after that but it is a win

:04:29. > :05:13.today. From all us, goodbye. Marouane Fellaini has doubled

:05:14. > :05:37.Manchester United's lead.