Newport Gwent Dragons v Ulster

:00:35. > :00:40.Tonight, Ulster Arran Wales to take on the Dragons. It's the first of

:00:41. > :00:44.five remaining games in the race for the play-offs. Its title at the top

:00:45. > :00:50.so there is little room for error. Ulster with Luke Marshall making his

:00:51. > :00:56.100th appearance will need to win to keep stay on course for a top four

:00:57. > :00:59.finish. Rodney Parade is the venue for the Dragons versus Ulster.

:01:00. > :01:03.Welcome to Ulster Rugby Live. It is Round 18 of the Guinness Pro12.

:01:04. > :01:08.Stephen Ferris and Morris are Weathers. How confident are you that

:01:09. > :01:13.Ulster can make it six wins in a row? Look at the team sheet and it

:01:14. > :01:18.oozes confidence for me. If we can get himself pieces in the backline,

:01:19. > :01:20.we should do a number of this Newport Gwent Dragons side. Their

:01:21. > :01:24.backs are against the wall, pretty low-down on the table but I have

:01:25. > :01:27.every confidence that they can keep this going and they need to to keep

:01:28. > :01:31.it going because of the position we are in a table. The Scarlets are

:01:32. > :01:35.right behind us. When you look at the table, it looks like four out of

:01:36. > :01:40.five. Glasgow with an outside chance of squeezing in. One other game to

:01:41. > :01:43.keep an eye on tonight, the Scarlets already beating Edinburgh. There is

:01:44. > :01:48.not a lot of wriggle room for Ulster. There is not. It's Scarlets

:01:49. > :01:53.win this evening and Gwent Dragons to a number on Ulster, as they have

:01:54. > :01:57.done several times in the past, that will put the Scarlets into force and

:01:58. > :02:02.Ulster will drop to 50. All to have been exceptional for the past five

:02:03. > :02:05.games, getting 24 or 25 maximum points and we need to keep that

:02:06. > :02:09.meant going. It looks like the Scarlets are on their way to a bonus

:02:10. > :02:13.points. They are already scored three tries. Ulster need to turn in

:02:14. > :02:18.an impressive performance tonight and a big night for Luke Marshall

:02:19. > :02:21.making his 100th appearance. What a great achievement to get 100 caps

:02:22. > :02:29.for your club. He is playing well the minute. He has the 13 on his

:02:30. > :02:32.back. Darren Cave is on the 12 but he is really good at defence and

:02:33. > :02:38.attack and really gets the keep moving. That's maybe a reason why he

:02:39. > :02:42.is outside. Stuart Olding is playing ten. Also don't have a great record

:02:43. > :02:46.at this venue. They have lost twice out of the last three occasions. And

:02:47. > :02:51.they have gone over there on times and we have expected bonus points

:02:52. > :02:54.wins and a couple of times last before, they have put a cricket

:02:55. > :02:58.score on them and then they've gone over to Rodney Parade and the

:02:59. > :03:00.mindset has not been right. I think there is a focus and a slight

:03:01. > :03:06.difference this time where they need to keep the bonus points so

:03:07. > :03:10.therefore there is a sharper focus on that Ulster squad. As you say,

:03:11. > :03:13.they haven't had good performances there in the past, it can be a

:03:14. > :03:17.tricky place to go but at least tonight the weather looks of little

:03:18. > :03:21.kinder than it has done in previous years. If it's anything like Belfast

:03:22. > :03:25.was today, it will be entertaining but I think also what four points.

:03:26. > :03:29.It's a tough place to go and get a win. Four points, get this momentum

:03:30. > :03:33.going, keep us on track for a top four finish. But as Morris said

:03:34. > :03:39.there are, it is very, very difficult across their in Wales to

:03:40. > :03:43.get a victory. But I have every confidence no last night. This is

:03:44. > :03:48.against a struggling Dragons team but players with plenty to play for

:03:49. > :03:51.off the pitch. The Welsh will be taking Gwent Dragons on board as one

:03:52. > :03:56.of their provinces and they are putting their best money. The boys

:03:57. > :04:00.play for their contracts. Thank you very much. There is Luke Marshall on

:04:01. > :04:05.his way out for his big night. Let's join the commentary team.

:04:06. > :04:12.I had the pleasure of giving Luke Marshall's father in to this crowd

:04:13. > :04:18.who has come over because this is such a big deal for his son. He made

:04:19. > :04:29.his debut in the 2010-11. Years racking up 100 caps. -- he is

:04:30. > :04:35.racking up. One change in the Ulster back division. Darren Cave comes in.

:04:36. > :04:39.Andy Warwick starts. Iain Henderson, fresh from international success

:04:40. > :04:43.comes into the back row and just about every match day squad, Sean

:04:44. > :04:47.Reidy starts at number eight. Not for the first time this season.

:04:48. > :04:58.Visitors 19th starts this season, more than any other player in the

:04:59. > :05:02.squad. -- it is his 19th start. Some colour. A huge occasion here at

:05:03. > :05:06.Rodney Parade among all the chat about it being taken over by Welsh

:05:07. > :05:11.Rugby union. One thing that is 100% certain is that this fellow, Lewis

:05:12. > :05:17.Evans, coming out for his 200th appearance for the Dragons. He has

:05:18. > :05:20.been a dragon all his life. He has represented Wales at sevens level.

:05:21. > :05:26.This is his 11th year here in the colour of the Dragons and it's a big

:05:27. > :05:32.night for him. Dragons have made five changes. Many are moves to

:05:33. > :05:44.full-back. Rhys Buckley comes into the front row. The back row is

:05:45. > :05:51.unchanged. We have eight Scots referee. Former outside have for

:05:52. > :05:58.both Glasgow and London Irish, and man who played for Scotland in the

:05:59. > :06:05.sevens game. More than some 30 times, converted for them. His Pro12

:06:06. > :06:11.debut against Treviso in November of last year. There is a man who got a

:06:12. > :06:14.very special mention in the foreword by the Dragons chief executive

:06:15. > :06:25.Stuart Davies saying this would be the last time that we will see P now

:06:26. > :06:28.playing. Taken straightaway from the South African mire. The full-back.

:06:29. > :06:32.Ulster being aggressive in the tackle. They need to do that.

:06:33. > :06:44.Charlie Davies getting it away. Good driving run by Brok Harris. Davies

:06:45. > :06:48.waits. Underneath go Ulster. They might have got that forward. Referee

:06:49. > :06:51.happy to play advantage. Davies get it away. Lively start by the Dragons

:06:52. > :06:59.have created some width in this one. I'm not sure the right option with

:07:00. > :07:02.that little overlap. First this evening from Rob Jones. I think you

:07:03. > :07:05.are fully right. They got possession, getting the ball wide.

:07:06. > :07:09.If you are going to put it down field you want to be pressure on the

:07:10. > :07:14.opposition and get them to play and come back at you and on that

:07:15. > :07:18.occasion, happy enough to put it 15 metres down the park. And Ulster

:07:19. > :07:24.ball. The court shall be disappointed. Tyler Morgan, one of

:07:25. > :07:28.just two Welsh internationals kicks that ball. First line-out. Rob

:07:29. > :07:38.Herring, captaining Ulster for the 27th time. Did take at the back by

:07:39. > :07:42.Iain Henderson. Scored Ireland's's very significant try against England

:07:43. > :07:45.last weekend at the Aviva Stadium. After moving forward and catching

:07:46. > :07:49.the Dragons coming in offside and that is a good, crisp start. You

:07:50. > :07:54.need to get your forwards getting the right pattern. Early on in the

:07:55. > :07:58.game, again, the Newport Gwent Dragons would have hoped for better.

:07:59. > :08:01.They had a fair bit of experience here in that front five, certainly

:08:02. > :08:10.as well in the back row. Discipline is so keen and it's a mistake to let

:08:11. > :08:14.Ulster relieve the pressure is not what they want to do. This is a home

:08:15. > :08:16.game, the pitch is not in the best position but it is better than it

:08:17. > :08:21.has been more severe. This is an opportunity for the Dragons to show

:08:22. > :08:27.the potential, their potential new owners the Welsh Rugby union,

:08:28. > :08:31.themselves at their best. Stuart Olding with Paddy Jackson on the

:08:32. > :08:35.bench this evening. A rare position for him to occupy. This is Alan

:08:36. > :08:41.O'Connor, formerly of Leinster Academy. Good shot by the chunky

:08:42. > :08:49.loosehead prop. Pienaar get it holding. Good handoff by Ulster's

:08:50. > :09:02.captain. Just held off the would-be attacker. Pienaar, better stuff now

:09:03. > :09:08.by Ulster. Sean Reidy gets across. WHISTLE Again, Dragons being a

:09:09. > :09:11.little bit edgy and Pienaar get it away quickly. Jared Payne. BD.

:09:12. > :09:17.Should have given that perhaps. It was still there for Ulster. Good,

:09:18. > :09:22.strong forward drive by the visitors. Pienaar again. What a

:09:23. > :09:27.start by the men in white. Again as Warrick gets help from his hooker.

:09:28. > :09:34.Dragons have managed to slow it down just that little bit. Sam Beard

:09:35. > :09:42.getting in the way. You come Ulster again and again it is their skipper,

:09:43. > :09:48.Rob Herring. Little dink through by holding. Too far perhaps? That is

:09:49. > :09:53.going to be a 22. Disappointing but some great build-up play. Again,

:09:54. > :09:57.Pienaar showing real intent to keep the pace going. He wants to ensure

:09:58. > :10:03.that the Dragons' defence don't just sit tight and wait so great work by

:10:04. > :10:08.Pienaar. I think Sean Reidy should have gone. It was an opportunity.

:10:09. > :10:14.Payne help the ball long enough. A quick transfer would have done it.

:10:15. > :10:20.Opportunity missed, I think. Angus O'Brien. One of quite a few members

:10:21. > :10:24.of this Dragons side born here in Newport and that is a long restart

:10:25. > :10:32.kick. Taken in by Craig Gilroy. Holding. He stuck that nicely. He

:10:33. > :10:37.needs it to be kind and was a very good kick by Stuart Olding. He

:10:38. > :10:41.normally plays in midfield, but stepped into the number ten jersey

:10:42. > :10:46.and looks very, very comfortable. Again, the ability to see space, but

:10:47. > :10:51.the Baah where it matters and just keep the Ulster side on the front

:10:52. > :10:57.foot. Keeping the pressure on the Dragons. Great play by Stuart

:10:58. > :11:03.Olding. Scarlets leading Edinburgh by 26 points- ten. Will be

:11:04. > :11:06.unsurprising if they have the bonus point already. More pressure on

:11:07. > :11:10.Ulster to do something cute and I just acutely Scarlets at bay. The

:11:11. > :11:19.Scarlet have a much easier run at it. Ulster's next games look

:11:20. > :11:24.horrific. So Ulster's last three games were sitting at one, two and

:11:25. > :11:30.three in the table. That's what they call a good exit strategy. Line-out.

:11:31. > :11:34.The pitch has been described slightly unkindly but it has about

:11:35. > :11:40.the same amount of crass as the Beach! I think you're right. I have

:11:41. > :11:43.seen is in better condition in some of their matches we have audited.

:11:44. > :11:48.The Ospreys game around the Christmas period was horrendous.

:11:49. > :11:50.It's certainly a concern for the Newport Gwent Dragons and hopefully

:11:51. > :11:56.some investment on the ground will be forthcoming. Ulster got their

:11:57. > :11:58.calls to it but then not to forward in the referee playing advantage to

:11:59. > :12:04.the Dragons who were a bit clumsy there. Swung wide by Adam Hughes.

:12:05. > :12:08.Got themselves right across the field. Clever work on the narrow

:12:09. > :12:18.side by Davies. Good thrust forward by Adam Hughes. Another Newport boy,

:12:19. > :12:26.born here in the town. Big tackle by Iain Henderson as he gets into the

:12:27. > :12:30.mix. I'm sure he will be in the mix,. Good take by Craig Gilroy. He

:12:31. > :12:39.got out of that splendidly. Ulster back inside their own half. Pienaar.

:12:40. > :12:43.Has there been an instruction there? I don't think so. Darren Cave

:12:44. > :12:48.realising they were way outside and were blocked. Pienaar thought about

:12:49. > :12:52.a break there. Jared Payne tackle by Rhys Buckley. Back in the middle of

:12:53. > :12:56.the front row. Here is the boy with 100 caps, Marshall. He hit that

:12:57. > :13:00.nicely and hit his opposition. Ball carries nicely and Marshall has

:13:01. > :13:06.forced the line-up for Ulster. Looking very sharp. Pienaar is

:13:07. > :13:09.calling all the shops and has called all the shots because the speed of

:13:10. > :13:13.the ball delivery wide from the breakdown has been first class.

:13:14. > :13:18.Everything keep the momentum going. It keeps also moving forward and on

:13:19. > :13:22.the front foot. As a result, on that occasion, Marshall's chipped

:13:23. > :13:26.through. It keeps them slowly but surely working down the field. Good

:13:27. > :13:32.tackle, good hit, into touch. Ulster ball again. I don't want to be too

:13:33. > :13:37.sentimental about Pienaar, but how would you rate in having played in

:13:38. > :13:42.his position? He's been fantastic. He's been fantastic for British

:13:43. > :13:48.rugby and European rugby. His ability to move between ten and nine

:13:49. > :13:51.is controlling the game. He might not be the quickest and sharpest, he

:13:52. > :13:56.might not be the best pasta in the world so technically he is not as

:13:57. > :14:00.gifted as some others, but as a rugby player, he commands respect

:14:01. > :14:03.and he controlled matters so well from the base. I don't think there

:14:04. > :14:11.have been many better in the last ten years. Not at this level of

:14:12. > :14:14.rugby. Amen to that. Little Donny, nearly got through. Over the ten

:14:15. > :14:20.metre line. Ulster on the front foot. Bring out wide but the ball

:14:21. > :14:27.came through. A clever kicks just to demonstrate. John Lewis. Could be a

:14:28. > :14:30.try! It is a try. Craig Gilroy get in. Get in for his 40th Read try.

:14:31. > :14:36.Ulster take the lead after ten minutes. Great strike, great

:14:37. > :14:42.follow-up. Disappointing I'm sure for the Dragons but it is a rugby

:14:43. > :14:47.ball and it can bounce aquarists. You just have to be aware of that.

:14:48. > :14:51.But Pienaar again, we spoke so highly about him just a moment ago

:14:52. > :14:55.and that is a kick into space. You have a winner going backwards, your

:14:56. > :14:58.full-back trying to cover the space. The man coming forward is Craig

:14:59. > :15:05.Gilroy and when he got his boot to the ball, he got across. That is

:15:06. > :15:08.just looking and seeing where the opportunity might be. Great vision

:15:09. > :15:13.by Pienaar and great control and pick up by Gilroy. If you did that

:15:14. > :15:18.on the golf course, you would share it was a bit of deliberate backspin.

:15:19. > :15:25.Occasionally that does happen, but... More luck than judgment. But

:15:26. > :15:29.Pienaar, he is running the show so far. It's early days in these game,

:15:30. > :15:34.but in terms of keeping pace and temple in the game, making things

:15:35. > :15:47.happen, he is right up there at the moment. And the man who put a big

:15:48. > :15:54.kick in has added the conversion. Ulster leading by seven points-

:15:55. > :15:57.zero. Identifying that the Dragons are flat. The full-back is in the

:15:58. > :16:01.middle of the field trying to cover both areas so there is space there

:16:02. > :16:05.and as you say, it it into space, the bounce of the ball could work to

:16:06. > :16:14.your advantage and on that occasion, it did. Kick by Angus O'Brien. Taken

:16:15. > :16:19.there by Gilroy. Twinkly tolls and he gets away from one, two rather

:16:20. > :16:29.half-hearted Dragons tackles. Reidy puts it wide. Nicely taken by

:16:30. > :16:35.Piutau. Couldn't quite hold the unexpected inside pass. Again, along

:16:36. > :16:40.like that is often so easy to defend. I thought had it gone

:16:41. > :16:44.through the hands with a bit more pressure on the Dragons defence but

:16:45. > :16:50.when you mess to players out through a long ball, it is quite wrong to

:16:51. > :16:55.put the pressure off as the Dragons did. The ball was not forward and it

:16:56. > :17:02.was not in touch before it went forward but it has to go to the

:17:03. > :17:07.Dragons. Buckley. Taken in the middle by Nic Cudd is acting as an

:17:08. > :17:11.auxiliary jumper. Referee has said no, it was on the ground and the

:17:12. > :17:15.Dragons moving forward to the rocket forms of Dragons will get to put it

:17:16. > :17:19.into the scrummage. One thing I will say about the Dragons back row, they

:17:20. > :17:26.are very workmanlike. Nic Cudd has been fantastic. Often behind

:17:27. > :17:32.unbeaten retreating back, he worked so hard at the breakdown. The Miss

:17:33. > :17:37.Evans, at 200 games is just showing that he is a stalwart of the club

:17:38. > :17:41.and the region. They are really workmanlike back row. Bob Evans and

:17:42. > :17:45.Carter have been knocking on the Welsh senior door for some time but

:17:46. > :17:48.have never managed to have that door open. There was a lot of depth there

:17:49. > :17:53.and these two guys have done very, very very well here for Dragons.

:17:54. > :17:57.Unfortunately, not quite good enough at international level. Ulster, just

:17:58. > :18:08.a matter of ?3 a man heavier. 17 stone ten. 17 seven the Ulster pack.

:18:09. > :18:13.There's a fair amount of beef in there. I think the difference is the

:18:14. > :18:18.pace that Ulster are playing that in comparison to the Dragons. It all

:18:19. > :18:25.bit slow and cumbersome when Dragons get the ball. Whereas immediately,

:18:26. > :18:36.Pienaar and call get possession and the School up a level in terms of

:18:37. > :18:43.pace. Davies, born in Shrewsbury. Had a couple of years at Nottingham.

:18:44. > :18:47.Good distraction thereby Ulster. Ulster could have done with a few

:18:48. > :18:49.more men on the ball and they have given away a penalty at the

:18:50. > :18:53.breakdown and this is pretty kickabout I reckon so the Dragons

:18:54. > :18:57.might decide to try and claw back a pointer to. I think it's important

:18:58. > :19:02.when the opportunity comes your way in the first 25 minutes of any game,

:19:03. > :19:07.you must go for the post. Keep yourself in contention and that is

:19:08. > :19:13.what Angus O'Brien is about to do. Again, the scrum under a bit of

:19:14. > :19:21.pressure. Great work by Pienaar again to disrupt and take on Charlie

:19:22. > :19:26.Davies, but somewhat off their feet. Killing possession. That gives Angus

:19:27. > :19:31.O'Brien his first opportunity. 15 minutes gone. First real chance of

:19:32. > :19:38.points for the Newport Gwent Dragons. Angus O'Brien, he has

:19:39. > :19:44.played seven times for Wales at the under 20 level. He was at Cross Keys

:19:45. > :19:47.before coming to the Dragons were he's in his third year.

:19:48. > :19:52.Old-fashioned way to set up the ball. Almost and on. And he has

:19:53. > :19:58.struck up very nicely. Doesn't matter what were you set it up, it

:19:59. > :20:01.goes between the opposition posts and having had a period of

:20:02. > :20:10.domination, Ulster have now conceded three points. Still nothing in this.

:20:11. > :20:14.Dragons three, Ulster seven. As we said, Ulster looked the more

:20:15. > :20:17.complete side so far, but this is 80 minutes of rugby and one thing you

:20:18. > :20:23.can say for the Dragons, very rarely do they lie down and rollover. Well

:20:24. > :20:28.constructed kick there by Pienaar. Give it plenty of height. Taken on

:20:29. > :20:34.by Tom priding who is the youngest player ever to play international

:20:35. > :20:38.rugby for Wales. -- Tom Prydie. Jared Payne in reverse gear there is

:20:39. > :20:46.and is that ball struck. What will he do with it was my again, lofted.

:20:47. > :20:50.Taken by his opposite number, Karl Meyer who is nabbed by pain. Jared

:20:51. > :20:59.on the other side. Supported pass and it's a. The Ulster defence get

:21:00. > :21:04.back quickly. Wanting to put a bit of with thinness. They have found

:21:05. > :21:10.their skipper, Lewis Evans, and nicely done. Comes Tyler Morgan.

:21:11. > :21:18.After Russia's manners ball tackle there. They thought he was offside

:21:19. > :21:22.there. Mike Adamson was not looking. This could be interesting. There

:21:23. > :21:32.were four men out there and they've come back infield. This might be a

:21:33. > :21:42.kick. A bit of a scruffy one. Taken in by Jared Payne. Well tackle. Also

:21:43. > :21:48.need to be careful they don't get penalised. That is a belter by

:21:49. > :21:52.Pienaar. A horrible bounce again for the Dragons but that is mostly sand

:21:53. > :22:01.sea do not know where it is going. Obstruction again. Good tackle by

:22:02. > :22:04.Ulster. Luke Marshall put it in. Still there for the Dragons. Getting

:22:05. > :22:07.across the halfway line and they have really come back at Ulster

:22:08. > :22:22.after that early period of visitors dominating. Again, the Dragons and

:22:23. > :22:28.their skipper Lewis Evans. That was a good little past thereby the

:22:29. > :22:32.flanker, Griffith. That is manager space. Davies back inside. Nudged

:22:33. > :22:36.forward. That was a little careless. Dragons putting together a nice

:22:37. > :22:42.sequence. A disappointing end to what was a good pass of play by the

:22:43. > :22:47.Dragons. I spoke about pace and they looked a bit static and cumbersome

:22:48. > :22:50.early on. That was a lot better with the Dragons. Again, they are getting

:22:51. > :22:53.the ball quickly away from the breakdown and getting the ball wide

:22:54. > :22:59.and the execution of the passes is that much better. Until Charlie

:23:00. > :23:06.Davies, trying to get the inside ball, unexpected to Nic Cudd and put

:23:07. > :23:10.down. But far, far better. Kingsley Jones is not far away from us on the

:23:11. > :23:21.gantry on Rodney Parade and he will be much happier with that. As we

:23:22. > :23:26.take a bit of treatment for Rynard Landman. With Welsh Rugby union is

:23:27. > :23:29.due to take over, what do you think? They have looked for investment for

:23:30. > :23:35.the past couple of years. The owners, investors and benefactors

:23:36. > :23:39.are about to turn 80. They will be forever. It was either new

:23:40. > :23:44.investment or the Welsh Rugby union to buy the other 50% of the

:23:45. > :23:48.business, the Gwent Dragons, including Rodney Parade. There is a

:23:49. > :23:53.lot I had out and the membership must back them. Newport County play

:23:54. > :23:57.here as well, so there are a number of things need to be done but by

:23:58. > :24:02.July, it will happen. I think for the of rugby, it is probably the

:24:03. > :24:10.best thing that will happen. Becky for that. Certainly some dog. --

:24:11. > :24:16.thank you for that. Certainly summed up. Reading 7-3. Looking at the

:24:17. > :24:22.scrummage now. Charlie Davies coming round to try and get his paws on

:24:23. > :24:25.Pienaar. Marshall decides to put bricks to ball. A huge kick from

:24:26. > :24:29.another young man who has played a lot of early rugby in the

:24:30. > :24:32.outside-half position. Two fire. That has to come all the way that

:24:33. > :24:39.the scrum. That is not what you want. Having watched two of

:24:40. > :24:44.Pienaar's pixels on themselves, Marshall wanted the same. The

:24:45. > :24:54.vagaries of the laws of physics! It skidded forwards and has given the

:24:55. > :24:59.Dragons and chance in Ulster's are. A lovely strike, but some real

:25:00. > :25:03.effort behind that. But so inconsistent, the doubts of a rugby

:25:04. > :25:07.ball. You need to make sure that you get it perfectly right. Again, all

:25:08. > :25:10.that execution whether that is the past or the kick. It has to be

:25:11. > :25:14.right, otherwise dubious bring yourself under pressure. Scarlett

:25:15. > :25:29.and 26-10 up against Edinburgh at the interval. The second hero Rodney

:25:30. > :25:34.Parade. -- what he adds Rodney Parade. Ulster have gone a bit back

:25:35. > :25:38.into their shell. That is perhaps too to the response by the Dragons.

:25:39. > :25:47.A good squeeze on the altar scrum. Evans to the far side. Here comes

:25:48. > :25:54.Meyer. Pienaar. Even on the loose side. Picked up by Brok Harris,

:25:55. > :25:58.another South African. Charlie Davies, nicely done. A lot of

:25:59. > :26:05.adventure thereby the Dragons and they have set the ball up very

:26:06. > :26:10.nicely. Good work at the breakdown. Taken on by Sam Hobbs, formerly of

:26:11. > :26:14.Cardiff. Still, the Dragons going forward. Good work by Angus O'Brien

:26:15. > :26:20.looking for someone on the inside. Davies. Good work by Rob Herring,

:26:21. > :26:29.the captain, but the Dragons are keeping possession. What a solid run

:26:30. > :26:36.by the ever impressive Lee Griffiths and Ulster could not get him into

:26:37. > :26:41.touch. Harbours again. Tackled by Warwick who has come off the worst

:26:42. > :26:45.of that. This is Nic Cudd. Better stuff now for the Dragons. A chance

:26:46. > :26:50.for an overlap. Nice tackle in the middle of the park by Marshall. This

:26:51. > :26:58.will not please Les Kiss. Big drive by Crosswell. He is from New

:26:59. > :27:02.Zealand. Another New Zealander who has played for Ireland, Sean Reidy

:27:03. > :27:08.played the tackle. Better defending this time by Ulster. Warwick seems

:27:09. > :27:12.to be fine again. Still, the Dragons keep possession and again it is the

:27:13. > :27:16.32-year-old tight head Brok Harris who makes the ground. Mike Adamson

:27:17. > :27:24.having a good look to see what's happening and he is happy enough.

:27:25. > :27:26.That was not forward by Ulster. Referee looking for advantage for

:27:27. > :27:31.the Dragons and you still playing advantage. Can they take advantage?

:27:32. > :27:39.You, Sam Beard. Good tackle by Stewart holding. Nick Crosswell

:27:40. > :27:44.again. Better by the Dragons. A half decent chance here. That was Rhys

:27:45. > :27:53.Buckley, the hooker. It is all Dragons. Landman is enormous and he

:27:54. > :27:57.has got away... Not quite. I thought he was in there. Still going out.

:27:58. > :28:01.Hughes coming across the right wing. Dragons and a five metres away.

:28:02. > :28:06.Ulster have always struggled here and nothing is changed, you have to

:28:07. > :28:09.say. Again, as Rob Herring has to make the tackle, surely the Dragons

:28:10. > :28:15.will get through. This skipper very nearly did get through Lewis Evans.

:28:16. > :28:20.And again, they make inroads into Ulster's defending. Picked up and

:28:21. > :28:22.drive once again. They can just about touch the Ulster post that can

:28:23. > :28:27.they touch it with the ball? Would get the ball crossed the line? That

:28:28. > :28:34.is all that matters. As writer would give the Dragons are read. It would

:28:35. > :28:41.give them such a confidence boost. Charlie Davies get it away again.

:28:42. > :28:45.Lewis Evans has another go at it. Good sidestepping. Ulster's defence

:28:46. > :28:53.being tested. Tyler Morgan wasn't too far away. Lots of men there.

:28:54. > :28:58.Having a go himself. Landman is in there trying to work that ball back.

:28:59. > :29:03.Ulster right bag over their own try line which they have to be. Mike

:29:04. > :29:07.Adamson has a little look. Did you not that forward? Good defence by

:29:08. > :29:11.Ulster and it was not forward. And I have to say, great pressure by the

:29:12. > :29:17.Dragons with equally good defending by the visitors. That summed up

:29:18. > :29:22.perfectly. Good work defensively just to regather themselves and put

:29:23. > :29:27.Ulster's numbers on the right places. Defending very well around

:29:28. > :29:33.the breakdown. There is no doubt that the Dragons on that occasion

:29:34. > :29:38.would just looking to get close, to ruck close to the maul. What was

:29:39. > :29:42.impressed about the Dragons there was the variety with how the attack.

:29:43. > :29:44.They picked up, draw forward went round the fringes, looked for the

:29:45. > :29:48.inside Bolling got some great off-road but they also played with

:29:49. > :29:55.wit and it is the accuracy of the past. Adam Hughes has looked very

:29:56. > :29:57.impressive. He is looking for work. Use spread his passes in an chase

:29:58. > :30:04.them up. Great pass play the great defence as well. Wiehahn Herbst is

:30:05. > :30:12.leaving the field. A good tackle their by Sean Reidy. An equally good

:30:13. > :30:18.tackle as well by Charles Piutau. He hasn't had a lot of luck cities

:30:19. > :30:22.joined Ulster in terms of injury, heard. Here is a man who has played

:30:23. > :30:27.112 times for Connacht before joining this season. He has had a

:30:28. > :30:30.season full of injury. Herded off, not sure of that a head injury or

:30:31. > :30:35.whether it is a permanent replacement but her is off and Ah

:30:36. > :30:42.You has come on to play his 14th game of the season for Ulster.

:30:43. > :30:50.That is not a bad replacement, he has been around for a while, lots of

:30:51. > :30:56.experience. You want these players to come on and make an impact as and

:30:57. > :31:00.when they are needed in the last 20, 25 minutes. It looks as if they are

:31:01. > :31:07.going to have too make two. Wiehahn Herbst, I do not think it is a head

:31:08. > :31:12.injury. The Dr is taking him off, it does not look as though he is

:31:13. > :31:16.limping or anything. Who knows? We shall find out and on. In the

:31:17. > :31:29.meantime, a defensive scrum for Ulster. Just about five metres from

:31:30. > :31:35.their own mind. Pienaar, Kiev, as ever takes it forward, just to set

:31:36. > :31:40.the ball up, Ulster get the penalty and that is what they wanted. This

:31:41. > :31:45.will give them the chance to clear their lines and think about mounting

:31:46. > :31:52.an attack. After that early try it has been all Dragons. It certainly

:31:53. > :31:56.has. The first five minutes or so Ulster certainly had control. But

:31:57. > :32:00.they have worked their way back in. They have been the best side in the

:32:01. > :32:05.last ten minutes or so. Just the three points to go for it. This game

:32:06. > :32:09.is about working hard, defending well, taking your opportunities, and

:32:10. > :32:17.you have to do that for the 80 minutes. He will have been happy

:32:18. > :32:22.after ten minutes, I am not sure after 27 he will be that happy.

:32:23. > :32:29.Lineout taken by Kieran Treadwell from Ulster. Ulster trying to shove

:32:30. > :32:35.forward and catch the Dragons offside. Pienaar tried to release

:32:36. > :32:43.Gilmore down that wing. Back on the Dragons side. That was a good

:32:44. > :32:48.appreciation of width there. Good tackle by Marshall. Darren Cave came

:32:49. > :32:53.across to help but Dragons recycled quickly. Back inside comes Tyler

:32:54. > :32:58.Morgan, still only 21 years of age, another Newport boy. Ollie

:32:59. > :33:03.Griffiths, another one. A lot of home-grown talent in this Dragons

:33:04. > :33:07.side, a lot of it's not too far from international level. Herring mixed

:33:08. > :33:17.the tackle. Dragons getting the ball away quickly. Play on, says director

:33:18. > :33:22.Lee, offence at all. Henry making some Jersey pulling. That was not

:33:23. > :33:31.appreciated. The Dragons are still going. They have been competitive in

:33:32. > :33:36.the breakdown. Charlie Davies, taken by balding, was he allowed to go to

:33:37. > :33:41.ground? I think he was. But that is the case that is good work by Tom

:33:42. > :33:46.Prydie. Good work by Charlie Davies. You wanted it to drop just outside

:33:47. > :33:51.that 22 metre line, it's almost as bad, just about, could not go for

:33:52. > :33:59.the Mac. Tom Prydie chasing, as any good winger should be. Far better by

:34:00. > :34:05.the Dragons. Tyler Morgan, tricky boot to the head. A lot of the old

:34:06. > :34:13.claret coming down there, they will have to eat until they get a

:34:14. > :34:22.replacement on. Adam Warren. It is Adam Warren. Played once for Wales

:34:23. > :34:26.against the Barbarians in 2012. Adam Warren will move to outside centre

:34:27. > :34:33.position. On the forward side, not matter. But Ulster are not handling

:34:34. > :34:39.that ball very well. A lot of scrappy stuff in there. The vessel

:34:40. > :34:46.had gone. Yes, if you mistakes and errors creeping in. Thought it might

:34:47. > :34:53.have been a forward pass. Charlie Davies to Sam Beard but he could not

:34:54. > :34:57.hold on to it. Throwing the ball about with gay abandon, as the

:34:58. > :35:09.expression goes, but not terribly effective. Tyler Morgan has been

:35:10. > :35:13.capped, unfortunately has not established himself in the setup

:35:14. > :35:17.after initial promise. Tom Prydie, the youngest player to play for

:35:18. > :35:24.Wales, has not quite established himself. Plenty of time however.

:35:25. > :35:29.Don't you just hate him? 21 years of age. Here is Pienaar, he gets

:35:30. > :35:33.through, good support play from Jared Payne. Got the pass a way to

:35:34. > :35:39.Sean Reidy who was an quick support, great work in the breakdown by

:35:40. > :35:43.Charlie Davies. Ulster get the penalty. I do not think Ulster will

:35:44. > :35:47.be kicking for goal somehow. No, Babel probably go for the corner,

:35:48. > :35:55.that is what Pienaar is looking to do. That is the brilliance of

:35:56. > :36:00.Pienaar. A simple move. You have got to, as a main, get beyond the Open

:36:01. > :36:07.side outside flanker and that is what he did. Made the break. Once

:36:08. > :36:11.you do that, does enough, cannot get him, he is already beyond the

:36:12. > :36:18.defender, Jared Payne integrate support. 60, 70 yards made so easy.

:36:19. > :36:24.Pienaar did very clever things there. He was on his elbow and made

:36:25. > :36:32.enough ground. Herring. Better staffed by Ulster at the line-out.

:36:33. > :36:37.Rob Herring will be giving himself a metaphorical kick in the pants.

:36:38. > :36:42.Ulster could not have been any better position. Alas, it was not

:36:43. > :36:45.straight and the Dragons will get the scrum and they will be happy

:36:46. > :36:54.with that. Huge disappointment for Ulster. 70 yards, 75 yards made

:36:55. > :37:01.downfield, opportunity to launch an attack, a driving line-outs. And

:37:02. > :37:06.then just a simple, basic area, something you work all day in, day

:37:07. > :37:16.out, it goes straight, then it is a turnover ball.

:37:17. > :37:29.Do not be fooled by those lines, this pitch is sheared with Newport

:37:30. > :37:33.AFC. Having made all the ground, 70 odd metres, Ulster then give away

:37:34. > :37:42.the scrum, from the scrum and then give away the penalty. All down to

:37:43. > :37:45.the pack. Will be disappointed that all the hard work to put themselves

:37:46. > :37:55.in a great position has ended up almost back in their own half. It is

:37:56. > :38:05.going to be a Dragons line-outs. Rees Backley. From carefully. He is

:38:06. > :38:10.taking his time. Has got to get it right. But did not big straight

:38:11. > :38:14.either. Anything Rob Herring can do, release back we can do, I have not

:38:15. > :38:20.seen to successive squinty throws like that for a while. No. There is

:38:21. > :38:29.very little wind, it is dry. It is a mild night year. That is about two

:38:30. > :38:33.yards. That was almost into the hands of Charlie Davies. I was just

:38:34. > :38:37.about to see that, into the hands of the scrum-half. Pienaar are having a

:38:38. > :38:45.word with Stewart Olding, looking to see where Jared Payne has come up.

:38:46. > :38:55.They have not looked like losing a scrummage.

:38:56. > :39:03.In it goes. Needless to say, no fear new down the middle, but no one

:39:04. > :39:09.cares about that. Daren Payne has a core himself. Well released, Sean

:39:10. > :39:15.Reidy. The tackle looked worse than it was. Here is Kieran Treadwell

:39:16. > :39:19.with that big shoulder in. Referee says that was fine and a week and

:39:20. > :39:26.the Dragons, Warren gets it away, this could be interesting. Dragons

:39:27. > :39:31.deep inside Ulster territory with men to spear outweighed, if they can

:39:32. > :39:36.shift this, Gilroy had to come end, good tackling by Ulster. The Dragons

:39:37. > :39:42.putting it up to the visitors, wonderful one-handed the cap by Rhys

:39:43. > :39:48.Buckley. Spiralling out of the tackle yet again. Adam Hughes has

:39:49. > :39:52.been very aggressive. Tried his best to get away. Play on, sees the

:39:53. > :39:58.referee. Here comes the Dragons, heads-up rugby they are playing.

:39:59. > :40:02.Landsman, big aggressive fellow, captains the Dragons from most of

:40:03. > :40:13.last season, what a good tackle that was by Charles Piutau on Ollie

:40:14. > :40:19.Griffiths. Charlie Davies. Davis again, a little flat ball, beautiful

:40:20. > :40:22.stuff back inside, again Ulster's defence really being tested, I think

:40:23. > :40:32.it was Jared Payne who made that tackle. Gilroy Renton. Still the

:40:33. > :40:39.Dragons keep possession. Still they make ground there. A nice mix of

:40:40. > :40:46.forward and back skills. This is Brok Harris again, he has been busy.

:40:47. > :40:52.Cudd, what about the pass to Adam Hughes then changed his mind. Again

:40:53. > :41:06.as the Dragons, Charlie Davies, get away all too easily from Rodney Ah

:41:07. > :41:10.You. Cudd at scrum-half. O'Brien. Cudd again, and again Harris, he has

:41:11. > :41:18.had a lot of carries this evening. Here comes Buckley. Lewis Evans has

:41:19. > :41:24.to go into scrum-half, it is congested in the middle of the park,

:41:25. > :41:28.Chris Evans -- Chris Henry makes the tackle for Ulster. Decides to make

:41:29. > :41:34.the kick. Good position. Jared Payne gets away from one tackle, two

:41:35. > :41:39.tackles, Payne is away, a clever kick into space, here comes Craig

:41:40. > :41:47.Gilroy who got the first try, he is leading it, he has done splendidly,

:41:48. > :41:51.don't add up again in one movement. Vietto complaining he was hanging

:41:52. > :41:54.onto it and he may well have done but better silly points than seven

:41:55. > :42:01.but Ulster will want to go for seven, I am sure. He looked out on

:42:02. > :42:07.his feet just before he managed to get to the ball, he looked under

:42:08. > :42:14.massive pressure, Piutau breathing down his neck, he did well, 40 had

:42:15. > :42:18.stayed on his feet long enough but ultimately the referee probably made

:42:19. > :42:23.the right call. Again, a great passage of play by the Dragons to

:42:24. > :42:28.start with. Again, it is not just about getting the ball wide, driving

:42:29. > :42:31.with the forwards, there is the insight option, the outside option,

:42:32. > :42:37.you have got to drive in the off-loading game. Jared Payne,

:42:38. > :42:41.lovely sidestep, no point in passing to Charles Piutau, because he softly

:42:42. > :42:46.Dragons defenders, and Gilroy came out like a steam train, but watch

:42:47. > :42:51.the splendid work by mayor, had to go to ground, then was envelope, he

:42:52. > :42:57.may just have interfered with the ball on the ground. That had that

:42:58. > :43:03.kick out have gone ten or 50 metres to the left-hand side, Gilroy,

:43:04. > :43:12.Vietto, that would have been a score. Ulster settling for the

:43:13. > :43:16.3-point option which was carried out by Ruan Pienaar. As half-time

:43:17. > :43:23.approaches Ulster have gone back to a 7-point lead. 3-10. Ulster apart

:43:24. > :43:30.from a couple of spurts have not placed that much. But they have

:43:31. > :43:32.absorbed the pressure, they have not allowed Newport Gwent Dragons who

:43:33. > :43:37.have had a fair bit of position to get across the line to score, so

:43:38. > :43:41.they have kept in the game, and when they have gone down field they have

:43:42. > :43:49.got points and that is important. Or Brian puts that long. Gathered in by

:43:50. > :44:00.greedy who went to ground. Pienaar is in is 22. I am not sure he meant

:44:01. > :44:05.to put it almost vertical. Ulster wrestling for it. They go to ground.

:44:06. > :44:07.Mike Adamson has decided that will be a scramble for the Dragons who

:44:08. > :44:15.have competed for just about everything. They have, 100%, no

:44:16. > :44:20.doubt about that. But that was not the best of kicks. They would have

:44:21. > :44:26.wanted that ten metres, 15 metres further downfield in order for

:44:27. > :44:32.Gilroy to compete. He Sky debt, lifted his head, fell back a little,

:44:33. > :44:35.as a result of goes straight up in the area, gives the Dragons a scrum

:44:36. > :44:42.opportunity, and an attacking opportunity. 30 metres out. Pienaar

:44:43. > :44:46.has been vocal this season. He is showing not just great effort in

:44:47. > :44:49.terms of his play, but he has done terrific work in terms of overall

:44:50. > :44:55.leadership and generalship, that is what you want your scrum-half to do.

:44:56. > :45:02.Charlie Davies just breathing heavily. He has had a little glance

:45:03. > :45:13.to see where the Ulster backs are deployed. Decent scrum by the

:45:14. > :45:19.Dragons. Evans, well disrupted by Pienaar, not backwards, says

:45:20. > :45:27.director Lee. That is loose by Tyler Morgan. Gets away from the tackle.

:45:28. > :45:32.Dragons on the front foot yet again, the skipper makes some decent

:45:33. > :45:36.ground. Charlie Davies, good work by big Sam Hobbs, for many years a

:45:37. > :45:40.stalwart of the Cardiff Blues. Again the Dragons moving forward but the

:45:41. > :45:48.pass was a difficult one. They have kept it. Or Brian sidestepped by

:45:49. > :45:58.former Edinburgh centre Sam Beard, in his first season here at Newport.

:45:59. > :46:05.Davis, switches nicely. Crosswell. Buckley went into scrum-half.

:46:06. > :46:09.Dragons again trying to find some width. That is good stuff once again

:46:10. > :46:18.by Tyler Morgan. Showing all his class this evening. Lewis Evans

:46:19. > :46:26.getting no change that he has made it available. Little bit too much on

:46:27. > :46:30.it. Directly in to touch. That'll come back for an Ulster line-out,

:46:31. > :46:34.half-time beckoning, Ulster 10-3 up, but they would lovably have batted

:46:35. > :46:38.themselves to be any more commanding position. Before the game most

:46:39. > :46:44.people would have thought, hats off to the Dragons, they have had a go,

:46:45. > :46:48.they have probably dominated possession, certainly they have had

:46:49. > :46:59.more attacking opportunities than Ulster. But when you have got that

:47:00. > :47:05.much possession, who has won, defence or attack? Ulster defence

:47:06. > :47:11.has come out on top. Very few options around him. That means the

:47:12. > :47:14.pressure that Ulster have exerted in defence is putting pressure on the

:47:15. > :47:23.decision-makers within the Dragons side. Here is the try. A clever kick

:47:24. > :47:29.by Ruan Pienaar. It sat up horribly for the Dragons, but beautifully for

:47:30. > :47:36.Craig Gilroy, who picked it up and dived over, with eternal gratitude,

:47:37. > :47:39.I suspect. We have been full of praise but the opportunity from that

:47:40. > :47:48.scrum, jargons were looking to go left, eight, 29, he had to make a

:47:49. > :47:51.decision, the rate decision, you either stand out you come in and try

:47:52. > :47:55.and close it down at source from the number eight and he did exactly

:47:56. > :48:00.that, he took away all the threats on the left-hand side. That is

:48:01. > :48:04.making the right decision when it matters. Ulster called a five-man

:48:05. > :48:09.line-outs with Chris Henry standing in scrum-half position. Dragons

:48:10. > :48:16.cleverly did not engage there. There was no offside. Ulster have given

:48:17. > :48:26.away the scrummage because there was a bit of track and trailer. That was

:48:27. > :48:34.very clever. Yes, standing off. No maul has been formed. Just stood

:48:35. > :48:39.back. Ryan Backley just goes straight in, tries to take it to

:48:40. > :48:46.date, but there was sufficient in terms of truck and trailer for the

:48:47. > :48:49.referee to award the scrum. One of the negatives in the recent Six

:48:50. > :48:58.Nations was the Italians doing that at Twickenham. Great inventiveness.

:48:59. > :49:02.Just thought how do we prevent then steam-rolling as an getting momentum

:49:03. > :49:10.early on, and it worked, caused huge confusion. Ulster getting a bit of

:49:11. > :49:17.pressure on the scrum, Pina getting out, was not the greatest pass in

:49:18. > :49:23.the world, still the Dragons with front foot. But as their redoubtable

:49:24. > :49:28.skipper, Lewis Evans, still just 29 years of age, 200 appearances for

:49:29. > :49:33.the one team at this level. Ulster tickets through. The referee has a

:49:34. > :49:37.hand-out. An Ulster man offside, that'll be a penalty to the Dragons.

:49:38. > :49:43.On the basis of where they are time I is I think they should go for

:49:44. > :49:55.goal. 10-6 at half-time would be pleasing. It is 10-3 at the moment.

:49:56. > :50:02.It is just whether Karl Meyer, who has a strong boots, can connect. It

:50:03. > :50:06.means they would just need an unconverted try. Chris Henry got the

:50:07. > :50:11.votes to it. The Dragons need a decent bit of ground that the

:50:12. > :50:22.referee blotted back for the penalty. Meyer is a strong and

:50:23. > :50:35.powerful South African, as you would expect. He has done a good job at

:50:36. > :50:45.Rodney Parade. Angus O'Brien takes the short range kicks. What a smack

:50:46. > :50:49.he has given that. He has just pushed it wide. That is rather

:50:50. > :50:54.unfortunate. That is the last action of what has been a startling first

:50:55. > :50:57.half, Ulster will be reasonably pleased to be in the league but they

:50:58. > :51:00.are opportunities to extend that to be but they have not managed to take

:51:01. > :51:10.them but the defence will be pleased. Ruan Pienaar setup the try

:51:11. > :51:14.for Craig Gilroy and added a penalty. And by the Dragons a

:51:15. > :51:19.penalty by outside-half Angus or Brian. Not a big cloud but some

:51:20. > :51:24.decent rugby. We hope there will be more decent rugby to be played in

:51:25. > :51:34.the second half. Half-time at Rodney Parade, Dragons three, Ulster ten.

:51:35. > :51:37.STUDIO: Ulster lead at half-time thanks to

:51:38. > :51:42.Craig Gilroy magic that they have not had it all their own way.

:51:43. > :51:46.Dragons dominating possession if not the scoreboard with just that

:51:47. > :51:51.solitary penalty. So Ulster are in front but it has

:51:52. > :51:56.been a grind, the first half. It has been a drag. The scoreline does not

:51:57. > :52:00.reflect the Games so far. Fortuitous for a Craig Gilroy is littered for

:52:01. > :52:04.his first try but it is Dragons bring all the rugby, going through

:52:05. > :52:11.25, 30 fees before knocking the ball of the line. But Ulster have got to

:52:12. > :52:15.create more havoc. They have got to make... The Dragons are going from

:52:16. > :52:18.side to side but they are holding onto the ball. That can be

:52:19. > :52:22.frustrating for an Ulster player. They need to target the breakdown

:52:23. > :52:28.and get more turnover ball. When they get the ball they look

:52:29. > :52:34.dangerous but yet again they let go possession whether it be set piece

:52:35. > :52:37.or stupidly kicking the ball away. The coach will be frustrated at

:52:38. > :52:41.half-time but he knows they can hold onto the ball the points will be

:52:42. > :52:47.there. When Ulster had the ball hourly, it seems to be going

:52:48. > :52:53.swimmingly. It is a boldly going to go to for Ulster. Ball off the top.

:52:54. > :53:01.It started brightly. They speak by Stuart Olding coming through. Then

:53:02. > :53:05.Ruan Pienaar identifies that they are out of position. See it as

:53:06. > :53:09.fortuitous. Great skill. Great skill to pick the ball up but luckily he

:53:10. > :53:17.had Rhys Buckley the hook to cover his wing. Great position again. Good

:53:18. > :53:20.football in spells. Immediately after that we looked passive and

:53:21. > :53:25.everything we did. Ulster stopped playing. Stephen mention beer, we

:53:26. > :53:33.were not aggressive enough and have allowed for the next 28-30 minutes,

:53:34. > :53:38.for Gwent Dragons to get in and control the pace of the game. Credit

:53:39. > :53:43.to Dragons, they hang the ball well, even though that did not resident in

:53:44. > :53:49.many points on the scoreboard, one of the Caesars lasted over 32 times,

:53:50. > :53:53.how big is that when you are a defence? It is very sapping but if I

:53:54. > :53:55.was in that Ulster defence of line there is nothing that the Dragons

:53:56. > :53:59.are throwing up the boys that they cannot deal with. You are not too

:54:00. > :54:04.concerned? I am not concerned that they are holding the ball but we are

:54:05. > :54:08.not getting up and Nicky impact tackles. The amount of soft tackles

:54:09. > :54:13.that they are making, that makes it easy for the Dragons, we need more

:54:14. > :54:17.impact tackles, put them on the back foot, so that Angus O'Brien cannot

:54:18. > :54:21.start throwing those white passes. But yes, they are making the odd few

:54:22. > :54:26.yards, but we do look comfortable and we just need possession. Good

:54:27. > :54:30.defence by Ulster. But when you do not have the ball in your hands, it

:54:31. > :54:33.can become frustrating. It becomes frustrating as people are looking

:54:34. > :54:41.around for somebody else to make the big hit. You would love to have a

:54:42. > :54:47.second draw like that. He plays 100% every game. He is a talisman thin

:54:48. > :54:51.that Gwent Dragons team. They are going forward but they are not

:54:52. > :54:55.penetrating the Ulster defence and that can be soul destroying as well.

:54:56. > :55:00.Great Dragons have had a week off for the first time since pre-season,

:55:01. > :55:06.maybe they are refreshed, 30 minutes of constantly. Ulster had a couple

:55:07. > :55:11.of chances when they could have scored tries early on, good

:55:12. > :55:16.opportunities. When you do not have the ball you want to hold onto it.

:55:17. > :55:19.This is what they practice every day in training. Once Sean Reidy stepped

:55:20. > :55:27.half a yard inside he should have thrown the ball to Cave and no doubt

:55:28. > :55:30.he would have got into the corner, but it is only in the game,

:55:31. > :55:33.sometimes you do not want to throw that Patton Kizzire does not stick.

:55:34. > :55:39.You can build pressure, build momentum. Put doubts into the minds

:55:40. > :55:46.of the opposition. They are not doing that. Les at half-time will be

:55:47. > :55:51.saying, when you get the ball in the zone, you have got to hold onto it,

:55:52. > :55:56.you have got to come away with a try, three points, get seven points

:55:57. > :56:06.or more away from this team. Three minutes, I would have taken the

:56:07. > :56:10.points. What happened was we went through those visas and did not

:56:11. > :56:16.score. When Ulster do have the ball, great run by Jared Payne to put them

:56:17. > :56:24.in good striking position, they have given the ball away at set piece as

:56:25. > :56:33.well, in the scrum and line-out. Less will not be pleased with that.

:56:34. > :56:39.Nor he will not. The line-out will function well, he said, it has not.

:56:40. > :56:46.Look at that, that is an easy catch. It is very unlike him. The few too

:56:47. > :56:51.many mistakes. A couple of skewed throws. This smart play from the

:56:52. > :56:53.Dragons, Chris Henry takes the ball straightaway instead of Kieran

:56:54. > :56:59.Treadwell, holds onto its to see what they are going to do.

:57:00. > :57:03.Accidental offside, it is a scrum to the Dragons. You are talking about

:57:04. > :57:06.bonus points cause, to get those, the fundamental basics of the game

:57:07. > :57:14.have to be done right. That has not happened. You cannot throw the ball

:57:15. > :57:18.around trying to play sevens rugby. It has not been perfect but Ulster

:57:19. > :57:22.are looking comfortable and still in front. The name Emily Valentine may

:57:23. > :57:28.not be a household name but in women's rugby it is an important

:57:29. > :57:34.one. A reporter tells us why. August 2017 sees Ireland host the

:57:35. > :57:39.women's Rugby World Cup with semifinals and final being played at

:57:40. > :57:44.the Kingspan Stadium. A 32 county two of the trophy is currently

:57:45. > :57:49.underway and this week it arrived in Fermanagh at Enniskillen Royal

:57:50. > :57:56.Grammar School, an amalgamation of two schools. Down through the years

:57:57. > :58:00.this has fostered famous playwrights and poets that there is another

:58:01. > :58:04.significant name attached to the boys School, Emily Valentine. Where

:58:05. > :58:12.we are standing at the moment would have been further rugby pitches,

:58:13. > :58:15.where in the 1880s, Emily Valentine's father was deputy

:58:16. > :58:20.headmaster, and Emily Valentine is supposedly the first girl to have

:58:21. > :58:24.played rugby. It would have been right will the understanding that

:58:25. > :58:28.Emily may have stood that afternoon when there was a man short on the

:58:29. > :58:34.pitch and she was asked to come on and play, a lifetime ambition for

:58:35. > :58:37.her, and she managed to score a try. Obviously it has been wonderful

:58:38. > :58:44.today to see the women's Rugby World Cup come to school, to both of our

:58:45. > :58:48.sites, and in some way, to see women's rugby come home. I am sure

:58:49. > :58:51.she would be delighted to know that young women in Enniskillen Royal

:58:52. > :58:58.Grammar School today I'd definitely on the pitch, not only on the pitch

:58:59. > :59:00.but also winning. Next stop for the trophy was Enniskillen rugby club

:59:01. > :59:07.where the girls from Enniskillen Royal were taking part in a six

:59:08. > :59:12.school rugby competition. On Thursday night, there were more

:59:13. > :59:16.girls coming down. Everyone is looking forward to the summer for

:59:17. > :59:19.their women's World Cup to start, hopefully it will encourage more

:59:20. > :59:27.girls to take up rugby and give it a go. Brightening at the miles with

:59:28. > :59:31.the trophy as Laura Stapleton, she is in no doubt that the popularity

:59:32. > :59:34.of the women's game is on the increase. When people talk to me

:59:35. > :59:38.about rugby during the Six Nations they are talking about the match

:59:39. > :59:41.that they sought the weekend, they are not talking about I know the

:59:42. > :59:46.women's team are doing well but I have not seen much about it, it is

:59:47. > :59:49.different now. The matches are on telly. The likes of the World Cup

:59:50. > :59:52.coming here, people are watching their women's team play, there are

:59:53. > :00:01.more kids coming to rugby clubs to join. The Irish women are now firmly

:00:02. > :00:07.focused on keeping the trophy in Ireland after the World Cup is over.

:00:08. > :00:13.We have three or four really busy months ahead of us. We are

:00:14. > :00:16.determined to put in as much work as possible to improve ourselves and

:00:17. > :00:28.have no regrets going into that tournament. Yes, the women's Rugby

:00:29. > :00:32.World Cup coming to Ireland this summer. Ireland beaten by England

:00:33. > :00:37.for the Grand Slam a couple of weeks ago. It'll be a massive event this

:00:38. > :00:41.summer. Yes, myself and Morris were down the Irish legends game and the

:00:42. > :00:44.women played later on that evening but unfortunately, England got one

:00:45. > :00:47.over on them. But they are a good squad, popularity of the women's

:00:48. > :00:54.games rising during your out over the semifinal, the stadium just

:00:55. > :01:02.round the corner from here, it is massive for the country. But back to

:01:03. > :01:05.tonight, Morris, what do you also need to do in the second half just

:01:06. > :01:08.to take a group of this game and make sure they conceal it out

:01:09. > :01:12.because whatever happens in the second half, it looks like it will

:01:13. > :01:15.be a hard-fought battle on a very muddy pitch. We need to get their

:01:16. > :01:18.hands on the ball and retain possession. They were playing off

:01:19. > :01:23.scraps in the first half and the time they had possession, they ended

:01:24. > :01:27.up with this course would they do that, go to their phases and get

:01:28. > :01:32.their set pieces right, they have the firepower out there to take this

:01:33. > :01:34.Dragons team to the cleaners. The Dragons have been pummelling the

:01:35. > :01:39.Ulster defence with no joy and unless they can make a breakthrough,

:01:40. > :01:44.there becomes disheartening. It does, and I would like to see

:01:45. > :01:49.Charles come off his wing. We haven't seen much of him tonight. If

:01:50. > :01:53.we get more possession in the second half, that peace were Morris thought

:01:54. > :01:57.they might have taken three points, adding a message for the game was to

:01:58. > :02:01.keep the tempo high, click add tap now and again to keep the Dragons on

:02:02. > :02:05.their toes swear understand why they did that, but then typically

:02:06. > :02:12.possession was a negative. But to get possession and get points, get

:02:13. > :02:16.this Dragons seamers way. Pienaar was really controlling things. And

:02:17. > :02:20.that is why he is a world-class scrum-half and new zipping the ball

:02:21. > :02:24.out. It's trying to get where the gaps are. We are not creating too

:02:25. > :02:28.much. We need to identify where the spaces are and within the next five

:02:29. > :02:35.or ten minutes, the Dragons team will start to wilt. Defatted same

:02:36. > :02:37.thing will happen? I do. It's just getting a point over. We keep

:02:38. > :02:45.repeating ourselves but it's about getting the ball and getting our

:02:46. > :02:48.runners into the game. Her is out and is I would like to see him get

:02:49. > :02:53.his hands on the ball as well. -- her text is out.

:02:54. > :02:58.Thank you very much indeed. Ulster back out that the second half. The

:02:59. > :03:05.Dragons are on their way and it is back to our commentary team.

:03:06. > :03:15.COMMENTATOR: Is no changes on the Ulster 15 that finished the first

:03:16. > :03:19.half. But Rodney are you came on. Wiehahn Herbst has had a lot of

:03:20. > :03:27.trouble with injury not does this season but has been fairly often

:03:28. > :03:33.replaces Iraq from South Africa. There is the man serving his 200th

:03:34. > :03:38.cap. He would absolutely love if Lewis Evans could lead the Dragons

:03:39. > :03:43.to victory and there is Rodney Ah You. 27 years of age with the Irish

:03:44. > :03:48.caps to his name. Referee Mike Anderson is happy enough. The Ulster

:03:49. > :03:51.skipper, Rob Herring, has come in to receive and the Dragons outside-half

:03:52. > :03:58.or Brian will get this underway. He is given a fair old belts. Gilroy.

:03:59. > :04:06.Sean Reidy accelerating into the tackle to get across the 22. Picked

:04:07. > :04:11.up by Kieran Treadwell. What a great turn of pace by Treadwell. My word,

:04:12. > :04:16.nothing quite like a big man in full flow and he was both of those.

:04:17. > :04:20.Stuart Olding. That might work out well for Ulster but the bounce was

:04:21. > :04:25.not kind enough world Luke Marshall who is celebrating his 100th cap.

:04:26. > :04:30.What about that? You would have got out of this fellow's way. Would you

:04:31. > :04:35.have tackled him? Yu De Lu from Charlie Davies quite comfortably.

:04:36. > :04:40.Great speed by the big second row. He realised the situation, as we

:04:41. > :04:44.mentioned is, what he did in terms of coming around with no tackle made

:04:45. > :04:48.and no offside law, that is as valuable Dragons tried to do now. He

:04:49. > :04:54.strove for the middle. Treadwell showed a great pair of heels. Davies

:04:55. > :04:59.finding Piutau and then finding Payne. Almost inevitably he was past

:05:00. > :05:01.the first tackle. The front foot now. Stuart Olding again into a

:05:02. > :05:08.little rid of space. Lots of space there. Meyer is going to have to be

:05:09. > :05:12.very quick. Been copped by Darren Cave and the Ulster Centre pushes

:05:13. > :05:17.him into touch. Ulster on the front foot the line-out ten metres from

:05:18. > :05:22.the Dragon's line. Good play by Ulster. A good start. The change of

:05:23. > :05:26.direction is capturing the back three from the Dragons out. Both

:05:27. > :05:32.wingers are fairly flat which obviously provides space for Pienaar

:05:33. > :05:36.as we saw in the first half again and from Stuart Olding and Karl

:05:37. > :05:40.Meyer. Not sure whether he stays in the middle, with Eagles left or

:05:41. > :05:48.right. Years been caught out down. Good take aback by Henderson. Ulster

:05:49. > :05:53.shoved forward. The ball is that Pienaar's lead. Looking for a big

:05:54. > :05:56.man stickers on. Treadwell who made those initial thrust takes it on and

:05:57. > :06:00.make some decent ground. I now, did he fumbled a forward? The referee

:06:01. > :06:10.says yes. How often do you see Pienaar... Was a combination, Rob

:06:11. > :06:15.Jones and Ruan Pienaar. You do not see making many mistakes. Just

:06:16. > :06:20.lifting his head on that occasion. Not focusing on the ball. There was

:06:21. > :06:25.like that stopped the ball from coming back cleanly. That is ready

:06:26. > :06:34.over ran it. If you look, it might have been a Dragons like that got

:06:35. > :06:41.over there. They just did enough. But a good start by Ulster. Looking

:06:42. > :06:51.sharp. The first try of the first task was scored by Craig Gilroy.

:06:52. > :06:59.Here is Charlie Davies. He had is a 38 game for the Dragons. Back to

:07:00. > :07:03.Karl Maher and he has launched an absolute rocket. He has got away

:07:04. > :07:07.well. Years are very, very accomplished player. This is as

:07:08. > :07:15.their season at Rodney Parade. We are scored no fewer than eight tries

:07:16. > :07:19.and misses... He's a good all-round player. He is not the quickest in

:07:20. > :07:24.the world and he has been caught out defensively just positioning wise on

:07:25. > :07:37.a couple of occasions. Line-out by Ulster. Had to check a little bit.

:07:38. > :07:42.Pienaar, Sean Reidy. Pienaar again. Rodney Ah You with his first carry

:07:43. > :07:52.for the stone. Pienaar nice and flat Darren Cave. Nic Cudd was in there.

:07:53. > :08:00.Rob Herring, Ulster's captain. No change out of big Brok Harris.

:08:01. > :08:03.WHISTLE Good work. So, Ulster started off with a bit of a flurry

:08:04. > :08:07.that they have made a couple of elementary errors and given

:08:08. > :08:10.possession back to the Dragons so they will no doubt be looking for a

:08:11. > :08:20.bit of territory to the bit of Angus O'Brien. He has scored over 230

:08:21. > :08:27.points for the Dragons. That's the last two or three seasons. Yes, and

:08:28. > :08:37.eat kicker. Just looking there at the Griffiths. Pressurising the

:08:38. > :08:40.opposition at the breakdown... But the first ferocious tackle was Brok

:08:41. > :08:46.Harris who has had a great game this evening. You come the Dragons again.

:08:47. > :08:50.Nicely done. Ran over here. Getting away and they have got away. This is

:08:51. > :08:55.a great set up by the Dragons. Chip and chase. They need the bounce to

:08:56. > :08:59.be kind. That goes Pienaar. Was he in front of Pienaar when he claimed

:09:00. > :09:04.the ball? I think he was. That will be a penalty to the Dragons. What a

:09:05. > :09:14.fantastic counter attack by the home side. Great hands. I think we

:09:15. > :09:20.mentioned that, he has been looking for work. He is not the biggest...

:09:21. > :09:25.Use quick. Quick and strong and fit his body on the line for the

:09:26. > :09:30.Dragons. As I say, it wasn't just when he got into space. He opened

:09:31. > :09:33.his legs and got going. It just blinked inside which meant the

:09:34. > :09:39.pressure was always going to be on Pienaar to get across and try to do

:09:40. > :09:42.something. Great hands by Maher. I wonderful off-load and that was

:09:43. > :09:46.fantastic. Almost like an old-fashioned cross kick. Ulster

:09:47. > :09:51.couldn't quite deal with it and gave with a penalty although they have

:09:52. > :09:55.conceded the line-out. Thanks to the good work by Adam Hughes. Great take

:09:56. > :10:00.in the line-out by the Dragons are. Good enough and strong enough to

:10:01. > :10:04.shout also back over the line? The tribal close the gap. In goes Hugh

:10:05. > :10:08.just at his way to it. Ulster calling for a man on that far side.

:10:09. > :10:12.Pienaar thing he needs someone over here. Good defending by Ulster. The

:10:13. > :10:19.Dragons so have the ball in your leg over the line. They are very close.

:10:20. > :10:24.Good work by Ah You. The referee is insisting that also get behind the

:10:25. > :10:27.try line. Dragons throwing everything into this one. Ulster's

:10:28. > :10:36.defence in the first half was pretty solid and assiduous -- similar

:10:37. > :10:40.situations. Nic Cudd takes a step backwards as they try to get the

:10:41. > :10:46.ball out. Left with the skipper Lewis Evans. Griffiths let again who

:10:47. > :10:50.has had another good game. There are men already can get this away.

:10:51. > :10:57.Interception and Gilroy cots that. He was done and dusted. Home and

:10:58. > :11:02.holes, etc,. But he knocked it on and it is a scrum to the Dragons.

:11:03. > :11:15.From almost a Dragons Graig Thomason also try. It was in that they gave a

:11:16. > :11:20.penalty there. Is this offside? Mike Adamson is going up to his fellow

:11:21. > :11:24.Scot on the line there. They want to check for foul play. I foul play

:11:25. > :11:34.does he mean deliberate knock-on? I think so. Gilroy almost got to that,

:11:35. > :11:37.didn't he? The reality is... If it is a deliberate knock-on and it is

:11:38. > :11:42.considered foul play then it is going to be a yellow card. As was

:11:43. > :11:46.the penalty. I am not sure what he went for. I'm not sure that is a

:11:47. > :11:53.deliberate knock-on. I think you try to gather that. Of course you try to

:11:54. > :12:01.gather that! Goes by the decision of a knock and is ridiculous. He's

:12:02. > :12:08.bringing it over. REFEREE: This is probably the best angle. There is a

:12:09. > :12:13.defender outside is there is no opportunity for a try.

:12:14. > :12:21.The referee is saying this was not a realistic position to catch it.

:12:22. > :12:34.Well, well, well. That could change things. We saw the Six Nations last

:12:35. > :12:40.week in France where it causes so much confusion and what have you.

:12:41. > :12:44.There was nothing wrong with that. Gilroy knows that in a shaking his

:12:45. > :12:49.head so needless to say he disagreed with the ruling of Mike Adamson and

:12:50. > :12:55.the Tiempo, and his fellow Scotsman Jim Yuill. Dragons going for the

:12:56. > :12:57.corner and going for a try. It was a fraction away from interception and

:12:58. > :13:02.a try at the other end of the ground. If the opportunity is there

:13:03. > :13:06.to just put your hand out and juggle it and take it, it will have to get

:13:07. > :13:11.the benefit of the doubt to the player who is trying to attack. Back

:13:12. > :13:17.onto the Dragons' side were swept up by Brok Harris. Dragons looking for

:13:18. > :13:21.men on this, the side. Here goes Landman. Izzy at the line? Years

:13:22. > :13:24.made two movements but the second one was quite legal and he has the

:13:25. > :13:29.try and that has made the gap to points with a conversion to come.

:13:30. > :13:31.The Dragons have taken full advantage of the rather

:13:32. > :13:35.controversial decision to put Craig Gilroy into the sin-bin.

:13:36. > :13:39.Controversial but the Dragons had to do what they can to win this game.

:13:40. > :13:43.They have taken advantage of that is Abbey as you said. Just in terms of

:13:44. > :13:49.numbers. In numbers. Depending on the right-hand side for Ulster. That

:13:50. > :13:54.should have gone from Landman but he made a decision to go himself, drive

:13:55. > :14:01.himself. Two defenders, to forward on the left-hand side. Landman and

:14:02. > :14:06.O'Brien on the outside of him but he goes in himself. He has the power to

:14:07. > :14:11.get across. Its importance for the Dragons that they do take advantage

:14:12. > :14:15.of this. Brok Harris has had a very good game. Lots of tackling and he

:14:16. > :14:18.tidied the ball up and make the initial thrust which allowed his

:14:19. > :14:22.fellow South African to make a final break. He was down there. He is

:14:23. > :14:25.allowed to make a second movement because he was not held and he did

:14:26. > :14:30.stretch and he has got to try and the conversion to come. This might

:14:31. > :14:34.be another very difficult evening in Newport for this Ulster side. And

:14:35. > :14:40.that has been struck very nicely between the posts. Angus O'Brien.

:14:41. > :14:48.And we are back to a level game. It is ten apiece. Interesting, very

:14:49. > :14:53.interesting. Controversial in many ways, I think that decision was. It

:14:54. > :14:56.has allowed the Dragons, who in Venice have played well and put

:14:57. > :15:11.pressure on Ulster, to get back in the game. Maybe a couple of changes.

:15:12. > :15:14.Paddy Jackson on at ten. Well taken by Landman. Trying to squeeze the

:15:15. > :15:19.Dragons are crossed that line and force the line-out. Paddy Jackson

:15:20. > :15:27.off the bench. I can't remember that happened. Payne. It's bounced

:15:28. > :15:32.awkwardly for Ulster and nicely for the Dragons. Well tidied in by their

:15:33. > :15:35.hooker. But also have nabbed it. Henderson, they try scorer

:15:36. > :15:42.Linderman. Try scorer against England. That was at the Aviva

:15:43. > :15:52.Stadium last week. Also though forced back into their own half.

:15:53. > :15:58.Pienaar. That's very testing cake but well met by Carl Meyer. Gets

:15:59. > :16:02.tackled by Jared Payne. Good cleaning out of the breakdown by the

:16:03. > :16:08.Dragons. Davies get it away. The Ms Evans. He was O'Brien. Not

:16:09. > :16:15.backwards, I think. The referee agrees that I do not think it is the

:16:16. > :16:18.same. Get away from a couple of tackles. O'Connor has to get the

:16:19. > :16:26.ball back and he just about manages it. Pienaar. Ah You. Back inside.

:16:27. > :16:30.Better stuff. Here is Paddy Jackson. Pienaar again. Stewart holding still

:16:31. > :16:41.on the field. Darren Cave is the man who was gone off, I think. Run away

:16:42. > :16:47.from support there, Ah You. But he set it up nicely. Crosswell not

:16:48. > :16:53.exactly quick to get away from it. Now it is the Dragons' turn to

:16:54. > :17:02.defend well. Shirt dirty already, Jackson. And an aggressive thump by

:17:03. > :17:08.Charles Piutau. Here is Henderson. Not really had a chance to stretch

:17:09. > :17:13.his legs. Better stuff by Ulster. Paddy Jackson on that touchline

:17:14. > :17:22.side. Henderson takes it all on the outside. Dragons defending

:17:23. > :17:27.furiously. Penalty against the Dragons. Ulster will go for the

:17:28. > :17:34.corner. I think they will. It's a bit long for Pienaar or Jackson to

:17:35. > :17:38.go for goal. But Jackson has got straight into the game and dictated

:17:39. > :17:45.matters from town. Perhaps a little bit more and more involved is than

:17:46. > :17:51.Stuart Olding beforehand because he is a natural tan. He's played

:17:52. > :17:56.alongside a man who knows Pienaar very well. Also need to do something

:17:57. > :18:00.here because coming away from here with anything other than a win or

:18:01. > :18:06.draw will be no good to them. I drive here for Ulster would make

:18:07. > :18:09.sure they don't finish in the top four. They are hanging in the

:18:10. > :18:17.balance. Not sure what is happening in terms of the Scarlet is -

:18:18. > :18:23.Edinburgh game. Cleverly, the Dragons don't commit. But still,

:18:24. > :18:28.Ulster driving forward. The referee has called for a maul. Ulster really

:18:29. > :18:31.could do with a try here. They are shunting forward. Only about five

:18:32. > :18:36.metres away. The Dragons have defended well. The ball is back on

:18:37. > :18:40.the Ulster side in the revelry, Mike Adamson, houses a hand-out for a

:18:41. > :18:46.penalty. I know with the switch. Well done to Piutau who is well

:18:47. > :18:56.shackled. Warwick helps about it will come back the penalty. The man

:18:57. > :19:00.who scored, has been found guilty of something naughty. Side entry, I

:19:01. > :19:05.think. Do they continue to go for a corner? Just grind them down from

:19:06. > :19:10.the line-outs, the driving line-outs? Good work initially by

:19:11. > :19:13.the Dragons. Standing off the line-out with the ball being in the

:19:14. > :19:17.front. When the tackle was made, it went to ground and Ulster did well

:19:18. > :19:24.to reset them all and get back going forward. Also still with 14 men.

:19:25. > :19:31.Gilroy about halfway through his England period. Warwick passes on

:19:32. > :19:39.the line-outs call to his skipper. Lots of dampness in the air here in

:19:40. > :19:44.Newport. Don't think Ulster have taken anyone out of the line-out.

:19:45. > :19:48.Doesn't look like it. Reidy in the scrum-half position. Taken at by

:19:49. > :19:54.Chris Henry who was hoisted high. Hugo also yet again. Again, the

:19:55. > :20:03.Dragons dig in and tried to deny them the straightforward ridgeline.

:20:04. > :20:11.Down they go. Pienaar. Henderson. Taken by Carl Meyer. A good assist

:20:12. > :20:16.by Rodney Ah You. Still in position. Chris Henry doing a bit of

:20:17. > :20:24.pirouetting. Quicker ball by Ulster. Kieran Treadwell. Pienaar again.

:20:25. > :20:30.Again, Ulster get the penalty. Dragons got themselves offside.

:20:31. > :20:36.Crowd not happy with that decision by Scots referee Mike Adamson. This

:20:37. > :20:45.is an interesting decision. Based on where they are. Going for the

:20:46. > :20:49.line-out again, I think. If you look down the starting line-ups and,

:20:50. > :20:53.indeed, the replacements, Ulster have 11 internationals on their

:20:54. > :20:56.starting line-up and for more on the bench. The Dragons have two and one

:20:57. > :21:03.so it did not look like much of a contest but the Dragons have made

:21:04. > :21:07.light of all that. They have always competed well. They tend to fall

:21:08. > :21:11.away towards the end of the game, but at the moment, the Dragons are

:21:12. > :21:18.stepping up to the mark and putting in a real shift. Referee Mike

:21:19. > :21:21.Adamson insisting that there is a gap of a meter between the

:21:22. > :21:29.respective players at the line-out. Herring with this rule. Stolen!

:21:30. > :21:38.Swept up by Herring. Good work after and a free throw. Pienaar gets to

:21:39. > :21:42.run the EU who rumbled for the line. Reminiscent of... Now Pienaar. It is

:21:43. > :21:45.not forward. Lots of congestion in the middle of the bar. I got it

:21:46. > :21:53.would be difficult for Pienaar to threat is passed through. Again, a

:21:54. > :22:02.number of options that Pienaar had. Probably five or six players. He is

:22:03. > :22:07.in the clear, there is no doubt. He got across their country. Finished

:22:08. > :22:14.26-10 to the Scarlet sought nothing scored by then in the second half,

:22:15. > :22:19.null scorer in the second half. They have moved one point ahead of Ulster

:22:20. > :22:23.about this game is not over yet. In fact, if they remain in a drawer,

:22:24. > :22:27.Ulster will get two points as they had but Ulster cannot afford to get

:22:28. > :22:32.anything other than a win here. A little Sam Hobbs is going. Neck

:22:33. > :22:43.problem, the last thing you want if you a prop forward. And Phil Price

:22:44. > :22:51.is going to come on in his place. Yes, interesting line-out. No, a

:22:52. > :22:59.scrum, but... It is a scrum to the Dragons but I have no doubt...

:23:00. > :23:06.Lettres Happel, is it? Yes, it was a knock forward by Ulster. It was

:23:07. > :23:12.knocked down by the Dragons and is an Ulster scrum. Paddy Jackson

:23:13. > :23:18.standing directly behind in the clean jerseys and shorts. Remember,

:23:19. > :23:27.there is no Craig Gilroy on the right wing. Jackson might well come

:23:28. > :23:31.into the equation here. Ulster, if they can get a good shot on the

:23:32. > :23:36.right-hand side might just allow Pienaar to do something this side of

:23:37. > :23:47.the touchline. The scrum is important. The referee says, let's

:23:48. > :23:52.use it. Jackson comes in fields and then changes his mind. Stuart

:23:53. > :23:55.Olding. Very strong. Got up to the gain line. Pienaar on the narrow

:23:56. > :24:00.side. Taken on well by Alan O'Connor. Terrific Dragons defence.

:24:01. > :24:06.Ulster's second row getting the purchase. Payne. Couldn't quite get

:24:07. > :24:12.it away to Jackson. Referee tells them to release it and he does.

:24:13. > :24:16.Pienaar. Ah You manhandled yet again. Pienaar got it out well.

:24:17. > :24:21.Henderson will all end in good driving position and again, Brok

:24:22. > :24:26.Harris does the tackling. Back inside. Beautiful stuff by Jared

:24:27. > :24:31.Payne. Second is game in a role he has come in from nowhere and he just

:24:32. > :24:38.ghosts between defenders and touches down. Was there a forward pass? Was

:24:39. > :24:41.the obstruction? I think there was obstruction. I think the Dragons

:24:42. > :24:50.players are suggesting there was some obstruction. If there wasn't,

:24:51. > :24:56.that was a huge hole. Let's have a look. Henderson moves forward. We

:24:57. > :25:01.set it up nicely. Pienaar... I don't think there is anything wrong with

:25:02. > :25:05.that. There's a couple of Dragons players with their hands in the air.

:25:06. > :25:11.Tight angle here. Henderson, head down. Harris with the tackle. At

:25:12. > :25:17.this point, Jackson... Where was the obstruction? They are looking

:25:18. > :25:23.Treadwell but did he take anyone out? The ball has gone already. He

:25:24. > :25:30.has run straight. REFEREE: That is the best angle make. He made contact

:25:31. > :25:38.with Nic Cudd. REFEREE: He was well clear. No obstruction. The try

:25:39. > :25:45.awarded them. They will take the lead with that. Here's a long way

:25:46. > :26:01.away. The try is awarded. Well worked. A try for Payne. Conversion

:26:02. > :26:09.from Pienaar. Again, great defensive work initially by the Dragons. They

:26:10. > :26:13.are taking dragon attackers backwards but then its just

:26:14. > :26:17.composure and when you have someone relaxed and composed at the base

:26:18. > :26:26.calling the shots, it makes such a difference. Gathered in by Reidy

:26:27. > :26:32.from Angus O'Brien's restart. Jackson had to stretch. Stuart

:26:33. > :26:44.Olding in what they call the 58 's position. O'Brien with a good kick.

:26:45. > :26:48.So I bit of a gap down there. Well filled by Brian Battut outside the

:26:49. > :26:56.22 silly cat litter directly into touch and he does not. Jackson

:26:57. > :26:59.looking for what is available. And he has hit that beautifully, Paddy

:27:00. > :27:05.Jackson. That is the best kick of the evening, I would say. It was a

:27:06. > :27:10.great kick. Again, realising where the space is. Looked up, connected

:27:11. > :27:16.beautifully. It exactly where he wanted to. Evans there are, not the

:27:17. > :27:20.quickest on the field, he was going to struggle to get back for that.

:27:21. > :27:31.When you're in an aerial battle between the two tens, on that

:27:32. > :27:38.occasion, Jackson has to do it. Iain Henderson will almost certainly go

:27:39. > :27:43.into the second row now. Almost a good challenge by Ulster. But at the

:27:44. > :27:46.second bike and Henderson holds up. Likewise Rob Herring and... Car

:27:47. > :27:52.round the neck there but everyone down below is happy. Good pressure

:27:53. > :27:58.being put down and that is inside the 22. Craig Gilroy is back on the

:27:59. > :28:03.field and Ulster know they are just inside their own half. They will

:28:04. > :28:09.have to throw into the line-out. Decent clearance by Charlie Davies.

:28:10. > :28:14.Just about inside the 22. The ball wasn't taken back. Soak well within

:28:15. > :28:24.his rights to keep that ball straight out. 25, 30 metres. Another

:28:25. > :28:29.change my Ulster. Andrew Warwick is coming off and the man who has been

:28:30. > :28:36.playing box and parks for most of the season, Callum Black, wearing

:28:37. > :28:42.number 17 is coming on for his 125th Ulster appearance. That's quite

:28:43. > :28:51.impressive. Ulster line-out, a bit untidy. Pienaar will thank anyone

:28:52. > :28:56.for that. Gets away from Landman but Ulster conceded some 50 metres. They

:28:57. > :29:08.need to make that up again. Callum Black straight into action. Runs

:29:09. > :29:13.into Lewis Evans. Pienaar. I cross comes Prydie. Get away from the

:29:14. > :29:20.first tackler. Important is that they gain lines. Well, this is good

:29:21. > :29:27.work by the Dragons yet again. Adam Hughes helps set up their try. Or

:29:28. > :29:38.Brian. There's a lot of zip in this backline. Tom Prydie bounces

:29:39. > :29:44.Pienaar. Charlie Davies and Buckley tries to get underneath Callum

:29:45. > :29:49.Black. That overcooked. Just a little too much on it. Again, good

:29:50. > :29:57.build-up. They got through with an error. Some good work, some good

:29:58. > :30:01.driving play. Prydie getting involved, beating off, bouncing off

:30:02. > :30:06.defenders. Making those hard yards and, in fairness, the ball has been

:30:07. > :30:11.defended quickly. -- delivered quickly. But then six or seven

:30:12. > :30:16.phases NMB ball gets kicked away or there is an error and turnover ball

:30:17. > :30:21.and you just can't get sufficient pace in their play to make a

:30:22. > :30:22.difference. They perform really well and as the score suggests, not quite

:30:23. > :30:53.well enough. Dragons replacement has come all.

:30:54. > :30:59.Has got to be sharp in tackling. Still plenty of time for Dragons to

:31:00. > :31:06.get themselves back on level terms. The Dragons still going into the

:31:07. > :31:15.Alston 22. They had men on the far side if they can shut it. Good work

:31:16. > :31:22.by Tyler. Dragons going forward and making Ulster tackle. Good pressure

:31:23. > :31:33.from the home side. Again it is Keddie, the replacement. Davis

:31:34. > :31:43.looking for a gap on his own. The ball has gone loose, Ulster. A great

:31:44. > :31:47.chance. Ulster down to 14 men, it is Ruan Pienaar, I am sure. Nicely

:31:48. > :31:54.away. Good Ulster defending through Paddy Jackson. Here come the

:31:55. > :31:58.Dragons, by no means finished, as the excellent Harris set it up.

:31:59. > :32:05.Davis telegraphed to go to the narrow side. Adam Hughes, all muscle

:32:06. > :32:10.and aggression. Luke Marshall completely hustled out of it. Not

:32:11. > :32:14.much room on that far side. Good tackling by Ulster, trying to

:32:15. > :32:20.squeeze the Dragons into touch if they can, and the Dragons have kept

:32:21. > :32:25.the ball alive. Dragons I think have got it back. Keddie once again.

:32:26. > :32:35.Lewis Evans who has led from the front, still there. They have

:32:36. > :32:47.stopped and there is an injury and it is Ruan Pienaar. I did not see

:32:48. > :32:51.what happened. He got up and slowly went back down, did not look as if

:32:52. > :32:56.he had taken a bump to the head, but I think that is where the concern

:32:57. > :33:03.us. He is sitting up right now, which is good news. Paul Marshall

:33:04. > :33:10.has come straight on. He has got a bang to the face. There is blood.

:33:11. > :33:14.The Ulster senior physio and senior medical officer are on. He has taken

:33:15. > :33:25.a thump, he looks groggy. Ruan Pienaar will have to go off. Paul

:33:26. > :33:29.Marshall is on. Yes, I think it's was the tackle, he had to make a

:33:30. > :33:39.hit, he held onto his boot. I think it was the boot Kotter 's face as he

:33:40. > :33:43.slid down Meyer's leg. He did go into the tackle and he caught a boot

:33:44. > :33:47.in the face. It is not going to be anything too serious, he has a

:33:48. > :33:50.couple of weeks before the visit of the Cardiff Blues, looking back

:33:51. > :33:55.thinking, maybe he should have stayed on, but the decision had been

:33:56. > :34:02.made to take him off. He is going into the changing room. Paul

:34:03. > :34:09.Marshall is on. Dragons are making a fist of this. They have brought on

:34:10. > :34:15.Pretorius. One South African scrum-half goes off and another one

:34:16. > :34:18.comes on. Did not quite achieve the heights that is Ruan Pienaar did in

:34:19. > :34:24.terms of international recognition but has been a good player for the

:34:25. > :34:29.Dragons. He has been quite consistent, in fairness to him, very

:34:30. > :34:36.sharp. 52nd impedance for the Dragons. He has scored no fewer than

:34:37. > :34:41.11 tries. Decent scrum by the Dragons and this is Pretorius, he

:34:42. > :34:46.has found a gap, that is bad tackling by Ulster, Dragons looking

:34:47. > :34:50.to square this game up, a try and a conversion could end Ulster's top

:34:51. > :34:55.for hopes with a vengeance. They came back before when Ulster were

:34:56. > :34:59.down to 14 men, can they do it again with Ulster back to 15? Pretorius at

:35:00. > :35:04.the base of everything, he is going to have a go again, goods tackle by

:35:05. > :35:11.Stuart Olding. Lewis Evans has to deputise as scrum-half but has a

:35:12. > :35:13.Gore himself. Terrific work in defence by Ulster because Henry

:35:14. > :35:21.coming through. Here come the Dragons again. Once again it is

:35:22. > :35:24.Ollie Griffiths who has been busy. Great angle, good defending their by

:35:25. > :35:32.Ulster in the middle of the park. They are right underneath their own

:35:33. > :35:38.posts. Rhys Buckley, Pretorius, a little dummied by Angus O'Brien,

:35:39. > :35:42.tackled by Ulster's replacement Clive Ross, Dragons get it back

:35:43. > :35:48.again, I gain biz defending by Stuart Olding. And Ulster have

:35:49. > :35:53.stolen that. Nothing to believe from him here, he needs to just settle

:35:54. > :35:56.the ball and get it back, and Ulster have to clear it, Paul Marshall

:35:57. > :36:02.looking outside him. He has been charged down. There was a dive

:36:03. > :36:07.there. That's maybe a try. Ollie Griffiths, I think he has got it.

:36:08. > :36:11.Marshall waited that fraction of a second too long, the Dragons

:36:12. > :36:20.pounced, and Mike Adamson is going upstairs. That looks certain. Heated

:36:21. > :36:24.too much time. Rate work in the breakdown by Henry to get that

:36:25. > :36:29.turnover. It's a very comfortable, they have turned over possession,

:36:30. > :36:33.clear your lights, get the ball Bonaparte, but in fairness to

:36:34. > :36:36.Dragons, keep the pressure on, new scrum-half, keep the pressure on

:36:37. > :36:42.him, and Ollie Griffiths who has had a great game is just looking there,

:36:43. > :36:48.waiting. And as soon as that ball suspect that by Paul Marshall, here

:36:49. > :36:52.he comes, Hasi got it? I think he has got there. I do not know whether

:36:53. > :37:00.he got the downward pressure. There was work at the breakdown by Ulster.

:37:01. > :37:04.But they did not get it away. Marshall had men behind him, decided

:37:05. > :37:08.to go himself. There was the charge-down. He must first be about

:37:09. > :37:16.whether he got sufficient downward pressure. I am not sure that he did.

:37:17. > :37:23.Let us have a look at this. There is the ball. Let us call it right down.

:37:24. > :37:32.Did he? Jackson's boot, just doing enough? Did his right hand get to

:37:33. > :37:36.it? This is the last angle requested by Jim Yuille to inform his fellow

:37:37. > :37:41.Scot Mike Adamson the referee as to whether or not the ball has been

:37:42. > :37:45.touched down, proper contact, and the try is given. It was Griffith

:37:46. > :37:52.who did their charging down. From that angle he possess the house. I

:37:53. > :37:58.have a decision. You may wards the try the try has been awarded. And

:37:59. > :38:03.Ulster have only themselves to blame. The Dragons are with then a

:38:04. > :38:08.conversion of levelling up the scheme and meeting Ulster's season

:38:09. > :38:12.that little bit more difficult. They always have had trouble here and

:38:13. > :38:16.tonight has been no exception. It has been a great display by the

:38:17. > :38:20.Dragons, they have not been at their best, but the Dragons have worked

:38:21. > :38:24.hard. They have a workmanlike back row and all three have put a shift

:38:25. > :38:35.in this evening and Ollie Griffiths rewarded with that. Big kick this

:38:36. > :38:42.for Angus O'Brien. That is a belter. What a very good kick. We are back

:38:43. > :38:48.again on level terms. It was 10-3 at the interval to Ulster, then 10-10,

:38:49. > :38:53.17-10, back in the Dragons, they have pulled it back to even Stephen,

:38:54. > :39:04.with not that long to go, Jackson with the restart. And again that is

:39:05. > :39:12.typical, an error straight from the kick-off. It is all about the exit

:39:13. > :39:15.strategy, get the ball back down the park, puts pressure on Ulster in

:39:16. > :39:26.their own half immediately from the kick-off. And look at the size of

:39:27. > :39:29.the Dragons, they shifted the huge amount of points at Leinster and

:39:30. > :39:33.Glasgow and everybody thought were with this Ulster team it would be

:39:34. > :39:37.the same, Ulster more than other Irish provinces have always had

:39:38. > :39:43.trouble with the Dragons. It is a bogey ground for them, no doubt. In

:39:44. > :39:49.fairness the Dragons through the years have been a difficult side to

:39:50. > :39:53.beat here at Rodney Parade. But this year has been disappointing. They

:39:54. > :39:57.have not reached the competitive heights that they would have liked

:39:58. > :40:02.at their home ground. But tonight, after a break, and they said the

:40:03. > :40:08.break, Deborah mentally tired, they looked mentally and physically up

:40:09. > :40:16.for it this evening. No real stars in this Dragons site but it is a

:40:17. > :40:21.terrific team effort, squad effort. Paul Marshall, Paddy Jackson,

:40:22. > :40:26.Stewart Holding, a little bit telegraphed. Marshall again. Luke

:40:27. > :40:29.Marshall. Looking to celebrate his 100th Ulster appeasers with a

:40:30. > :40:35.victory. Dragons have men in the way there. Paul Marshall, trying to

:40:36. > :40:42.create space to the reformers. Rob Herring on the other side half

:40:43. > :40:45.position. Jared Payne in the middle of all that, here goes Kieran

:40:46. > :40:51.Treadwell and Brok Harris hangs onto him and brings the big fellow down.

:40:52. > :40:54.On the 21 years of age, Kieran Treadwell, decent prospect. Referee

:40:55. > :41:07.blows the whistle. Another injury, I think. Somebody is down hurt.

:41:08. > :41:13.Treadmill? No, it is not. It is not Ah You either. Hard to see who

:41:14. > :41:21.litters. It might be Sean Reidy. It could be Sean Reidy. I think you

:41:22. > :41:29.might be right. It is hard to see, I am not sure who the last man and

:41:30. > :41:34.there was. It must be Sean Reidy. I cannot see him standing, anyway.

:41:35. > :41:39.Brok Harris going off. Huge round of applause, I think he has been

:41:40. > :41:44.outstanding. It is the best game I have seen Harris play for the

:41:45. > :41:49.Dragons since he has been here. It is all about workrate tonight and he

:41:50. > :41:55.has put in a great defensive effort, made tackle after tackle, and has

:41:56. > :42:00.probably ball carries more than I have seen before, and effectively,

:42:01. > :42:17.he has made yards, made ground. They are the replacements,. The Ulster

:42:18. > :42:25.player in question is Chris Henry. He looks a little bit on the wobbly

:42:26. > :42:37.side. Ulster still have Robbie Diack to come on.

:42:38. > :42:49.Robbie Diack could come on. It is an Ulster scrummage. And they are in a

:42:50. > :42:52.very good position. And they have got 15 men on the park and they

:42:53. > :43:03.desperately need to score a try to win this game. Remember the Scarlets

:43:04. > :43:09.are five points behind, at the moment the Scarlets are looking the

:43:10. > :43:12.better of the two. Marshall. Jared Payne get it away well. Great

:43:13. > :43:19.thumping tackle that was. Paul Marshall digs it out. Iain Henderson

:43:20. > :43:23.has managed to slip the ball away, Ulster are on the front food, good

:43:24. > :43:31.work once again by Sean Reidy. Rodney Ah You, squeezes it back.

:43:32. > :43:34.Marshall, clever little pass, no it is Stuart Olding, Chip kick through,

:43:35. > :43:40.that could be gathered, it is not covered by Ulster, it is gathered by

:43:41. > :43:43.the Scarlets, by the Dragons I should say, that was taken well by

:43:44. > :43:53.Tom Prydie who has had an excellent game. Ulster rattling on the ground,

:43:54. > :43:57.but back through Pretorius, the Dragons replacement scrum-half, and

:43:58. > :44:01.on he goes again, and again Ulster are giving second-best at the

:44:02. > :44:04.breakdown. Jared Payne not happy being held in. That has been cleared

:44:05. > :44:12.but not by very much. Time is running out for Ulster. Yes, good

:44:13. > :44:16.pressure by Ulster, just to keep the Dragons pinned in this half. Great

:44:17. > :44:20.work by Tom Prydie. Had he not gathered that that was an Ulster

:44:21. > :44:27.score. He committed himself. He got the ball. Good work, great defensive

:44:28. > :44:33.work. Robbie Dayak has come on from Ulster. They are bringing on some of

:44:34. > :44:41.the biggest guns, Chris Henry is going. Robbie wearing number 19.

:44:42. > :44:47.Fast approaching 200 caps. The final ten minutes of the scheme. Still

:44:48. > :44:51.time for Ulster at the Dragons would say there's still time for them to

:44:52. > :45:00.win the game. It is an Ulster line-out, they had to win this, they

:45:01. > :45:04.done. Luke Marshall gets across a 22, Ulster on different food, Paul

:45:05. > :45:18.Marshall again, a little slip Basta Sean Reidy. -- slip pass to Sean

:45:19. > :45:21.Reidy. Landsman all over him. Good tackle by Rhys Buckley, the Dragons

:45:22. > :45:37.hooker. Marshall, good switch. Gilroy. Taking the ball into

:45:38. > :45:44.contact. Rodney Ah You, a ferocious peer of handoffs, good work by

:45:45. > :45:49.Robbie Diack, all the pressure coming from Ulster no, Clive Ross,

:45:50. > :45:54.assisted by Kieran Treadwell, Paul Marshall, Gilroy very nearly threw

:45:55. > :46:00.for a second try. Ulster desperate to close the scheme out. Rodney Ah

:46:01. > :46:04.You has another goal, he has come into this game in the last half hour

:46:05. > :46:11.or so. Callum Black, and other replacement prop, and the crowd

:46:12. > :46:16.getting behind the Dragons. Piutau, still therefore appear tow. He is a

:46:17. > :46:23.hard man to hold. The Dragons have done well. Henderson tried to keep

:46:24. > :46:31.the body roll to the ground. Gets it back. Dragons handed away. Good

:46:32. > :46:38.little slip past by Ah You to Robbie Diack, his fellow replacement. The

:46:39. > :46:41.referee has played advantage to Ulster, still therefore Paul

:46:42. > :46:48.Marshall, little chip and chase, he has overcooked it, has Marshall.

:46:49. > :46:51.Back for the penalty. What do Ulster do here? If they want to win this

:46:52. > :46:56.game they had to take the points. They have too. They had to try and

:46:57. > :47:00.win this game first and foremost. This should not be much discussion

:47:01. > :47:06.here. It should be Paddy Jackson, go for ago. That has just been

:47:07. > :47:11.indicated. That was great defensive work again by the Dragons. I have

:47:12. > :47:15.not seen the Dragons play this well for quite some time. There was a lot

:47:16. > :47:21.of talk over the last couple of days about the fact that they were very

:47:22. > :47:25.mentally tired, the played their last game on March the 4th, they

:47:26. > :47:30.needed a proper break, and they have come back after two or three weeks

:47:31. > :47:33.and it looked refreshed, sharp, full of energy. Yes, they considered 100

:47:34. > :47:47.and points in their two previous Games to this one. Paddy Jackson now

:47:48. > :47:51.on. No mistakes from the Irish international outside-half an Ulster

:47:52. > :47:57.back in the lead once again, albeit by the slenderest of margins. It is

:47:58. > :48:03.Dragons 17, Ulster 20, only five or six minutes remaining. Yes, it is

:48:04. > :48:07.going to be an interesting end. I do not think the Dragons are going to

:48:08. > :48:12.lie down here. They are going to put everything into this last few

:48:13. > :48:16.minutes of the game. Rob Herring has gone off for Ulster and on as John

:48:17. > :48:19.Andrew who scored his first Ulster try last time out in Belfast against

:48:20. > :48:32.Zebre. Stuart Olding takes it forward for

:48:33. > :48:50.Ulster. Kieran Treadwell has done well to

:48:51. > :48:54.day. He has worked hard. Paul Marshall gets the kick in and it is

:48:55. > :48:59.I good kick but it is taken by Adam Hughes who has cost the Ulster

:49:00. > :49:03.defence a lot of problems. Ulster needed a few more men out wide. That

:49:04. > :49:07.has been knocked forward by the Dragons, referee says that is our

:49:08. > :49:10.lead off tackle by Ulster, as might have been a shoulder that has gone

:49:11. > :49:16.on and that could be another yellow card. Was it deliberate? We will

:49:17. > :49:19.have to another look at that but the man went down like a sack of spuds

:49:20. > :49:32.and I thought they shoulder went on as opposed to the arms. We will have

:49:33. > :49:43.two Regency. -- wait and see. Was he going to make the tackle? Was it a

:49:44. > :49:47.shoulder charge? Rodney Ah You the man who is in trouble for a no arms

:49:48. > :49:53.tackle. The referee is going to go up to the far end of the ground

:49:54. > :49:55.here. Did he leave the shoulder behind deliberately? It looks very

:49:56. > :50:00.much like it and that could be a yellow card for a Rodney Ah You who

:50:01. > :50:03.is never very far from the odd bit of controversy. There is the dummy

:50:04. > :50:12.and you might argue he was running across the man to try to make it

:50:13. > :50:20.tackle. Look at that. He has bodychecked him. What is the contact

:50:21. > :50:26.is it with the shoulder? No, I think it is to his shoulder. Here is a

:50:27. > :50:33.better one. For me that is directly to the head with the shoulder. Let

:50:34. > :50:38.us see from a better angle. Mike Adamson is determined to see that is

:50:39. > :50:44.to the head with the shoulder. That might be a red card. Here is another

:50:45. > :50:54.angle. Where children came up. That might be a red card. That was

:50:55. > :50:59.shoulder on that angle, yes? Direct contact to the head. Correct. That

:51:00. > :51:06.is a red card. Agreed. It is going to be a red card and having lost

:51:07. > :51:11.Craig Gilroy to a very dubious decision, the referee and his team,

:51:12. > :51:17.who are in complete agreement, that is direct contact, shoulder to head,

:51:18. > :51:21.a red card against Rodney Ah You. Paddy Jackson has taken over the

:51:22. > :51:28.Ulster captaincy. Of course Rodney Ah You. Ulster three points up, once

:51:29. > :51:32.again down to 14 men. I think he has got it right, the more I look at it.

:51:33. > :51:41.Initially I thought it was just one of those incidents where he almost

:51:42. > :51:47.took the dummy. But I think he held on long enough to make contact.

:51:48. > :51:53.Maybe not a clear blow to the head but that is where it ended that.

:51:54. > :51:57.Just a few minutes remaining. The Dragons very much back in the

:51:58. > :52:03.driving seat, trailing by three points, Ulster are going to be

:52:04. > :52:12.tested. They are hanging onto the win, any thoughts of a bonus point

:52:13. > :52:16.have gone out the window for Ulster. That is a good steel for Ulster,

:52:17. > :52:20.Callum Black tidies attack after Iain Henderson got the all-important

:52:21. > :52:25.fingertip to it, the most important set piece of the day from an Ulster

:52:26. > :52:30.point of view. A bit of obstruction therefrom Pretorius, well taken by

:52:31. > :52:36.Ulster. Referee says it was not forward, playing advantage, Marshall

:52:37. > :52:43.Cleverley into space, leaves that. O'Brien goes back, he has got Kieran

:52:44. > :52:49.Treadwell on top of them. Who said he did not have peace? He has done

:52:50. > :52:53.well. Good work by Stuart Olding. Dragons inside their 22 which is

:52:54. > :52:59.where Ulster want them to be and that has not found touch. I think it

:53:00. > :53:03.was meant to. Ulster do living. Paddy Jackson has got Jared Payne

:53:04. > :53:10.and Gilroy is outside him. No Gilroy inside him. Gilroy tackles by fair

:53:11. > :53:17.brother. Iain Henderson who has come more into the scheme. This is run

:53:18. > :53:29.the clock down now. Robbie Diack, look like a high tackle on Robbie

:53:30. > :53:37.Diack. Jackson. Piutau always makes a decent bit of ground. Men over.

:53:38. > :53:41.Stuart Olding does well. High tackle, nothing other than a

:53:42. > :53:48.penalty. We shall wait and see. It is getting fractious. Ulster have

:53:49. > :53:56.got the penalty. They have. It was high. Anything above the shoulder...

:53:57. > :54:01.Sam Beard the offending player. Go for the corner. Just a case of

:54:02. > :54:07.round-the-clock down, keep the scoreboard ticking over. Ulster bit

:54:08. > :54:12.of a chance that Jackson has kicked that quite perfectly and he has got

:54:13. > :54:16.within six metres of the Dragons line. I suppose the theory being

:54:17. > :54:21.that if they get it quick try and the kick they make it another try.

:54:22. > :54:28.Stuart Olding was definitely taken slightly high by Sam Beard although

:54:29. > :54:41.there was not a lot of force. Timers off. Just over two. Just over two

:54:42. > :54:50.minutes. Just two minutes remaining. A bit of an injury to a Dragons

:54:51. > :54:52.player. Ulster had just brought on Jacob Stockdale. Jacob Stockdale

:54:53. > :55:04.quite happy to play just about anywhere behind the scrum. He is the

:55:05. > :55:08.top try scorer in the league this year with eight tries. You have not

:55:09. > :55:16.seen him before. I think I saw her mad Scarlets earlier in the season.

:55:17. > :55:22.He did look sharp. He is a big lad. 6-foot three, six foot four. On

:55:23. > :55:31.Canon 's Darran Harris, replacement hooker for the Dragons. Not sure

:55:32. > :55:37.where he is playing. Dragons making a couple of changes. Meyer has gone

:55:38. > :55:44.off and Dragons have brought on Dorian Jones and Adam Warren who was

:55:45. > :55:50.on earlier. Tom Prydie has gone off as well, he looked as if he was

:55:51. > :55:59.struggling there. The clock ticking away. Could be Ulster 's last chance

:56:00. > :56:04.of another try just to copper fasten our hard earned and just about

:56:05. > :56:10.deserved victory here. Good take at the line-out by Robbie Diack. This

:56:11. > :56:22.is a good drive by Ulster. Tucked in. They are holding on. Engels

:56:23. > :56:28.Stockdale to help. Andrews shunting foreword that the Dragons have died

:56:29. > :56:35.end, the referee has said that his once -- bums. They are over the

:56:36. > :56:49.line. There try for Ulster. They have left it very late. -- that is

:56:50. > :56:59.the third try for Ulster. Just over one and a half minutes to go. Time

:57:00. > :57:05.to receive the kick-off. Just get that bonus point which looked almost

:57:06. > :57:11.out of sight a couple of minutes ago. There might be time for the

:57:12. > :57:14.restart. Paddy Jackson kicks and converts nicely, Ulster ten points

:57:15. > :57:18.ahead, they are not want to lose this game, the question is can the

:57:19. > :57:22.key position from the restart and get back and get a bonus point try,

:57:23. > :57:31.which for a long time and way beyond their reach Western markets

:57:32. > :57:40.certainly don't. It is a last opportunity. You need is to gather

:57:41. > :57:52.and then build. Taken in by Gilroy. Sean Reidy.

:57:53. > :58:01.Paul Marshall gets it away. Jackson, the try scorer. Robbie Diack, not

:58:02. > :58:11.the greatest pass in the world, here goes Andrew. Front row forwards

:58:12. > :58:17.strength and pace. There goes Stockdale. Did not get too far but

:58:18. > :58:24.he has set it up nicely. Fair brother is light years offside.

:58:25. > :58:28.Gilroy. Needs to give this, does give it, good work by Sean Reidy,

:58:29. > :58:34.nearly got away from man of the match landmine, the Dragons second

:58:35. > :58:40.row forward and erstwhile skipper. Marshall, knocked down by Ulster.

:58:41. > :58:46.That is a knock-on. A horrible Pasveer. Even the adroit Jared Payne

:58:47. > :58:50.can do nothing about it. It was a bit of nonsense breaks out now. It

:58:51. > :58:58.has been a decent Duminy do not want to spoil it by fisticuffs. I do not

:58:59. > :59:03.think there is any thing. Directly is a knock-on. That is time up and

:59:04. > :59:06.Ulster have come back and have managed to come away with four

:59:07. > :59:11.points, not the five points they would expect, and not the 5-point

:59:12. > :59:15.everybody thought they would get, in the final analysis another point

:59:16. > :59:18.dropped for Ulster, but to come here at a ground which has not been a

:59:19. > :59:23.happy hunting ground and get the win, that is all that matters. First

:59:24. > :59:26.and foremost get the results, bonus point is always an advantage

:59:27. > :59:29.especially when you are competing against the likes of Scarlets for

:59:30. > :59:34.the top four. But they have got the win. It was an ugly win, it was not

:59:35. > :59:37.Ulster at the best. They were up against the Dragons side who in

:59:38. > :59:42.fairness putting one of their best performances of the season. Business

:59:43. > :59:47.Ulster performance good enough to trouble those above them like

:59:48. > :59:51.Munster, Leinster, Ospreys? Realistically, no, but when it comes

:59:52. > :59:56.to play-off rugby, if they are fortunate to get into that top four,

:59:57. > :00:00.then things change, anything can happen. The quality of the squad is

:00:01. > :00:06.good enough. The proprietors are not quite at that level at the moment.

:00:07. > :00:08.There are a number of teams, Leinster in particular, Ospreys as

:00:09. > :00:14.well, who are performing well at the moment. Badly. Always good to speak

:00:15. > :00:19.to Rob Jones, especially in a Lions year, which has fond memories for

:00:20. > :00:23.him, Ulster having stuttered and sputtered, look good in parts, they

:00:24. > :00:28.have come through in the end, got the win, got the four points, but

:00:29. > :00:31.getting the bonus point, in the final analysis that could be

:00:32. > :00:36.imported. But they will be happy enough and they have come away, the

:00:37. > :00:39.final scoreline Dragons 17, Ulster 27.

:00:40. > :00:45.STUDIO: Lots of talking points to get our

:00:46. > :00:49.teeth stuck into. Some controversial decisions as well but in the end

:00:50. > :00:55.Ulster getting there when and if we take a look at the table, cementing

:00:56. > :00:59.their place in the top four. For Games remaining, Ulster are in a

:01:00. > :01:03.play-off position. Three of their last four Games are the top three

:01:04. > :01:07.sides in the league, it is a tough finish, but it is all in their own

:01:08. > :01:11.hands. Marks out of ten for that Ulster

:01:12. > :01:17.performance. Five out of six. Something like that. You have got to

:01:18. > :01:21.give Ulster credit here. It is a tough place to go. They did not play

:01:22. > :01:25.at their best but they got the job done about is the important thing.

:01:26. > :01:30.That is the important thing. The red card at the end, a bit of a silly

:01:31. > :01:33.one. The Craig Gilroy yellow card should not have been a yellow card.

:01:34. > :01:36.They did not have much luck in the game but the ground it out, they

:01:37. > :01:44.kept going until the very end and they got the results. Credit because

:01:45. > :01:48.it is a tough place to go. You both praised the referee in the first

:01:49. > :01:52.half, he lets begin floor, second half, the decision with the yellow

:01:53. > :01:56.card, universally everyone watching at home will agree with both of you

:01:57. > :02:00.and our co-commentator this was a wrong decision. It was a wrong

:02:01. > :02:12.decision. This is where the naivete of the referee comes in. It is only

:02:13. > :02:16.his fifth game at this level. You would maybe have said that was a

:02:17. > :02:19.deliberate knock-on. Craig Gilroy is trying to go for the ball with one

:02:20. > :02:27.hand and being a winger he is trying to intercept that. Rob Jones said it

:02:28. > :02:30.was never a yellow card. But from that the Dragons sadden me right

:02:31. > :02:40.back in the game when they scored the try. That given a bit of belief.

:02:41. > :02:44.The line-outs, they get in there. Landman, probably one of their best

:02:45. > :02:50.players on the pitch, he plays week in week out for this Dragons team,

:02:51. > :02:55.he is going to try and battle his way over and he does so. You get a

:02:56. > :02:59.team like this a Smith, the Dragons in front of their home support to

:03:00. > :03:05.get back into a match, and they took it. You also identified that there

:03:06. > :03:09.is the win but Craig Gilroy got sent off from, Ulster were smart enough

:03:10. > :03:21.to put a winner. At that point you do not need a 15 back. If he was

:03:22. > :03:30.running as me one on one I would expect to tackle him. Look at that.

:03:31. > :03:34.For me it was too soft, too easy. That'll be something to work on for

:03:35. > :03:37.the coming weeks. One positive side of the ulcer performance was the

:03:38. > :03:40.resilience they showed to bounce back and get themselves into the

:03:41. > :03:45.game and go on and get the win with this Jared Payne try. That is why

:03:46. > :03:50.they have got to be given credit, they kept knocking on the door, when

:03:51. > :03:55.they got an opportunity in the second half the tickets. Yes, he

:03:56. > :04:00.gets a bit of a bump on, but it is four or five guys after the pass is

:04:01. > :04:04.gone, to well worked scored, Paddy Jackson coming onto the pitch made a

:04:05. > :04:13.huge difference. He got the backline working more. It is a score. My view

:04:14. > :04:19.on Janet being's position is well documented, he is a full-back, that

:04:20. > :04:27.is a classic full-back score. Foot is the ball inside and Jared Payne

:04:28. > :04:34.has held that perfectly. You kind of felt that the problems were not over

:04:35. > :04:39.for Ulster on this night. Even at this stage of the game you were

:04:40. > :04:44.expecting Ulster to get possession. What a turnover from Chris Henry on

:04:45. > :04:48.his own mind. Under the cosh. All we need somebody to put their hand on

:04:49. > :04:54.the ball and take couple of extra seconds. Paul gets it, that is a

:04:55. > :04:59.charge-down for me, I am not sure that as a try, and other day that

:05:00. > :05:04.could have been a five yard scrum. He got the decision. A little bit of

:05:05. > :05:07.patience, it was a bit of come water, and they got the score, and

:05:08. > :05:12.that was them back in the game again. That was symptomatic of

:05:13. > :05:16.Ulster's defence might, very passive at the breakdown, Chris Henley was

:05:17. > :05:22.there, Jared Payne was there, they were not making themselves big to be

:05:23. > :05:28.a defensive wall. The Ospreys were quite easy to get their hand over,

:05:29. > :05:33.Paul Marshall was trying to go for distance rather than for height. And

:05:34. > :05:38.then came the red card. Was that a red card for you? A moment of

:05:39. > :05:50.madness from Rodney? The big man has got himself in the way. It is

:05:51. > :05:55.clumsy. He is 130 kilos against a man who is not even breaking 100

:05:56. > :05:59.kilos, only one winner there, he stands up tall, does not go down law

:06:00. > :06:04.to try and make a tackle. Could have cost Ulster the game. It could have.

:06:05. > :06:10.He came en masse week and the out of tackles he missed, two weeks ago, he

:06:11. > :06:15.is trying to find match fitness. For me he is slightly struggling at the

:06:16. > :06:22.minute. Wiehahn Herbst going off thoroughly, he has got minutes under

:06:23. > :06:28.his belt. He adds no value to an Ulster team whatsoever. He is not

:06:29. > :06:35.fit. He walks around. He made no attempt. What was he doing in

:06:36. > :06:37.defence. It could have cost Ulster begin tonight. It may cost them

:06:38. > :06:44.further down the line because they need the bonus point. If they are

:06:45. > :06:49.looking at performance related pay he should have as wages docked.

:06:50. > :06:55.Strong views from you, Mo, but also did go on and get the win and close

:06:56. > :06:59.it out at the end. They did well. They did. People sitting at home are

:07:00. > :07:03.probably saying, take the three points, take the points, but when

:07:04. > :07:08.you are in that position, you kick the ball to the corner, the

:07:09. > :07:14.defensive team, I would be going 70, 80 metres and try and get the score.

:07:15. > :07:18.It was the right decision. A chance for the fourth try. Only one and a

:07:19. > :07:23.half minutes. This is brilliant. Body positions were good. I'm easy

:07:24. > :07:28.score. It came from the fact that Robbie Diack was on the pitch and

:07:29. > :07:34.from the minute he took the lineout calls things work functioning.

:07:35. > :07:39.We know it's tough with Ulster on the remaining fixtures compare to

:07:40. > :07:43.the other teams. The Scarlets is the one we really have to watch. Rob

:07:44. > :07:46.Jones said that he didn't think that was a good enough performance to

:07:47. > :07:49.propel them into the top four if they continue to play like that.

:07:50. > :07:53.What improvements need to be made into are fans of them doing it is

:07:54. > :07:57.looking at that? If Ulster play a game like that, they will get

:07:58. > :08:01.beaten. They will be beaten by the Ospreys await and they know that. If

:08:02. > :08:08.they put in a performance like that, they will be defeated. They needs of

:08:09. > :08:11.their performances. They need to get another win against Cardiff at home.

:08:12. > :08:15.That will be seven out of seven when that happens, you gain momentum,

:08:16. > :08:19.keep it going, you never know. Scarlets are the ones to watch.

:08:20. > :08:24.Getting a bonus point win will wrap it up and then switch off against

:08:25. > :08:28.Edinburgh. Scarlets are the team to watch and they are on their tails at

:08:29. > :08:35.the moment. And Ulster are still in the hunt. But it's in their hand. If

:08:36. > :08:38.you put your white jersey on against Munster, your body temperature and

:08:39. > :08:41.blood is at a different level. And it an even higher level against

:08:42. > :08:44.Leinster. There is no motivation required for those of a home or

:08:45. > :08:49.away. The Ospreys away will be the trickiest one for me. We talked

:08:50. > :08:55.about the selection there, let's hope that there are lots of people

:08:56. > :08:59.who won't go to New Zealand with injuries. They've got to win their

:09:00. > :09:07.next home game as well just to get that momentum into last three.

:09:08. > :09:11.Cardiff, they'll be back in Belfast. With the Cardiff Jersey on, we don't

:09:12. > :09:15.know. There's a contract talk where you're not allowed to play gives

:09:16. > :09:19.your old team, but will be a tough game in Belfast. Thank you very

:09:20. > :09:22.much, Steve and Morris. Also have a one-week break before the

:09:23. > :09:28.preparation for that next game away to Cardiff. That is at home to

:09:29. > :09:33.Cardiff, the game will be live here on BBC Two. It was a tough grind

:09:34. > :10:46.tonight, but Ulster did enough to see a good win.

:10:47. > :10:50."Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it."

:10:51. > :10:53.A witticism attributed to writer Mark Twain...

:10:54. > :10:56.and we DO talk about the weather a lot.

:10:57. > :11:00.The weather affects our lives every day,

:11:01. > :11:03.from the clothes we wear to the games we play.

:11:04. > :11:06.And while we can't do anything about the weather,