Pienaar inspires Ulster fightback
Ulster came from behind to move level on points with Glasgow Warriors at the top of the Pro12 table.
Ruan Pienaar-inspired the 25-20 victory at the Kingspan Stadium.
A frustrating first half saw Neil Doak's team trail 6-13 at the interval, with the visiting Scarlets on course for a rare away victory.
But Ulster roared out of the traps in the second period, scoring three tries in a dominant 40 minutes to sit side by side with the Warriors at the summit ahead of their trip to Munster on Saturday.
Nick Williams conceded a penalty for not releasing on the opening minutes, but Steve Shingler struck wide of the uprights. He was swiftly presented with a second opportunity to showcase his kicking talent however and duly delivered, moving the visitors into a 3-0 lead on 13 minutes.
But straight from the restart Ulster were gifted a chance to get straight back into the game, however Pienaar dragged his penalty attempt wide across the posts.
The strong Belfast breeze continued to play havoc when Shingler again missed off the tee. The ball visibly wobbled in the air and Shingler kicked the ground in frustration as his stats for the night read one from three.
The smile was back on his face on 29 minutes though, scoring a simple penalty four minutes after Pienaar had struck at the other end to keep Scarlets in front.
Pienaar had the home crowd breathing a little easier before the break, making no mistake from 22m.
Panic set in though, when a loose pass from Ian Humphreys, on his 100th Ulster appearance, was intercepted by No.8 John Barclay who raced clear and touched down. Shingler added the extras to give his side a 13-6 lead at half-time.
But Scarlets' hopes of registering a first Pro12 away win in more than a year began to evaporate six minutes after the restart following Craig Gilroy's breathtaking score.
The wing danced down the right flank, evading challenges from Jordan Williams and Shingler before diving over the line. But Pienaar missed a difficult conversion and Scarlets retained a slender lead.
But Scarlets defence was caving in and a neat offload from Humphreys set Luke Marshall free. And, after dotting down behind the posts, Pienaar kicked his team five points in front.
The South Africa star added the third try, receiving the ball from a scrum just a metre from the Scarlets line and brushing past Shingler to dot down, before himself adding the extras.
With their tails up, Ulster now went in search of their fourth try and a bonus point but the 17,000-strong home crowd saw Scarlets score the game's final try instead.
Kristian Phillips touched down in the corner after a smart break from Jordan Williams, bagging a bonus point of their own, and Shingler added the extras.
The scorers:
For Ulster:
Tries: Gilroy, L Marshall, Pienaar
Cons: Pienaar 2
Pens: Pienaar 2
For Scarlets:
Tries: Barclay, Phillips
Cons: Shingler 2
Pens: Shingler 2
Teams:
Ulster: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 Craig Gilroy, 13 Darren Cave, 12 Luke Marshall, 11 Michael Allen, 10 Ian Humphreys, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Nick Williams, 7 Clive Ross, 6 Roger Wilson (captain), 5 Franco Van der Merwe, 4 Dan Tuohy, 3 Wiehahn Herbst, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Callum Black.
Replacements: 16 John Andrew, 17 Andrew Warwick, 18 Bronson Ross, 19 Lewis Stevenson, 20 Mike McComish, 21 Paul Marshall, 22 Mike Stanley, 23 Rory Scholes.
Scarlets: 15 Jordan Williams, 14 Harry Robinson, 13 Regan King, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Michael Tagicakibau, 10 Steven Shingler, 9 Aled Davies, 8 John Barclay, 7 James Davies, 6 Aaron Shingler, 5 Lewis Rawlins, 4 George Earle, 3 Peter Edwards, 2 Ken Owens (captain), 1 Phil John.
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Rhys Thomas, 18 Jacobie Adriaanse, 19 Jack Payne, 20 Rob McCusker, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Adam Warren, 23 Kristian Phillips.
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant referees: Barry Kieran (Ireland), Dermot Blake (Ireland)
TMO: Marshall Kilgore (Ireland)
