Ulster outplay Ospreys in Belfast

MATCH REPORT: Ulster made it consecutive home bonus-point victories in the United Rugby Championship with a 36-12 win over Ospreys.

The Irish side outscored the visitors by six tries to two in Belfast to secure a third win from five matches in the competition.

Hooker James McCormick opened the scoring for the home team with his first try in senior rugby on five minutes.

After a scrum penalty, Ulster kicked to the corner and from the resulting lineout the forwards set up a powerful driving maul with McCormick touching down.

Ulster crossed again six minutes later as a slick handling move involving Cormac Izuchukwu, Mike Lowry and David McCann created space for Jacob Stockdale and the Ireland wing went over in the corner, although John Cooney again was off target with the conversion.

Ulster used their maul to good effect again on 23 minutes. From a five-metre line-out, the forwards were about to rumble over the Ospreys line but Welsh scrum half Kieran Hardy came in from the side to stop the momentum illegally, the referee awarding the home side a penalty try and showing the pivot a yellow card.

Stockdale seemed to have sealed the bonus point two minutes later by finishing off a great move that started in Ulster’s half, but the try was chalked off for a forward pass in the build-up.

That bonus-point try did arrive on 32 minutes when, following a series of pick and goes on the Ospreys line, flank Marcus Rea barged over from close range with Cooney adding the extras.

In a rare sortie into the Ulster 22, the Ospreys opened their account with the clock in the red at the end of the first half. The visitors kicked a penalty to the corner and hooker Sam Parry dotted down, Dan Edwards’ conversion cutting Ulster’s lead at the interval to 24-7.

McCormick got his second try of the contest on 50 minutes, powering over from a tap penalty, before Keelan Giles notched an unconverted Ospreys try.

The home side replied immediately with Stockdale diving over from a tight angle for his second try, which Nathan Doak converted.

The scorers:

For Ulster:
Tries: McCormick 2, Stockdale 2, Penalty try, Rea
Cons: Cooney, Doak

For Ospreys:
Tries: Parry, Giles
Con: Edwards

Teams:

Ulster: 15 Mike Lowry, 14 Werner Kok, 13 Ben Carson, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Aidan Morgan, 9 John Cooney, 8 David McCann, 7 Marcus Rea, 6 Cormac Izuchukwu, 5 Harry Sheridan, 4 Alan O’Connor (captain), 3 Tom O’Toole, 2 James McCormick, 1 Eric O’Sullivan.
Replacements: 16 Tadgh McElroy, 17 Callum Reid, 18 Scott Wilson, 19 Kieran Treadwell, 20 Matty Rea, 21 Nathan Doak, 22 James Humphreys, 23 Jude Postlethwaite.

Ospreys: 15 Jack Walsh, 14 Dan Kasende, 13 Evardi Boshoff, 12 Owen Williams, 11 Keelan Giles, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Kieran Hardy, 8 Morgan Morris (captain), 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Lewis Lloyd, 5 Lewis Jones, 4 Will Greatbanks, 3 Ben Warren, 2 Sam Parry, 1 Gareth Thomas.
Replacements: 16 Ethan Lewis, 17 Garyn Phillips, 18 Math Iowerth-Scott, 19 Rhys Thomas, 20 Dan Gemine, 21 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 22 Tom Florence, 23 Max Nagy.

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant referees: Andrew Cole (Ireland) and Andrew Fogarty (Ireland)
TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)