Irresistible Ulster thump poor Edinburgh
The Irish side scored six tries in total to remain the only unbeaten side in Europe and sit at the top of the Pro12 table before the international break.
With a vast amount of key players away with Ireland, it took the home side some time to get going but once they got up to the pace of the game, Edinburgh had nowhere to go and the pressure was too much for them to cope.
Roger Wilson led the pack brilliantly from the back of the scrum while Springbok Ruan Pienaar and Kiwi Jared Payne injected pace in the back line to see Ulster in total control of the game, spending all the second half of the game in opposition territory.
Edinburgh went off to a great start and were in game at half time but they couldn’t get their hands on the ball in the second half and against a side in Ulster’s form, defending became a task too difficult in the end and they had to concede their seventh consecutive defeat in all competition.
The Scots shocked the home crowd to take an early 7-0 lead when Tom Brown crossed over for the opening try of the game following a poor scrum on their five metres by Ulster.
Niall O’Connor and Gregor Hunter exchanged penalties before Ulster took the game by storm with three tries in six minutes.
The forwards were awarded a penalty try on the half-hour mark before Payne found himself on Craig Gilroy’s shoulder to race under the post two minutes later for a superb try.
The third one came soon after when Pienaar charged down a kick from Hunter on the half way line. The Springbok collected the ball and showed his pace to score under the post and take a 24-10 lead.
But the half wasn’t over ant there was time for a fifth try when Brown crashed over from short range to bring the Scots back within seven at the break.
An early penalty from Hunter made it a four-point game but after a couple of missed opportunities, Ulster gave themselves some room through Wilson who dived in the right corner to secure the try bonus-point.
Ulster kept applying pressure to see Payne grabbed his second try of the game before Gilroy was rewarded for all his hard work with a try on the last play of the game.
For Ulster
Tries: penalty, Payne 2, Pienaar, Wilson, Gliroy
Conversions: Pienaar 6
Penalty: O’Connor
For Edinburgh
Tries: Brown 2
Conversions: Hunter 2
Penalties: Hunter 2
Ulster: Andrew; Cochrane, Payne, Wallace, Gilroy; Pienaar, Marshall; Black, Brady (capt.), Afoa; Stevenson, McComb; Ferris, McComish, Wilson;
Replacement: Annett, Lutton, Macklin, Diack, Williams, O’Connor, Olding, Nelson.
Edinburgh: Tonks; Jones, Houston, King, Brown; Hunter, Leck; Yapp, Titterrell, Nel; Gilchrist, McAlpine; Cox (capt.), Grant, McInally.
Replacement: Walker, Jacobsen, Niven, Van der Westhuizen, Watson, Rees, Fife, Visser.
Referee: Nigel Owens
Star man: Ruan Pienaar – Ulster
NICK VERDIER
