| Ulster (22) |
| Tries: Baloucoune 2, Hume, McCloskey, Timoney, Sexton, Stewart Cons: Doak 3, Cooney 2 Pen: Doak |
| Cardiff (0) |
| Tries: Myhill, Ratti Con: Thomas |
Ulster returned to the highest of the United Rugby Championship as they swept apart Cardiff at Kingspan Stadium.
The hosts scored seven tries together with a pair from returning Eire internationals Robert Baloucoune and a primary senior effort for academy graduate Aaron Sexton.
Kirby Myhill and James Ratti crossed for the guests within the second half.
Ulster transfer one level above Leinster, who can reclaim first place once they play Benetton on Saturday.
The inter-provincial rivals will meet in Belfast subsequent Saturday, 12 March with each side set to be lacking nearly all of their Eire contingent with the worldwide aspect in Six Nations motion at Twickenham on the identical afternoon.
Cardiff stay twelfth within the desk with with a number of video games in hand over all of the groups above them, having been restricted to only eight league video games up to now this season.
Fast begin aides Ulster dominance
Ulster’s desired quick begin got here courtesy of Baloucoune and James Hume, two of the gamers launched from Eire’s Six Nations camp for the fixture.
Baloucoune is but to make his event bow for Eire however has made try-scoring returns for Ulster twice in the course of the competitors to offer a reminder of what he has to supply.
On this event he benefitted from a vastly fortuitous bounce that noticed Billy Burns’ cross-field kick flip over the pinnacle of Hallam Amos into the Ulster wing’s arms, permitting him to activate the jets and slalom between two Cardiff defenders to attain.
The guests unsurprisingly displayed early indicators of rust having not performed in 5 weeks, and their trigger was not helped when Willis Halaholo was proven yellow for making a sort out whereas off his toes after 12 minutes.
Cardiff had in reality arrange good discipline place within the subsequent passage of play earlier than Hume completely learn Jarrod Evans’ floated cross to assert it one-handed and run from inside his personal 22 to increase his aspect’s lead.
Cardiff have been 15-0 down regardless of not having been beneath immense strain. It was the shortcoming to transform promising positions into factors that was their undoing within the first half.
They knocked on a line-out from seven metres out earlier than Josh Turnbull fumbled simply two metres from the road as they brutally botched a close-range penalty.
In contrast, Ulster have been taking their possibilities and compounded Cardiff’s distress within the final act of the half when Nick Timoney burst via the road, earlier than McCloskey noticed a spot on the fringe of a ruck to dive throughout the road.
Extra to comply with.
Ulster: Moore; Baloucoune, Hume, McCloskey, Moxham, Burns, Doak; McGrath, Andrew, Moore, O’Connor, Henderson (Capt.); Murphy, Marcus Rea, Timoney.
Replacements: Stewart, Reid, Milasinovich, Carter, Vermeulen, Cooney, Madigan, Sexton.
Cardiff: Amos; Lane, Lee-Lo, Halaholo, Summerhill; Evans, L Williams; Thyer, Myhill, Arhip, Turnbull (capt.), Screech; Jenkins, Navidi, Botham.
Replacements: Assiratti, Carré, Davies-King, T Williams, Ratti, Hill, Thomas, Morgan.
