Glasgow go down after failing to build on promising start

GLASGOW could not take their promising pre-season form into the opening game of the RaboDirect Pro12 league season. They were in touch around the half-time break thanks to the boot of stand-off Duncan Weir, but ultimately Ulster’s time with the ball in hand paid dividends and they ran out comfortable winners.

Ulster have now won their last seven at Ravenhill and were semi-finalists in this competition last year, as well as quarter-finalists in the Heineken Cup, so there is no disgrace for Glasgow in losing this fixture to a very handy team.

Glasgow’s first structured attack took over ten minutes to arrive, but when it did it was clinical. Firstly Glasgow swung the ball right to left across the whole width of the pitch. Then, gradually through a series of mini rucks, moved back across the field. When Colin Gregor passed short to debutant Troy Nathan near the Ulster try line, he was half held in the tackle. Chris Fusaro was soon on hand though to drive him over. The TMO confirmed the touchdown. Weir missed the conversion.

Ulster attacked next and Glasgow were adjudged to have been over-eager in the ruck by referee Leighton Hodges. Ulster took the points on offer through Ian Humphreys. Just two minutes later Ulster followed this up with an opportunistic try. Gregor attempted an ambitious floated pass which was then intercepted by Ulster centre Ian Cave who ran home for the try which Humphreys converted. In a flash Glasgow’s 5-0 lead had turned into a 10-5 deficit.

When Glasgow eventually won the ball back, Nathan put in a deft low skidding punt into touch near the Ulster line from half way, and in the next move a beautiful floated pass almost put Colin Shaw away.

With the clock ticking into added time there was a flurry of scores. Weir closed the gap to three points with a penalty. Glasgow then crucially failed to gather the restart. Ulster worked through the phases and from a ruck in the right corner, scrum-half Paul Marshall scooted around the blindside and dived in unopposed. Humphreys missed the conversion to leave the score at 15-8. Then on the stroke of half-time Weir reduced the deficit with a marvellously struck long-range penalty.

Glasgow started the second half well with Weir on target with a straight forward penalty. This was to be Glasgow’s last score of the evening as Ulster scored 13 unanswered points. Humphreys answered Weir’s penalty with a brace of his own and in the 78th minute Ulster captain Chris Henry was driven over for a try which Humphreys converted.

Scorers: Ulster: tries: Cave, Marshall, Henry. Pens: Humphreys 3. Con: Humphreys 2. Glasgow Tries: Nathan. Pens Weir: 3.

Ulster: A D’Arcy, C Gilroy, D Cave, N Spence, I Whitten, I Humphreys, P Marshall; P McAllister, A Kyriacou, J Cronin, L Stevenson, D Tuohy, P Wannenburg, W Faloon, C Henry (cpt). Subs used: N Brady

Glasgow: S Hogg, T Seymour, R Dewey, T Nathan, C Shaw, D Weir, C Gregor, J Welsh, P MacArthur, M Cusack, T Ryder, R Harley (capt), J Eddie, C Fusaro, R Wilson. Subs used: F Gillies, R Grant, E Kalman, N Campbell, R Pitman, H Pyrgos, P Horne, F Aramburu.