| Ospreys Remain Winless As Ulster Edge Ravenhill Battle |
Ulster |
17 - 16 |
Ospreys |
| Ravenhill Att: 8,142 |
| Friday 21st September 2007, 18:30 |
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| The Ospreys' poor start to the new Magners League season continued at Ravenhill on Friday night as Ulster dug deep to hand the defending champions their third defeat in as many games. |
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| Ulster's new winger Simon Danielli touched down in the second half to help the province into a 14-3 lead |
| © Inpho Photography |
It was a drama-filled finish in Belfast as young Ulster fly-half Niall O'Connor's 79th-minute penalty proved to be the match-winning kick. His opposite number Shaun Connor missed an injury-time chance for the Ospreys to retake the lead and with it, Lyn Jones' side succumbed to yet another narrow defeat.
The clash of the league's two most recent champions was an eagerly-awaited one. For Ulster it was a chance to take their good pre-season form into competitive action and they held an early edge in front of a boisterous 7,500-strong crowd.
The Ospreys, beaten by their Welsh rivals Cardiff and Llanelli over the past three weeks, were left trailing by 9-3 at the break as O'Connor, deputising for the injured David Humphreys, slotted three place kicks out of four.
It was an aggressive start from Ulster whose pack took the game to the visitors. O'Connor kicked them into a fourth-minute lead and a Roger Wilson break almost led to prop Tom Court muscling over in the left corner but he was smothered out by som last-gasp tackling from the Ospreys.
O'Connor doubled his and Ulster's tally with his second penalty before Connor, who had missed an earlier attempt, opened the Ospreys' account on the half hour mark.
O'Connor, who turned 20 in July, showed poise beyond his years to boot Ulster into a 9-3 lead and Mark McCall's men built on that buffer eleven minutes after the resumption when Scottish international Simon Danielli crossed for a debut try.
Danielli made an eye-catching start to the second half as he raced 60 metres downfield to spearhead a move which the Ospreys succeeded in halting. But there was no denying the left winger in the 51st-minute when O'Connor, Tommy Bowe and Mark Bartholomeusz combined to put him over in the left corner.
O'Connor added the conversion but the youngster was the villain of the piece on the hour when he was charged down by Ospreys number 10 Connor and Andrew Bishop scooted over for a seven-pointer.
Shorn of a number of their internationals, this was a brave effort from the champions and as errors began to blight Ulster's game, the visitors sneaked ahead by 16-14 when Connor booted a brace of late penalties.
With time running out, Ulster need a quick response and they got it as Ospreys prop Paul James gave away a needless penalty for poleaxing Matt McCullough on the restart.
In a thrilling finish, O'Connor coolly converted the resulting place kick. The pressure proved too much for Connor just minutes later at the other end and Ulster held on to take the spoils. |
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| First half timeline |
| 4 | Ulster | Penalty kick - N O'Connor |
| 16 | Ulster | Penalty kick - N O'Connor |
| 29 | Ospreys | Penalty kick - S Connor |
| 34 | Ulster | Penalty kick - N O'Connor |
| Second half timeline |
| 51 | Ulster | Try - S Danielli |
| 58 | Ospreys | Try - A Bishop |
| 58 | Ospreys | Conversion - S Connor |
| 58 | Ulster | Substitution - J Harrison on for T Barker |
| 65 | Ulster | Substitution - D Pollock on for K Dawson |
| 67 | Ospreys | Substitution - R Hibbard on for B Williams |
| 67 | Ospreys | Substitution - M Roberts on for J Marshall |
| 69 | Ospreys | Substitution - A Lloyd on for M Powell |
| 70 | Ospreys | Substitution - J Vaughton on for A Brew |
| 73 | Ospreys | Penalty kick - S Connor |
| 73 | Ulster | Substitution - B Cunningham on for S Mallon |
| 75 | Ospreys | Substitution - A Millward on for C Griffiths |
| 75 | Ulster | Substitution - P Marshall on for K Campbell |
| 77 | Ospreys | Penalty kick - S Connor |
| 78 | Ospreys | Substitution - C Griffiths on for T Smith |
| 79 | Ulster | Penalty kick - N O'Connor |
| 79 | Ulster | Substitution - D Fitzpatrick on for T Court |
| 79 | Ospreys | Yellow card - P James |
| 80 | Ospreys | Substitution - B Lewis on for J Vaughton |
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