Magners League Table

Team
Pld
Pts
LeinsterLeinster1861
Cardiff BluesBlues1856
MunsterMunster1848
Edinburgh RugbyEdinburgh1848
Glasgow WarriorsWarriors1846
Llanelli ScarletsScarlets1839
OspreysOspreys1837
DragonsDragons1834
UlsterUlster1829
Connacht RugbyConnacht1824
Ulster Stay Bottom As Scarlets Sizzle On Home Patch
32 - 8
Stradey Park   Att: 6,480
Friday 12th October 2007, 19:10
Llanelli Scarlets maintained their rich vein of form at Stradey Park on Friday night as they eased to a four-point 32-8 victory over a disjointed Ulster side.
Scarlets winger Matthew Watkins touches down at Stradey Park
Matthew Watkins' 29th league try took him ahead of Leinster's Denis Hickie in the record books
The Scarlets sizzled, picking up where they left off in last week's 52-23 dismissal of Leinster in Dublin, to keep the heat on Cardiff at the top of the Magners League standings.

Welsh international winger Matthew Watkins helped himself to a first half try - one which made him the league's record try scorer - while flanker Jonathan Edwards and prop Deacon Manu also crossed the Ulster whitewash in the opening 40 minutes.

Replacement winger Mark Jones scooted in under the posts for the hosts' bonus point try, twelve minutes after the break, and the damage was well and truly done.

Ulster's early season slump continued with Tommy Bowe's 33rd-minute breakaway score proving one of the only highlights for the province. Ulster had never won in six previous visits to Stradey Park and despite the return of five members of the Ireland World Cup squad, Mark McCall's men struggled throughout this one-sided encounter.

They did get off the mark first with returning fly-half Paddy Wallace making up for an earlier miss by landing a 14th-minute penalty kick from the right.

But it was all about Llanelli and their free-running style and they gave Ulster a glimpse of what was to come when full-back Morgan Stoddart made a line-break just two minutes later.

Stoddart's progress was halted by a thundering shoulder charge by Stephen Ferris and after the Ulster number eight got a talking to from referee Malcolm Changleng, impressive young fly-half Rhys Priestland put the penalty through the uprights.

The Scarlets went 10-3 ahead when late call-up Nathan Brew charged through a gap on the right, ruck ball was secured and swung back out to the left for Priestland to put Watkins haring through and over for his league record 29th try.

The Ulster defence had been hopelessly exposed and although they were finding some joy at lineout time, the visitors lacked any continuity despite the best efforts of stand-in captain Isaac Boss.

The Scarlets missed out on a second try when flanker Edwards brilliantly shrugged off three tacklers just outside his 22 and set off on a pacy attack which ended with a Priestland kick to the right corner needing to be touched down by Ulster full-back Bryn Cunningham.

Ulster struck back just after the half-hour when a poor lineout throw from home hooker Ken Owens sailed over the top and into midfield when Seamus Mallon took control of it. He galloped forward and gave a scissors pass to his centre partner Bowe who had the pace to dash over for the try from 60 metres out.

Wallace pushed his conversion attempt to the right and wide and despite that try, things went from bad to worse for McCall's side in the lead-up to half-time.

The defence was breached four minutes before the break and some quick offloading led to Owens sending a looping pass out to the left for the unchallenged Edwards to ghost over for his third try in two games.

A harsh sin-binning followed for Ulster flanker Neil McMillan as he was punished for repeated infringements at the breakdown.

Down to 14 men and with their defence all at sea, Ulster leaked another try when Manu was allowed to charge over unchallenged off the back of an injury-time maul, with Priestland's conversion handing the Scarlets a 22-8 interval lead.

With their fourth win in five league games in sight, the Scarlets secured the bonus point when pressure near the Ulster line told and Jones cut past a weak tackle from Bryan Young to sail over under the posts.

Priestland, whose assured kicking helped him win the man of the match award, added the extras and Ulster were 21 points in arrears.

Games as they were, Ulster never got within sight of the hosts' whitewash and a 71st-minute penalty from Priestland proved to be the final scoring act as the Scarlets kept up their record of not losing a league match at home to a non-Welsh side since September 2005.

Llanelli Scarlets V Ulster
 PDCTPosPlayerPlayerPosTCDP 





FB
Morgan Stoddart
15
Bryn Cunningham
FB





Replacement off




W
Nathan Brew
14
Mark Bartholomeusz
W










C
Regan King
13
Tommy Bowe
C
1









C
Gavin Evans
12
Seamus Mallon
C




Replacement off




1
W
Matthew Watkins
11
Simon Danielli
W




Replacement off
Replacement off
2

3

FH
Rhys Priestland
10
Paddy Wallace
FH



1

Replacement off




SH
Liam Davies
9
Isaac Boss
SH










P
Iestyn Thomas
1
Bryan Young
P










H
Ken Owens
2
Nigel Brady
H




Replacement off
Replacement off



1
P
Deacon Manu
3
Tom Court
P




Replacement off





L
Vernon Cooper
4
Justin Harrison
L





Replacement off




L
Adam Eustace
5
Carlo Del Fava
L




Replacement off





FL
James Bater
6
Matt McCullough
FL









1
FL
Jonathan Edwards
7
Neil McMillan
FL




Yellow card
Replacement off




8
Nathan Thomas
8
Stephen Ferris
8




Replacement off
Replacements
Replacement on




rp
Bruce Douglas
16
Rory Best
rh




Replacement on





-
James Hayter
17
Justin Fitzpatrick
rp




Replacement on
Replacement on




rl
Lou Reed
18
Tim Barker
rl




Replacement on
Replacement on




r8
Dafydd Jones
19
Roger Wilson
r8




Replacement on
Replacement on




rsh
Gavin Cattle
20
Paul Marshall
-





Replacement on




rfh
Ceiron Thomas
21
Niall O'Connor
rc




Replacement on
Replacement on



1
rw
Mark Jones
22
Mark McCrea
rw




Replacement on
Penalty Tries
0
0
First half timeline
14Ulster
Penalty kick - P Wallace
18Llanelli Scarlets
Penalty kick - R Priestland
22Llanelli Scarlets
Try - M Watkins
22Llanelli Scarlets
Conversion - R Priestland
32Llanelli Scarlets
Substitution - M Jones on for N Brew
32Ulster
Try - T Bowe
35Llanelli Scarlets
Try - J Edwards
39Ulster
Yellow card - N McMillan
40Llanelli Scarlets
Try - D Manu
40Llanelli Scarlets
Conversion - R Priestland
Second half timeline
41Ulster
Substitution - R Best on for N Brady
50Ulster
Substitution - J Fitzpatrick on for T Court
50Ulster
Substitution - R Wilson on for S Ferris
51Llanelli Scarlets
Try - M Jones
51Llanelli Scarlets
Conversion - R Priestland
56Ulster
Substitution - N O'Connor on for S Mallon
65Ulster
Substitution - M McCrea on for S Danielli
66Llanelli Scarlets
Substitution - B Douglas on for D Manu
66Llanelli Scarlets
Substitution - D Jones on for N Thomas
66Ulster
Substitution - T Barker on for C Del Fava
71Llanelli Scarlets
Penalty kick - R Priestland
72Llanelli Scarlets
Substitution - L Reed on for A Eustace
76Llanelli Scarlets
Substitution - G Cattle on for L Davies
76Llanelli Scarlets
Substitution - C Thomas on for R Priestland
All Pictures: ©  http://www.inpho.ie/, Huw Evans Agency,  Martin Stuart
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