Ravens drew first blood in the encounter with two Olding penalties on seven and 11 minutes, but after soaking up sustained home pressure for the first quarter of an hour, Cardiff mounted their first viable challenge, and were rewarded through a penalty from full-back Joe Griffin on 16 minutes.

A great surge from winger Cochrane, impressive recently for the senior team, proved too much for the Cardiff defence on 22 minutes, as the youngster weaved his way past five men before supplying D'Arcy, who finished with aplomb. Olding's conversion kick veered off target, but the Ravens' lead was comfortable at 11 - 3.

Two penalties - a successful one for Griffin and an errant attempt from Olding - followed in quick succession, and with Cardiff prop Ryan Harford soon sinbinned for pulling down a maul, Ravens began to turn the screw, eventually forcing the penalty try as the visitors desperately tried to resist their opponents' superior scrum. Olding converted from in front of the posts to consolidate the lead.

The very next attack found Cochrane and D'Arcy again in a threatening position facing the Cardiff defence, but this time the winger dummied the pass to D'Arcy to force his own way through for an impressive solo try, converted once more by Olding. Cardiff, however, had the last word of the half, Matthew Screech piling over after good probing from the Welsh pack.

Half-Time Score Ulster Ravens 25 Cardiff 11

Griffin failed to add three points moments after the restart with a poorly-angled penalty, and Ulster would have added try number four in the 50th minute had it not been for a dropped ball at the final pass. Olding soon added three more points, however, but Griffin nullified these seconds later to make it 28 - 14.

The fourth try came on 64 minutes, ending the match as a contest. Flanker Birch was the man to secure the bonus point and, with Cardiff now struggling to keep up, Cochrane swiftly followed up with his second, and Ulster's fifth.

The bonus point elevates the Ravens to 12 points in the pool, but, with Bristol matching their day's tally with a bonus-point victory away to Bridgend, it remains tight at the top at the half-way stage.

Full-Time Score Ulster Ravens 40 Cardiff 14