Paddy Wallace missed an early penalty opportunity but put the first points of the evening on the board with a second effort from 40 metres out on 13 minutes. Scarlets levelled the score a few minutes later after Ulster No.8 Stephen Ferris was penalised for a shoulder barge on full-back Morgan Stoddart and Rhys Priestland open the Scarlets’ account. Scarlets 3 – 3 Ulster.
The end of the first quarter saw the first try of the evening, a huge miss pass from out-half Priestland drew the Ulster defenders, leaving three Llanelli players unmarked and winger Matthew Watkins cruised across the line to finish off the move in the corner. Preistland coverted. Scarlets 10 – 3 Ulster
Scarlets gifted the visitors a try on the half-hour mark when Seamus Mallon picked up a loose ball and made the initial break before passing the centre Tommy Bowe who out-paced the Llanelli defence to cross the whitewash. However, the Scarlets replied almost immediately, No.8 Nathan Thomas picking the angle and breaking through the Ulster defence in a move finished off by Welsh Sevens player, openside Jonathan Edwards, unconverted by Priesland. Scarlets 15 – 8 Ulster
Ulster were reduced to 14 men when referee Malcolm Changleng showed Neil McMillan a yellow card, adjudging him guilty of slowing down the play. Scarlets opted for the line-out and tried to drive the maul over the line before prop Deacon Manu plucked the ball from the base of the ensuing ruck and surpised the Ulster defence to score beside the posts. Priestland converted to put Scarlets 22 point to 8 and 3 tries to 1 ahead of Ulster at the half-time break, rounding off a poor first-half for Ulster in which they had only 24% of possession and just 1 foray into their opponents 22. (stats from BBC Wales)
Half-time Score: Scarlets 22 – 8 Ulster
Club Captain Rory Best, making his first Ulster appearance of the season, replaced Nigel Brady at hooker at half-time but Ulster’s second half began much as the first had finished and after a period of sustained pressure in the Ulster 22, Scarlets replacement Mark Jones accelerated past Bryan Young to score under the posts to bag the bonus point. Priestland added the extras through conversion, as the Ulster players appeared to become increasingly frustrated with some of the decisions from referee Malcolm Changleng.
Scarlets 29 – 8 Ulster
The next period was relatively uneventful, Ulster looked for the break but it never came and the Scarlets further twisted the knife when Priestland added another three points on the 70 minute mark after McMillan was penalised for not rolling away. Scarlets 32 – 8 Ulster.
The only hint of a spark from Ulster came late in the second half when a lovely Paddy Wallace chip found substitute Mark McCrea, but the Scarlets defence managed to interfere with the off-load to Rory Best and spoiled the move rounding off a fairly miserable evening for Ulster in Wales.
Final Score: Scarlets 32 - 8 Ulster
