Worcester took the lead early with a penalty kick giving them the advantage with only 2 minutes on the clock. The visitors continued to put pressure on Ulster creating a number of opportunities before Worcester's William Bowley clinched the first try of the night; powering over the touchline on 15 minutes.

Matthew Jones was on hand to extend his side's lead and bring the score line to Ulster 0 v 10 Worcester.

Ulster fought back creating solid chances of their own but struggled to keep possession as the Warriors defended heavily. A long kick from Andrew Trimble which brought play just feet from Worcester's try line, as well as an impressive chip and chase from Mark McCrea looked sure to reap rewards but the Warriors worked hard and took possession before the ball could be grounded on both attempts.

Ulster's work rate paid off in the final minutes of the first half as a penalty from Ian Humphreys helped Ulster to put their mark on the scoreboard before the half time whistle blew.

Half time Score Ulster 3 v 10 Worcester

Both sides were back in action for just 6 minutes before Worcester clocked up their second try of the night, Number 8 Netani Taleie eventually finding the gap to touch down on the right wing. Worcester kept the pressure high and Matthew Powell was next to touch down for the visiting team. Both conversions however were off target to keep the score Ulster 3 v 20 Worcester.

Ulster broke the deadlock in the 60th minute with Mark McCrea taking advantage of a gap in the Worcester defence to storm over the touchline and score Ulster a well deserved 5 points. Ian Humphreys added the conversion to bring the score to Ulster 10 v 20 Worcester.

Ulster attacked heavily for the remainder of the match with new signing Timoci Nagusa again showcasing his speed as he broke away from the pack and sprinted for the touchline but was taken down just short of the line. Seconds later Ulster faced disapointment again as they finally crossed whitewash bringing the Ravenhill crowd to their feet only to have the try disallowed for failure to ground the ball.

Worcester replacement Loki Crichton finished the scoring with an angled penalty in the 68th minute.

As the clock ticked down Ulster were unable to close the gap any further and as the final whistle blew the scoreboard remained Ulster 10 v Worcester 23.

Ulster Head Coach Matt Williams was positive after the match, ?The result wasn't what I was hoping for, and I was disappointed that we missed out on two try's which could have won us the game. On a positive, it was a really great practice game for both the younger guys and those that have been out for a while like Trimble. The three friendlies have been a chance to see the squad work together and iron out any difficulties before the points start to count. Our defence was really strong, we tackled very well and only through counter defence did Worcester gain any ground. The squad has worked really hard in the pre-season but we know that there is a lot more hard work ahead to achieve results this season.?

Ulster: B Cunningham; T Nagusa, A Trimble, P Steinmetz, M McCrea; I Humphreys, P Marshall; T Court; N Brady, B Young, C Del Fava, R Caldwell, K Dawson, capt, C Henry
Replacements: (all used) S Philpott, J Fitzpatrick, W Faloon, C Willis, T Anderson, I Whitten, N O'Connor, R Dewey

Worcester Warriors: C Latham; R Gear, D Rasmussen, S Tuitupou, M Benjamin; M Jones, M Powell; M Mullan, A Lutui, T Taumoepeau, G Gillies, W Bowley, T Wood, P Sanderson, capt, N Talei.
Replacements: (all used) C Horsman, S Ruwers, C Fortey, G Kitchener, K Horstmann, J Collins, J Arr, J Carlise, L Crichton, M Garvey, C Pennell.

Referee: David Keane (IRFU)>

Tickets for Ulster's opening Magners League fixture Ulster v Llanelli Scarlets, Friday 5th September are still available for the Main Stand, Promenade and Terrace. Tickets are available online by CLICKING HERE, from the Ravenhill ticket office, over the telephone on 028 90 493222 option 2 and from all usual ticket outlets (for a full list please CLICK HERE)