United Rugby Championship: McIlroy tries help Ulster earn bonus-point win over Zebre

Ethan McIlroy's two first-half tries helped Ulster secure a 36-3 bonus-point win over Zebre in the United Rugby Championship game in Parma.

Zebre frustrated Ulster early on before McIlroy scored in the corner after Nathan Doak's blindside dart.

Antonio Rizzi's penalty cut Ulster's lead but McIlroy's second try in first-half injury-time put Ulster 10-3 ahead.

Further tries by Will Addison and James Hume secured the bonus point before Nick Timoney's two further scores.

Scrum-half Doak was making his full debut in an Ulster team which showed 10 changes from last week's opening 35-29 win over Glasgow Warriors.

Doak was replacing injured John Cooney with Stuart McCloskey among other Irish internationals ruled out of the contest after picking up a knock last weekend.

Zebre's commitment contributed to a lack of fluency from Dan McFarland's Ulster side in the opening 40 minutes with the home side producing some big midfield hits on the opposition.

The home side were playing in their memory of their popular media and marketing manager Leonardo Mussini who died at the age of 41 in midweek and whose coffin was brought to the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi as part of an emotional ceremony which took place before the game.

Flanker Nick Timoney (centre) scored Ulster's two closing tries

Carlo Canna's tackle prevented young Ulster scrum-half Doak from scoring a try in the 15th minute before Tom O'Toole was held up inches short of the Zebre line.

However, from the resultant five-metre scrum, Doak's blindside burst and quick hands from Billy Burns set up McIlroy's first scored in the 21st minute with the TMO ruling that he had managed to stay infield as he touched down in the corner.

Addison's dissent resulted in a penalty notched by Zebre replacement fly-half Rizzi in the 33rd minute but the home side suffered a huge blow in first-half injury-time after all of their efforts as Hume's superb pass set up wing McIlroy to score again.

Burns missed the conversion from in front of the posts but the try still represented a deflating score for the hosts.

After the crucial score late in the first half, Ulster resolved to put the match to bed as quickly as possible following the restart.

After a period when Ulster were camped deep in Zebre territory, Hume's over-long pass worked to the Irish side's advantage as Craig Gilroy gathered before delivering a perfect pop pass to Addison, who touched down.

At the third time of asking, Burns added the extras and apart from a brief flurry around the 70th minute, Ulster continued to boss the remainder of the exchanges as Hume's 57th-minute score secured the bonus point before back row Timoney added two further tries.

Zebre weren't helped by having replacement prop Ion Neculai and Maxime Mbanda sin-binned in the second half with Ulster notching three tries when the Italians were down to 14 men.

Zebre: Laloifi, Di Giulio, Bisegni, Boni, Tuivuaka; Canna, Fusco; Fischetti, Bigi, Nocera; Sisi, Krumov; Mbanda; Leavasa, Licata.

Replacements: Fabiani, Lovotti, Neculai, Zambonin, Giammarioli, Palazzani, Rizzi, Trulla.

Ulster: Addison, Gilroy, Hume, Moore, McIlroy; Burns, Doak; O'Sullivan, Herring, O'Toole; O'Connor (capt), Kearney; Matty Rea, Timoney, McCann.

Replacements: Roberts, Reid, Moore, Carter, Reidy, Shanahan, Lowry, Moxham

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