Investec Champions Cup: Harlequins 47-19 Ulster - Ulster knocked out

Danny Care (left) was in superb form for Harlequins

Ulster have been knocked out of the Investec Champions Cup after already-qualified Harlequins ran in seven tries in a comprehensive Pool 2 win at the Twickenham Stoop.

With England scrum-half Danny Care in superb form, Quins boosted their chances of a home knockout tie.

The win moves the Premiership side into second place on 15 points, level with leaders Toulouse and third-placed Bath, who face each other on Sunday.

But it is disappointment for Ulster.

With three defeats in four games, Dan McFarland's side exit the Champions Cup and drop into the last 16 of the second-tier Challenge Cup.

Having been comprehensively beaten by Toulouse last week, Saturday was further evidence of the gap existing between Ulster and Europe's top sides.

Harlequins, on the other hand, can approach the Champions Cup knockout rounds with confidence after a thoroughly satisfying result at a noisy Stoop that included two tries for both Nick David and Louis Lynagh, and scores for Care, Andre Esterhuizen and Will Evans.

There was potentially troubling news for England head coach Steve Borthwick, however, as Joe Marler and Oscar Beard were both unable to finish the game.

• Follow Saturday's Champions Cup action live

Misery for error-strewn Ulster

Ulster, meanwhile, face a grim review of a Pool 2 campaign in which they conceded 147 points and shipped 14 tries in their last two fixtures.

The first half was one Ulster would rather soon forget as they allowed the hosts to build a 14-point lead through a combination of profligacy in attack and carelessness in defence.

With just four minutes on the clock and as Ulster took their eye off the ball for a minute, David collected a short line-out from Esterhuizen and sprinted clear to put Quins on the board.

A couple of minutes later, Ulster were given a chance to respond when David was sin-binned for deliberately knocking on Stuart McCloskey's attempted pass to James Hume, who looked poised to cross in the corner.

But while Ulster failed to immediately capitalise after kicking to the corner, they did notch their opening score in the 14th minute when returning flanker David McCann dotted down after an excellent Robert Baloucoune surge drove the visitors up the pitch.

Ulster conceded seven tries after also shipping seven against Toulouse last week

A period of sustained Ulster pressure followed, but their attempts at nudging ahead were thwarted by a combination of their own wastefulness and a stout Quins defence.

The Irish province's frustration only deepened when two major errors allowed Lynagh to profit. First, Lynagh - a HIA replacement for Beard having been called up to the squad on Saturday morning following Cameron Anderson's withdrawal - was able to gather his own kick from deep after Stockdale was beaten by the bounce.

Eight minutes later, Lynagh could barely believe his luck as he seized upon a big mistake from Baloucoune, who inadvertently knocked the ball into the Quins wing's path while trying to gather an Esterhuizen kick and move the home side 21-7 clear at half-time.

Already facing a big deficit, Ulster's hopes of a comeback were dashed when the magnificent Care finished from close range eight minutes after the restart.

Nothing seemed to be going Ulster's way, even when they did convert a chance, as Steven Kitshoff was left disappointed when his score was ruled out for a knock-on from Harry Sheridan.

Soon after, Care created Quins' fifth for Esterhuizen before David notched his second at the end of a move started by Marcus Smith, who kicked 12 points for the rampant hosts.

Evans also crossed, either side of Ulster scores from McCloskey and Stockdale, as the visitors pushed in vain for a try bonus point in the closing stages with Baloucoune, like Kitshoff, having a try chalked off before Stockdale's try after he was pushed into touch by Smith before touching down.

Line-ups

Harlequins: Green; David, Beard, Esterhuizen, Anderson; Smith, Care; Marler, Walker, Collier, Herbst, Hammond, Cunningham-South, Evans, Dombrandt (capt).

Replacements: Riley, Baxter, Lewis, Launchbury, White, Porter, Anyanwu, Joseph.

Ulster: Lowry; Baloucoune, Hume, McCloskey, Stockdale; Burns, Cooney; Kitshoff, Stewart, O'Toole, Treadwell, Henderson (capt), Matty Rea, McCann, Timoney.

Replacements: Andrew, Warwick, Moore, Sheridan, Rea, Nathan Doak, Marshall, Addison.

Sin-bin: Nick David (seven mins)

Referee: Mathieu Raynal (Fra)

• Subscribe to the Rugby Union Daily podcast

• Add rugby union alerts to your BBC Sport app