Ulster boost URC play-off hopes with Scarlets win

Ulster centre Stuart McCloskey scored his first league try of the season against Scarlets

United Rugby Championship: Scarlets v Ulster

Scarlets (6) 20

Tries: Tuipulotu, Lewis Cons: Costelow 2 Pens: Costelow 2

Ulster (3) 31

Tries: McCloskey, Timoney, McCann, Stockdale Cons: Cooney 4 Pens: Cooney

Ulster boosted their hopes of a United Rugby Championship (URC) play-off place with a bonus-point victory against Scarlets in Llanelli.

After play-off rivals Edinburgh and Stormers claimed maximum points on Friday night, Ulster responded as they bid to finish in the top eight.

Tries from Stuart McCloskey, Nick Timoney, David McCann and Jacob Stockdale and 11 points from John Cooney set up the victory to lift Ulster to sixth in the table, while flanker Cormac Izuchukwu was outstanding.

Scarlets responded with tries from Carwyn Tuipulotu and Tomi Lewis and 10 points from Sam Costelow.

The hosts were punished for indiscipline with Taine Plumtree and Gareth Davies shown first-half yellow cards.

So Dwayne Peel's side could not mark their final game in Llanelli this season with a victory as they stay 14th in the URC table with only three wins in 16 games so far.

Scarlets announced the departures of 13 senior players with almost 1,500 games between them, including British and Irish Lions hooker Ken Owens, who led out the sides with his children in tow.

The leaving players were celebrated after the match with wing Ryan Conbeer given a farewell in the starting side, and Wyn Jones, Scott Williams and Kieran Hardy were on the replacements bench.

Scarlets were without key forwards Alex Craig, Sam Lousi and Vaea Fifita, while Ireland hooker Rob Herring returned for Ulster from injury and full-back Mike Lowry led his side out on his 100th appearance.

Costelow opened the scoring with two penalties before Cooney responded with Ulster's first points.

Wales flanker Plumtree had impressed, but blotted his copybook when he was shown a yellow card for a petulant deliberate knock-on.

The indiscipline continued when scrum-half Davies was also sin-binned for a trip which reduced the hosts to 13 men.

Ulster failed to score just before half-time as they were held up over the Scarlets line for a third time in the opening 40 minutes.

The visitors made their extra men tell when centre McCloskey glided through the home defence with Cooney converting.

Scarlets showed tactical naivety by trying to play expansive rugby and after Lowry had intercepted, Timoney powered over from an attacking scrum.

His back-row colleague McCann burrowed over for the third try before Scarlets finally responded with a close up score from number eight Tuipulotu.

Ulster wing Stockdale took a towering restart which laid the foundations to score the bonus-point try himself.

Scarlets responded again with a fine break from Ioan Lloyd before wing Lewis completed the scoring. But it was too little, too late for the hosts.

Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel: "We were disappointed with the result in the end. We started the game well and had some momentum and probably left a few points out there.

"We gave away some cheap penalties and when we are down to 13 men it is always difficult. That period hurt us, although we managed to get back into it."

Ulster interim head coach Richie Murphy: "We were a little bit disappointed with our first half, although it is difficult when you get over the line three times and don't manage to get the ball down.

"We weren't accurate enough and didn't build enough pressure, so I gave them a bit of a blast. With them down to 13 with two yellow cards at the start of the second half, I thought we managed the next 20 minutes really well."

Scarlets: Ioan Nicholas; Tomi Lewis, Johnny Williams, Eddie James, Ryan Conbeer; Sam Costelow, Gareth Davies; Kemsley Mathias, Ryan Elias (capt), Harri O’Connor, Morgan Jones, Jac Price, Taine Plumtree, Dan Davis, Carwyn Tuipulotu.

Replacements: Shaun Evans, Wyn Jones, Sam Wainwright, Ben Williams, Jarrod Taylor, Kieran Hardy, Ioan Lloyd, Scott Williams.

Sin-bin: Plumtree 37, G Davies 40

Ulster: Mike Lowry; Ethan McIlroy, Will Addison, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Billy Burns, John Cooney; Eric O’Sullivan, Rob Herring, Scott Wilson, Kieran Treadwell, Alan O’Connor (capt), Cormac Izuchukwu, David McCann, Nick Timoney.

Replacements: Tom Stewart, Andrew Warwick, James French, Harry Sheridan, Reuben Crothers, Nathan Doak, Stewart Moore, Dave Ewers.

Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)

Assistant referees: Adam Jones & Elliot Mayor (WRU)

TMO: Matteo Liperini (FIR)