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Bath see red as Ulster's victory ensures quarter-final place

By Online Editors
Will Addison scores for Ulster in their win over Bath (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

Ulster secured the home win they needed against Bath to qualify for the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals for a second consecutive season.

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It was all level at half-time before Ulster turned the screw in the second period to seal a 22-15 victory.

It took only six minutes for Ulster – beaten last weekend at Clermont – to break the deadlock when, from an attacking five-metre line-out, the forwards set up a driving maul.

The ball was dropped as it edged close to the line and Springbok number eight Marcell Coetzee picked up and powered over from close range with scrum-half John Cooney adding the conversion.

Freddie Burns wasted the chance to open Bath’s account, missing a simple penalty from the Ulster 22. Bath scored a try in the 18th minute thanks to Ruaridh McConnochie.

(Continue reading below…)

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Following a sustained period of pressure in the Ulster 22 Freddie Burns put in a cross-field kick, Jacob Stockdale misjudged the bounce allowing the winger to pick up and dive over the line with Burns landing the conversion from a tight angle.

Four minutes later Bath had flanker Tom Ellis sin-binned for a push on John Cooney, but Ulster could not capitalise and it was all level at the interval.

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Ulster got their second try a minute after the restart, Billy Burns offloaded out of a tackle to Will Addison who wrong-footed Gabe Hamer-Webb and drew the last defender before releasing winger Robert Baloucoune to dart over in the corner. Cooney added the extras.

Freddie Burns landed a long-range penalty for the visitors three minutes later after Sean Reidy was guilty of not rolling away.

Addison got Ulster’s third try in the 47th minute as Jacob Stockdale put the full-back into space to dot down. Cooney failed with the conversion.

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Bath set up a tense finish by scoring a second try with 15 minutes remaining. From a well-worked five-metre lineout replacement hooker Ross Batty was propelled over the line. Freddie Burns missed the conversion.

Lock Kieran Treadwell had a try disallowed for Ulster by the TMO in the 68th minute for a forward pass in the build-up. Batty was red-carded with eight minutes remaining for a no arms tackle on Cooney, Billy Burns slotted over the resulting penalty.

Ulster turned a kickable penalty down in the last minute to go for the corner, Bath stole the line out and Hamer-Webb broke out of defence getting to the halfway line before being stopped.

– Press Association 

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Bull Shark 3 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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