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Matt shows his impressive tackle, closely watched by Nigel Owens! |
Ulster took a baby step forward in their topsy turvy season with this comfortable win against Glasgow.
With two tries in the first half hour it looked as though Ulster, playing into a reasonably strong wind, were setting themselves up for a comfortable bonus point win against a Glasgow side who displayed plenty of determination but very little skill. A nice first phase move sent Cave under the posts after five minutes and twenty minutes later a resurgent Trimble showed why he was in the Ireland side last year with a well timed burst of pace from just inside the Glasgow half.
Unfortunately that was about it. The rest of the game sort of just petered out and Ulster, as has been the case of late, decided to sit on their lead rather than push for more points. This has cost Ulster games in the past but it was fortunate that Glasgow, with Parks misfiring, had very little to offer and the game literally got bogged down.
While there may be some justification in blaming the weather, and particularly the atrocious downpour either side of half time, this lack of ambition has become a worrying trait this season and the management, with all their coaching badges, need to address this issue if Ulster are going to push for a place in the top half of the league. With the exception of Munster (away) and Harlequins (home) Ulster have struggled to put together an eighty minute performance and this has cost 9 – 12 points in the Magners League and two additional wins in the Heineken Cup.
Ulster must use the rest of the season to work towards this eighty minute performance, particularly in attack, and if this can be achieved on a consistent basis the coaches can then point out, with some justification, that they have made an improvement. The games against Leinster and the Ospreys should give a better indication of where we are this season.
Pictures of Old Hallions in the bar after the game here …
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