The difference between the sides was clear. By their own admission, Connacht had fielded one of their strongest sides for a couple of years. This, together with the fact that they had been able to train and play together for some weeks longer than Ulster, resulted in a greater cohesion and understanding between the players – something that was obviously lacking in the Ulster side. The Connacht pack gave Ulster problems from the start – winning their own ball with ease, and regularly disrupting the Ulster scrums. No more evident was this than when at the end of the first half, and within yards of the Ulster line, they were rewarded with a penalty try when Ulster’s front row continually infringed by not binding properly.
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At half time and 10-0 down, Ulster were certainly still in the game. However, the Connacht side immediately took over where they left off at the end of the first half and within minutes of the restart, intercepted an Ulster pass on their own 22 metre line and ran the length of the pitch to score under the posts.
Now 17-0 down, this not only stunned Ulster but envigorated Connacht who went on to secure the bonus point with three further tries. To their credit, Ulster regained their composure in the final quarter, and were rewarded with two tries of their own to make the final score 36-12 to Connacht.
