Ulster: Leave Saints in trouble
Ulster extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 13 thanks to a comprehensive 25-6 Heineken Cup victory over Northampton at Franklin's Gardens.
In a battle between the competition's last two beaten finalists, Ulster crossed for two tries in each half to claim a maximum five-point haul on their travels.
Ulster, the 1999 champions and runners-up to Leinster last season, opened the scoring at Franklin's Gardens after 10 minutes through winger Andrew Trimble.
Paddy Jackson released his team-mate with a clever, delayed chip ahead which fell perfectly for Trimble to beat Northampton full-back Ben Foden to the ball and touch down.
Jackson missed the conversion before opposing fly-half Ryan Lamb fluffed his second penalty of the night.
Jackson then went wide with a penalty from just inside the Saints' half before Lamb finally found his length and direction with a long-range penalty to make the score 5-3 to the Irish side.
Ulster won a penalty straight from the restart for a line-out infringement and this time Jackson hit the target to put his team 8-3 to the good.
Lamb's poor night continued when he missed a third penalty just before the half-hour mark when veteran centre Paddy Wallace was punished for a dangerous tackle on Northampton winger Ken Pisi.
Ulster scored their second try in the 33rd minute through winger Tommy Bowe.
The move was created by Kiwi full-back Jared Payne's pinpoint kick ahead which rocked Northampton back on their heels. Ulster created the overlap with Wallace putting Bowe in space for his try as the visitors went 13-3 ahead although Jackson again missed the conversion.
Lamb at least kept the Saints in touch with a 20m penalty as Ulster went in at half-time with a 13-6 lead.
That advantage quickly became 18-6 early in the second period when Payne grabbed Ulster's third try, collecting Trimble's pass before nipping inside the Northampton defence with a smart dummy to score.
Jackson added the extras for 20-6 but then went short with an optimistic long-range penalty shot.
Northampton piled on the pressure in the closing stages but were unable to breach a resolute Ulster defence with the visitors even surviving having flanker Ian Henderson sin-binned for not releasing a tackled player on the ground.
Lock Dan Tuohy added the bonus-point try in the last minute for 25-6 with Jackson's conversion out wide missing the target.
The scorers:
For Northampton:
Pens: Lamb 2
For Ulster:
Tries: Trimble, Bowe, Payne, Tuohy,
Con: Jackson
Pen: Jackson
Yellow card: Iain Henderson (71 mins)
Northampton Saints: 15 Ben Foden, 14 Ken Pisi, 13 George Pisi, 12 Dom Waldouck, 11 Jamie Elliott, 10 Ryan Lamb, 9 Martin Roberts, 8 Gerrit-Jan van Velze, 7 Tom Wood, 6 Calum Clark, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Samu Manoa, 3 Brian Mujati, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Soane Tonga'uiha.
Replacements: 16 Mikey Haywood, 17 Alex Waller, 18 Paul Doran-Jones, 19 Mark Sorenson, 20 Phil Dowson, 21 Lee Dickson, 22 Steve Myler, 23 Tom May.
Ulster: 15 Jared Payne, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Darren Cave, 12 Paddy Wallace, 11 Andrew Trimble, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Roger Wilson , 7 Chris Henry, 6 Iain Henderson, 5 Dan Tuohy, 4 Johann Muller (c), 3 John Afoa, 2 Rory Best, 1 Tom Court.
Replacements: 16 Nigel Brady, 17 Callum Black, 18 Ricky Lutton, 19 Robbie Diack, 20 Nick Wiliams, 21 Paul Marshall, 22 Luke Marshall, 23 Craig Gilroy.
Referee: Jerome Garces (France)
Comments
foxrock says...
Hartley demonstrates, yet again, that he's just a thug and an embarrassment to the game of rugby.
Posted 11:42 10th December 2012
Stag91 says...
NH is for Northampton genius
Posted 12:52 09th December 2012
Jediboy says...
Liam2me - why is this a NH v SH issue? Is this because you're predictable and have nothing of any great interest to say. This is HC rugby, nothing to do with the SH. You need to change the record my simple little friend.
Posted 09:48 09th December 2012
liam2me says...
NH really are nothing more then pretenders, and thugs at that. How anyone rates them as a top HEC side is beyond me.
Posted 21:20 08th December 2012
Jediboy says...
As a Saints fan this was very painful to watch. woeful.
Ulster were very good and clearly deserved the win.
Saints have some serious work to do. This simply isn't good enough. We've lost some good players and replaced them with average ones.
Posted 19:46 08th December 2012
DrDeath says...
@hellovanite
Payne was excellent all evening, Sky gave him man of the match-in spite of a slightly embarassing try celebration!!
Posted 12:22 08th December 2012
NHsaints says...
This was an absolutely shocking performance from Saints, everyone whinging about Hartley: it was quite clearly a case of Hartley trying to use his forearm to get Best off him since Best was holding him out of joining the attack. Lamb has to go, he's had so many chances and every time a big game comes along he screws up, his kicking was terrible from the tee and from hand and he's more unreliable on attack than anyone I've ever seen...Ulster shouldn't have got away with about 4 turnovers where the tackler held on or a man came in the side. Elliot was a mixed bag; terrible kicking, good running. Foden is still simmering on the edge of returning to form but he was solid enough. Ken Pisi found out that he can't run through all teams backs (fair play to Ulster's defence). As the commentators noted Waldouck has brought nothing to this saints backline and we've lost Downey's carrying ability. George Pisi didn't see the ball all night. Mujati won't be missed so much after a scrummaging performance like that...Van Velze is still nothing short of mediocre, Dickson should have started (he upped the tempo drastically). Positives we can take; the lineout was dominant, the scrum (when mujati wasn't boring or on the pitch) went well, Waller, Haywood and PDJ impressed when they came on and Wood was industrious. Anyway now that I've stopped whinging about how bad saints were...well done Ulster, you made us pay for almost every mistake and the tackle area was completely dominated by your back row and Best. A special mention too for that back 3, absolutely magnificent. On a final note...Northampton have gone backwards, we've added depth but lost quality, we really need some big signings at the end of this season Mallinder and if not (and I'm sad to say this) then I really think it's time for you to move on.
Posted 09:42 08th December 2012
paddy91317 says...
I agree with tellitlikeitis paddy wallace shoulder charged someone in a tackle and they were like "hes lucky to still be on the pitch" ten minutes later paddy wallace gets hit late and high by northamton no.8 and there like meh its a tough aul game rugby sure he be graaaand
Posted 08:37 08th December 2012
hellovanite says...
How did J.Payne go? He is a really good centre and a handy FB, could have and probably should have been an AB, alas...
Posted 07:37 08th December 2012
tellitlikeitis says...
Hartley has to be cited, three elbows into Bests head on the ground, plain as day. Is he looking for a holiday or something??
And why can't sky call it? None of us want to see it happening, yet they say nothing, but call Pienaar out for a hand on someones face.
Sky really need to take a long look at themselves.
Posted 02:01 08th December 2012
TVaddict says...
First of all, brilliant play from Ulster, it could of easily been 50-6! You matched them upfront, at the breakdown and were clinical with your chances. The tackles were ferocious, so close to being high and illegal, but just on the money almost every time.
Northampton were terrible. Great forward power but never used it. Some great backs but gave them slow ball in awful positions. If this is another season of substandard performances from the Saints then fans have got to start looking at the coaching team. With the likes of the Hartley, Manoa, Lawes, Wood, Dickson, and the Pisi brothers you have to demand better performances than that.
Points to make:
-Why weren't Ulster penalised for constantly wheeling the scrum whenever they were under pressure?
-Why wasn't Mujati penalised for boring in all the time at scrum time?
-Why weren't Ulster penalised sooner for rolling on the ball and having offside players disrupting the scrum half at ruck time?
-Why didn't Northampton use their forward power by going straight forward rather than constantly sideways and cutting down space for the backs?
-Why didn't Northampton make any defensive hits? We've seen how the likes of Lawes and Wood can play defensively, where was the bite in this team?
-Why did Mallinder sign Lamb? As a London Irish fan I was glad he left as he is one of the flakiest 10s around.
-Does anyone else think Tonga'uiha is a spent force? Lost his scrummaging prowess, slow to get to rucks, doesn't seem to be a very effective tackler, and doesn't carry the ball effectively any more. I'm not sure him leaving is that big a lose for Northampton.
-Hartley should be, and probably will be, cited for dropping an elbow on Best. I heard Best had done something to him first but I didn't see it so meh.
Posted 23:54 07th December 2012
Dannyboy says...
Some other little comments: Henderson is a future Captain, Trimble and Gilroy bring different useful qualities to the wing and this ultimately is huge to Ireland in the long run, Best needs to sort out his darts, and Jared Payne, hurry the phuck up and be Irish qualified will ya?
Posted 23:27 07th December 2012
marko72 says...
Seriously, what has Courtney Lawes done to justify his rep? He went missing again
Posted 23:23 07th December 2012
Stag91 says...
Comprehensive is right, great performance
Posted 23:11 07th December 2012
Dannyboy says...
Saints were exposed. As soon as Ulsters scrum was shown to be the equal of Northamptons, the game was over. No backline innovation from Saints..
Ulster are a team to be feared. End of.
Posted 23:04 07th December 2012
carpelone says...
Good game for Ulster, even though at slow pace. Even Pienaar shines at those low rhythms.
Posted 22:58 07th December 2012
Strabane says...
Class act!
Posted 22:49 07th December 2012
3in4 says...
Weak English team
Posted 22:22 07th December 2012
papachinzo says...
Northampton, do us all a favour and come 8th in the English League so we don't have to watch you next season... your players are nothing but dirty cheats !!
Posted 22:15 07th December 2012