Ulster’s Poor Run Continues As Warriors Win Out

20 points from the boot of Dan Parks and a late try from Andrew Henderson saw Glasgow Warriors get the better of bottom side Ulster in Friday’s clash at Firhill. It was a third win in four consecutive home matches for Sean Lineen’s men against Irish opposition.

Glasgow Warriors v Ulster Match Pics

Recent winners over Connacht and Leinster and having drawn 11-11 with Munster last week, Glasgow maintained their unbeaten run against Irish sides over the past month to add to their confidence ahead of their Heineken Cup opener against Saracens next week.

Ulster, who remain rooted to the bottom of the league table, did make a game of it with two second half penalties from David Humphreys reducing the gap to 12-6 but Parks’ accurate right and Henderson’s late touchdown ended any hopes Ulster had of a much-needed win.

The action was frenetic at times at what is quickly developing into ‘Fortress Firhill’ for Lineen’s charges.

Boosted by the return of prop Justin Va’a and number eight Johnnie Beattie, Glasgow made the better start and their busy Argentinian full-back Bernardo Stortoni made good ground with a chip kick chase. Direct running from wingers Lome Fa’atau and Thom Evans kept their side on the front foot.

Glasgow kept the pressure on and Parks punished a ninth-minute infringement from Ulster scrum half Isaac Boss by popping over a penalty from 40 metres out.

A shoulder charge from Beattie was then whistled up by referee Andrew Small but the returning Humphreys, who was making his first start of the season after recovering from an ankle injury, missed the penalty kick for Ulster.

Humphreys’ kicking let him down in the first half, with a couple of poor restart kicks putting his side under extra pressure, while two quick-fire place kicks from Parks – after 15 and 17 minutes – sprung the hosts 9-0 clear.

Glasgow began to click with Beattie, Daryl Gibson and Kelly Brown making ground up the middle. Chris O’Young was stopped short of the try line and a Parks’ drop goal attempt was wide of the mark.

The Scotland out-half redeemed himself by firing over his fourth penalty of the half from 45 metres out and the Warriors held onto a 12-0 buffer for the break, despite a decent patch of play from the visitors before referee Small’s half-time whistle.

The Ulster pack, with Justin Harrison preferred to Carlo Del Fava in the second row, built up a head of steam, with Humphreys’ influence increasing, but some poor handling let the visitors down as they pressed for an elusive try.

The Scots also required a great covering tackle from Parks to stop Ulster winger Mark McCrea from grabbing what would have been a crucial try before the break, following a fine break by the visitors’ Scotland centre Rob Dewey.

Worryingly, Ulster had their flanker Kieron Dawson stretchered off before the interval.

The former champions had to settle for a penalty goal, which Humphreys kicked four minutes into the second half, and he doubled his tally with a second three-pointer coming up to the hour mark.

That followed an uncharacteristic close range miss from Parks and for the next quarter of an hour, the game hung in the balance with Ulster less than a converted score behind.

The Glasgow fans, who had seen Parks miss another drop goal shot and Beattie stopped short of the line, breathed a sigh of relief in the 68th-minute when Scotland centre Henderson managed to shrug off two tacklers and cross the whitewash after a set-up involving Sam Pinder and Beattie.

Parks’ conversion was followed by two more penalties, which saw the 29-year-old overtake Gavin Henson of the Ospreys and become the Magners League’s second top scorer in the competition’s history. Parks has now scored 639 points with only Ulster veteran Humphreys (786 points) head of him.

The result continues Glasgow’s unbeaten run against Irish sides since last January and catapulted them temporarily up to fourth in the table, while Ulster disappointingly head into their European campaign off the back of five winless weekends.