Ulster secure eighth win on spin with victory over Edinburgh at Murrayfield

Ulster go three points clear of Leinster although Leo Cullen’s side have a game in hand.

Dan McFarland’s men scored seven tries to secure a sixth bonus point in eight games.

Ulster took only three minutes to open up the Edinburgh defence, flanker Jordi Murphy hit the line at pace and had John Andrew on the wing, the hooker sprinted into the Scottish side’s 22 before flicking it inside to John Cooney and he put centre Stewart Moore clear to score his third try in three games, Cooney added the conversion.

Andrew got Ulster’s second try on 19 minutes.

The visitors had forced a couple of penalties in the Edinburgh 22, the home side were on a final warning and Ulster kicked to the corner again, the forwards set up a powerful driving maul which split, allowing the hooker to power through the gap. Cooney slipped as he struck the conversion and it drifted wide.

Cooney went over four minutes later, again Ulster kicked a penalty to the corner and from the maul Stewart Moore came on the crash ball. He was stopped short of the line but the Ireland scrum-half sniped over from close range and converted his own try.

Edinburgh profited with a try after their first sustained period of pressure in the Ulster 22 on 33 minutes. The forwards battered away at the line before the ball was spun wide to the backs, centre James Johnstone off-loaded out of a tackle to put full-back Jack Blain over from close range, with out-half Nathan Chamberlain converting to cut Ulster’s half-time lead to 19-7.

Edinburgh’s second try arrived three minutes after the restart, from a lineout the forwards carried close to the Ulster line, the home side’s backs showed slick hands to move the ball wide before Eroni Sau off-loaded a flat pass out of the tackle to put Blain over for his second touch down with Chamberlain converting.

Edinburgh’s Jamie Farndale had a try disallowed on 54 minutes, Chamberlain hit the post with a penalty and the winger gathered to score but he was adjudged to have been in front of the kicker.

Ulster got their bonus point try on 59 minutes with their first sortie into Edinburgh’s 22 of the second half.

They kicked a penalty to the corner, the forwards propelled flanker Jordi Murphy over with Cooney converting. Edinburgh No.8 Bill Mata was sin-binned for infringing in the build up.

Ulster put the game beyond doubt on 67 minutes.

Moore tidied up a loose ball, Ian Madigan set off on a break and off-loaded out the back door to Sam Carter, the Wallaby lock charged to just outside the Edinburgh 22 and he had Cooney on his shoulder to take the scoring pass and the scrum half converted his own try.

Andrew got this second try on 73 minutes from a textbook driving maul but Bill Johnston failed to convert.

Andrew completed his hat-trick, diving over with the last play of the game.

Edinburgh: J Blain, E Sau, J Johnstone, C Dean, J Farndale, N Chamberlain, H Pyrgos, P Schoeman, D Cherry, L-R Atalifo, A Ferreira, A Davidson, M Bradbury, L Crosbie, A Miller.

Replacements: M Willemse for Cherry 65 mins, S Grahamslaw for Scoeman 77 mins, D Gamble for Atalifo 70 mins, J Hodgson for Ferreira 63 mins, B Mata for Miller 49 mins, C Boyle for Crosbie 70 mins, C Shield for Pyrgos 70 mins,, A Coombes.

Ulster: M Lowry, M Faddes, J Hume, S Moore, R Lyttle, I Madigan, J Cooney, A Warwick, J Andrew, M Moore, A O’Connor, S Carter, S Reidy, J Murphy, M Coetzee. Replacements: B Roberts for Andrew 74 mins, K McCall for Warwick 48 mins, G Milasinovich for M Moore 50 mins, D O’Connor for A O’Connor 63 mins, D McCann for Reidy 68 mins, D Shanahan for Cooney 68 mins, B Johnston for Madigan 68 mins, A Sexton for Lyttle 8 mins.

Referee: C Evans (WRU).