Ulster's John Cooney ​picks out individual gains despite Glasgow loss

Out half Billy Burns won his 100th cap and when he was forced off early with injury Nathan Doak, who was drafted on to the bench after Jake Flannery’s late withdrawal, racked up a half-century of appearances for the province.

Backrower James McNabney made his debut in the professional ranks as did hooker Zac Solomon as a late replacement and there was a first appearance in the white shirt for double South African World Cup winner Steven Kitshoff.

Scrum half John Cooney’s scored the province’s second try on 11 minutes, which took him past the 1000-points barrier in the white shirt. Cooney is only the second player after David Humphreys to reach that landmark playing for Ulster.

“I’m delighted, luckily in Connacht I got a chance to kick and since then I have never really looked back,” said Cooney. “Even coming into Ulster, I never expected to be a frontline kicker and opportunity knocked.

“I have learned a lot since I have been here and a big shout out to ‘Sopes’ (Dan Soper) – who has worked a lot with me the last couple of years and told me so much – and to the team for all the tries they scored.

“I haven’t scored in a while, I missed all pre-season, nice to be back in there...my lungs were struggling a bit after 60.

“It was fortuitous (for the try) the bounce of the ball backwards and I took advantage of it, always good to get on the scoreline.”

Cooney’s converted try had given Ulster the 14-0 lead but they lost the last 69 minutes 33-6. Despite the result, Cooney picked the positives from a second away defeat in three games on the road.

“It is a really difficult place to come, I’m pretty sure I have only won once here in my 13 or 14-year career,” he said. “It is a bit of a fortress.

“I think they have 22 wins out of their last 23 at home so we knew they were going to come back.

“We started really well, which was our plan all week, we’d knew they would come out.

“We had a young backrow who really stood up and a couple of first caps.

“I have left here a lot more disappointed...I’d rather learn now than in the quarter-final like we did last year.”

McNabney was satisfied with his first outing.

“It was a great experience, at the start of the week I didn’t think I would be anywhere near the team and then to be called in to start I just enjoyed every minute of it,” said the Armagh back rower. “The pace was up there and that is what stands out the most and everything else is something similar. I really enjoyed it, now I have the taste for it I’d like a bit more.”

ULSTER: W Addison, R Baloucoune, J Hume, L Marshall, J Stockdale, B Burns, J Cooney; E O’Sullivan, T Stewart, M Moore, K Treadwell, I Henderson (capt), H Sheridan, R Crothers, J McNabney.

Replacements: Z Solomon for Stewart 72 mins, S Kitshoff for O’Sullivan 49 mins, M Moore for O’Toole 49 mins, A O’Connor for Henderson 49 mins, Matty Rea for Sheridan 52 mins, D Shanahan for Cooney 60 mins, N Doak for Burns 19 mins, B Moxham for Marshall 64 mins.