Welcome URC winning return as Ulster's John Cooney kicking key over Connacht

The visitors outscored Dan McFarland’s side by three tries to two – but it was John Cooney’s boot that made the difference as he slotted over 10 points from the kicking tee.

The win lifts Ulster to fourth in the table and makes it two wins in a row in all competitions before a showdown with Leinster on New Year’s Day.

Ulster produced a lighting start and breached the Connacht try line within the opening three minutes.

The home side showed great continuity retaining the ball, moving it from one side of the pitch to the other. inching closer to the Connacht line before Cooney hit prop Andy Warwick to barge over from close range, with the scrum half adding the extras.

Connacht responded five minutes later with their first significant appearance in the Ulster 22, centre Tom Farrell was stopped illegally on the Ulster try line and the visitors opted to take a tap penalty.

The forwards had a couple of thrusts for the line before the ball was spun for Bundee Aki to bludgeon his way over from five metres, with out half Jack Carty converting.

Connacht nearly scored again on 13 minutes. Aki put No8 Sean O’Brien through a gap he carried in to the 22, Mack Hansen put a grubber kick behind the defence for Shayne Bolton but the ball went dead before the winger could ground it.

Nick Timoney got two tries last week from tap penalties and he restored Ulster’s lead on 19 minutes via a similar route.

The first wave of attack was repelled by the Connacht defence but Ulster kept their patience before the No8 squeezed over with Cooney converting.

Connacht wasted a chance to level the score on the stroke of half-time when they knocked on in the shadow of Ulster’s posts, so the home side went into the interval with a 14-7 lead.

Cooney extended Ulster’s lead with a simple penalty from in front of the posts on 50 minutes after Connacht strayed offside in midfield.

Connacht got back in the game on 59 minutes with a try from Shamus Hurley-Langton.

The flanker received the ball on the wing, it looked like he was short of space but smashed through weak tackles by Rob Baloucoune and Will Addison before grounding the ball despite a last-ditch tackle by James Hume. Carty couldn’t convert from a tight angle.

Cooney was gifted another easy penalty opportunity on 66 minutes and slotted it over to extend Ulster’s lead to eight points.

Connacht refused to give up and set up a grandstand finish with a third try on 69 minutes.

After Jacob Stockdale shot out off the line, Bolton soared through the gap and had enough pace to evade Cooney’s desperate attempted tackle to get over the whitewash and JJ Hanrahan converted to reduce Ulster’s lead to a solitary point.

However, Connacht were unable to get enough territory and possession to threaten a match-winning score in the final 10 minutes.

ULSTER: W Addison; R Baloucoune, J Hume, S McCloskey, J Stockdale; J Flannery, J Cooney;

A Warwick, T Stewart, M Moore; K Treadwell, I Henderson (capt); Matty Rea, S Reffell, N Timoney.

Replacements: J Andrew, S Kitshoff for Warwick 51 mins, T O’Toole for Moore 51 mins , A O’Connor for Treadwell 69 mins, H Sheridan for Reffell 53 mins, N Doak for Flannery 60 mins, J Postlethwaite for Hume 66 mins, S O’Brien for Addison 76 mins

CONNACHT: M Hansen; S Bolton, T Farrell, B Aki, B Ralston; J Carty (capt), C Blade;

D Buckley, T McElroy, F Bealham; D Murray, G Thornberry; C Prendergast, S Hurley-Langton, S O’Brien.

Replacements: D Heffernan for McElroy 51 mins, P Dooley for Buckley 66 mins, J Aungier for Bealham 66 mins, N Muarry for D Muarry 60 mins, C Oliver for O’Brien 14 mins, M McDonald, JJ Hanrahan for Carty 66 mins, S Jennings for Bolton 76 mins

Referee: E Cross (IRFU)