Border Telegraph | Sport | Outplayed and outclassed by powerful hosts

Friday, 5th December, 2008

Published: Tuesday, 18th October, 2005 10:34

Outplayed and outclassed by powerful hosts

By Border Telegraph Sport

Print Article

Border Reivers 0,

Ulster 27

BORDERS coach Steve Bates summed up this match in a few short sentences.

`We did well to hold them to 27 points. They are by far the best team we have played in the Celtic League. We did our best.`

After three wins in a row, the confidence was high‚ but misplaced.

No-one argued that it would not be tough; not everyone expected how tough.

Ulster were a class act. With power and pace, vision and skill, they put Reivers on the back foot from the start.

Their discipline was good‚ Charlie Hore had only one penalty from range, and he missed it.

To sum up Reivers' night, Ulster's David Humphreys kicked a goal from the same position not long after.

Humphreys, who vies with Ronan O'Gara for the No. 10 jersey in the Irish XV, potted long, testing kicks behind the Reivers defence, whose qualities were stretched to the limit.

Reivers were taught a salutary lesson - their hopes of making it four wins in a row in the Celtic League thwarted by this clinical Ulster side.

Two yellow cards did not help the Borderers' cause, but the Irishmen proved too powerful up front and pacy in the backs for Bates' men.

Indeed, Bates had no complaints on the sin-binnings.

He said: `When you are under so much pressure, such things happen.`

He also played down the absence of Samoans Semo Sititi and Opeta Palepoi.

`You cannot say, the score might have been closer, but who knows?`

It was late in the second half before Reivers threatened their opponents' line only for Chris Cusiter and Nikki Walker to be stopped close.

Reivers did well to hold out until the 18th minute when Cusiter was yellow carded for an infringement at a ruck and Humphreys kicked the penalty.

Reivers survived intense pressure to keep their line intact as the No. 9 returned.

It was backs-to-the-wall stuff, but the Reivers defence stood firm and a huge tackle on Tommy Bowe by Ben MacDougall stopped a certain score.

But the centre turned villain when he became the second player to be sent to the sin bin.

Within a minute, Ulster made the extra man count and Man of the Match, Neil Best scored in the right-hand corner for Humphreys to convert.

With the last kick of the half, he missed a penalty to cut the deficit.

Normal business resumed on the restart with Ulster pressing to add to their lead and Humphreys set up ball for James Topping to burst through at pace for the try.

Humphreys then kicked a penalty and Isaac Boss completed the scoring with Ulster's third try.

The Reivers will have learned from the experience, their honeymoon of success definitely over.

It may have been a bad day at the office for the Reivers, but the crowd of 1857 saw some quality rugby, and that from a population of 100,000.

Maybe, too, we are making too big an issue of crowds. Edinburgh Gunners had 2300 for their clash with Gwent Dragons on Friday night.

And just what is the population of Edinburgh?

So much easier, too, to get from Colinton to Murrayfield than from Berwick to Galashiels.

Border Reivers - C. MacRae; S. Danielli, B. MacDougall, G. Law and N. Walker; C. Hore and C. Cusiter; P. Thomson, R. Ford, B. Douglas, M. Blair, C. Stewart, A. Rennick, K. Brown and A. Miller.

Subs used: R. Ford, S. Gray, J. Dalziel, W. McEntee, S. Moffat

Ulster Rugby- B. Cunningham; T. Bowe, K. Maggs, A. Trimble and J. Topping; D. Humphreys and K. Campbell; J. Fitzpatrick, R. Best, S. Best, J. Harrison, M. McCullough, N. Best, R. Wilson and N. McMillan.

Subs used: I. Boss, B. Young, R. Frost, S. Ferris , B. Cunningham, R. Best and P. Shields.

Social Bookmarking What are these?