Adam Black’s red card on 46 minutes proved costly on a sorry night for the Gwent region as Ulster coach Matt Williams marked his first game in charge with a resounding bonus-point win.
Prop Black was dismissed by Welsh official Nigel Owens for punching as Paul Turner’s men trailed 7-6 in a scrappy affair in Belfast. But the floodgates opened as Ulster utilised the man advantage to run in five answered tries before Phil Dollman’s injury-time try.
The Dragons welcomed back flanker Richard Parks and prop Lee Harrison, starting his first match of the season after a foot operation, for the clash at Ravenhill. But the cash-strapped Welsh region still displayed a lengthy list of absentees including the influential Colin Charvis, Luke Charteris and Kevin Morgan as well as prop Rhys Thomas who was preparing for Wales’s RBS Six Nations showdown with Italy in Cardiff.
Before kick-off on a chilling evening across the Irish Sea, there was an impeccable minute’s silence for former IRFU president Roy Loughead, who died suddenly aged 72.
The Dragons flew quickest out of the traps and should have scored the first try of the night after six minutes. After a series of rampaging forward charges by Paul Turner’s men, flanker Adam Jones wasted a golden opportunity when he knocked on with the try-line at his mercy.
But the visitors’ early pressure eventually told four minutes later as the Dragons took the lead when Ceri Sweeney slotted home a close-range penalty.
Ulster hit back instantly with bursting runs through midfield from backs Simon Danielli and Ospreys-bound Tommy Bowe before fly-half Niall O’Connor crashed over in the right corner but his foot chalked the touchline. But the home side were on the front foot and 23-year-old Bowe, who will move to the Liberty Stadium at the end of the season, showed just why Lyn Jones has snapped up the centre’s services with an assist for the opening try.
The Ireland international’s classy half-break and offload found second-row Ryan Caldwell who touched down under the posts with consummate ease. O’Connor converted but then missed an opportunity six minutes later to extend Ulster’s advantage as he dragged his penalty effort to the left of the upright.
Sweeney also had problems locating his radar with a failed penalty attempt on 36 minutes, much to the pleasure of the excellent and vocal home support. But Sweeney, linked with an imminent move to rivals the Blues, brought the Dragons to within a point with his second penalty on the stroke of half time.
Ulster introduced Ireland’s Rory Best at the break and after Black’s straight red card on 46 minutes, the hooker proved an inspired change by Williams as he crashed over in the right corner.
With the extra man at their disposal, the home side should have put the game out of sight when Paul Steinmetz’s interception sent him on a 70-metre gallop but the Dragons defence held firm.
But it creaked within 60 seconds as fullback Bryn Cunningham expertly finished a sweeping Ulster move to put them in sight of a bonus-point win.
Italian Carlo Del Fava was given a brief run out ahead of the Azzurri’s trip to the Millennium Stadium next Saturday as Ulster skipper Isaac Boss, Danielli and replacement Paddy Wallace sealed an emphatic victory before Phil Dollman’s late consolation score.
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