What started as a promising night for Ulster at Welford Road turned into another European horror show as they conceded 38 unanswered points to a Josh Bassett-inspired Leicester Tigers to leave their Champions Cup hopes hanging by the slimmest of threads.
After the Sharks failed to pick up anything from their clash with Toulouse earlier in the day, it appeared that Richie Murphy’s side would not just keep their knockout hopes alive but would put themselves back in the box seat when a Nathan Doak penalty and Nick Timoney try had them two scores ahead after just eight minutes.
But, as has been the case throughout a harrowing campaign, the promise turned into another painful lesson as Ulster wouldn’t even threaten again and, instead, the Tigers eased to a comfortable win.
Michael Cheika’s side took the lead for the first time on the stroke of half-time and would never look back, running in four more tries after the restart in an emphatic rout, with Bassett the orchestrator in the dense Leicester fog, running in a hat-trick.
It leaves Ulster still seeking their first European point of the season and, while mathematically they could still make it into the Champions Cup last-16 with a bonus-point win over Exeter Chiefs and a heavy Sharks loss in Bordeaux next weekend, in reality that game against the Chiefs is a straight shoot-out for which of Pool A’s basement dwellers drop into the Challenge Cup.
There will also be concern for Murphy in what was an already depleted back three as he has almost certainly lost Ethan McIlroy for a long time after a significant looking injury in the first half and also Zac Ward to an HIA.
For how the game would eventually end, it was remarkable that Ulster were still leading the contest as late as the clock ticking into the red for the end of the first half and it was a lead they didn’t wholly undeserve.
Unfortunately, all their scoring was done inside the first eight minutes, a James McNabney turnover allowing Doak to kick them into an early lead and then a disastrous mix-up between Handré Pollard and Ollie Hassell-Collins off an Aidan Morgan clearance kick allowed Timoney to steal in and canter over the line for a rapid scoring start.
Bassett would respond just before the halfway mark of the first half, diving over in the corner after an excellent Freddie Steward break before McIlroy had to be helped off having jarred his knee in the turf while trying to carry, and the winger would be the one to get the game-winning try as he was put over after a strong carry from Solomone Kata.
Ulster simply weren’t converting on their chances, with Leicester making plenty of errors that the visitors couldn’t capitalise on, most notably Doak being halted just shy of the line by Finn Carnduff after an overthrown line-out, but the hope was that the break would allow them to reset.
Instead, Leicester did exactly what the Irish province couldn’t and punished every Ulster error, while the visitors failed to even breach the hosts’ 22 in the second half.
The hosts had the bonus point inside ten minutes of the restart, Ollie Hassell-Collins going over for the first of a double after Ulster failed to claim two box kicks from Jack van Poortvliet, with the winger wrapping up the fourth try shortly after following a Rory Telfer – on for his European debut in place of McIlroy – knock-on.
Bassett would then complete his hat-trick with a comical score that saw Ward, who would go off straight afterwards, fail to control a grubber kick in behind and then Jack Murphy, also on for his European bow, spill the ball straight into the hands of the winger who gladly gobbled up his treble.
And there was still time for a sixth, Izaia Perese further adding to the province’s woes when a pre-planned move along the backs failed to go to hand and, after it was scooped up by Joseph Woodward, the Australian had enough pace to go over in the corner.
The respective unloading of the benches led to a scrappy conclusion and the biggest cheer of the night was reserved after the scoring was done when a PA announcement informed one lucky Leicester fan his wife had gone into labour.
How Ulster will hope this European campaign, painful as it has been, could still be the birth of something profitable down the line.
Leicester Tigers: (15-9) F Steward; J Bassett, I Perese, S Kata (J Woodward 54), O Hassell-Collins; H Pollard (J Shillcock 62), J van Poortvliet (B Youngs 60); (1-8) N Smith (J Whitcombe 63), J Montoya (C Clare 63), J Heyes (D Cole 60); C Henderson, J Holloway (H Wells 69); F Carnduff (E Ilione 50), T Reffell, O Cracknell.
Ulster: (15-9) E McIlroy (R Telfer 23); W Kok, B Carson, J Postlethwaite, Z Ward; A Morgan (J Murphy 50), N Doak (J Cooney 56); (1-8) A Warwick (E O’Sullivan 52), J Andrew (J McCormick 56), S Wilson (C Barrett 56); I Henderson (K Treadwell 52), C Izuchukwu (H Sheridan 64); J McNabney, N Timoney, D McCann.
Man of the Match: Freddie Steward (Leicester)
Referee: Craig Evans (Wales)
Ulster made a decent start to the match and were leading until the last play of the first half. But the Tigers ripped them limb to limb in the second half. It’s an easy win for Leicester and another embarrassing away day for Ulster in Europe.
This second half has been full of silly mistakes from Ulster. Young Rory Telfer has struggled on the big stage.