Zebre 17 Ulster 40
Ulster got what they required from Parma by racking up their third straight bonus point victory but this was far removed from the assured performance that was expected against the Pro12’s bottom side.
Les Kiss will just want to bank the essential five points and move on after this less than memorable display though the game did, at least, see the timely return of Jared Payne who looked sharp in getting a 20-minute run-out – his first since suffering a kidney injury playing for Ireland against Australia last November.
The fifth-placed visitors – still with a game in hand on their rivals for the play-off chase – did score six tries with Chris Henry and Ruan Pienaar crossing the Zebre line early in the game.
And after leading by a mere 14-10 at the break, further scores from Stuart Olding and Jacob Stockdale – the latter brining the vial bonus point – were added before Robbie Diack and debutant David Busby crossed late on from Payne’s excellent grubber.
Pienaar also added five conversions for a personal haul of 15 points, but this was no procession for Kiss’s squad who spent considerable parts of the contest struggling against a determined Zebre effort which brought the internationally weakened Italians two tries from Guglielmo Palazzani, in the first half, and Mattia Bellini in the 58th minute.
There was no try for Tommy Bowe, making his 150th Ulster appearance, but the northern province were just grateful to have got through this as they keep up their drive towards breaking into the top four which sees them meet Zebre at home – their game in hand – the week after Friday’s next outing with Treviso which is also in Belfast.
Scorers – Zebre: Tries: Palazzani, Bellini, Cons: Palazzani 2, Pens: Palazzani 1.
Ulster: Tries: Henry, Pienaar, Olding, Stockdale, Diack, Busby, Cons: Pienaar 5.
ZEBRE: D Berryman, M Bellini, T Boni, M Pratichetti, L Greeff, S Bordoli, G Palazzani; B Postiglioni, O Fabiani, G Roan, G Koegelenberg, V Bernabo (capt), D Bergamin, J Meyer, F Ruzza.
Replacements: B Le Roux for Roan 47mins, T Castello for Pratichetti 49mins, C Engelbrecht for Berryman 57mins, J Furno for Bernardo 60mins, A De Marchi for Postiglioni 62mins, S Balocchi for Greeff 63mins, , J D Fragnito for Bergamin 66mins, S Tobias for Fabiani 76mins.
ULSTER: J Stockdale, T Bowe, L Marshall, S Olding, C Piutau, P Nelson, R Pienaar; A Warwick, R Herring (capt), W Herbst, R Diack, A O'Connor, C Ross, C Henry, S Reidy.
Replacements: R Lutton for Herbst 33mins, J Andrew for Herring 51mins, J Payne for Marshall 60mins, R Wilson for Henry 60mins, C Black for Warwick 63mins, P Marshall for Nelson 72mins, K Treadwell for O’Connor 73mins, D Busby for Piutau 75mins.
Referee: S Gallagher (IRFU).
