Ulster end campaign with defeat

Toulouse 28-13 Ulster: Clement Poitrenaud's two tries salvaged some pride for former European champions Toulouse in an ill-tempered…

Toulouse 28-13 Ulster:Clement Poitrenaud's two tries salvaged some pride for former European champions Toulouse in an ill-tempered match against Ulster at Stade Ernest Wallon.

In a match-up between the two also-rans in Pool Five, Poitrenaud scored in both halves as three-times champions Toulouse exited with a workmanlike display and Ulster crashed out of the tournament in the pool stages for the eighth straight season.

The last time Ulster made the final eight - in the 1998-99 season - they won the trophy.

Toulouse, and France, suffered an early blow when Test scrum-half Jean-Baptiste Elissalde was helped from the field in the fourth minute, but replacement Valentin Courrent made an immediate impact by supplying the crucial pass to put Poitrenaud over the try-line in the sixth minute.

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Courrent added the extras, only to be powerless when the Ulster pack shoved their way over the line to level the scores.

Lock Matt McCullough, facing racial abuse charges at a judiciary hearing in Dublin on Wednesday, emerged from the pile of bodies with the ball and fly-half Paddy Wallace slotted the conversion.

A Courrent penalty goal gave the home side a 10-7 lead at half-time, but not before another France international, centre Florian Fritz, limped off to give national coach Bernard Laporte even more to worry about a fortnight from the start of the RBS 6 Nations.

Toulouse coach Guy Noves sent on international front-rowers Omar Hasan and William Servat as the second half kicked off, but Ulster had the first say with a Wallace penalty goal.

Courrent reclaimed the lead with his third goal of the match, before opposing locks Trevor Brennan (Toulouse) and Justin Harrison - two of the fieriest characters in world rugby - earned 10-minute spells in the sin-bin for trading punches.

Wallace's boot was keeping the visitors in touch, but a breakaway try from Poitrenaud gave his side a seven-point lead as the game entered its final 15 minutes.

Courrent continued to rack up the points with another penalty goal, and back row Yannick Nyanga sealed the victory with a try in the 74th minute as both sides said goodbye to this season's tournament.