Ulster 30 Edinburgh 23Tries by Ulster's impressive young wings Tommy Bowe and Andrew Trimble helped seal a sizzling contest at Ravenhill yesterday evening as Ulster replaced Edinburgh at the top of the Celtic League.
The Scottish side, whose coach Frank Hadden was named as the new Scotland boss on Thursday, made the home side work all the way and could have snatched a draw if scrumhalf Mike Blair had been able to squeeze his inside pass to Chris Paterson in front of the Ulster posts.
Instead, the ball fell to Ulster scrumhalf Kieran Campbell, who hacked the ball to safety to the delight of the crowd of 7,799.
It was moments of magic by Bowe and Trimble that swung the game in Ulster's favour after the visitors had gone into the break with a 13-6 lead - following an impressive first-half display that saw Francisco Leonelli touch down for a bizarre try and Paterson knock over a drop-goal and penalty.
Bowe's halfway-line intercept try, converted by David Humphreys, levelled the game before Trimble showed tremendous finishing instinct to squeeze through the tightest of gaps to restore the lead, 18-16.
Edinburgh rallied hard and although Humphreys stretched the lead with his second penalty, a second try by the visitors - this time by centre Rob Dewey - once again put the Scots in front.
It was left to the old master Humphreys to settle things with three unanswered penalties in the final quarter before Edinburgh's late scare.
The tone for the match was set in a rip-roaring opening with both sides taking chunks out of each other. Paterson opened the scoring for Edinburgh in the fourth minute with a drop-goal and doubled the lead from a penalty 10 minutes later.
The home side had to thank a superb break from Campbell to lift the siege. The scrumhalf sprinted 60 metres and forced a penalty, which Humphreys banged over. But, significantly, Ulster then turned over ball and conceded a penalty on the Edinburgh 22 and this time it was the visitors' scrumhalf Mike Blair that led the breakout, and this time the reward was greater.
Blair found Webster, who made decent ground up the touchline before a bizarre turn of events culminated in a try in the 29th minute for full back Leonelli after a loose pass was hacked on by Ali Hogg and rebounded off Trimble.
Even though Humphreys was able to slice the deficit with an injury-time penalty, Edinburgh had plenty to feel good about themselves during the interval.
Bowe, Trimble and Humphreys, however, ensured the feeling did not last.
SCORING SEQUENCE - 4 mins: C Paterson drop-goal, 0-3; 14 mins: Paterson pen, 0-6; 21 mins: D Humphreys pen, 3-6; 29 mins: F Leonelli try, Paterson con, 3-13; 40 mins: Humphreys pen, 6-13; 46 mins: T Bowe try, Humphreys con, 13-13; 49 mins: Paterson pen, 13-16; 52 mins: A Trimble try, 18-16; 56 mins: Humphreys pen, 21-16; 59 mins: R Dewey try, Paterson con, 21-23; 62 mins: Humphreys pen, 24-23; 70 mins: Humphreys pen, 27-23; 80 mins: Humphreys pen, 30-23.
ULSTER: P Wallace; T Bowe, K Maggs, P Steinmetz, A Trimble (J Topping 60-63); D Humphreys, K Campbell; J Fitzpatrick (B Young 63), P Shields, S Best, J Harrison, M McCullough, N Best, N McMillan, R Wilson.
EDINBURGH: F Leonelli (H Southwell 40); C Paterson, M Di Rollo, R Dewey, S Webster; D Hodge (P Godman 64), M Blair; D Hewett (A Jacobsen 49), D Hall, C Smith (Hewett 75), A Kellock, S Murray (F Pringle 77), M Mustchin, S Cross (A Strokosch 37), A Hogg.
Referee: P Fear (WRU).
