rugby union championship
Ulster(14) 21
try: Wilson, Bell, Irving shortcoming: Murphy No. 3
Cardiff (0) 14
try: Emmanuel Mulder shortcoming: Sheedy 2
Australia’s Angus Bell used a superb individual strike to help Ulster beat Cardiff 21-14 in the Rugby Union Championship.
Under early pressure, Scott Wilson’s shot was diverted by Jack Murphy before Bale lit up a cold night at the Afediyah Stadium.
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Bell collected the ball on the edge of the 22, beating two Cardiff players and evading defender Cam Wynette on his way to the try line.
Murphy scored again and Richie Murphy’s side led 14-0 at the break.
Ulster have blown away 19- and 14-point leads in their previous two meetings with Cardiff City, most recently in the Challenge Cup in December when John Mulder’s second-half strike gave the visitors hope.
Charlie Owen intercepted Ulster’s shot with 15 minutes left but Cardiff responded immediately through Stef Emmanuel.
However, after withstanding late pressure from Cardiff, the home side emerged victorious and moved above Cardiff into fourth in the URC standings, eight points behind leaders Glasgow Warriors with a game in hand.
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Ulster prevent Cardiff from counterattacking
Both sides are missing several players ahead of the Six Nations, but Ulster got off to a fast start in Belfast.
Murphy’s side camped out in the last 22 at Cardiff and were rewarded for their early pressure.
Prop Wilson crashed under the post in the 12th minute after good work from David McCann before Jack Murphy converted.
Not to be outdone, Australian Bale, who is on contract with Ulster until the end of the season, scored the night’s goal in the 19th minute when he received the ball in the 22nd minute, broke two tackles, beat Wynette with a brilliant side step, and sprinted across the line.
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Murphy once again added the extra and Bale’s try was so good that Ulster back row Marcus Rea put his hands on his head in disbelief at what he had just seen.
Cardiff City, who overturned a 14-point deficit with 15 minutes remaining in December’s Challenge Cup tie with Wales, responded well and almost broke through through prop Rhys Barrett after a tap-in, but Wilson was under the ball to prevent it from landing.
The visitors threatened eight minutes after the restart when Evan Lloyd fired a shot from a few meters, but the in-form Zac Ward, who was absent from the Irish squad, robbed Callum Sheedy’s shot under pressure and missed the chance.
But in the 54th minute their pressure paid off, with forward Yohan Mulder bursting through the Ulster defence.
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The stop-start nature of the game as temperatures dropped and rain increased did not help either side, with substitute Dave Shanahan somehow conceding the ball at the try line where Matthew Dalton had offloaded.
Ulster had their third try shortly afterwards when part-time medical student Irvine sprinted across the line and Murphy converted, but Cardiff responded immediately with a fly-half conversion when Emanuel latched on to Sheedy’s pass and raced home.
Cardiff City piled on attack after attack at the Ulster defence, but James Hume made a huge error with five minutes remaining.
Ulster then moved up the other end and were held back on the line, but the win not only saw them move up the table but also maintain their unbeaten home record for the season.
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Ulster: E McIlroy; W Cork; J Hume, Ben Carson; Z Ward; J Murphy, C McGee; A Bell, R Herring, S Wilson; I Henderson (captain), C Irvine, M Dalton, M Rea, D McCann.
Alternatives: J. McCormick, S. Crean, B. O’Connor, H. Sheridan, L. McLaughlin, D. Shanahan, J. Flannery, B. Moxham.
Cardiff: C Winnett; I Lloyd; H Millard, S Emanuel; T Bowen; C Sheedy, John Mulder; R Barratt, E Lloyd, J Sebastian; J McNally (captain), G Nott; A Lawrence, D Thomas, T Basham.
Alternatives: D Hughes, D Southworth, J Cowell, R Thornton, L De La Rua, A Davies, E Evans, L Halfpenny.
referee: Holly Davidson
