Ulster have secured a place in the Champions Cup quarter finals after a gritty 22-15 win over Bath this evening.
The Irish side entered the contest knowing that a win would guarantee they advance to the knockout stages regardless of how Clermont fared against Harlequins. While the French side would win that one, Ulster will still go through as one of the best runners up.
It was an attritional affair in the opening period, with a try for each team meaning the sides were tied at 7-7 going into the interval.
The home side turned on the magic at the start of the second half. They would score two tries in the space of six minutes.
The first came after Billy Burns produced the offload to find Will Addison, with the fullback going on a strong run to drag in the Bath defence. He followed that up with a stunning offload to play in Robert Baloucoune who finished the move off beautifully.
Sensational from @WillAddisonB3!
And an excellent finish from Robert Baloucoune 🔥
A third try in just five European appearances for @UlsterRugby 👏#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/nMnV0Evhco— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) January 18, 2020
Addison would go on to cross for a try of his own a few moments later.
Despite this, the second half remained a close affair, with a try from Bath getting them within four points with 15 minutes to go. Ulster remained in front, with a red card for the visitors in the closing stages helping to seal the result.
Ross Batty was sent off in the final 10 minutes for a dangerous tackle on John Cooney, with the player failing to wrap as his shoulder made contact with the head of the scrum half.
That proved to be the nail in the coffin for the English side as Billy Burns converted the resulting penalty and Ulster saw out the remainder of the game in relative comfort.
Job done for @UlsterRugby! 🙌
Tries from Marcell Coetzee, Robert Baloucoune and Will Addison see them past Bath in Belfast.
They've clinched their place in the #HeinekenChampionsCup quarter-finals 👏 pic.twitter.com/F0iNrz4ubg— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) January 18, 2020
