Champions Cup: Ulster swept aside as classy Toulouse run riot at Ravenhill

Ulster fell to a 24-point Champions Cup defeat at home to French giants Toulouse at the Kingspan as the star-studded visitors flexed their muscles in front of a capacity crowd.

While big names Antoine Dupont and Thomas Ramos were superb for the time they were on the pitch, it was very much a team effort from Toulouse that Ulster were unable to cope with a times.

While Dan McFarland's men did show some grit to give themselves a lifeline just before the break, a three-try salvo early in the second period put paid to nay wild notion of an almighty home comeback

Ulster started brightly, with quick ball going through the hands and pace in the attack at Toulouse struggled to settle in the first five minutes.

However, they failed to capitalise on their possession and territorial advantage and were punished in the tenth minute with a Toulouse try that simply oozed class.

Moving the ball from right to left, it found its way into the hands of Thomas Ramos. He showed why he’s regarded as one of the best full-backs and kickers in world rugby, with an inch-perfect dink into the hands of Matthis Lebel who took a couple of strides before diving over the line before Ramos converted.

While John Cooney did convert a penalty for Ulster just a couple of minute later, the home side were struggling to make many inroads into a well-organised Toulouse defence – and it was the visitors who struck next.

This time it was more about brute strength than any real craft as Peato Mauvaka forced his way over in the right hand corner. From a tight angle, Ramos was unable to convert.

A series of poor kicking in the first half cost Ulster territory and possession and the Frenchmen grabbed their third try just after the half hour when Mauvaka turned provider on the break to give Antoine Dupont the opportunity to stride over and he didn’t need to be asked twice.

At 22-3 down coming to the end of the half, Ulster needed something, anything to give them a lift going into the second period and it came right on the whistle with their first try of the match.

A concerted period of pressure resulted in Tom Stewart stretching out his right arm to plant the ball over the line and give Cooney an easy conversion to close the to 22-10 at the break.

But, any hope of a big Ravenhill comeback evaporated less than 10 minutes into the second period.

Ulster lost possession on their left hand side and the ball was moved at lightning speed before finding Blair Kinghorn. The Scottish international evaded a tackle before offloading to Dupont who raced in for his second, and his side’s fourth try of the match.

Things then went from bad to worse for Ulster as Toulouse grabbed a brace of tries in the space of four minutes.

Mauvaka got his second before Alexandre Roumat helped himself to one after Dupont pass. Ramos converted the second after missing the first, but it mattered little as the game was gone at that stage.

Both sides rang the changes at that point and it was two of Ulster’s replacements who secured some form of response on 62 minutes, with Will Addison going over in the corner and Nathan Doak converting that try from a tight angle on the left touchline to make it 41-17.

Nick Timoney then registered on 69 minutes, with Doak converting to give Ulster a glimmer of hope as Toulouse seemed to flag in the latter stages of the tie. They also knew a fourth try and with it a losing bonus point could prove pivotal to their hopes of qualification.

But when Mike Lowry knocked on four minutes from time on the left touchline when Ulster were well placed to attack, that seemed to knock the stuffing out of not only the players, but the Ulster support as they began exiting the Kingspan in their droves.

They knew their side had simply been beaten by the better team and that next week’s trip to Harlequins in the final pol game becomes even more important.

MATCH STATS

Ulster: (15-9) Mike Lowry; Rob Baloucoune, James Hume, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Billy Burns, John Cooney; (1-8) Steven Kitshoff, Tom Stewart, Tom O’Toole; Kieran Treadwell, Iain Henderson (C); Dave Ewers, Sean Reffell, Nick Timoney

Replacements: Andrew Warwick for Kitshoff (65mins), Marty Moore for O’Toole (56mins), Alan O’Connor for Refell (42mins), Matty Rea for Ewers (8mins), Nathan Doak for Cooney (55mins), Will Addison for Stockdale (59mins)

Tries: Stewart, Addison, Timoney

Penalties: Cooney

Conversions: Cooney, Doak (2)

Toulouse: (15-9) Blair Kinghorn; Juan Cruz Mallia, Dmitri Delibes, Pita Ahki, Matthis Lebel; Thomas Ramos, Antoine Dupont (C); (1-8) Cyril Baille, Peato Mauvaka, Dorian Aldegheri; Richie Arnold, Emmanuel Meafou; François Cros, Anthony Jelonch, Alexandre Roumat

Replacements: Julien Marchand for Mauvaka (56mins), David Ainu’u for Baille (52mins), Nepo Laulala for Aldegheri (H-T), Joshua Brennan for Roumat (59mins), Jack Willis for Jelonch (57mins), Paul Graou for Dupont (70mins), Setariki Bituniyata for Ramos (59mins)

Tries: Lebel, Mauvaka (2), Dupont (2), Roumat, Meafou

Penalties: Ramos (1)

Conversions: Ramos (4), Kinghorn

Referee: Matthew Carley (England)