RABODIRECT PRO 12 Glasgow 20 Ulster 14:A difficult week for Ulster – with mounting injuries and Ireland call-ups taking their toll – ended badly as their makeshift side fell at the fourth time of asking this season to Glasgow Warriors. The latter's bonus-point win now sees the Scottish side cut Ulster's lead at the top to four points.

It could have been much worse though and Ulster did escape with a losing bonus from this defeat, courtesy of Glasgow’s Peter Horne’s total inability to land any kicks at goal with his failed conversion of Nicko Matawalu’s late score from in front of the sticks granting Ulster their unexpected point.

Indeed, after trailing 10-6 at half-time, Mark Anscombe’s side could have still stolen the result after they lifted their game in the third quarter only for the Warriors to strike through man of the match Matawalu with only eight minutes to spare.

Ulster started positively and won a penalty off the first scrum. Though Ruan Pienaar was wide with the difficult kick he made no mistake after four minutes.

However, with the Warriors upping the ante with the muscular carries of Josh Strauss and Tim Swinson along with Matawalu’s attacks from the base, Ulster were put on the back foot.

Though Horne was short with a 10th minute penalty attempt, the Warriors scored their first try two minutes later after Robbie Diack took out Matawalu with Swinson scoring from a well-worked overlap on the right.

Taken out

Horne missed the conversion but Ulster responded immediately with a Pienaar penalty after Ali Birch was taken out off the ball from a Michael Allen break off an Ulster scrum.

But Ulster were then again put under pressure though ex-Ulster player Tommy Seymour’s 27th minute try came from a rare calamity at the back of the visitors’ scrum when the impressive Matawalu simply picked up under Pienaar’s nose, broke and got a back-handed pass away to Seymour who scored in the right corner.

Horne was again wide with the tricky conversion which meant that at 10-6 Ulster were still very much in the game though Pienaar’s uncharacteristic penalty miss four minutes before the interval did his team-mates no favours.

That became 15-6 almost immediately after the restart when Wallace dallied over a clearance near his line and Peter Murchie charged the kick down to score the softest of tries. Again Horne couldn’t convert but Ulster now looked well and truly rattled.

Held up

However Pienaar nailed a 48th-minute penalty to put the visitors only six points behind.

A neck injury to DTH Van Der Merwe held up the game for five minutes while Ulster made changes with Paul Marshall coming on and Pienaar moving to outhalf while Rob Herring and Michael McComish also came on to join Darren Cave who was introduced straight after half-time.

Ulster now enjoyed their purple patch with Robbie Diack’s 61st-minute try being called back after Neil Walsh was adjudged to have thrown a forward pass.

Even with John Afoa totally destroying Ofa Fainga’anuku at the scrum, Ulster blew a great chance from a set-piece near Glasgow’s line before a counter-attack which saw Afoa handle twice allowed Stuart Olding the space to score in the right corner after 66 minutes.

Pienaar was unable to land the difficult conversion and Glasgow now led by a point until the 73rd minute when Matawalu launched a counter out of nothing and took a return pass to score near the posts only for Horne to miss his conversion.