Glasgow suffered their first Guinness PRO12 at Scotstoun in over a year as a physical and direct Ulster deservedly took their first ever league win at the ground.
Paddy Jackson finished a superb team try with 15 minutes left which ensured that his team got the win they deserved, after they twice had tries chalked off and a third possible chance ruled out by TMO interventions.
The Warriors suffered several additions to their already packed injury list during the bruising contest including four in the first half hour, but were somehow in the lead after an hour thanks to sometimes desperate defence and Tommy Seymour’s go-ahead try.
Jackson’s finishing of a try-scoring move starting from a turnover in their own half got the right result for Ulster, however, as the visitors were a far more powerful and altogether better drilled side on the night, as well as looking far more threatening in the backs with Charles Piutau a constant danger.
Too many missed tackles and too many turnovers in the end werev Glasgow’s undoing, many of them caused by Ulster’s simply greater force at the breakdown.
First half decisions by referee Ian Davies brought anger and confusion from both sets of supporters but there was little doubt that Ulster were the dominant team in a first half that lasted an hour with TMO and injury stoppages.
The tone was set from an early fumble by Glasgow’s usually reliable skipper Jonny Gray, and although Jackson missed an easy penalty he landed a much more difficult one from near halfway.
Ulster thought they had the opening try when Jarrod Payne cut a line through on a suspiciously forward pass but it was called back for Ian Henderson’s too rigorous clearout of Tommy Syemour which saw the Irish internationalist sinbinned.
Yet even with 14 men Ulster’s power and the pace of Piutau was enough to give them the opening try, the All Black escaping tackles and Darren Cave sliding in when the ball was worked to the right corner.
Glasgow hit back immediately, opting to kick a penalty to a corner and after Finn Russell was held just short, Gordon Reid went over, the stand-off converting.
With a foothold at last, Glasgow were undone by a series of injuries which saw Greg Petersen go off quickly followed by Tuijee Uanivi and Gordon Reid.
Glasgow were lucky to escape when Ulster mauled a lineout and Rodney Ah You was judged to have obstructed Henry Pyrgos as Rob Herring scored, but if that decision was harsh it was quickly equalised on the last play of the half.
Again Puitau was the danger and when Leonardo Sarto went low on the Kiwi he was adjudged to gone shoulder first. Referee Davies not only yellow carded the Italian but harshly adjudged the illegal tackle had prevented a score and awarded a penalty try, converted by Jackson.
The TMO madness continued in the second half with a long run from Jackson to the Glasgow line wiped off by an offside penalty back in the Ulster half, Russell kicking the penalty to get it back to 15-10.
And amazingly given what had gone before, the Warriors took the lead on the hour, Alex Dunbar charging through on a pass from replacement Rory Hughes and then Stuart Hogg’s brilliant off load out of a tackle giving Seymour his seventh try of the season, Russell converting.
But Ulster showed their own resilience within four minutes by working a turnover on a maul in their own half, Payne and Louis Ludik making inroads with Jackson arriving in support to slide over near the posts, converting himself.
Glasgow had their chances to get the try that would have turned the game back in their favour but Ulster’s ferocity in defence kept them out.
Att: 7351
Glasgow: S Hogg; L Sarto (R Hughes 48 (N Grigg 75)), M Bennett, A Dunbar, T Seymour; F Russell, H Pyrgos (A Price 72); G Reid (A Allan 28), F Brown, Z Fagerson (S Puafisi 51); G Peterson (C Flynn 23), J Gray; T Uanivi (S Thomson 31), L Wynne, R Wilson (M Fagerson 70).
Ulster: J Payne; L Ludik, D Cave, A McCloskey (S Olding 14 (R Lyttle 51)), C Piutau; P Jackson, R Pienaar; A Warwick (C Black 61), R Herring (captain, R Best 48), R Ah You (R Kane 53); A O’Connor (P Browne 53), F van der Merwe; I Henderson, S Reidy, R Wilson (C Ross 59).
Ref: I Davies (WRU)
