A Ruan Pienaar inspired Ulster claimed a bonus point win against Cardiff Blues at Cardiff Arms Park on Saturday evening.

Charles Piutau, Stuart McCloskey and Kyle McCall all crossed in the first half with Chris Henry and Louis Ludik wrapping the game up in the second. Ruan Pienaar, as well as laying on three tries, also contributed ten points from the boot, landing all five conversions with some aplomb. 

I’d predicted a Cardiff win but the late withdrawal of Sam Warburton by the Blues swung the match Ulster’s way and they took full advantage during a first half purple patch with Pienaar pulling he strings. 

I listened to the start of this game as I rushed back from the Women’s Interprovincial against Munster and it appeared to be a stodgy enough opening with Cardiff taking a three point led through the boot of Steve Shingler. 

Ulster were pressing the Cardiff line at the start of the second quarter as I arrived at the house and by the time I’d got inside, out of my thermals and tuned in Ulster were leading 3 – 12 with Pienaar about to take his second conversion, the South African maestro knocking it over to take the score to 3 – 14. 

Replays showed that the first came from a break by Pienaar, taking the ball to the line, before a quick recycle was moved wide for Piutau to stroll over, the second coming from a ridiculously easy stroll to the line by big McCloskey, the Cardiff defence appearing to jump out of his way! 

I didn’t have long to wait for my first “live” score though as a charge down by Pienaar of a Blues attempted clearance led to a ruck on the home side’s line with McCall grabbing the points after a couple of attempts. 

So far so good, minutes to go to the break and Ulster leading 3 – 21, gotta be happy with that I thought as I headed to the kitchen to rustle up some dinner only to poke my head out of the kitchen to see Kristian Dacey go over from a ruck for an unconverted try that took the score to 8 – 21 as the teams trooped off. 

Things got worse for Ulster as a fairly innocuous looking tackle by Iain Henderson on Cuthbert saw Henderson yellow carded under the new guidelines but, and I don’t know if Ulster were super resilient or Cardiff just poor but the hosts failed to trouble the visitors line during this period. 

Cardiff got a second chance to breach a fourteen man defence shortly after Henderson’s return with Luke Marshall taking one for the team after a series of penalties. However it was Ulster who went one better with a welcome score for Henry after good work by Brown and Bowe. Pienaar converted and at 8 – 28 Ulster were home and hosed with the bonus point in the bag at the start of the final quarter.

Or so I thought! There was still time however for the now traditional Ulster collapse as Willis Halaholo, Alex Cuthbert both crossed in quick succession, replacement Nick Robinson converting both, to take the score to 22 – 28. 

I barely had time to think, “Oh fudge, here we go again!” before replacements Darren Cave and Louis Ludik combined to charge down a clearance kick with Ludik winning the race to touch it down. Phew! 

Pienaar converted to take the score to 22 – 35 with five to go and Ulster held on for a much needed win. 

Ulster: Charles Piutau, Tommy Bowe, Luke Marshall, Stuart McCloskey, Craig Gilroy, Brett Herron, Ruan Pienaar; Kyle McCall, Rob Herring, Wiehahn Herbst, Pete Browne, Franco van der Merwe, Iain Henderson, Chris Henry, Sean Reidy. Replacements: John Andrew, Andrew Warwick, Rodney Ah You, Kieran Treadwell, Clive Ross, Paul Marshall, Louis Ludik, Darren Cave.