Connacht…0
Ulster…30
Ulster Juniors travelled to Castlebar on Saturday and picked up a bonus-point win against Connacht, to leave them top of the league table after two rounds.
Enniskillen had seven representatives on the side with Eddie and Henry Keys at 10 and 6 respectively, Michael Rooney in the second row, Sam Balfour got his first start on the right wing, as did Neil Rutledge at loose head, having only transitioned to the front row this season.
Jack Rutledge and Angus Keys came off the bench and played very well.
Connacht had the wind in the first half and had territorial advantage early on. Ulster were choosing to keep ball in hand into the wind, when Eddie Keys made a clean line-break just outside their 22, offloading to Michael Rooney on halfway. He surged forward to the Connacht 22, was tackled and from the ruck Ulster moved the ball to the left wing but were held up 5 metres from the goal line.
From a scrum Connacht tried to clear with a box-kick but failed to make touch. Mike Orr (Portadown) and Johnny Hunter (Dromore) ran it back, before Robbie Johnston (Ards) put a deft grubber kick into the right corner. As Connacht tried to secure possession, Henry Keys was over the ball to win a penalty at the breakdown.
Ulster kicked to the corner, won the lineout, and then carried around the corner twice, before Wright (Portadown) crashed over under the posts and Eddie Keys converted.
That lead was extended shortly after, when Henry Keys broke the line inside the Ulster half and raced to near the Connacht 22, before offloading to Sam Balfour on the right wing. He outstripped the cover defence and touched down for a try on his debut. The wind thwarted the conversion attempt.
Shortly after the restart Henry Keys replicated his line break from almost exactly the same position and looked like he would go all the way to the try line, before being hauled down on the 22. Connacht strayed offside at the breakdown and Eddie Keys slotted over the penalty for a 0-15 Ulster lead.
With the wind, Ulster effectively sealed the result straight after kicking off. They had a scrum on the Connacht 22, on their right-hand side, from which Eddie Keys ghosted through the defence before passing to Dean Dillon (Dromore) to score under the posts. Keys converted.
The remainder of the second half was very stop-start, but Ulster finally got the important bonus point with 12 minutes to go. Heaton (Dromore) had come on at 10, with Keys moving to 15.
Despite being in their 22, with the strong wind in their favour, Ulster opted to run the ball from a ruck on the right. Keys went through a gap in the outside centre channel, drew the defender and put Hunter away, down the left wing. He was tackled but did really well to pop the ball to Johnston as he went to ground.
The Ards man still had plenty to do from the 22, swerving around the last defender and touching down in the corner. The conversion was missed but Keys then knocked over a penalty in the last play of the game.
In the other tie, Leinster gained a bonus-point against Munster, winning 23-26 in Waterford, with a last-minute try. Ulster host Munster in Dromore on Saturday, needing at least two points to retain the inter-provincial title.
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