Scarlets produced a second half comeback to secure a 16-16 draw with Ulster in their Heineken Cup Pool 4 clash at Parc Y Scarlets.
Fly-half Stephen Jones kicked a penalty three minutes from time to help the Scarlets snatch a draw and put an end to a miserable 10-match losing run in the Heineken Cup over the last two years. In a thoroughly uninspiring Pool 6 encounter both sides struggled to come to terms with the wet and windy conditions.
The match was all but meaningless in pool terms because the sides only had one win between them before this game - Ulster's 26-16 victory over the Scarlets in Belfast last Friday. The Scarlets made three changes from the reversal at Ravenhill. With Morgan Stoddart out with an ankle injury, outside-half Rhys Priestland was forced to take his place at fullback. Darren Daniel came in on the wing for Ceiron Thomas and injured Iestyn Thomas was replaced at loosehead prop by Phil John.
Ulster made two changes to their starting line-up with Paddy Wallace replacing Paul Steinmetz at inside centre and Isaac Boss coming in at scrum-half in place of Cillian Willis who was kept out by a fractured cheekbone.
The Scarlets enjoyed a wealth of possession in the opening minutes but it was Ulster who got on the scoreboard first through number 10 Ian Humphreys with a sweetly struck drop-goal from 30 metres out on 12 minutes. But when visiting number eight Robbie Diack failed to roll away at a ruck inside his own 22, Stephen Jones levelled the scores with a 18th-minute penalty.
The Scarlets' current plight was put into full context when they conceded a soft try on 24 minutes when Humphreys ghosted past opposition lock Vernon Cooper and went over in the right corner. And more soft defence from the Scarlets allowed Ulster to score a second try seven minutes before half-time. Darren Cave glided between David Lyons and Jonathan Davies before fellow centre Paddy Wallace crashed across the line.
In injury-time the Scarlets turned down a penalty goal attempt inside the 22 to go for a try, only to knock on 10 metres from the line and end a largely forgettable half for the Welsh region, not helped that they were booed off the field by a section of the crowd. Six minutes into the second half, Scarlets' pressure eventually told when wing Darren Daniel exploited an overlap to go over on the right for a try which was converted by Stephen Jones. That after centre Jonathan Davies had nearly squeezed in down the left.
That seemed to spark the Scarlets into life and they were level at 13-13 when Stephen Jones drilled a penalty through the uprights on 53 minutes. Four minutes later Humphreys had to watch as a long-range penalty attempt just fell short of the upright. And he missed again with 13 minutes later.
But Humphreys used the elements perfectly to slot over his first penalty on 71 minutes to edge Ulster back into a 16-13 advantage. With three minutes left on the clock Stephen Jones got the Scarlets back level with a penalty in front of the posts.
Scarlets coach Nigel Davies was relieved to end a dreadful run of form but was disappointed with the manner of his team's performance especially in the first-half. "I'm really disappointed about the first half because we played some dumb rugby and we deserved where we were. We should have got the ball in the air more," said Davies. "A draw is better than losing, that's a fact, but I was disappointed with the first half. We should have been smarter than that.
"It's not a loss and it will be easier to build from there. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves in that first half. The conditions were a big factor. We tried to play from our own territory and we made lots of errors because of it. They got into our 22 probably twice in the first half and scored both times. But in the second half we played nearer what we had talked about before the game and it earned its just rewards."
Ulster coach Matt Williams was equally as frustrated as his opposite number, angry with Ulster's very modest away record in Europe. "There's an absolutely disgraceful statistic for Ulster that they have never won away in Europe apart from Italy since 2003. That's not acceptable. They have just got to keep standing up and fighting until we get past that," said Williams.
On the game itself, he said: "We are very disappointed. We came out at half-time and we tried to hold the lead rather than attack it, and let them back in the game. Having said that we played well in the first half, scored two good tries and a lovely drop-goal (through Ian Humphreys).
"We just had to get some possession in that first 20 (minutes of the second half). But again we kicked very poorly and only got one out of five (penalties). At 16-13 with four minutes on the clock we should have been much smarter. This team are still figuring out how to win. We are winning at home, that's easy but it's on the road where we have a problem."
Scarlets: R Priestland; D Daniel, R King, J Davies, M Jones; S Jones, M Roberts; P John, M Rees, D Manu, V Cooper, D Day, D Jones, S Easterby, D Lyons [capt]
Replacements: K Owens, A Hopkins, S MacLeod, J Edwards, G Cattle, C Thomas, L Williams
Ulster Rugby: B Cunningham; A Trimble, D Cave, P Wallace, S Danielli; I Humphreys, I Boss; J Fitzpatrick, R Best [capt], B Botha, E O'Donoghue, R Caldwell, S Ferris, D Pollock, R Diack
Replacements: N Brady, T Court, M McCullough, K Dawson, P Marshall, P Steinmetz, C Schifcofske
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
