Ellis Mee’s sensational 50-metre try in the 83rd minute completed one of the most dramatic finishes of the United Rugby Championship season as Scarlets snatched a 27-22 victory from Ulster’s grasp, lifting themselves off the foot of the table and ending a six-year wait for victory over the Irish province.
Key moments
1′ – INJURY: Mike Lowry smashed by Eddie James catching high ball, departs for HIA and does not return, Jake Flannery on
6′ – PENALTY SCARLETS: Sam Costelow opens scoring after Stuart McCloskey pinged for offside (Scarlets 3-0 Ulster)
10′ – TRY SCARLETS: Blair Murray runs through gap after 50:22 and driving maul pressure, Sam Costelow converts (Scarlets 10-0 Ulster)
20′ – TRY ULSTER: Tom Stewart peels off driving maul to score, Nathan Doak misses conversion (Scarlets 10-5 Ulster)
27′ – TRY ULSTER: Bryn Ward stretches over from close range after another powerful maul, Nathan Doak converts (Scarlets 10-12 Ulster)
32′ – TRY SCARLETS: Josh Macleod dabs down from inches out after tap penalty and forward drives, Sam Costelow converts (Scarlets 17-12 Ulster)
Half-time: Scarlets 17-12 Ulster
41′ – Robert Baloucoune replaced by Jude Postlethwaite at half-time – injury concern for Ireland
51′ – NO TRY ULSTER: Jake Flannery crosses after James Hume intercept, ruled out for forward pass from Nick Timoney
56′ – David McCann held up over line by Scarlets defence
59′ – NO TRY ULSTER: David McCann appears to score after Jack Murphy cross-kick, ruled out for knock-on
65′ – YELLOW CARD SCARLETS: Taine Plumtree sent to sin bin for accumulation of team penalties
67′ – TRY ULSTER: Scott Wilson burrows over from close range, Nathan Doak converts (Scarlets 17-19 Ulster)
70′ – PENALTY SCARLETS: Sam Costelow slots magnificent 40-metre kick into wind (Scarlets 20-19 Ulster)
75′ – PENALTY ULSTER: Nathan Doak lands long-range effort on 100th Ulster cap (Scarlets 20-22 Ulster)
81′ – YELLOW CARD ULSTER: Werner Kok sent to sin bin for high tackle on Tom Rogers after TMO review
83′ – TRY SCARLETS: Ellis Mee receives 40-metre pass from Sam Costelow, races 50 metres beating two defenders to score match-winner, Costelow converts (Scarlets 27-22 Ulster)
Full-time: Scarlets 27-22 Ulster
The Wales international wing received Sam Costelow’s 40-metre pass on halfway and, with two defenders to beat, turned on the afterburners to swat away Jake Flannery and Jude Postlethwaite before diving over to send Parc y Scarlets into raptures. It was a try that defied the statistics, the momentum and the seemingly inevitable outcome.
Ulster had dominated the second half with 82 per cent territory and 67 per cent possession overall, forcing the Scarlets into 165 tackles compared to their own 98. They had two tries chalked off by TMO Marius Jonker, seen Scott Wilson finally breach the stubborn Welsh defence, and appeared to have sealed victory when Nathan Doak landed a long-range penalty on his 100th Ulster appearance with five minutes remaining.
Yet rugby’s capacity for cruelty was demonstrated in the dying seconds. With the clock in the red and Ulster seemingly heading for the exit, Werner Kok was sent to the sin bin for a high tackle on Tom Rogers after a TMO review. From the resulting penalty, Scarlets launched one final assault, and Mee’s moment of magic rewrote the narrative entirely.
The afternoon had begun explosively when Eddie James, celebrating his 50th Scarlets appearance, smashed Mike Lowry into next week as the Ulster full-back came down from catching Costelow’s high kick. Lowry departed for an HIA within 52 seconds and would not return, leaving Richie Murphy both mystified and angry that the incident escaped punishment.
Costelow opened the scoring with a penalty after Stuart McCloskey was penalised for breaking the defensive line too early from a lineout. The fly-half then executed a superb 50:22 that earned Scarlets territory deep in Ulster’s 22. After the forwards’ hard work from the driving maul, the ball was shifted wide for Murray to hit a lovely angle and cross unopposed. Costelow’s conversion established a 10-0 lead.
Ulster’s response came through their own lineout maul weapon. Hooker Tom Stewart peeled away to score on 20 minutes, though Doak’s conversion drifted wide in the swirling wind. Within seven minutes, they had turned the game on its head. Another powerful maul earned precious metres, and the in-form Bryn Ward stretched impressively to ground the ball one-handed under pressure. Doak’s conversion nudged Ulster into a 12-10 lead.
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The seesaw continued when Flannery fumbled a swirling kick from Costelow, gifting Scarlets prime attacking territory. After trucking the ball up to the line, captain Josh Macleod simply had to reach over from inches out following a tap penalty. Costelow’s excellent conversion restored the hosts’ advantage at 17-12, and so ended a frenetic opening period.
The second half belonged almost entirely to Ulster in terms of territory and possession, yet Scarlets’ defensive resolve, with the outstanding Macleod to the fore, kept them in the contest. The visitors thought they had crossed on 51 minutes when Hume’s intercept eventually led to Timoney supplying Flannery, but the TMO spotted a forward pass in the build-up.
David McCann was then held up over the line by a desperate scramble of Welsh bodies, before another agonising moment arrived when Murphy’s cross-kick saw the flanker win the foot race to the corner, only for Jonker to spot a knock-on as McCann attempted to gather the bouncing ball.
The frustration threatened to boil over, and when Plumtree was yellow-carded for an accumulation of team penalties on 65 minutes, Ulster sensed their moment. Two minutes later, replacement prop Wilson burrowed over from close range with assistance from Charlie Irvine, and Doak’s conversion gave the visitors a 19-17 lead.
Yet Costelow was not finished. The fly-half stepped up to land a magnificent 40-metre penalty into the teeth of the Llanelli wind, briefly restoring Scarlets’ advantage at 20-19. Doak responded with his own pressure kick from long range under a chorus of boos from the passionate home support, seemingly securing victory on his landmark appearance.
Then came the final, breathless twist. With Ulster trying to see out the win, David McCann produced a try-saving tackle to halt a Scarlets attack, and Doak kicked the ball into the stands believing the game was won. But Jonker had spotted Kok’s high challenge on Rogers, the South African wing was yellow-carded, and Scarlets had one last lifeline.
From the lineout inside their own half, Costelow threw his miracle pass and Mee did the rest, his pace and finishing instinct breaking Ulster hearts and sparking scenes of wild celebration in west Wales.
What they said
Nigel Davies, Scarlets director of rugby: “We had a tough second half, but we defended fantastically for long periods. These guys are capable and when they get opportunities they can score tries like that. They were brave and they’ve given hope to west Wales. You’ve got to have a good defence and Jared Payne is doing a fantastic job. I’ve been hugely impressed by him.”
Richie Murphy, Ulster head coach: “Coming away to Wales is never easy. It’s always tough. If you leave the game in the balance, you know that these Welsh clubs will come back at you later on. From 40 minutes to probably 60 minutes, we had opportunities to take the game away from them and we couldn’t quite do that. We need to be better in that area. We had plenty of opportunity across the game.”
Iain Henderson, Ulster captain: “We should have finished it out. We let it slip, we let opportunities slide that we should have taken. We felt Scarlets’ position in the league didn’t do them justice, but they put in a hell of a performance. Fair play to them, they played the conditions well and their defence was really good too.”
Nathan Doak, Ulster scrum-half: “Unbelievably gutting. It’s very frustrating standing here. We want to push on so we need to look at ourselves and use this to get better. We should have won that game, we won’t shy away from that.”
Analysis
The statistics painted a picture of Ulster dominance that the scoreboard emphatically contradicted. Richie Murphy’s side enjoyed 67 per cent possession and forced Scarlets into 165 tackles, yet their inability to convert pressure into points proved fatal.
The two disallowed tries will haunt Ulster’s review sessions. Timoney’s pass to Flannery appeared marginal at best, whilst McCann’s knock-on was the cruellest of fates for a player who had won the foot race to Murphy’s cross-kick. Add the held-up try and the late Kok yellow card, and Ulster can point to several moments where fortune deserted them.
Yet Scarlets’ defensive performance deserves enormous credit. Macleod was outstanding throughout, winning crucial turnovers and leading from the front. The hosts made 165 tackles with an 86 per cent success rate, repelling wave after wave of Ulster pressure when a 14-point deficit on possession suggested they should have been overrun.
The injury concerns will trouble both camps. Lowry’s departure in the opening minute, having only just returned from a rib injury sustained in November, was a bitter blow for Ulster and potentially Ireland. Robert Baloucoune’s half-time withdrawal adds to the anxiety in Andy Farrell’s camp, whilst Blair Murray hobbled off for Scarlets in a sight that will concern Wales boss Steve Tandy ahead of the Six Nations.
Costelow’s performance in the difficult conditions was exemplary. His 50:22, his penalty into the wind, and ultimately his 40-metre pass to Mee demonstrated a maturity beyond his years. The fly-half finished with 12 points and the assist for the match-winning score.
Implications
The victory lifts Scarlets off the foot of the table for the first time this season, leapfrogging Zebre into 15th place with 14 points. It was their first win over Ulster since November 2018 and only their third victory of the campaign, but the manner of it will provide enormous belief for the remainder of the season.
For Ulster, this represents a significant setback in their top-four ambitions. They drop to sixth in the standings with 31 points, having arrived in Llanelli with the opportunity to climb as high as second. Murphy acknowledged the defeat was “a step backwards” but insisted the goal of securing Champions Cup qualification remained unchanged.
The injury concerns add a layer of anxiety ahead of the Six Nations. Lowry’s head injury, Baloucoune’s unspecified issue, and the physical toll of a bruising encounter will require careful management. Ulster host Cardiff next Saturday at Affidea Stadium, where Murphy will demand an immediate response.
Teams
Scarlets: Blair Murray (Macs Page 49); Tom Rogers, Eddie James, Joe Hawkins (Johnny Williams 56), Ellis Mee; Sam Costelow, Archie Hughes (Dane Blacker 61); Kemsley Mathias (Josh Morse 69), Ryan Elias (Marnus van der Merwe 56), Archer Holz (Henry Thomas 69); Sam Lousi, Harvey Cuckson (Jac Price 56); Taine Plumtree (Jarrod Taylor 76), Josh Macleod (capt), Fletcher Anderson.
Ulster: Mike Lowry (Jake Flannery 1); Robert Baloucoune (Jude Postlethwaite 40), James Hume, Stuart McCloskey, Werner Kok; Jack Murphy, Nathan Doak; Angus Bell (Eric O’Sullivan 51), Tom Stewart (Rob Herring 51), Tom O’Toole (Scott Wilson 51); Iain Henderson (capt) (Harry Sheridan 60), Charlie Irvine; David McCann, Nick Timoney, Bryn Ward (Matthew Dalton 69).
Yellow cards: Taine Plumtree (Scarlets) 65, Werner Kok (Ulster) 81
Referee: Griffin Colby (SARU)
Assistant Referees: Ben Whitehouse (WRU), Carwyn Sion (WRU)
TMO: Marius Jonker (SARU)
Attendance: 6,695
