“I think the collisions were won by Ulster and they were able to get quick ball but the team that came on in the second half were able to slow that down, and that’s why we won the second half.”

“I’m not bothered about the result at all. I’d be bothered next week if we don’t get it right but we know that we’re on the right track. For us, it was about putting together the new things that we put in place for the season and, like I say, there will be teething problems in the first game.”

It wasn’t all positives, however, with two new faces picking up injuries which could sideline them for some time.

“Unfortunately, Rhys Litterick has an Achilles injury – I think it is a serious injury – and then I’m not quite sure but there was an injury to Charlie McCaig in his knee but we’re not sure how severe that is at this stage.

“It’s really sad that a guy [Litterick] comes to the club and gets a serious injury in his first friendly of the season so I’m gutted for the guy and he’ll be bitterly disappointed himself,. but you know we’ve got Gus Williams that did well tonight in the set-piece, and then we’ve also got D’arcy Rae as well as Paul Hill, and it’s a great opportunity for a guy like Ollie Blyth-Lafferty to step up.

“We’ve had Ollie in our senior training and he’s been doing the set-piece work against the seniors as well. He was always going to play in the friendly next week because we’ve got the double-header and he’s certainly a guy that you know we’re hoping can play a role in the URC.”

Ulster seized the initiative within minutes of kick off. A scrappy Edinburgh line-out in their own half handed the hosts field position, and from a five-metre scrum No 8 David McCann drove to within a foot of the line before Ireland second row Cormac Izuchukwu finished the job.

Edinburgh looked eager to stretch play throughout, moving the ball edge to edge, but too often in the first half they were repelled behind the gain line by superior physicality from an Ulster team containing several internationals and captained by British & Irish Lion Iain Henderson.

Ulster’s second try came following an excellent kick from winger Zac Ward, a former Ireland Sevens player, which forced Jack Brown to carry back over his own line, giving Ulster another attacking scrum. Once again McCann picked up and shaped to carry before popping the ball to centre Jude Postlethwaite, who crashed through for Ulster’s second try.

Ward very nearly created another moments later, gathering a grubber from Edinburgh skipper Ross Thompson and breaking free, only for Lewis Wells to scramble back and dive on the ball, with last gasp support from Jerry Blyth-Lafferty and Ollie Duncan securing the ball and allowing them to clear.

Edinburgh finally found some territory on the half-hour when Nathan Doak was penalised for being offside. Thompson’s excellent touch-finder and a slick line-out offered a platform, with Tom Currie carrying hard and Thompson attacking the line well himself. A penalty five metres out gave Edinburgh a golden chance, but a knock-on in contact released the pressure.

The visitors’ line-out was beginning to click, though. Thompson fizzed passes wide, while Findlay Thomson and Matt Davidson’s strong midfield carries gave them much needed front-foot ball. But promising moves faltered at the crucial moment. When Currie was penalised at a ruck, Ulster pounced. A series of direct carries sucked in defenders before Ward dummied and darted in untouched for Ulster’s third.

Edinburgh had one last chance before the break with a line-out 10 metres from the Ulster line, but a second crooked throw from young hooker Blyth-Lafferty ended the opportunity. They went in 17-0 down – a tough scoreline, though one that could have been heavier given Ulster’s stranglehold on possession and physical dominance.

Everitt rang the changes at half-time, introducing his entire bench including seasoned internationals Hamish Watson, Sam Skinner and Magnus Bradbury. The impact was instant: Edinburgh’s defence was more aggressive, they won collisions in attack, and their scrum gained dominance at times. Yet, as in the first half, points initially eluded them.

Instead it was Ulster who struck first. A superb Doak box kick and strong chase earned a penalty, which they kicked to the corner. McCann secured the line-out and the forwards powered a rolling maul to the line, replacement hooker James McCormick getting the try.

Edinburgh needed a spark and found it through replacement scrum-half Conor McAlpine. Spotting space down the blindside on halfway, he sniped, beat the first tackler, then produced dazzling footwork to step the full-back and race clear under the posts. Cammy Scott converted to finally get Edinburgh on the board.

The momentum continued as summer signing Malelili Satala marked his debut with a try. From a line-out and strong maul near the Ulster line, McAlpine’s sharp service released the young winger on the blindside, who powered through a tackle to finish in the corner.

The game was now opening up, both sides attacking from deep. Ward and Ross McKnight both made surging runs down their wing, but each was cut down by good scramble defence. Ulster reasserted control through their line-out once more though. Another powerful maul setting the platform for replacement fly-half Jonny Scott to go over under the posts for their fifth try.

Edinburgh were not done. A turnover in Ulster’s 22 sparked a frantic passage, Scott hoisting a cross-kick that the otherwise excellent Ulster wing Werner Kok spilled under pressure. From the resulting scrum, Edinburgh battered at the Ulster line before loose-head Mikey Jones eventually forced his way over from close range after a quickly taken penalty.

The closing exchanges were similarly frantic and fitting for a contest played at high tempo throughout. Both sides attacking at all costs. They traded offloads and cross-field kicks but to no avail for either side, as a final Ulster knock-on brought relief to exhausted players on both sides.

The 31-19 final score underlined Ulster’s superior first-half power and experience, but Edinburgh shaded the second half 14-19 thanks to the impact of their experienced reinforcements. For Everitt, there was encouragement in how a youthful first-half team held their own under pressure and how his bench swung momentum after the break.

 

Teams –

Ulster: J Flannery; W Kok, J Hume (Ben Carson 49), J Postlethwaite, Z Ward (E Graham 49); J Murphy (J Scott 50), N Doak (C McKee 53); C Reid (S Crean 40), J Andrew (J McCormick 40), T O’Toole (S Wilson 40), I Henderson (c) (H Sheridan ???), M Dalton, C Izuchukwu (S Reffell 60), S Reffell (N Timoney 50), D McCann

Edinburgh: J Brown, L Wells (M Satala 50), M Davidson (F Thomson 72), F Thomson (C McCaig 40), R McCann (R McKnight 40), R Thompson (C Scott 40), Hector Patterson (C McAlpine 40); J Whitcombe (M Jones 40), J Blyth-Lafferty (H Morris 40), R Litterick (A Williams 40), C Lindsay (E McVie 40), G Young (S Skinner 40), O Duncan (L McConnell 40), F Douglas (H Watson 40), T Currie (M Bradbury 40)

 

Scorers –

Ulster: Tries: C Izuchukwu, J Postlethwaite, Z Ward, J McCormick, J Scott; Cons: N Doak 2, J Scott

Edinburgh: Tries: C McAlpine, M Satala, M Jones; Cons: M Scott  2.

Scoring sequence (Ulster first): 5-0; 7-0; 12-0; 17-0; 19-0; (h-t)24-0; 24-5; 24-7; 24-12; 29-12; 31-12; 31-17; 31-19