John Cooney gets back in the groove with late Ulster try to help see off Saints

Northampton 27 Ulstter 35

John Cooney of Ulster Rugby celebrates after scoring a try against Northampton Saints (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Jonathan Bradley

April 10 2021 10:27 PM

So much has changed in the past 14 months, both in the world and for John Cooney, yet when Ulster needed him most, once again it was their scrum-half coming to the fore in familiar fashion.

With Northampton Saints having overcome three first-half yellow cards to carry a six-point lead into the closing stages of this Challenge Cup tie, the northern province's season looked for all the world that it was fizzling out at Franklin's Gardens when instead they found a spark.

A well-worked quick line-out was pulled from the hat to send Alan O'Connor charging up field and, just as he has in so many of these past European nights, it was Cooney who arrived on cue in the right place at the right time to dummy and dive across for the key score in this back-and-forth knock-out tie.

In the absence of Iain Henderson and Marcell Coetzee, there was still plenty of work for one of Ulster's remaining leading lights to do, the conversion of his own score needed to give the side a lead which they would not relinquish.

Saints, who had somehow weathered incredible ill-discipline to that point, could find no response and, after some 20 phases in their next attack, Jacob Stockdale gave Ulster breathing room.

When Tom O'Toole clamped onto the ball to steal the late turnover that finally extinguished Saints' challenge the dire straits of the early going felt long ago.

For the start was ominous, even if it offered little indication of the drama that would soon unfold.

Northampton's strength always seemed likely to come from the back five of their pack and the likes of Teimana Harrison and Dave Ribbans punched big holes in the Ulster rearguard.

It was a back, though one built like a back-rower himself, in Taqele Naiyaravoro who trucked it up closest to the Ulster line and, while he was stopped short, there was nothing Ulster could do to prevent scrum-half Alex Mitchell from alertly stretching for the whitewash.

If the northern province looked somewhat shellshocked by the early barrage, Saints would soon start playing the perfect hosts by inviting them right back into the contest.

On-loan Saracens man Nick Isiekwe was shown a yellow for a late hit on Billy Burns, negating what would have been a promising attacking line-out for his side.

When Ulster marched down to the other end soon after, prompting a passage that brought a penalty try and another yellow for Sam Matavesi, the visitors had every opportunity to strike a decisive blow.

Having played with 13 last week when beating Newport, when the referee was again Alexandre Ruiz, Saints were unfazed though, and indeed it was them was scored the next points through the boot of Piers Francis.

Their discipline problems quickly descended into something of a crisis though, near-constant blasts of the whistle bringing censure after censure and another yellow for Dave Ribbans just as Matavesi returned.

Ulster would belatedly make the breakthrough - once again thanks to the maul, this time finished off by Rob Herring - but their numerical advantage would count for nought when Tommy Freeman crossed twice in the space of barely a minute, the first and crucial score coming after Ulster were pinged for a crooked line-out near their own line.

By the time Ribbands returned, Northampton had spent 24 minutes playing at least one man down. By the time John Cooney missed a penalty with the last kick of the half, they'd still take an eight-point lead into the turn.

Having had to work so hard for every point in the first-half, Marty Moore's quick-fire score after the restart, coming thanks to strong carrying off the base from Nick Timoney, was exactly what was required yet Saints had one more punch to throw.

The English side's power up front had felt like the telling factor of this game, especially when Ollie Sleightholme answered Moore's score on the hour mark, but instead Ulster upped their physicality, doing the hard yards for Cooney and Stockdale to earn the headlines.

Should Dan McFarland's men end their trophy drought when the Challenge Cup is decided in May, this last quarter resurgence will loom large in the tale.

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS: T Freeman; O Sleightholme, R Hutchinson, P Francis, T Naiyaravoro; D Biggar, A Mitchell; A Waller (c), S Matavesi, P Hill; D Ribbans, A Coles; N Isiekwe, L Ludlam, T Harrison.

Replacements: M Haywood (for Matavesi, 66), N Auterac (for Waller, 66), E Painter (for Hill, 66), A Moon (for Coles, 69), T Wood (for Isiekwi, 74), T James (for Mitchell, 76), A Tuala (for Naiyaravoro, 6), F Dingwall (for Freeman, 55)

ULSTER RUGBY: M Lowry; R Baloucoune, J Hume, S McCloskey, J Stockdale; B Burns, J Cooney; E O'Sullivan, R Herring, M Moore; A O'Connor, K Treadwell; S Reidy, J Murphy (c), N Timoney.

Replacements: J Andrew, A Warwick (for O'Sullivan, 66), T O'Toole (for Moore, 57), M Rea (for Reidy, 50), A Mathewson (for Hume, 79), I Madigan (for Burns, 76), E McIlroy (for Lowry, 60).

Not used: G Jones

REFEREE: A Ruiz (FRA)

STAR OF THE MATCH: Jordi Murphy (ULS)