Ulster defeat Saints, Connacht top Biarritz

Ulster won their 13 game in 13 outings this season when they clinched an impressive 25-6 bonus-point triumph over Northampton on Friday to stay on course for the European Cup quarter-finals. Ulster scored four tries to stay top of Pool 4 with three wins out of three while Northampton slipped to third place behind Castres who beat Glasgow 9-6. In the night's other match, Connacht celebrated their first win over French opposition with a 22-14 victory against Biarritz in Pool 3. Ulster, the 1999 champions and runners-up to Leinster last season, opened the scoring at Franklin's Gardens after 10 minutes through winger Andrew Trimble. Paddy Jackson released his teammate with a clever, delayed chip ahead which fell perfectly for Trimble to beat Northampton full-back Ben Foden to the ball and touch down for his 20th European Cup try in his 49th match. Jackson missed the conversion before opposing fly-half Ryan Lamb fluffed his second penalty of the night. Jackson then went wide with a penalty from just inside the Saints' half before Lamb finally found his length and direction with a long-range penalty to make the score 5-3 to the Irish side. Ulster won a penalty straight from the restart for a lineout infringement and this time Jackson hit the target to put his team 8-3 to the good. Lamb's poor night continued when he missed a third penalty just before the half-hour mark when veteran centre Paddy Wallace was punished for a dangerous tackle on Northampton winger Ken Pisi. Ulster scored their second try in the 33rd minute through winger Tommy Bowe. The move was created by New Zealand full-back Jared Payne's pinpoint kick ahead which rocked Northampton back on their heels. Ulster created the over-lap with Wallace putting Bowe in space for his 23rd European Cup try as the visitors went 13-3 ahead although Jackson again missed the conversion. Lamb at least kept the Saints in touch with a 20-metre penalty as Ulster went in at half-time with a 13-6 lead. That advantage quickly became 18-6 early in the second period when Payne grabbed Ulster's third try, collecting Trimble's pass before nipping inside the Northampton defence with a smart dummy to score. Jackson added the extras for 20-6 but then went short with an optimistic long-range penalty shot. Northampton piled on the pressure in the closing stages but were unable to breach a resolute Ulster defence with the visitors even surviving having flanker Ian Henderson sin-binned for not releasing a tackled player on the ground. Lock Dan Tuohy added the bonus-point try in the last minute for 25-6 with Jackson's conversion out wide missing the target. In the night's other Pool 4 match, Castres beat Glasgow 9-6 with South Africa's Rory Kockott kicking the three penalties for the French side.