GLASGOW finished a distant second in Belfast yesterday when a powerful second half saw Ulster claim a bonus-point win over Gregor Townsend's side. Warriors were on top for much of the first half, but trailed 15-5 at the interval after missed tackles, errors, and poor decisions in attack.

Tries from new arrival Brandon Thomson and Scott Cummings' brace did make an impact on the scoreboard for the Warriors, but Jacob Stockdale ran in his second try late on to clinch victory for the home side.

"We slipped off too many tackles," Warriors head coach Townsend said. "We gave them seven points, then suddenly it's 14 and the game goes away.

"We did really well at the end of the first half to give ourself an opportunity in the second, but we can't miss tackles against such a good attacking team."

A remarkable opening half at the Kingspan Stadium saw Warriors control possession, while Ulster dominated in defence, but the scores went Ulster's way.

With 61 per cent of possession before the interval, and having forced their opponents to make 115 tackles, Townsend must

wonder how his side were in arrears at the midway point. But Ulster only missed 11 of those tackles as Glasgow lost the gain-line battle far too often.

Warriors missed nearly a quarter of their own tackles in that period and that's what impacted on the scoreboard.

The first score of the game came when Cummings was penalised for failing to release the ball on the ground after he carried powerfully, but the dual pressure applied by Chris Henry and Marcell Coetzee forced the Warriors lock into the penalty concession, a kick that Ruan Pienaar was never going to miss.

Glasgow's decision-making in attack was surely questioned at the interval, and one glaring example came after 13 minutes. Henry Pyrgos chipped over the defensive line five metres from the try line, but with no Warriors chaser in sight it was an aimless kick.

Warriors were right in the game at that point, but an excellent choke tackle from Franco van der Merwe on Sila Puafisi earned Ulster a scrum on their own 22 that would turn the game in their favour. From the scrum Pienaar, Luke Marshall and Sean Reidy gained almost 70 metres for their side, and eventually Warriors were forced to carry possession over their own try line.

Another scrum followed and after a couple of phases Pienaar's zippy pass and Jacob Stockdale's soft hands sent Tommy Bowe over in the corner. Just after the half-hour Henry and Coetzee once more forced a penalty and after the Ulster maul was halted some patient play and Pienaar's inside pass saw Reidy scramble a second try. Pienaar's conversion made it

15-0, but before half-time Glasgow summoned a superb effort to retain the ball for 23 phases and Pyrgos' long pass saw Thomson dive over for his first try since he arrived from the Stormers.

It didn't take Ulster long to extent that 15-5 half-time lead, though. Three minutes into the second half Pienaar drilled over a penalty for Ulster, but six minutes later their third try arrived.

It was a slick first-phase move off the top of a line-out that sprung the Warriors defence, but the ease at which Stockdale charged through the Glasgow defensive line on to Luke Marshall's soft pass will disappoint. Again Pienaar added the extras for a 25-5 lead, but his kicking tee wasn't long on the sidelines as Ulster clinched the bonus point when the South African scrum-half finished off a brilliant counter attack for his side's fourth try.

After Mark Bennett's good attack was halted, Pienaar was at the zenith of the move when his goose-step broke the tackle. And after six pairs of Ulster hands saw the ball up to the other end of the field, a breathless Pienaar raced in the try in the left corner.

A 68th minute yellow card for Rob Harley following a tip tackle meant Glasgow were down on numbers for 10 minutes, but they started that sin-bin slot with a try after Cummings blocked down Paul Marshall's box kick, booted through and dived on the ball.

Five minutes later Cummings scored his second try – but Stockdale wrapped it up late on.