The 17,134 fans inside the home of Scottish rugby were treated to a thrilling climax at the end of a see-saw battle. Ulster came out of the blocks with frightening speed, racing to a 21-0 lead at the break with tries from Neil Best and Rowen Frost after David Humphreys has settled early nerves with two penalties on his way to a 17-point haul. The 1999 European champions were dominant at that stage, with Andy Ward and Wilson having standout performances. Edinburgh did produce a fightback in the second quarter, but were left pointless as the break after Chris Paterson’s penalty goal attempt bounced off the crossbar. The second half saw Edinburgh fightback. Todd Balckadder’s troops scored three tries to haul themselves back into the match through Simon Webster and Derick Lee and Mike Blair. But Ulster looked to have secured victory when Humphries slotted his third penalty in the final moments of normal time, but when Edinburgh scrum-half Mike Blair went over two minutes into extra time, hopes of a comeback were re-ignited. However, Ulster held on to secure the victory when Humphreys coolly slotted over his fourth penalty goal with the final kick of the match. Man-of-the-match Humphreys was delighted at the final whistle. ‘We’ve achieved all our goals so far this season,’ he said. ‘We are top of the Celtic League and have won the Celtic Cup. I’m delighted. Sometimes it doesn’t matter if you win by three points, as long as you win. Today we won ugly, but I’m absolutely delighted with the result.
