The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 26

I 8 1 Sport The Guardian Monday January 11 1999 Ulster 33 Stade Francais 27 Michael James sees Ulster defy all the predictions to humble the French aristocrats Stade Francais at an ecstatic Ravenhill and Humphreys's performance would not have been complete without his obligatory drop goal. Mason said: "That victory surpasses anything I have ever been involved with. I think we can go all the way and win the competition." Ulster now head for Lans-downe Road to face another French side, Colomiers, in the final on January 30. The cross-border traffic that day will be busy to say the least. SCORERS! Ulster: Trios: McKinty, Humphreys Conversion! Mason.

Ponaltios: Mason 5 Drop goals: Mason, Humphreys. Stade Francais: Trios: Julliet 2. Liovramont. Convorslons: Dominguez 3 Ponaltloa: Dominguez 2 Ulster: Mason. Coulter, Bell, Cunningham.

Park. Humphreys (capt). Matchett, Fitzpatrick. Clarke, Irwin (Leslie, 53min). Longwell.

Blair, McKinty. Ward. McWhirrar (Topping. 72). Stade Francais: Viars: Gomes.

Dourthe, Mylton. Lombard. Dominguez (capt), Laussuco. Marconnet (Simon. 49), Pedrosa (Moscato.

49), de Villiers. Chatfardon, George, Mom (M Lievremont 49). Pool-Jones. Juillot Referee: Fleming (Scotland) licitor turned full-time rugby player also scored one try in the 42nd minute that will be long remembered. Under pressure in his own 22, he chipped over the approaching defence for the wing Sheldon Coulter to collect at speed on his 10-metre line.

Coulter made ground and timed a return pass to perfection for Humphreys, who sprinted 50 metres to the line. The boot of Simon Mason also tortured Stade, who at intervals looked as if they would come back with a couple of tries from their No. 8 Christophe Julliet and another by the replacement flanker Marc Lievremont. Mason kept pegging them back as he rattled over 20 points with five penalties, a drop goal and a conversion of that Humphreys try. Ulster had another try from their flanker Stephen McKinty in the 15th minute, out for another lap of honour before they had time to dry the sweat from their brows.

The First Minister David Trimble took time to leave the committee box. He was with his Ulster Unionist Party security spokesman Ken Magin-nis. A useful man to have beside you if you are not too sure of the laws of the game, Maginnis is a rugby buff. A former prop who took no prisoners, he is a fervent member of the Dungannon club and travels the length and breadth of the 32 counties to watch them perform in the All Ireland League. He would have been mighty pleased with the performance of his clubman David Humphreys.

The little fly-half ran the show. The 25-year-old so day when a cold biting wind favoured those who stayed indoors, the bars and clubs throughout the province were glued to television screens. After a performance of sheer grit, pride and passion, the players with the red hand displayed on their breast defied all the odds to sink the Parisian aristocrats Stade Frangais. The Frenchmen rode into Belfast with an arrogant countenance. They left a very chastised bunch.

On the final whistle all hell broke loose. The crowd, who were partly housed in two massive portable stands behind each goalline, swamped their heroes. The players finally reached the sanctuary the changing-rooms -10 minutes later, only to be hauled i rate Hp I David Humphreys scores a dazzling try photograph alan lewis Newcastle 25 Bath 22 fourth round: Bristol 1 9 London Irish 43 kick cuts Bath SHE Good Friday Agreement went a long way in gelling together the different traditions of Northern Ireland. But it was on a brilliant sunny Saturday afternoon that the public in general really got together to witness one of the greatest sporting occasions that the troubled province has witnessed. A 20,000 crowd crammed into the Ravenhill Park ground in south Belfast just past Ian Paisley's Free Presbyterian headquarters.

At one o'clock the city had strangely ground to a halt for a rugby match. This season the provincial side, who want to be known as Club Ulster, have intoxicated the nation. Throughout Tef ley's Bitter Cup, Robert Armstrong SHE defeat of the Pre miership Two leaders by London Irish yesterday was over shadowed by last night's confirmation by their chief executive Nick de Scossa that Bristol are planning to buy another Exiles club, London Scottish. Should Premiership One Scottish disappear from the rugby map, many of their players face redundancy. Scottish's backer Tony Tiarks watched yesterday's game.

De Scossa said: "We would be buying a 100 per cent shareholding in a limited company, and we hope to do this during the coining week." But London Scottish's president Ken Scobie reacted angrily to Tiarks's visit to Bristol. "I do not believe that Tiarks has got the authority to conclude such a transaction." he said. "He does not have a controlling shareholding and therefore I do not believe in going down to Bristol to discuss these matters." London Irish had earlier hammered out an authoritative warning to their cup rivals with a seven-try blitz that brusquely swept aside Bristol's puny challenge. Whoever is paired with the Exiles in today's fifth-round draw at Twickenham will need to have powerful resources to withstand the new breed of southern hemisphere player now wearing the green shirt. Six Exiles got their names on the scorcsheet in a contest that was as good as over by half-time.

Bristol put a semi-respectable gloss on the score-line with 19 second-half points, proof of their appetite for sustained hard work, but the Irish had long since taken their foot off the accelerator. "The cup has taken on new meaning for us." admitted the Exiles' director of rugby Dick Best, who recently declared that the knockout competi a of of it 4 scorer Beattie as he rumbled 25 metres to the line. Bath had sparred inconclusively with Newcastle for half an hour. Va'aiga Tuigamula coming close to scoring a couple of tries, but moved up two gears to take their opponents' defence apart with two opportunist scores shortly before the interval. "It's difficult to say what went wrong," said Andy Robinson, the Bath coach.

"We Robert Armstrong sees Newcastle exploit one act of indiscipline too many ONNY WILKINSON may have been assigned to England's back-burner but the Newcastle utility player took centre stage in a last-gasp victory over vulnerable Bath at Kingston Park. The 19-year-old international, currently rated his country's No. 3 fly-half by Clive Woodward, gave a perfect goal-kicking display, stroking home six penalties and a conversion from seven kicks to claim the lion's share of points in a game which Newcastle clinched only in the last minute. Inevitably it was the ultra-confident Wilkinson who banged over the final penalty from 38 metres that dumped the 10-times cup winners out of the competition after Ben Sturnham had illegally held down Ross Beattie. Bath did not know whether to laugh or cry over the astonishing sequence of errors that saw them fritter away a 22-6 lead: at the end some of the culprits wore bitter smiles as they trooped off, others were close to tears.

Under the eye of his club mentor Rob Andrew the precocious Wilkinson kept Newcastle in touch with a steady metronomic swing of the left leg which constantly reminded Bath they would transgress at their peril. "My hands were shaking as I set up the ball for that last kick," he admitted. "But I had been striking the ball well and everything flowed from that. I feel proud as Punch that we got there in the end." It could all have gone horribly wrong for Newcastle, who needed the win as badly as Bath to give their season genuine purpose and stop their core supporters from drifting away. As Wilkinson remarked: "It's important for us to do well in the cup because the league would take some winning from where we are now.

It would be wonderful to get to Twickenham and come away with a trophy at the end of it." Bath outscored Newcastle by three tries to one but were erratic under pressure, casually conceding three penalty goals in a crucial 10-minute period after half-time and later giving away a soft try without laying a hand on the Bringing the house down photograph: craig prentis Bowring, it should be remembered, gave Quinnell his first cap and would surely not begrudge the young giant his success so far this season, when he has been a fitter and more rounded article than last. Quinnell's bear-hug all but cut the Newbury scrum-half John Farr in half as he unwisely crabbed across field and the outcome was one of Richmond's three first-half tries for the wing Nick Walne. The other wing Spencer Brown had scored the first after eight minutes and his searing pace ultimately earned him a hat-trick. Allan Bateman, never ignored by Bowring yet currently in the unaccustomed position of needing to force his way back into the Wales side, opened Richmond's account in the second half and another try out wide came from the replacement wing Dominic Chapman. Newbury had the deserved lift of a nicely created try for Holloway in the last 10 minutes but Richmond were never in serious danger.

SCORCRS: Richmond: Trios: Grown 3, Vander, Pichot. Walne, Batom3n. Chapman Conversions: Va'a 3 Newbury: Tries! Gully, Holloway Conversion: Poihipi Richmond: Pint (Chapman, 57min), Walne, Bateman. Doano, Spencer Brown. Va'a.

Pichot IMooro, 57), McFarland, Cuthoerl, Davios (Fit2gorald, 57), Quinnoll, Gllllos. Hutton. Vander (Cabannos. 70), Clarke (capt) Newbury: Holloway, Howe, Blako, Reayor. Gnlltlhs (Osman, 66).

Poihipi, Farr (Wakfor, 60). Simon Brown (Oavis, 66), Collins. Kollam (capt, Brammor, 66). Curlls, Miall (Antlcic. 761, Davios, Gully (Harl, 60), Powell (Kingdon.

60). Reforeei Grasholt (East Midlands) tion was not a priority. "We are on a roll in league and cup and only a good side will stop us. We won our third game in eight days, which shows the tough attitude of our players. This is the hardest-working group I've been with." The Exiles comprehensively outclassed Bristol with their speed of thought and deed, moving the ball away from the breakdown crisply and invariably finding an unmarked runner to carry it into acres of space.

The slick co-ordinated style bore the hallmark of Best, whose gifted recruits from the southern hemisphere demonstrated the pace, awareness and handling skill needed to keep Bristol on the back foot. At times Irish almost treated the game as a kind of training exercise, dropping the tempo to give their hardworking forwards a breather and then moving up a gear when a short sharp effort was needed to set up a short-range score. It was the imperious ability their New Zealand halfbacks Kevin Putt and Steve Bachop to shape events behind the scrum with a cutting edge which kept the Exiles tightly focused. The native Irish back three of Conor O'Shea, Niall-Woods and Justin Bishop also set an excellent standard in physical commitment and skill. To their credit Bristol revealed some of the qualities that have kept them on course for promotion, a battling second-half performance bringing them three tries, yet was hard to escape the feeling that the hosts were merely engaging in a damage-limitation exercise.

SCORERS: Bristol: Tries: Babor, penalty try, Bennett Conversions: Hull 2 London Irish: Tries: O'Shea. Woods. Venter 2, Kirke, Boer. Bishop Conversions: Woods Bristol: Hull. Misson.

Lcaupcpe, Hassan, Larkin; Martin, Baber. Emms. Tamati, Wring, Eagle (capt). Giles. Charron, Gaboy, Bennell.

London Irish: O'Shea (capt). Bishop. Burrows. Venter. Woods, Bachop.

Putt, Hatley, Kirke, Pullman. Strudwick. O'Kclly, Boer, Spicer, Gallacher Referee: Rees (RFU) that trio, the lock Dave Sims, and Gloucester won the second half 13-0. Sims had recently lost his place and the club captaincy. Richard Hill.

Gloucester's director of rugby, said: "Dave put some steel back into our pack. Ho is fighting for his place and 1 have no intention of letting him go." Hill, meanwhile, has agreed terms with Sale for the return to Kings-holm of the wing Tom Beim. Hill was happy with the percentage game Gloucester played after half-time. Worcester were pinned into the corners by some accurate kicking, anil concerted driving by the pack squeezed the life out of the contest; it was effectively over by the time Chris Fortey barged over for Gloucester's fourth try on the hour. Mapletoft's 16 points, including an early interception try with a run from his own 22, were decisive.

But he had no time to celebrate. Learning that his girlfriend Tina had given birth to a daughter during the match, he showered and dashed off to the hospital. SCORERS: Oloucoslen Trios: Maplotolt, S.lint-Andro, Oiomoh. Fortey Conversion: Maplololt Penalties: MaplelDtt 3 Worcostor: Tries: Richardson Jonncr Conversions: Liloy 2 Ponalty: Liley Gloucester: Catling. Johnson.

Fanolua. Groonilado-Jones, Saint-Anurfc, (Lumsden, 72min). Maplololt. Cane. Woodman.

McCarthy (Fortey, 40). Deacon (Powlca. 65). Fidlur (capl), Cornwall (Sims. 10), Pearce.

Conor (Halnll. 65). Oiomoh Worcostor: Liley. Morns, Hughos (Hollord. 52), Mylor.

Baxter (Malone, 57), Le Bas. Fonloy (capt, Powell. 75). Linnett. Bell (Houston.

75). Mitchell, Donhardt. Raymond. Clarke (Gilbort. 72), Richardson.

Jonnor (Orgoo. 52) noforeo: Goodlillo (Yorkshire) Bristol's Jonathan Pritchard Richmond 46 Newbury 1 2 Gloucester 31 Worcester 17 MapletofFs liard lalboaiF gives a hard shoulder to cry allowed them back into the game by making a couple of errors and missing a vital tackle, and they capitalised. It doesn't matter that we scored more tries than them, we lost a game and we're not in the cup draw." Robinson, though, refused to accept that Bath's season was essentially over, apart from the pursuit of a place in Europe if the English clubs decide to take part, "We're looking to generate a run of league wins," he said. "We've been slagged off for a lack of passion, a lack of team spirit, but I think it's a joke to say that. We have proud players at Bath.

They will respond when we meet Newcastle again in Saturday's league game." Nevertheless, unlike Bath, Newcastle appear to embrace change on and off the field with the kind of positive mental altitude that keeps a broad smile on the face of Andrew, their director of rugby. The blow of Dean Ryan's unexpected departure to Bristol was softened by the ebullient performance of their No. 8 Beattie, an England Under-21 international who brings finesse to the work of making the hard yards. For Bath the nightmare continues hut they can take a crumb of comfort from the dynamic display of their young scrum-half Gareth Cooper, a Wales Under-21 player with impressive vision, good hands and the confidence to direct his forwards with authority. It was Cooper who sent Mike Catt clear for a try between the posts that hinted at good tilings to come.

Richard Webster and Russell Earn-shaw also crossed the line for Bath before the rot set in and repeated acts of indiscipline handed the game back to Newcastle. SCOHERS: Newcastle: Try: Bcatlie Conversion: Wilkinson Pcnaltios: Wilkinson 6 Bath: Tries: Webslor. Call, Earnshaw Convorslons: Call 2 Penalty: Call Newcastle: Legq, Naylor. Shaw. Andrew (capt), Tmgamala Wilkinson.

Armstrong, Graham, Ncsdalc Hurler Archer, Weir. Walton. Cartmell, Bentlio Bath: Perry (Evans. 53min). Bnlshaw, Maggs.

Guscott. Adabayo. Catt, Cooper. Hillon (Yates. 65).

Regan. Uboiju. Haag. Dorthwick. Earnshaw.

Webster (capt Sturnham. 51), Lylo Reforeei A RDwden (Yorkshire) be overawed by a club two leagues above them. Their captain Phil Osman said after the game: "We found Bedford predictable and their forwards were lightweight compared with the packs that we face in the third division." Duncan Roke's assured kicking proved the difference between the sides. He landed three conversions and a penalty whereas Bedford's Tony Yapp could manage only one conversion. The Welsh Rugby Union will this week issue a High Court writ against Swansea, claiming it is owed nearly 1 million by the club.

The WRU may seek to have Swansea wound up. centre Brendan Venter stops 47 but worse still that a succession of turnovers, missed tackles and telegraphed passes should make life even easier for the Saints. Mitchell's acceptance of harsh reality is not before time. But his opposite number Ian McGecchan is equally realistic in appreciating that Sale are no longer a yardstick by which to measure anything. Though Sale drew first blood, it was obvious from the first forward surge that Northampton held all the trump cards.

A penalty try exposed the home side and, with Grant Seely, Tim Rodber and Federico Men-dez ripping their flimsy defences to shreds, Saints had themselves a seven-try party. Five answering scores by Sale owed a great deal to the tenacity of Barrie-Jon Mather, Chris Yates and especially Shane Howarth. But of the forwards only Simon Raiwalui and Phil Greening looked up to the mark. SCORERS! Sals: Tries: Yates 2. Raiwalui, Sanderson, Howarth Conversions: Howarth 3 Northampton! Trios: Seoly 3.

Beat. Moir, ponalty try, Mendoz. Conversions: Grayson 6 Snlol Howarth. Mooro. Mathor.

Yates, Mallindor; Baxondell, Smith (Ellis, 50min. Smith (Willlan-son. 23), Greening. Bell, Raiwalui, Murphy, Anglesaa, A Sanderson (P Sandorson, 50), Machacok (O Cuinneagain 50) Northampton: Bool, Moir. Blytho, Allen, Cohen.

Grayson, Daw3on. Pagol, Mondoz, Stewart (Hynos. 63), Motcallo (Chandler, 63). Phillips, Rodbor (capl: Hopher, 74), Allan, Sooly Roforoo: Davios (Wales) No way through the Exiles' Sale 31 Northampton David Irvine OHN MITCHELL, England's forward coach, called Northampton's pack "awesome" after his Sale side were thrashed at Heywood Road. "We were totally outplayed up front," he conceded.

It has taken him rather longer half a season, in fact to realise that the Sale eight are totally inadequate. After a fourth defeat in only two weeks, three of them at home, the New Zea-lander was finally forced to admit: "We have to recruit up front. That's the harsh reality. And we are now very seriously in the market place." Taking any aspect of Sale's game "very seriously" after this latest fiasco is not exactly easy, however. In their first three games of 1999 they have scored 13 tries and conceded 16.

Yet only once late in the league game with Bath last Tuesday did they even threaten a victory. Mitchell called his side "one of the most exciting in the No one would argue with that. But among other adjectives which were applicable, one could substitute slapdash, inefficient and disorganised. It was bad enough that Sale failed to contain Northampton's forwards for a second time in a week A Straeuli carried off as Henley leave Bedford high and dry Hugh Godwin vjO RIGHT royal upset in BTHthis part of Berkshire that was left to Henley elsewhere but an entertaining cup tie all the same. The derby nature of the match was scarcely reflected in an attendance of fewer than 3,000, among whom the Newbury support was heard the louder.

They had a try to cheer at the latter end of both halves to set alongside the cultured contributions of the full-back Tom Holloway and the wing Tyrone Howe, a tenacious Oxford Blue in Newbury's blue jersey. Perhaps the ongoing roadworks which ring the Ma-dejski Stadium reminded Newbury of their own beloved bypass. They certainly made themselves at home quickly enough, with Howe putting in a couple of thumping early tackles. After all, as Holloway wryly pointed out after Richmond's eight-try victory, Newbury's followers had a shorter journey than their hosts. Pacing the chilly sidelines was the Newbury coach Kevin Bowring, who during his time in charge of Wales last season had to endure the wrath of Richmond for his supposed antipathy to some of the club's Welsh players.

Two of those said to be most affected, John Davies and Craig Quinnell, were both on show and Quinnell displayed all his knee-pumping power. Ian Malin THIS match may have buen decided by the skill of Gloucester's fly-half Mark Mapletoft, who became a father for the first time just as he was kicking off the second half, but it is Worcester who are the club reborn. Like many infants, Worcester are making a lot of noise. Their millionaire owner Cecil Duckworth has warned that he will take legal action if plans for an Anglo-Welsh League next season deny his club a chance of promotion to England's top division. Duckworth saw Worcester, the Premiership Two pacesetters, give a good account of themselves in the mud at Kingsholm but their collection of former Gloucester and Moseley stalwarts and local talent was finally undone by the strength and experience of the Gloucester pack.

The Worcester team included eight semi-professionals; yesterday they were all back at their Sixways headquarters to teach mini-rugby skills. Les Cusworth, their director of rugby, stressed that 14 of his team hi this first fixture between the clubs in over a century were English. But the gap between them was evident even though Gloucester began without three of the forwards who played so well on England's tour last summer. Leading by only one point after a rousing first half, Gloucester brought on one of HENLEY will today be the surprise name in the fifth-round draw of (he Tctley's Bitter Cup, writes Ian Malin. The Jewson National One leaders added to the woes of Bedford with a 29-22 victory at Golding-ton Road yesterday.

The Premiership One strugglers, who have lost their coach Paul Turner and their chief executive Geoff Cooke this season, had another dreadful day. Their new director of rugby, the Springbok forward Rudi Straeuli, was carried off on a stretcher 16 minutes from time in his first game since mid-October. Each side scored four tries and Henley refused to.