IT may have lacked precision and as a policy statement . . .the bonus point looked a fait accompli at half-time . . . will have failed to make the required impression, but Ulster still did the needful and managed to return to the top of the Celtic League, three points ahead of Leinster.

So much of Ulster's good work, they scored three tries in the first 40 minutes and at times looked irresistible, was undone in a second half which failed to inspire and left Mark McCall wondering how his side had failed to snatch a bonus point. He now has three weeks to ponder Ulster's failure to score any points after half-time, before his side take on Glasgow away. The video will suggest that a combination of the conditions and poor decisions cost Ulster the five points, allowing the Dragons grab a bonus and move up into ninth in the table.

Playing with the swirling wind, Dragons took the lead after seven minutes after Bryn Cunningham attempted to run the ball out of Ulster's 22. Craig Warlow converted the subsequent penalty as Ulster infringed at ruck time.

However, their lead was short-lived as, three minutes later, with Ulster playing all the rugby . . . they had already won a line-out turnover in the opening exchanges . . . the impressive Issac Boss turned his opposite number Gareth Baber over on the Dragons' line after a visiting scrum.

The ball was recycled and a Humphreys skip pass put Cunningham in at the right corner. Humphreys added a superb conversion and Ulster had the lead.

The home side then added seven more points five minutes later, after kicking a penalty for the corner. From the subsequent take and drive, Humphreys put Jonny Bell through a gap and the centre found Tommy Bowe on his shoulder who ran in under the posts. Humphreys did the needful and Ulster led 14-3.

Perhaps being so far ahead so soon undid Ulster's concentration for they almost immediately conceded a soft score after the home side failed to deal with a fairly unthreatening Aled Thomas bomb which was fatally allowed to bounce inside Ulster's 22.

Humphreys managed to collect but a bid to clear his lines was charged down by Nathan Brew and Dragons recycled to allow hooker Steve Jones sprint in at the left corner which Warlow impressively converted to bring the Dragons to within four points of the home side.

But Ulster weren't finished yet and spotting space in behind the Dragons rush defence, just outside their 22, Humphreys chipped and collected before sliding over the line with two defenders in his wake. The points were added and Ulster had daylight again at 21-10.

This lead was further extended a minute before the break when a Steve Jones block on Cunningham as he chased an up and under allowed Humphreys to thump over a penalty to make it 2410 at the turnaround. The only sour note for Ulster was the loss of Paul Steinmetz after a tussle behind the play, just before the half hour, Kevin Maggs coming on as sub.

Matt McCullough and then Roger Wilson were held up over the line, the latter resulting in the 53rd minute binning of skipper Jason Forster, as Ulster pummelled the Dragons line. But, down to 14 men . . . Baber returned as Forster made way . . . the visitors, frustratingly for Ulster, refused to concede.

In the last minute of normal time, Dragons found a chink of light and Ceri Sweeney put Hal Luscombe clear. Warlow again added the difficult conversion and Dragons had grabbed a bonus point.

ULSTER B Cunningham; T Bowe, J Bell, P Steinmetz, A Maxwell; D Humphreys, I Boss; B Young, R Best, S Best (capt); J Harrison, M McCullough; N Best, S Ferris, R Wilson Subs R Caldwell for M McCullough (blood) 26-34mins;
K Maggs for P Steinmetz 27mins; J Fitzpatrick for B Young 48mins; N McMillan for S Ferris and K Campbell for I Boss 65mins; N Brady for R Best 71mins; A Larkin for K Maggs 80mins

DRAGONS A Thomas; N Brew, H Luscombe, C Sweeney, R Fussell; C Warlow, G Baber; A Black, S Jones, R Thomas; A Hall, P Sidoli; J Ringer, J Forster (capt), R Oakley Subs L Charteris for A Hall and S Van Rensberg for J Ringer 50mins; D Maddocks for S Van Rensberg 56mins temp replacement; C Anthony for R Thomas 59mins; J Ringer for R Oakley blood replacement 65mins-74mins; J Ireland for G Baber and J Bryant for R Fussell 74mins Referee M Changleng (SRU)