Carty penalties see Connacht past Ulster in Belfast

Connacht have beaten Ulster 10-15 in the quarter-final of the United Rugby Championship.

Jack Carty's kicking was the difference at Kingspan Stadium, where Ulster claimed the only try of the evening.

Connacht had been in control throughout, with three penalties from Carty giving them a 9-3 lead at half-time.

After the Westerners pushed the gap to 12-3 just minutes after the restart, Ulster had to wait for Alan O'Connor to cross the whitewash in the 65th minute to get some more points on the board, with John Cooney's conversion cutting the deficit to just two.

However, the late revival from the homeside came too late, with yet another penalty from Carty giving the visitors breathing room once again, holding on to see out the game.

Focus now switches to the remaining provinces, who play their respective quarter-finals on Saturday.

First up, Leinster welcome the Sharks to the Aviva Stadium from 5pm, before Munster travel to Glasgow for the 7.35pm kick-off.