Connacht are caught offside five metres out.

Time for a tap and go?

No...Ulster will trust their line-out.

Ulster have changed their props on the loosehead side but it's another scum penalty for Connacht.

Izuchukwu then gets up to pinch the Connacht line-out.

It's that sort of game, truth be told.

No small amounts of effort but plenty of shots fired in the direction of one's own toes too.

But they don't even get the chance!

Ulster get the free-kick as Connacht don't establish the gap.

Big let off for the visitors. Silly mistake by the hosts.

"I'm not managing this anymore" says Andrew Brace with all the patience of man whose return to work after Christmas came earlier than all his mates.

Jack Carty with a great kick to pin Ulster back in their own 22.

Not a 50:22 as the ball was passed back into Connacht's half but, with Ulster having already lost three line-outs this evening, they'll fancy their chances of putting on the pressure.

Our BBC Radio Ulster pundit Chris Henry was talking at half-time about whether Ulster could maintain their defensive intensity for the whole 80 minutes.

Connacht certainly shading the early exchanges after the restart, though.

Connacht getting some go forward ball now.

No surprises that it's that man Bundee Aki at the heart of things.

Take a bow Mike Lowry!

That looked like big trouble for Ulster as the ball went in the air but the diminutive full-back gets up to claim it above two Connacht chasers.

Shades of his catch against Leicester Tigers back in 2018 if anyone else remembers such things. No? Just me?

Eric O'Sullivan's second half lasted all of 50 seconds.

Andy Warwick is on.

In that minute, Werner Kok has picked up an injury and his night is over too. Wilhelm de Klerk replaces him for an Ulster debut.

Image source, Inpho

And we're back underway. 40 minutes of rugby left for these sides in 2024.

The players are out for the second half - can Ulster end this losing run here in Galway?

Image source, Inpho

Chris Henry
Former Ulster & Ireland flanker on BBC Radio Ulster

The Ulster team will be sitting in there thinking this could be more.

The defence will take its toll, there's been a lot of linespeed, but what happens when the boys get tired in the second half? Can they maintain that?

Ian Humphreys
Former Ulster fly-half Ian Humphreys on BBC Radio Ulster

Ulster will be delighted with how their defence is going, pretty pleased with the attack, and it's just whether they can shore up that set-piece.

Ulster just about get possession off the line-out and Doak hacks the ball out to bring the first half to a close.

A lot to like about the visitor's approach and attitude off the back of five losses in a row but the scrum is a concern and that one defensive lapse proved costly.

Image source, Inpho

The half is on the blow with Ulster given the line-out.

The Ulster flanker seems OK to continue here.

Sighs of relief all round in the visiting coaching box.

This looks worrying for Cormac Izuchukwu.

The last thing Ulster need is any more injuries.

Ulster don't have many senior players out there but they'll need calm heads to get them to half-time here.

Just when Connacht looked sure to get on the board, they cough up the ball.

And WHAT a kick from Jack Murphy to clear his lines.

Safe to say the scrum advantage was of no use to Ulster and he's booted them almost up to the halfway line.

ANOTHER scrum penalty for Connacht.

They go to the corner and Andrew Brace tells Nick Timoney that the next time will be a card.