Harlequins 5-17 Ulster: John Cooney's boot guides visitors to victory in the snow
Last Updated: 10/12/17 8:50pm
![John Cooney slotted four penalties to help Ulster claim an important win](https://e0.365dm.com/17/12/768x432/skysports-john-cooney-ulster_4179283.jpg?20171210163216)
Harlequins' hopes of progression to the Champions Cup quarter-finals were virtually extinguished as they crashed to a third consecutive defeat in Europe, a 17-5 loss at home to Ulster.
It was the first time since the 2009-10 season that Quins had lost three European games on the bounce and this defeat leaves them rooted to the bottom of Pool 1 with just a single point and trailing 14 points behind runaway leaders La Rochelle.
It was a miserable afternoon for Quins as their injury-ravaged squad lost Chris Robshaw and Danny Care to failed head assessments and could only manage a single try from Kyle Sinckler.
Ulster were deserved winners with Jacob Stockdale scoring their try, while John Cooney added four penalties to pick up the man-of-the-match award.
The visitors made the better start to take a sixth-minute lead when Cooney kicked a simple penalty, but the first quarter was easily forgettable as both teams struggled to come to terms with the difficult conditions.
Light snow and a greasy pitch resulted in numerous handling errors with frequent penalties also punctuating proceedings.
![Danny Care prepares to feed the ball into the scrum at the Stoop](https://e1.365dm.com/17/12/768x432/skysports-ulster-harlequins-champions-cup-snow-the-stoop-stoop_4179116.jpg?20171210134412)
Quins suffered a setback when Robshaw left the field for a head injury assessment before the visitors missed the chance to extend their lead when Cooney was off-target with a straightforward penalty attempt.
Cooney soon made amends by seizing on a loose ball before running 30 metres to set up a try for Stockdale.
Robshaw failed to return so Archie White became a permanent replacement as the conditions worsened with the ground staff being forced to regularly maintain the line-markings as the increased snowfall covered them.
Marcus Smith missed an opportunity to put the hosts on the scoreboard when he failed with a 25-metre penalty, before a 35-metre burst from Iain Henderson secured Ulster a platform in the opposition.
The away side declined a kickable penalty but it proved the wrong option as they fumbled the resulting lineout and Quins were able to clear the danger.
Ulster therefore held a handy 8-0 advantage at half-time as the snow relented in time for the restart.
![Jacob Stockdale and Christian Lealiifano celebrate after the final whistle](https://e1.365dm.com/17/12/768x432/skysports-jacob-stockdale-ulster_4179277.jpg?20171210155536)
Within minutes of the teams returning to action, the hosts suffered another injury blow when Care left the field for an assessment, with Ian Prior introduced at scrum-half.
Quins overcame this setback to build up their first period of sustained pressure - as it had taken them 46 minutes to threaten the tryline - and they were rewarded when, after a succession of set scrums, Sinckler forced his way over.
Care failed to return before Cooney kicked his second penalty to give Ulster an 11-5 lead going into the final quarter.
Two further penalties from the scrum-half snuffed out any chance of a Quins revival as the visitors easily held on for victory and moved up to second in the table.