In a good night for Dai Young’s side, Maama Molitika’s try put the Blues ahead but Tommy Bowe and Simon Danielli scores put Ulster 12-7 up at the break.
Roger Davies and James Down were gifted further Blues tries and while Paddy Wallace replied for Ulster, Molitika’s second touchdown sealed Cardiff’s bonus point win, with the two tries from man of the match Molitika helping guarantee the runners-up spot in the table.
In addition to David Humphreys’s retirement, it was also a night when Ulster bade farewell to departing players Justin Harrison, Bowe, Neil Best, Roger Wilson and Mark Bartholomeusz.
Molitika barrelled through some weak Ulster tackling to score under the posts after only four minutes and Leigh Halfpenny added the extras.
Humphreys’s time was up four minutes later with Paddy Wallace coming on as a replacement. Wallace made an immediate impression with a fine pass to Andrew Trimble and the centre’s offload set up Bowe for a try despite Halfpenny’s best efforts.
After withstanding Blues pressure, Ulster stormed upfield to score a second try on the stroke of half-time with Danielli brushing past some weak tackles to finish in the corner. Wallace added a great conversion which left Ulster 12-7 ahead.
It was a short-lived lead, though, as the Blues scored four minutes after the restart when Roger Davies won a kick and chase out of his own half for the touchdown which Halfpenny converted. Four minutes after that it was replacement second row James Down’s turn when more poor Ulster defending saw him sail through the gap to extend the visitors’ lead to 19-12.
Ulster narrowed the margin five minutes after the hour when Wallace sneaked over after the Blues had lost control of scrum ball near their line, but his failed conversion meant the home side trailed by two points.
Matt McCullough went close to notching another Ulster try after his own charge down but Molitika’s late second try, which was converted by Halfpenny, made the game safe.
