Walker double fires Ulster past Newcastle as Scarlets cruise to comfortable win

Mike Walker crossed for two first-half tries as Ulster built an unassailable 19-0 lead against Newcastle, with Jacob Stockdale adding a third score between Walker’s efforts to put the result beyond doubt before the interval.

Walker’s first try came eight minutes before Stockdale’s, with the winger completing his double eight minutes after the Ireland international centre had touched down. The three-try cushion gave Ulster a platform they would not relinquish against last season’s Challenge Cup finalists.

Scarlets, meanwhile, produced their own commanding display to cruise past Newcastle in the same competition, adding further gloss to what proved a productive round of European rugby for the Welsh region.

The result will carry particular significance for Ulster given Newcastle’s pedigree in the competition — the English side reached the Challenge Cup final last season and arrived with genuine credentials. Overcoming that opposition so emphatically, and so early in the contest, underlines the ambition within Lancaster’s squad as they target a deep run in the tournament.

For Scarlets, the margin of victory signals a side capable of competing at the top end of the Challenge Cup draw, with their performance offering encouragement ahead of the knockout rounds.