Biarritz Olympique more or less made certain of their passage through to the last eight of the Heineken Cup as they stole Ulster’s near five-year unbeaten home record in Europe at Ravenhill.

You had to go back to Round 6 of the 2000-2001 tournament, when Saracens were the victors,  for the last time the 1999 champions had been beaten of their own patch.

But after 14 magnificent triumphs, Friday the 13th did for the men in white as their slender hopes of  reaching the knockout phase were shredded by the power of the Biarritz pack, and the boot and cunning of man-of-the-match Dimitri Yachvili.

The French international scrum half kicked three penalties and a conversion, while the visitors also conjured a try in each half through their Fijian wing Sereli Bobo and Romanian prop Petru Balan.

Ulster drew first blood playing into a stiff breeze when Rory Best was driven over from a close range lineout for a try that brought the capacity 12,300 crowd to its feet.

The first Yachvili penalty and that opportunist Bobo try edged Biarritz ahead before Ulster twice attempted another close range driving maul while visiting back row man Thierry Dusautoir was in the sin-bin.

But while they failed to score with the extra man the home side were able to draw level after 51 minutes when David Humphreys kicked a penalty to become only the fifth player in Heineken Cup history to break through the 500 points barrier.

The home faithful were hoping the would be the catalyst for another victory march, but the French championship leaders simply got stronger and stronger and Balan’s driving try midway through the second half killed off home hopes.
 
Yachvili added the conversion, kicked two more penalties and then saw his half-back partner Julien Peyrelongue drive the final nail into Ulster’s coffin with a 35-metre drop goal.