Losing run comes to an end for Edinburgh
Dan Biggar's efforts with the boot were in vain for Ospreys
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Edinburgh broke their three-game losing streak with a gutsy 31-25 RaboDirect PRO12 win over Ospreys at Meggetland.
Ulster 38 - Dragons 8
Two tries from Tommy Bowe on his comeback after three months out with a groin injury kept Ulster in third place in the RaboDirect PRO12 table as they racked up a bonus point 38-8 win over the overwhelmed Dragons.
Ulster scored five tries with Bowe's brace - he was substituted at half-time in a performance which must have impressed Ireland coach Joe Schmidt - being added to by scores from Ruan Pienaar, Sean Doyle and a penalty try, the latter which brought up the bonus point after only 32 minutes.
Paddy Jackson also put in a notable shift and kicked all five conversion attempts which will also have been noted by Schmidt, who may be without Jonathan Sexton for next week's Six Nations game against Italy.
Ulster led 31-3 at half-time with their only try of the second half coming from Doyle as both sides tired after their five-day turnaround from their previous games.
Ulster opened their account early with a Pienaar penalty after two minutes and then just on the quarter-hour mark Pienaar crossed the line for a try after Ulster countered from their own half.
A Richie Rees high kick was fielded by Jared Payne who beat Matthew Pewtner and then threw a long pass to the advancing Darren Cave who had Pienaar steaming up on his inside to take the scoring pass.
Jackson added the conversion and Ulster were 10-0 up. That became 17-0 eight minutes later when - shortly after Luke Marshall had to leave the field - a Johann Muller lineout off the top saw Bowe hit the line at an angle before racing clear to score.
Jackson converted and did so again three minutes later when Bowe got over again after picking a great line through the Dragons defence which saw Ulster comfortably lead 24-0 after 26 minutes.
The bonus point was racked up just before the half-hour when after a series of five-metre scrums, and with visiting prop Owen Evans in the bin, referee Lloyd Linton awarded the penalty try which Jackson converted taking Ulster's lead to 31-0.
Rhys Jones then hit an upright with a penalty shot for the Dragons but made good with the last action of the half which finished with Ulster leading 31-3.
With Bowe substituted at the interval, Ulster still pushed on with Doyle getting their fifth try five minutes after the restart with Jackson continuing his unblemished record off the tee before he was replaced around the hour mark.
David McIlwaine then had a try ruled out by the TMO for a forward pass from Payne and the Dragons finally got a score from winger Ross Wardle after 63 minutes which Jones failed to convert.
Although the visitors opened the scoring Edinburgh had built up a 22-11 lead by the break thanks to tries from Grayson Hart (2) and centre Sam Beard, with full-back Carl Bezuidenhout kicking two conversions and a penalty.
Jeff Hassler's second unconverted try for Ospreys cut Edinburgh's lead to three points but three second half penalties from Bezuidenhout saw them home.
Although Ospreys stand-off Dan Biggar kicked five penalties, it could not prevent the top four hopefuls from slipping to defeat.
Yet the Welsh team started brightly. A long period of possession ended with some slick passing by the backs and a neat offload by flanker Justin Tipuric for winger Hassler to score - although Biggar could not convert from far out.
Edinburgh capitalised after Ospreys had offended at a scrum. A long line-out drive finished with scrum-half Hart taking the ball and touching down behind the posts for Bezuidenhout to convert.
When referee Peter Fitzgibbon penalised Ospreys at the next scrum, Bezuidenhout kicked the penalty.
Ospreys produced a six-minutes siege of the home line which included choosing to put three penalties to touch - but Edinburgh held out before registering their second try in 25 minutes.
A piece of individual brilliance from winger Jack Cuthbert took him to the visitors' line, where he sent in centre Sam Beard.
By the turnaround, Edinburgh had registered a third try, again through Hart - and despite prop Geoff Cross being in the sin-bin. Hart was put in by flanker Roddy Grant at the end of a long spell of home possession.
This score was sandwiched by a pair of Biggar penalties, so Edinburgh went in leading 22-11 at the break.
A third Biggar penalty, after Cuthbert had been adjudged to hold on in the tackle, cut Edinburgh's lead five minutes into the second half.
Nine minutes later, following an interception by Ospreys centre Ashley Beck, Biggar's fourth penalty trimmed the hosts' lead to just five points.
Edinburgh had been pinned in their own half but in 58 minutes they at last got established in Ospreys territory where Jonathan Spratt conceded a soft penalty, struck home by Bezuidenhout.
Ospreys immediately responded with Hassler confirmed in scoring his second unconverted try, after Fitzgibbon had consulted the TMO.
In the 70th minute Edinburgh pinned Ospreys in their 22 for the first time and although nothing came of it Bezuidenhout kicked his third penalty from the 10- metre line.
Edinburgh were now dominating territorially and as Ospreys found themselves on the back foot Beck was sin-binned and Bezuidenhout added the penalty.
With two minutes left Biggar kicked his fifth penalty to secure the losing bonus point and conclude the scoring.
The venue change worked for the home side. Edinburgh decamped from Murrayfield to the ground of club side Boroughmuir to allow the infestation-affected turf the maximum recuperation time ahead of next Saturday's Scotland v France RBS 6 Nations international.
It meant an all-ticket crowd of 3,000, instead of being lost in the cavernous stands of Scotland's headquarters, were right on top of the players providing an experience totally foreign to the Edinburgh players when at home.
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