Jacob Stockdale didn’t get in for any of Ulster’s five tries but the Irish international made a successful return to action in his first match in a year.
The 26-year old looked sharp and played the full 80 minutes and will be hoping to push on in the coming weeks.
Ulster had far too much firepower for a very disappointing Connacht side who will now have to pick up the pieces as they head to South Africa to take on the URC champions Stormers and runners-up Bulls in the next two weeks.
READ MORE: Cardiff v Munster result and recap as The Reds start URC season on bitterly disappointing note
But they never got an edge in this contest at Kingspan Stadium and would have suffered a much bigger defeat had Ulster been sharper in attack.
Ulster dominated the opening half and were good value for their 14-3 lead as Connacht had to defend for long periods of a half littered with mistakes by both sides.
Connacht out-half Conor Fitzgerald did well to knock a pass back as Luke Marshall was about to send Robert Baloucoune away for a clear run to the right corner after 15 minutes.
But the reprieve didn’t last long with centres Marshall and Stuart McCloskey dominant and the two combined for the opening score after 27 minutes.
Skipper Alan O’Connor won a five-metre lineout after Connacht scrum-half Kieran Marmion was harshly pinged near halfway for obstruction, and McCloskey took it forward, getting inside Fitzgerald and Tom Daly before looping a pass back for Marshall to score under the posts.
Nathan Doak converted and he also added the extras from the left when 21-year old hooker Tom Stewart crowned his first start by punishing poor defending when he looped around a lineout to score three minutes from the break.
Connacht finished the half with a boost when Fitzgerald landed a penalty from 35 metres to cut the gap to eleven points.
Ulster took over after the restart and the pressure yielded six penalties but no card for Connacht. However, the pressure told.
Doak extended the lead with a 45th minute penalty and then he touched down for a try six minutes later when Stewart was stopped just short.
Doak’s third conversion made it 24-3 as both sides emptied their benches and Ulster secured the bonus point when full-back Stewart Moore got over after Connacht No.8 Paul Boyle was binned for offiside.
Replacement scrum-half Caolin Blade got over for a consolation try ten minutes from time after a good counter by Niall Murray and a final pass from debutant out-half David Hawkshaw.
But Ulster finished on a high with another penalty to the corner yielded a fifth try of the night with replacement prop Callum Reid getting the touchdown and Doak converting from the right.
Scorers: Ulster: Tries: L Marshall, T Stewart, N Doak, S Moore, C Reid. Cons: N Doak (4). Pen: Doak.
Connacht: Try: C Blade. Con: D Hawkshaw. Pen: C Fitzgerald.
Ulster: S Moore; R Baloucoune (A Sexton 78), L Marshall, S McCloskey (A Curtis 55), J Stockdale; B Burns (D Shanahan 65), N Doak; E O’Sullivan (C Reid 58), T Stewart (J Andrew 61), M Moore (J Toomaga-Allen 65); A O’Connor, S Carter (C Izuchukwu 58); Matty Rea, Marcus Rea, D McCann (J Murphy 58).
Connacht: T O’Halloran (A Wootton 66); B Ralston, T Farrell (Wootton 35-40), T Daly, J Porch; C Fitzgerald (D Hawkshaw 49), K Marmion (C Blade 50); P Dooley (D Buckley 50), D Heffernan (D Tierney-Martin 50), J Aungier (S Illo 57); G Thornbury, L Fifita (N Murray 61); J Murphy, C Oliver (S Hurley-Langton half-time), P Boyle.
Referee: Eoghan Cross (IRFU).
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