Jacob Stockdale's try in the final play of the game sealed a deserved success for the home side, but the Ospreys were left gutted after tackling their hearts out in Belfast.

And it could have all been so very different for the visitors had Kieron Fonotia not had a first-half try ruled out.

As it was, John Cooney's kick and Stockdale's late effort meant the away side failed to take even a losing bonus point from the game which would have been just reward for their impressive rearguard effort.

A physical first half saw the Ospreys turn around 3-0 down, but the low scoreline failed to reflect what was a hugely entertaining encounter.

The Welsh visitors had plenty of defending to do in the opening 40 minutes and they did it well, lock Bradley Davies standing up well and making tackle after tackle.

Cooney's penalty inside the first 10 minutes opened the game's account, but remarkably, that proved to be the only points before the break.

With their attacks limited, the Ospreys had their backs to the ball but Allen Clarke's side did have a try ruled out when Alun Wyn Jones was penalised.

After running back a loose kick with interest, centre Fonotia sent the Ulster defence the wrong way with a dummy, foxed the last man in white Charles Piatau, and made his way to the line.

It looked a fine score, but the try was taken upstairs by referee Andrew Brace and the TMO penalised Wales' Six Nations captain Jones - playing in the unusual position of blindside flanker - for a neck roll on Iain Henderson.

Ospreys had lost hooker Scott Otten to an early injury, but a thrilling contest continued when the game resumed.

It was fast, it was physical, and it was frenetic, but the Ospreys were still the ones without the ball as the black line of defence somehow held firm.

Ulster still kept banging away in search of a try and attack after attack then saw Jeff Hassler yellow carded after making a tackle, getting stuck the wrong side of the ruck, and slowing down home ball.

Despite going down to 14, the Ospreys never took a backward step and Ulster's Nick Timoney then dived over in the corner after collecting a loose ball.

The replacement was put under pressure by excellent cover work from Owen Watkin though and failed to ground over the line as the latest Ulster chance went begging.

It looked like a home try would never arrive, but with the clock in the 80^th minute and the Ospreys on the attack, Dan Biggar's loose pass left Jones grasping at thin air.

Stockdale picked up and raced away from the impressive Sam Cross and that was the final nail in the Ospreys' coffin as it mattered little that the conversion was missed.