Ulster dominate Leinster in Guinness Pro12
Ulster 26 Leinster 10
Leinster’s season is effectively over with over a month of rugby still to play after their Guinness PRO12 defeat to Ulster in Belfast this evening.
Matt O’Connor’s side can technically still qualify for the play-off stages with two rounds yet to play, but no-one aside from the mathematicians would give any credence to that scenario unfolding after this comprehensive loss to their provincial cousins.
The visitors began brightly, a Jimmy Gopperth penalty and conversion being sandwiched by a try from Ben Teo’o inside the first seven minutes, but they tired visibly thereafter in a game that came just five days after their extra-time European semi-final loss to Toulon in Marseille.
Ulster needed the win to keep up the pressure on Munster for a vital top-two spot in the table - they life first for now - that delivers with them the benefit of home advantage in the play-offs, though Anthony Foley’s men should at least end the weekend a point ahead of them as they meet Treviso in Cork on Saturday.
Ulster’s retort to Leinster’s opening salvo was impressive, the 10-0 deficit wiped out within ten minutes thanks to a Ruan Pienaar penalty, conversion and a try for Iain Henderson that came on the back of a break by out-half Paddy Jackson.
A cracking game stuttered in the heavy rain thereafter with Pienaar firing over another penalty on 39 minutes to make it 13-10 at the break and it stayed that way through a terrible third quarter before Ulster began to turn the screw.
Sean O’Brien was sinbinned in the first-half for a dangerous tackle on Henderson and Rob Kearney was sent there too on the hour for blatantly killing the ball as Ulster broke through. Pienaar kicked the penalty and added another soon after.
The win was secured when Craig Gilroy rampaged over the line for his side’s second try with seven minutes left, Pienaar’s try ending the scoring and kickstarting a triumphant atmosphere around a stadium packed with over 17,000 people on the night.
L Ludik; T Bowe, J Payne, D Cave, C Gilroy; P Jackson, R Pienaar; C Black, R Best, W Herbst; D Tuohy, F Van der Merwe; I Henderson, C Henry, R Wilson. Replacements: S McCloskey for Cave (52); R Diack for Tuohy (67);R Herring for Best (69); A Warwick for Black and B Ross for Herbst (both 70).
R Kearney; Z Kirchner, B Te’o, G D’arcy, L Fitzgerald; J Gopperth, I Boss; C Healy, R Strauss, M Ross; D Toner, M McCarthy; D Ryan, S O’Brien, J Heaslip. Replacements: J Murphy for Ryan (52); S Cronin for Strauss and J McGrath for Healy (both 59); T Furlong for Ross and E Reddan for Boss (both 59); I Madigan for D’Arcy (63); B Marshall for McCarthy (68).
J Lacey (IRFU).
