Four-Try Leinster End Ulster’s Winning Run

Leinster came good in the second half to claim a crucial 24-12 Guinness PRO14 bonus point win over previously-unbeaten Ulster at the RDS.

Tries from Sean Cronin and Robbie Henshaw provided a big momentum shift just after the break, as Leo Cullen’s men, who have a game in hand on the Conference A leaders, closed the gap at the summit to five points.

With Ulster full of confidence following ten straight victories, John Cooney kicked three penalties – two during Marcell Coetzee’s sin-binning – to establish a 9-5 half-time lead.

However, those scores from Cronin and Henshaw – adding to Dave Kearney’s earlier effort – saw Leinster put last week’s surprise defeat to Connacht behind them.

James Tracy’s clinching 73rd-minute try came soon after Cooney’s fourth penalty of the night. With only the Conference winners advancing to the final in this abbreviated PRO14 season, this battle between the two provinces could go right down to the wire.

Giving his reaction afterwards, Leinster captain Jonathan Sexton said: “It’s in our hands now. There’s still a lot of work to do (in order to qualify for the PRO14 final in March).

“We’re going to lose a lot of players to the international window and then the rest of the squad are going to have to pick it up. It’s always been a squad effort here (at Leinster) for those reasons and it’s no different now.

“We’ve got a few really tough games to play and during the Six Nations window, we won’t know who’s available. We still have it all do but it’s in our hands now, so that’s all you can ask for.

“We needed to get a game together, for me I haven’t played for Leinster for a long time apart from 20 minutes (against Connacht) last week so it’s about getting that continuity.

“You could see we were very rusty, especially in the first half, but I was very proud of how we gathered ourselves at half-time and had a very good second half performance.”

Ulster dominated possession early on but were unable to force a score. Ulster’s aggression at the breakdown and Henshaw’s thumping tackle on a kick-receiving Ethan McIlroy summed up the intensity on show.

The visitors deservedly edged ahead on the quarter hour mark, Cooney rifling over a kick to punish some ‘escorting’ by James Ryan.

Following a miscued penalty attempt by Sexton, better continuity from Leinster – aided by a high-tackle penalty against Coetzee – had them in prime position to break the try deadlock.

Kearney finished expertly in the 22nd minute from a lovely long pass by Jamison Gibson-Park, the experienced winger brilliantly getting the ball down, ahead of both Matt Faddes and Billy Burns.

Sexton again missed the target, this time from the touchline, and Ulster did really well to survive Coetzee’s sin-binning for a second high tackle. Leinster were thwarted by some very good covering by McIlroy and Cooney, along with James Hume’s turnover penalty.

Indeed, scrum half Cooney punished infringements by Ireland regulars Ryan and Andrew Porter to put four points between the sides. In between, the impressive Jordi Murphy won a hard-earned penalty in defence.

However, the second half saw Leinster regain their usual rhythm by winning a succession of penalties near the right corner. Hooker Cronin was driven over from a five-metre lineout, with the added boost of a crisply-struck conversion from Sexton.

As Ulster came under further pressure, the fit-again Jordan Larmour was held up by Hume following some deft footwork by Hugo Keenan, whose all-action display earned him the player-of-the-match award.

Much quicker ball, with Caelan Doris prominent in the carry, led to Henshaw powering his way over in the 52nd minute having initially broken a tackle from Cooney. Sexton missed the conversion at 17-9.

Another Cooney strike had Ulster back in bonus point territory, but Tracy’s sharply-taken maul try, coupled with a conversion and a last-gasp interception from Ross Byrne, ensured a 12-point winning margin for the defending champions.

Assessing the game in the aftermath, Ulster head coach Dan McFarland commented: “We came down here with a side that we felt would put in a really good performance and certainly for the first half, we did.

“We were up against a Leinster team that was more or less fully loaded, very strong. At half-time, we put ourselves into a good position with some smart play and some strong play.

“Then at the start of the second half, we made two errors, giving a penalty away needlessly in our third of the pitch, which they scored off. And then knocking on when we had a chance in their half of the pitch, that ended in a period of pressure and a try.

“That was was really the flipping of the game. We were always on the back foot from there. A huge amount of effort was put into that, both in terms of the preparation and the physical effort and mental intensity that went into that.

“Ultimately, if you are not close to error-free football here in Leinster, they can make you pay and they did.”