Late Sheehan Try Denies Ulster As Leinster Win Festive Interpro Opener

Leinster overturned a half-time deficit for the second week running, as Dan Sheehan’s 73rd-minute try saw them complete a 24-20 comeback win over Ulster at the Aviva Stadium.

Sheehan was part of a strong Leinster bench that made a decisive impact in the second half, and his bonus point effort denied an Ulster team that had done a lot right over the first hour, scoring three tries.

The Ulstermen were eyeing an upset, and their first win at the home of Irish Rugby since 2012, when Werner Kok crossed twice to take his season’s haul to seven tries, and Tom Stewart tagged on a superb late score.

That left Leinster trailing 17-7 at half-time, having briefly led through Rieko Ioane’s first try for the province. They had come from nine points down in Leicester last week, and went on to secure a similar result in this fiercely-contested festive derby.

Replying to a Josh Kenny try, Nathan Doak’s crisply-struck penalty while James Ryan was in the sin bin had Richie Murphy’s side leading by eight points on the hour mark.

Nonetheless, James Lowe touched down to set up a grandstand finish and then Sheehan capitalised on David McCann’s yellow card, as Leinster closed to within a point of fourth-placed Ulster in the BKT United Rugby Championship table.

Although Leo Cullen’s men started on the front foot, Jacob Stockdale showed his ability to beat the first defender when countering at close quarters. The hosts’ early progress was halted by a crooked lineout throw.

Off a lineout of their own in a good position, Ulster gained ground up into the opposition 22 through the returning Stuart McCloskey until Leinster’s choke tackle forced turnover ball.

Charlie Tector was first to Kok’s tapback of a high ball, and Leinster’s captain and player-of-the-match, Jack Conan, had a strong carry, but Tom Stewart pinched possession back to thwart a maul attempt, leading to a rampaging run from McCann out wide.

Having turned down two kickable penalties, the visitors hammered away close in and then Jack Murphy, armed with a penalty advantage, aimed an excellent flat kick over Ciarán Frawley, and the ball bounced invitingly for Kok to open the scoring.

It was a classy 13th-minute opener, which went unconverted, and good reward for the momentum built by Ulster’s forwards. The game began to open up more as a Sam Prendergast pass went to ground, and Robert Baloucoune pounced to launch a kick chase.

Just a couple of minutes later, a raking Prendergast delivery had Frawley raiding up into the Ulster 22. A tidier set-piece launch had Leinster pressing for a try – Charlie Irvine caught Scott Penny with a shuddering tackle – but the pressure told at the end of a prolonged attacking spell.

Ulster’s defence finally gave way when Prendergast, using an advantage and Tector’s pullback, flashed a precise pass across for Ioane to crash over in the 26th minute. The conversion from Prendergast split the sides at 7-5.

However, it was Murphy’s charges who ended the opening 40 minutes with a bang. Firstly, Doak swooped on a Tector offload and kicked downfield, with Kok haring after the ball and gathering it on the bounce to score under the posts.

Doak’s conversion restored the five-point lead, and Ulster added five more in the 37th minute. Stockdale and McCloskey were both prominent before the latter’s slick offload released Stewart, who brilliantly powered away from Tector and Lowe to dive over out wide.

Frawley impressed at the start of the second half, plucking down Doak’s big bomb of a kick right in front of the Leinster posts. A nicely-angled 50:22 kick from Lowe was then quickly followed by the introduction of a new front row plus Joe McCarthy.

The pace of this already absorbing contest lifted again, although Ulster’s back-three had to be rejigged with Baloucoune going off injured. Ethan McIlroy made a welcome return from his ACL injury, going straight to full-back with Stockdale moved to the wing.

Leinster marched forward with a 52nd-minute scrum penalty, as Paddy McCarthy got the edge on Tom O’Toole. The subsequent lineout provided the platform for Kenny’s fourth try in three matches, as Lowe’s long skip pass put him jinking away from McIlroy for a quality finish.

The home side were pushing for a third try when Ryan saw yellow for making ‘clear head contact’ on Sam Crean at a ruck. Ulster made their way back past halfway, and despite another fine aerial take by Frawley, the defending champions conceded soon after.

Leinster replacement Max Deegan was guilty of cleaning out Stewart too far past a ruck, with an extra 10 metres added for backchat. Doak nailed the long-range penalty from the left, making it 20-12 with just over 18 minutes left.

A couple of sniping runs from Luke McGrath got the Leinster attack firing again, with the pack responding. The McCarthy brothers led the charge towards the Ulster posts before replacement Harry Byrne fired out a pass for Lowe to go over in the left corner.

It remained 20-17 with Byrne’s conversion staying out to the right. Despite an Ulster lineout not working out, McCloskey was first to the ball in midfield. He carried strongly into the 22 and kept the attack going with an offload.

However, a Harry Sheridan knock-on came just after stand-in skipper Nick Timoney had collected a Murphy cross-field kick. The return of Ryan, on the occasion of his 100th senior appearance for his home province, coincided with another scrum penalty won by Leinster.

They were soon back in Ulster territory, aided by McCann’s sin-binning for a deliberate knock-on with a clear linebreak in the offing. A key moment came when Penny’s speed at the breakdown forced a penalty in an advanced position.

Joe McCarthy’s lineout take set up the drive and it was well controlled for Sheehan to get the crucial grounding. Byrne’s well-struck conversion nudged it out to a four-point margin, and it was enough for Leinster’s fifth successive victory in all competitions.

Ryan stole a lineout late on and then when Ulster got back past halfway and retained set-piece possession, a Crean knock-on was pounced on by Joe McCarthy, allowing Prendergast to kick the ball dead from a final scrum.