Ulster advanced to the Heineken Champions Cup’s last-eight courtesy of an epic second half comeback away to Leicester Tigers. They finished as Pool 4 runners-up on 22 points, a tally which earned them their first quarter-final appearance since 2014.
Trailing 13-0 on 50 minutes after a flat and error-strewn first half display, the introduction of star scrum half John Cooney spurred Dan McFarland’s side into life, with tries from Martin Moore and Robert Baloucoune either side of the hour mark – and Cooney’s two conversions – snatching a single-point win.
Iain Henderson was also imperious on his return from thumb surgery, deservedly collecting the man-of-the-match award afterwards, and Ulster’s efforts in stringing together four successive pool wins have earned them a quarter-final trip to the Aviva Stadium to face Leinster on March 29/30/31.
The return from injury of Henderson was the only change to the team that recorded last week’s famous victory over Racing 92, with the lock back in action earlier than expected – and in time for Ireland’s Six Nations campaign – after undergoing a procedure on his injured thumb last month.
Otherwise Ulster lined up with Louis Ludik at full-back, Baloucoune and Jacob Stockdale – both scorers against Racing – on the wings, and the centre pairing of Will Addison and Stuart McCloskey. Billy Burns continued at out-half while David Shanahan was rewarded for his gutsy display against the French giants with selection ahead of first-choice scrum half Cooney.
Henderson slotted into an otherwise unchanged pack of props Eric O’Sullivan and Moore, captain Rory Best, second row Kieran Treadwell, and a back row of Sean Reidy, Jordi Murphy, a Champions Cup title winner with Leinster last season, and Marcell Coetzee.
After early errors in the form of a knock-on apiece inside the opening minutes of the much-anticipated final round tie, Ulster settled more quickly with both Stockdale and Coetzee tearing up the Welford Road turf as they tried to turn defence into attack.
A Baloucoune knock-on on 12 minutes presented Tigers with the game’s first real scoring chance, but some fine collective defending from Ulster kept their raids at bay until the 21-year-old flyer was able to win a turnover and clear.
The first quarter ending scoreless, Ulster found themselves hampered by a misfiring lineout as the game progressed, losing their third from five early throws in the second quarter from a promising position after a high tackle on Addison by Brendon O’Connor.
Leicester fared little better with ball in hand, as two poor passes from scrum half Ben Youngs drew knock-ons from his team-mates within a matter of minutes, but they managed to open the scoring on the half hour courtesy of a George Ford penalty.
A severely overcooked clearance from Youngs then gifted Ulster a scrum in Tigers territory, although the chance soon went a-begging after a strong run from McCloskey, as no one in red had the presence of mind to fill in at scrum half with Shanahan on the ground and presenting the ball. Leicester helped themselves to an easy steal.
Ulster’s task got more difficult when they lost Coetzee to a leg injury, with Nick Timoney replacing him, before a pinpoint 39th-minute grubber kick from Ford, which left Burns and Best exposed, put onrushing centre Matt Toomua over for a converted try on the stroke of half-time.
Armed with a 10-0 lead, Tigers started the second half in a similarly dominant fashion, eventually cashing in on 10 minutes of possession through another Ford penalty. Cooney took over from Shanahan at this stage, and was soon in the thick of it as Ulster put together their best attacking phase thus far, turning down an easy three points on 52 minutes to play a lineout which Leicester eventually pinched.
The visitors’ next lineout functioned better, however, and although the breakthrough failed to come after three minutes of patient probing, a Leicester offside set up a five-metre throw-in, and Moore forced his way over from the resulting rolling maul.
Cooney’s well-struck conversion brought his side into losing bonus-point territory on the hour mark, but the Ulster aspirations were clearly higher than settling for the single point they needed to secure qualification, and they struck for another try barely five minutes later.
An exquisite Burns kick was dangled towards the left corner and Baloucoune was quick off the mark to collect it and run in his second score in two Champions Cup games, raiding in close to the posts to give Cooney an easier conversion.
After surviving a scare shortly after the restart with prop Greg Bateman brought down only metres from the line by Baloucoune, Ulster went on to soak up a seemingly interminable amount of Leicester pressure until possession was wrenched back in the 73rd minute.
Ulster kept the ball well as the clock wound down into the final five minutes, surrendering it to a penalty with three to go, but were spared by a crooked throw from replacement hooker Ross McMillan. This time the quarter-final chasers saw out the clock before replacement Michael Lowry kicked to touch just as soon as he could after the 80-minute mark.
Delighted that Ulster have confirmed their place in the quarter-finals for the first time in five years, McFarland admitted afterwards: “I’m really pleased, and the second half performance showed everything about what we are. We had to turn the game around.
“In the first half we weren’t even close to what we’re capable of playing but we turned that around to a large extent and some of our defence was magnificent. Play-off football is where you want to be. If you want to challenge for championships you have to play play-off football regularly. We’ve come out of a hard pool with five wins.
“I don’t mind (who we play), we’re in a quarter-final. Any side will be really tough and we’re going away from home at the end of March. We’ll play one of the four best sides in Europe but we’re in the top-eight so that’s great.”
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