Leinster made it five wins on the bounce after grinding out a 24-20 bonus point win over Ulster in the first of the festive interpros.
Yet the reigning URC champions are still desperately in search of a performance that would give their season a feeling of momentum.
Ulster were the better team for sixty minutes, and lead by nine at the break and by eight with 15 minutes. In the end, they were undone by Leinster’s huge bench impact, and the scant impact of their own. Dan Sheehan won the match with a 7rth minute try.
What a second half! It’s a bonus-point victory at the Aviva! 💙🔥#LEIvULS #NeverLessThanEverything pic.twitter.com/cK90D6iX5b
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) December 19, 2025
On Premier Sports after the game, Bernard Jackman admitted that Leinster fans will continue to be frustrated even if their club is slowly climbing up the URC table.
They know that they have more weapons than anyone else in Ireland. It’s the most expensive squad to put together. You’ve got the most internationals. You’ve got foreign players like Rieko Ioane. You’ve got foreign players like Rabah Slimani. You’ve got foreign players like RG Snyman who’s obviously injured tonight.
The result is good but the performance is very poor.
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Jackman also had an automotive analogy that perfectly captured Leinster’s poor play.
It’s like an engine with dirt in the tank. It’s just spluttering.
They can’t get any momentum. They had to resort to bully ball tactics to win the match. They had to do what they had to do.
Unfortunately, we don’t think that’s going to be enough to beat the best teams in this competition. You’re not going to be able to scrum them to death. You’re not going to be able to maul them over the line as easy Leinster did to Ulster.
If Ulster had a bench, they win that game.
Jackman went on to say that Leinster’s skillset has “gone back miles” and questioned the team’s tactical focus on defense and physicality given the strengths of Leinster’s squad.
He also pushed back on man of the match Jack Conan’s claims that the game was Test match quality.
“It’s a worrying time for Irish Rugby” 😬🗣️
Bernard Jackman gives his thoughts on this evenings game 🔵⚪ pic.twitter.com/gMbGicZd1x
— Premier Sports Ireland (@PremSportsIRL) December 19, 2025
None of this bodes well for Ireland who are six weeks from a trip to Paris. Andy Farrell was in the Aviva on Friday and won’t have left the stadium full of optimism about his team’s chances in the 2026 Six Nations.
19 December 2025; Ireland head coach Andy Farrell in attendance during the United Rugby Championship match between Leinster and Ulster at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Leinster will travel to Thomond Park on Saturday week with a score to settle. Perhaps that fixture will bring out the best in Leinster.
Or perhaps this worrying dip in form is actually the new normal for Leinster, and Ireland.
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