Ulster clinched a deserved 47-13 bonus-point victory over Benetton while Leinster sealed a hard-fought 22-10 triumph against the Dragons in Friday’s Round Six United Rugby Championship (URC) action.
At the Affidea Stadium in Belfast, Ulster consolidated their position amongst the frontrunners in the URC standings as an outstanding second half performance secured them a deserved win.
The opening period was a tense affair and Benetton held a narrow 13-12 lead at the interval, but Ulster delivered a dominant second half display and eventually outscored their visitors by seven tries to one.
Rob Baloucoune and Werner Kok led the way with a brace apiece for the home side while James Hume and Harry Sheridan also crossed the whitewash, and they were also awarded a penalty try.
Ulster’s other points came via conversions from Nathan Doak (3) and Jake Flannery (2). Meanwhile, Bautista Bernasconi scored a try for Benetton while Jacob Umaga slotted a conversion and two penalties.
Ulster opened the scoring in the 10th minute when Rhyno Smith failed to deal with a teasing box kick from Doak and after watching several television replays, referee Sam Grove-White ruled that Baloucoune had done enough to control the ball before dotting down on the visitors’ try-line.
The Italian outfit struck back with a penalty from Umaga shortly afterwards before Kok crossed for Ulster’s second five-pointer midway through the opening half after Jude Postlethwaite laid the groundwork with an excellent line break in the build-up.
That meant Ulster held a 12-3 lead but Benetton finished the half stronger as Bernasconi crossed for a converted try in the 28th minute before Umaga succeeded with his second three-pointer off the kicking tee which gave the visitors the lead at the break.
It was all Ulster in the second half and in the 52nd minute Kok and Rob Herring went close to scoring before Hume stepped past a couple of defenders on his way over the try-line.
Five minutes later, Kok rounded off for the second time and Benetton’s situation worsened in the 63rd minute when Onisi Ratave was yellow carded for a deliberate knock-on deep inside his 22 which also resulted in a penalty try for the hosts.
Ulster made full use of their numerical advantage as Harry Sheridan dotted down in the 68th minute before Baloucoune added the final nail in Benetton’s coffin in the game’s dying moments.
Meanwhile, Leinster were made to work very hard before they clinched their URC victory over a spirited Dragons outfit at Rodney Parade.
The champions eventually outscored their hosts by four tries to one with Joshua Kenny finishing with a 10-point contribution after crossing for two five-pointers in the second half.
The opening half was a tense affair although Leinster made a fantastic start when Alex Soroka went over for the opening try as early as the fourth minute.
Despite that score, the Dragons did not panic and after Diarmuid Mangan was yellow carded on the half hour-mark, the hosts struck back via a Matthew Screech try, which Tinus de Beer converted, shortly afterwards.
That meant the Dragons held a slender 7-5 lead at half-time but Kenny scored his first try early in the second half and Harry Byrne’s successful conversion meant Leinster were leading 12-7, before an Angus O’Brien penalty in the 47th minute reduced that lead to two points.
Kenny went over for his second five-pointer on the hour-mark and the final quarter was a slugfest although Leinster eventually secured their bonus-point and the win when RG Snyman scored their fourth try in the 78th minute.