For the second Friday in a row it looked like Leinster’s season was about to hit another stumbling block, but for the second week in a row they found a way to win.
After Leicester Tigers felt the brunt of a second-half onslaught a week ago, this time it was Ulster who were victims of Leinster’s depth off the bench, as Leo Cullen’s side fought their way back for a 24-20 bonus-point win.
It was a cruel result for Richie Murphy’s side, who led 17-7 at half-time, and 20-12 with just over a quarter of an hour to play, while Leinster also spent time down to 14 players after a yellow card for James Ryan, sent to the sin-bin for a high clearout on Sam Crean.
By that stage, Ulster had done just about everything right as they looked to lay down a significant marker after a promising start to the season in the BKT United Rugby Championship.
Two tries for Werner Kok, and another for the brilliant Tom Stewart had put them within reach of a famous win at the Aviva, while Nathan Doak kicked five points off the tee, including a penalty which gave them a two-score lead heading down the stretch.
Rieko Ioane’s first try in Leinster colours had been the high point of an error-strewn first half for the defending champions, and JJ Kenny’s effort saw them stay within reach in the third quarter.
But the impact of Leinster’s bench proved too much and eventually the pressure told, as James Lowe and Dan Sheehan’s tries completed another big comeback.
Dan Sheehan’s late try won it for Leinster
It was a scrappy opening, with both sides fluffing good opportunities in the 22; Leinster’s venture quickly ended with a crooked lineout, while Ulster’s first real attack saw Stuart McCloskey turned over after a strong choke tackle by Prendergast and Charlie Tector.
Ulster took the lead on 13 minutes with Kok’s try, but it started a few minutes earlier when Stewart forced a turnover as Leinster attempted a maul, before David McCann’s break down the sideline ended with a penalty for the visitors.
From there, another Leinster infringement allowed Ulster a second go at the lineout, and when they strayed offside again, Ulster used the advantage brilliantly, Murphy dropping a perfect crossfield kick over to the South African winger, who beat the despairing Ciarán Frawley to the line.
Leinster really should have levelled the game on 21 minutes when Prendergast’s wide pass sent Frawley racing into space and into Ulster territory, but the full-back unwisely held onto the ball rather than passing to winger JJ Kenny, as Ulster recovered.
The home side had been playing with a penalty advantage at the time, and maintained pressure in the 22 for several minutes as further penalties came their way, and eventually they broke through for their score, a bullet pass from Prendergast to Ioane (below) allowing the new signing barge over Rob Baloucoune for his first try in blue, as Prendergast converted to make it 7-5 to the hosts.
The defending champions were starting to win fast, clean ball, and they were moving it wide. James Lowe and Kenny both showed strength to make good ground near the touchline, and Ulster’s discipline was creaking with a penalty against Stewart, but Leinster couldn’t capitalise as Prendergast saw a penalty miss touch for the second time in the game.
That failure to score proved costly as Ulster hit them for two quick tries to end the half with a 17-7 lead.
The first of those scores on 33 minutes was right out of the blue, Nathan Doak making a perfect read on Tector’s attempts at an offload, and after intercepting, he hacked the ball forward for Kok to latch on and run in his second try.
Four minutes later, the northern province’s night got even better, with a delicate offload from McCloskey finding Stewart on the right wing, and the hooker showed wonderful footwork for step inside Lowe and outside Tector, before fending off Lowe’s second tackle attempt and running in the third try, giving them a 10-point lead at the interval.
Werner Kok scored two Ulster tries
The second half started with another big Ulster chance in the 22, but it went to waste after two poorly executed kicks from Doak, and that momentum swung back to the Leinster side when Lowe launched a wonderful 50:22.
Meanwhile, the home side brought Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong and Joe and Paddy McCarthy off the bench in one sweep, a sign that even 10 points ahead, Ulster had a long way to go.
They were well up for the fight, with Jacob Stockdale and David McCann putting in two huge tackles on Lowe and Scott Penny respectively, but their scrum was coming under pressure from the fresh Leinster legs.
That led to a penalty from which the province cut the deficit on 53 minutes, allowing Harry Byrne kick for the corner and giving them a launchpad in the 22, before a beautiful wide pass from Lowe to Kenny sent the Sevens international into the corner, making it a 17-12 game.
The momentum was right back on Leinster’s side as they went back on the attack in the 22 on 58 minutes, but when Ryan (below) was shown yellow for his high clearout out Crean, the home side completely lost their composure.
Moments later, Lowe sent a kick out on the full, and that error was compounded by Max Deegan giving away a breakdown penalty a few phases later. Deegan’s protests with referee Andrew Brace saw the province marched backwards 10 metres, allowing Doak a shot between the sticks, which he nailed to make it 20-12.
Two scores behind, Leinster rolled their sleeves up, and started taking Ulster on up front, and when they forced their way into the final third of the pitch, a series of big carries from the pack saw them earn a penalty advantage under the posts, with Byrne spraying a wide pass to Lowe for a try in the corner, which reduced the gap to three points with a quarter of an hour to play.
Back to 15 players, Leinster were pushing and Ulster were clinging on, and they had to play the final nine minutes with 14 players after McCann was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on.
They couldn’t hold on. With six minute left, Ethan McIlroy tried to run the ball from his own 22, and when Scott Penny pounced on the breakdown to win a penalty, they kicked to the corner and mauled their way over for the bonus-point try from Sheehan, converted by Byrne to move 24-20 in front.
That’s how it stayed as Leinster ground out another scrappy, but vital win.
Scorers
Leinster: Tries: Rieko Ioane, JJ Kenny, James Lowe, Dan Sheehan
Cons: Sam Prendergast (2)
Ulster: Tries: Werner Kok (2), Tom Stewart
Cons: Nathan Doak (1)
Pens: Nathan Doak (1)
Leinster: Ciarán Frawley; JJ Kenny, Rieko Ioane, Charlie Tector, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Luke McGrath; Jack Boyle, Gus McCarthy, Rabah Slimani; Brian Deeny, James Ryan; Alex Soroka, Scott Penny, Jack Conan (capt)
Replacements: Dan Sheehan (for Gus McCarthy 44), Paddy McCarthy (for Boyle, 44), Tadhg Furlong (for Slimani, 44), Joe McCarthy (for Deeny, 44), Max Deegan (for Soroka, 52), Fintan Gunne (for McGrath, 71), Harry Byrne (for Tector, 46, HIA), Ruben Moloney
Ulster: Jacob Stockdale; Rob Baloucoune, Jude Postlethwaite, Stuart McCloskey, Werner Kok; Jack Murphy, Nathan Doak; Angus Bell, Tom Stewart, Tom O’Toole; Harry Sheridan, Charlie Irvine; David McCann, Nick Timoney (capt), Juarno Augustus
Replacements: John Andrew (for Stewart, 64-71, blood), Sam Crean (for Bell, 54), Scott Wilson (for O’Toole, 54), Joe Hopes (for Irvine, 46), Bryn Ward (for Augustus, 64), Conor McKee (for Doak, 80), Jake Flannery, Ethan McIlroy (for Baloucoune, 49).
Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU)
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