Ulster 14
Leinster 13
Sean Farrell reports from Kingspan Stadium
THERE WAS A distinct last-day-of-school feel to this inter-pro clash, as both the Heineken Champions Cup finalists and Pro14 quarter-finalists felt they had far bigger fish to fry in the near future.
Still, Ulster and their commendable home crowd, didn’t need encouraging to celebrate a win over Leinster – their first since 2017 – thanks to a try in either half from Dave Shanahan and debutant Marcus Rea.
Inter-pro derbies, we’re often told, are about bragging rights. But neither side will find themselves compelled to boast much about an error-ridden opening quarter.
Ross Byrne’s 12th-minute missed penalty in a swirling breeze was among the more forgivable mis-steps. His opposite number Johnny McPhillips was culpable of a horrible missed touch from just 30 metres out, though he somewhat compensated with an inventive chip for Mike Lowry to regather in the Leinster 22 before being immediately stripped on the ground.
When it rains, it pours, as Belfast residents might have told you this morning. Leinster managed to break the deadlock after 29 minutes thanks in part to a quality leg drive and carry from Fergus McFadden – who was fortunate to still be on the field after an apparent head-butt on flanker Sean Reidy.
Jack McGrath made yards against his future employers and from that base Nick McCarthy teed up Byrne to deliver a beautiful whipped pass beyond Dave Kearney, the covering defenders and into Jimmy O’Brien’s hands to put him over the try-line.
Ulster’s response was immediate, with the departing hero Darren Cave slipping Shanahan through a gap on the right flank. The scum-half was hauled down, but Ulster recycled rapidly enough to give him a second go at the try-line.
McPhillips nailed his conversion, but 7-5 was as good as it would get for the hosts in the first-half. Byrne nudged his side back in front from the tee and shunned a kick at goal on the stroke of half-time in favour of a line-out.
The young blue pack held up their end of the deal, rumbling at the line before Byrne arced on a run to the right. He looked set to execute another assist pass, but slipped in front of the posts. A reprieve only for Ulster, as Noel Reid popped up on the next phase to loft a pass for McFadden to run home.
Ulster threw everything into narrowing the 7-13 half-time deficit, and with Leo Cullen calling Byrne and McGrath ashore, the hosts mounted an exhaustive period of pressure.
All told, Ulster were camped in Leinster’s 22 for 16 long second-half minutes before the relentless carrying yielded a try for debutant Rea while Oisin Dowling was in the sin-bin.
Cue the second wave of replacements. Among those emerging from the blue corner was Ryan Baird making his senior debut and Barry Daly, who lucklessly returned to the sideline within minutes through injury.
Scrum-half Paddy Patterson took up a place among Leinster’s back three and Cullen’s men pushed for a first score of the second period to swing the dead rubber their way, but Ulster – with a crowd finding more and more voice as the game wore on – tackled the match back to a standstill.
For the majority of the players on show, this outing was a final one of the season and for a few it was their last for their current club. Now they pass the baton back to the men who were rested up as these two provinces take aim at season-defining fixtures.
Scorers
Ulster
Tries: D Shanahan, Marcus Rea
Conversions: J McPhillips (1/1) P Nelson (1/1)
Leinster
Tries: J O’Brien, F McFadden
Conversions: R Byrne (0/2)
Penalties: R Byrne (1/2)
Ulster: Michael Lowry; David Busby, Darren Cave (captain), Peter Nelson, Angus Kernohan; Johnny McPhillips (Jack Owens ’57), Dave Shanahan (Jonny Stewart ’57); Andy Warwick (Tommy O’Hagan ’64), John Andrew (Adam McBurney ’52), Ross Kane (Tom O’Toole ’41), Ian Nagle, Alan O’Connor (Nick Timoney ’64), Matty Rea, Clive Ross, Sean Reidy (Marcus Rea ’16);
Leinster: Jimmy O’Brien, Fergus McFadden (Barry Daly ’62 (Paddy Patteson ’66), Joe Tomane, Noel Reid, Dave Kearney, Ross Byrne (Ciaran Frawley ’43), Nick McCarthy: Jack McGrath (Peter Dooley ’44), Bryan Byrne (Ronan Kelleher ’53), Michael Bent (Vakh Abdaladze ’64), Josh Murphy, Oisin Dowling (Ryan Baird ’64), Max Deegan (Scott Penny ’64), Will Connors, Caelan Doris
Referee: George Clancy [IRFU]
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Defence is the biggest difference that sexton ( and henshaw) will bring. Taking the line up is a very strong part of his game. Leinster over the past few months have been very passive in defence this has to stop. Seanie looks like he’s going to start ( not sure I’d go with that but hey) he needs to dominate contact, so far this year he’s been very passive, he’s not go the skills and ability of Max or the work rate of Ruddock so he needs his best game in about 2 seasons.
@Chris Mc: O’Brien shouldn’t start this game. He has no form at all. Leinster have plenty of practice winning massive games without him.
@grandslamkbo: I agree, my backrow who be Fardy, Conan and Ruddock. But it looks like Sean is starting.
@Chris Mc:
So Chris do you think J Lowe wont make the team , even if we need tries ::can you let us see your team ::thanks
@Martin Quinn: I never said lowe not to start. I wouldn’t pick O’Brien.
My team
Healy, Cronin Furlong
Ryan and toner
Fardy toner and Ruddock
McGrath and sexton
Henshaw ringrose in the centre
Lowe, Kearney and larmour
With Leinster back to more or less full strength they should have too much powder for Toulouse. It’ll be a cracking game but I think home advantage is worth around 7 and with the bookies calling it an 8 point Leinster win I’d say that’s about right, maybe even slightly more.
The two key factors will be the form of their returning key men – sexton and ringrose especially and secondly they need to tighten up defensively. They’re leaking on average 24 points a game over the last 7 games so if they can bring that number down then there should be handy enough winners against a young but very talented Toulouse side.
@Jim Demps: gun powder. Toulouse like leaking points as well haha
@Fred McHugh: they absolutely do but getting into a high scoring slug out wouldn’t be the best idea for Leinster. Structure and wear them down and they’ll walk it.
Your anti Leinster bias is old and predictable. You might pepper it with occasional compliments but everyone knows you can’t stand us.
At least some of us admit we can’t stand the other.
@Fred McHugh: apologies Fred that reply was meant for Jim Dumps.
@Baz Dunne: i thought you had me muted? Couldn’t go a week without me eh?
@Jim Demps: you get some amount of stick on here. Good job your not sensitive. Anyways tell your mob to keep up their end and we’ll see you in the final.
@Chris Mc: era I take no notice. If some grown man spends his day slinging insults at me then I figure let him at it, he can’t have too many important things going for him. Once they make it personal I normally just ignore them until they want to talk about rugby. The only person I’ve muted is Martin though.
I fully expect munster to win. It won’t be easy but the result is there for us if we show up.
@Chris Mc: bless you Chris you say every yr there’ll be an all Irish final and it never happens. Can’t see it happening this yr.. in fact I’d say Sarries v Toulouse is more likely than Leinster v Munster in my opinion.
@Jim Demps: He misses you Jim. Baz gets lonely with all those Dubs ; )
@Baz Dunne: It’s going to be a Munster vs.Leinster HC & Pro 14 final .Believe Baz , believe.Eire Abu !!Éire Abú!!!
@Baz Dunne: this is the third year in a row where both sides got to the semis. It might be this year, I hope so. As long as we win the 5th I’ll be ok but it would be so sweet to beat munster in the final.
@Baz Dunne:
Baz I hope are not annoyed with me, just because he has Muted me and not you, does not mean you need to up your game !! He does run away when things get hard and someone sees his hidden knife jabs at all things Leinster.
@Martin Quinn:
Just love his comments saying you are a “grown man spends his day slinging insults at me” Baz all your posts are about 2 sentence’s long and you post maybe 2 posts where his 10 posts a page tells it all >> One page had 28 posts ::WOW now he is hoping for the 42.ie to hire him ::the lad has a problem ::and he says you “cant have too many important things going for you”
Keep happy : ) ; )
@Fred McHugh:
Regarding the 24 points per game I feel we were through to the play off for all that time. I feel it would a lot less if we put a better team out, but it does not matter now as it all comes down to this weekend .
Regarding Munster
I believe Munster will bring out one of their famious European games and get through (and I may have a go at some posters but I will always cheer for Munster in these games) Wish you the very best
COYBIR
“We can’t kick loosely to them or their counter attack Will punish us.”
He has a tenacity to kick when there’s a need to keep possession, I hope he remembers this during the game. COYBIG
@Con Cussed: You really are concussed.
@Camroc: What for? This is the biggest weakness in his game, other scrum halfs too within the Irish setup, they keep kicking the ball away when we need to protect it. We often kick the ball to the opposition at crucial parts of the game (often the last few minutes) and have lost games as a result.
@Con Cussed: I think some of that is he’s trying to show joe he can do the Conor Murrary role. There’s a time and place for kicking the ball away and Luke’s not really a master at it.
@Con Cussed: Which games have we lost as a result?