Four-Try Leinster Finish The Stronger In Tight Belfast Battle

James Culhane’s 72nd-minute maul try made the difference for Leinster as they overcame Ulster 27-20 at Kingspan Stadium to take their BKT United Rugby Championship winning run to seven matches.

Leinster trailed 13-10 at half-time, and 20-17 nearing the hour mark, but Ben Carson’s brace of tries, coupled with a 10-point kicking contribution from Nathan Doak, was not enough in the end for an injury-hit Ulster.

Jordan Larmour crossed to put the URC leaders in front for the first time, his try coming during Nick Timoney’s early second half sin-binning, and further scores from player-of-the-match Jimmy O’Brien and Culhane sealed a bonus point victory.

The hard-fought result came at a cost for Leo Cullen’s men with Will Connors hobbling off, yet Ulster’s luck was even worse with Werner Kok (HIA) withdrawn early on, and fellow backs Ben Moxham, his initial replacement, and John Cooney both having to limp off.

Richie Murphy’s side did at least come away with a losing bonus point, as the focus switches to next weekend’s trip to Investec Champions Cup holders Toulouse. Leinster also begin their European quest on the road, visiting English club Bristol Bears.

Fittingly, on a night that Ulster celebrated 100 years of rugby at Ravenhill, they struck first in the fourth minute. James McNabney’s strong run and well-timed pass gave Carson enough time and space to get clear of O’Brien and touch down in the right corner.

Aidan Morgan and Werner Kok did well in the build-up to invite the young flanker to charge towards the Leinster 22, and the lurking Carson had the pace to finish in impressive fashion. Doak clipped over a top-class conversion to boot.

However, a fumble by the Ulster scrum half from the restart gave Leinster a gilt-edged opportunity. They got the upper hand at a close-in scrum, allowing Luke McGrath to snipe in under the posts, and Ross Byrne supplied the levelling conversion.

The momentum swung back in Ulster’s favour soon after, as Brian Deeny saw yellow for making head contact with the advancing Aidan Morgan. Doak mopped up with the three points on offar, leaving it 10-7 to the home side.

Leinster’s strong scrum teed up Byrne to equalise again though, and a big chance for Ulster to respond was ruined by obstruction at a lineout maul. Doak did the damage before that with a smart break from a ruck to get within metres of the try-line.

A scrappy spell early in the second quarter saw Ulster maintain their presence inside the visitors’ half. A Max Deegan lineout steal thwarted them, but with Rabah Slimani caught on the wrong side of a ruck, a Doak penalty split the teams again on the half hour mark.

Defences were on top as half-time drew closer, with Timoney winning a penalty at the breakdown and then Charlie Tector responding by bundling Michael Lowry into touch. The unfortunate Moxham then made way having already replaced the injured Kok.

Leinster, who lost Connors to injury and were operating off a 38% share of possession, dug out a penalty to get out of their own 22. Despite another late penalty putting them back in Ulster territory, Kieran Treadwell pinched a lineout to close out the first half action.

Cullen’s charges seized control on the resumption, aided by Timoney’s sin-binning for a high tackle on Scott Penny. A costly penalty saw them lose hard-earned ground though, and a Liam Turner fumble spoiled a subsequent break.

Larmour threatened from a instinctive cross-field kick from Byrne, with Lowry reacting quickly to cover the danger. However, when Leinster came hunting again, Andrew Osborne went close before Larmour stepped inside John Cooney to score just to the right of the posts.

Byrne’s conversion gave the table toppers a 17-13 lead, but a series of errors – including a Larmour knock-on and an O’Brien kick that went out on the full – gave Ulster the platform they needed to build pressure inside the opposition 22.

It resulted in a well-taken 55th-minute effort from Carson, who spun out of a tackle from Turner to crash over from close range. Credit to the influential Jude Postlethwaite for his awareness and sharp handling to tee up his centre partner. Doak converted.

With Leinster’s bench providing good impact across the second half, they snatched back the lead barely four minutes later. Half-backs Fintan Gunne and Byrne’s fingerprints were all over a pacy attack, which caught Ulster narrow and Larmour freed up O’Brien to go over out on the left.

The missed conversion from Byrne left this derby tantalisingly poised t 22-20, and the tension grew with both sides guilty of errors in possession. The sight of Cooney, who had come on as a makeshift winger, picking up an injury was an untimely blow for Ulster.

Ross Byrne took full advantage, kicking in behind Cooney where Stewart Moore had to concede a close-in lineout. The subsequent set-piece move came off brilliantly, as Jack Conan transferred the ball to Culhane who was driven over to pocket Leinster’s sixth try-scoring bonus point of the campaign.

It remained a seven-point advantage for Leinster, with Byrne’s conversion from the right tailing away to the left. The home crowd willed Ulster on, with replacement James Humphreys putting them back inside the visitors’ 22 from a penalty.

Deegan had other ideas, coming up with a crucial lineout steal, and although Ulster reclaimed possession and Lowry’s quick feet saw him evade a couple of tackles on a thrilling run, stand-in captain Conan slammed the door shut with a final turnover.