Leinster Complete Unbeaten PRO14 Season With Third Title In-A-Row

Leinster became the first-ever Guinness PRO14 three-in-a-row champions after breaking free of Ulster in the second half to record a 27-5 final win at the Aviva Stadium.

As It Happened: Leinster v Ulster Live Blog

Robbie Henshaw’s 45th-minute intercept try and a closing score from Caelan Doris were the highlights as Leinster claimed their fifth PRO14 title in eight years, taking their overall record haul to seven league crowns.

James Hume and James Lowe exchanged tries inside an exciting opening 12 minutes, with a well-struck conversion and a further penalty from Ross Byrne edging Leo Cullen’s men into a 10-5 half-time lead.

Former All Black Alby Mathewson was to the fore of Ulster’s impressive challenge, but Leinster went up a gear to complete an unbeaten PRO14 season of 17 matches and maintain their winning form ahead of next Saturday’s Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final visit of Saracens.

Buoyed by their late heroics in Edinburgh, Ulster enjoyed a dream start to their first final appearance since 2013. Alan O’Connor’s pull-back pass released Hume from 40 metres out and the young centre got away from Ronan Kelleher and Lowe to brilliantly score near the left corner.

Billy Burns was unable to convert the third-minute opener and Leinster built patiently for a response, nine minutes later. Jamison Gibson-Park’s cut-out pass put Lowe over out wide, the conversion neatly supplied by Byrne for a 7-5 lead.

Ulster should have made more of a Mathewson-inspired break midway through the first half, with captain Iain Henderson showing his appetite for ball-in-hand on his return from hip surgery.

A close-range Byrne penalty doubled Leinster’s advantage in the 26th minute, as Doris, Guinness player-of-the-match Josh van der Flier and Andrew Porter made a series of important interventions at the breakdown.

However, a misfiring lineout and some sloppy penalties caused concern for the 2018 and 2019 champions. Ulster had a lot of front-foot ball approaching the interval and were made to regret turning down a couple of place-kicks.

Leinster began the second half with a booming Byrne penalty goal and the killer blow arrived just moments later. Henshaw gobbled up a Burns pass just inside the Ulster half and stayed clear of the chasing Michael Lowry to go in under the posts.

With Byrne’s conversion making it 20-5, it was a long way back for the Ulstermen who travel to Toulouse next week in Europe’s last-eight. Lowe was bubbling with attacking intent, but Ulster scrambled well to haul down both Jordan Larmour and Garry Ringrose, Leinster’s first-time captain.

Ulster were struggling to make metres as Leinster’s swarming defence made sure Jacob Stockdale and Marcell Coetzee were kept quiet. The clinching try arrived nine minutes from the end, flanker Doris driving in under the posts past two ex-Leinster players, Jordi Murphy and Ian Madigan.

Jonathan Sexton, who was introduced around the hour mark, had the final say with a comfortable conversion, and two more of the winners’ long-serving players, Rob Kearney and Fergus McFadden, were given the honour of lifting the PRO14 trophy at the post-match presentation.

Giving his reaction afterwards, Cullen admitted: “It’s very strange being here all alone in the stadium. A lot of work goes in to getting here, huge credit to everyone who played. The biggest disappointment for us is that we do not have everyone here who played such a big part over the course of the season.

“We obviously have to go with the public health guidelines at the moment. But you’ve got a lot of guys that have played such an important role over the course of the season who were not able to be here. That’s tough because it creates this – not a split, but there’s some level of separation.

“We have 30 players here, because there’s your 23 plus a few extras we were allowed bring. Guys that are currently training with us have been exceptional for us, over the course of the year. To go through the (PRO14) season unbeaten is special.

“You rely on your squad to do that. So that, now, is the hardest bit for us, that they’re not here with us. You’d love to have them here but, on the flip side, it’s important to have some level of context. We’re still very appreciative of the fact that we’re back.”

He added: “The big focus is enjoying the moment and then turn the page. It’s important to savour the moment and not look too far ahead now.

“In terms of a plan for next week, we’ve already discussed it as coaches. We had a previous plan for Saracens and the personnel has changed over the course of five, six months, but we’ll put a plan together. But at the moment it’s about enjoying each other’s company in the dressing room.”

Summing up the mood in the Ulster ranks, Henderson admitted: “Anything you can imagine, we’re probably feeling right now. We started brightly but the difference was that Leinster took their opportunities and we didn’t take ours. Hats off to them, they were brilliant.

“They are in incredible team to try and break down. That is what we found to be the most difficult thing. If we ever come up against them in the future, we just need to be better. But it is not easy – simply because they are so good.

“Leinster are getting better and better. Leinster didn’t peak five years ago and just maintain.  They’ve showed all season, and tonight, they’re the dominant force in this league.

“We’ve got another shot at a knockout game (tomorrow week in Toulouse). I asked the guys in there, ‘how many more weeks of knockout rugby do you want to play in? One, two or three?’. I’ve no doubt in my mind that come Monday morning guys will be ready to go.”