Ulster’s 2013/14 campaign came to an end tonight at the RDS as interprovincial rivals Leinster just edged the RaboDirect PRO12 play-off by four points, in a tightly-contested encounter which Mark Amscombe’s men had led on the scoreboard for over 70 minutes.
Ulster’s 2013/14 campaign came to an end tonight at the RDS as interprovincial rivals Leinster just edged the RaboDirect PRO12 play-off by four points, in a tightly-contested encounter which Mark Anscombe’s men had led on the scoreboard for over 70 minutes.
Leinster put in a workmanlike and expertly patient performance, trailing to three Paddy Jackson penalties without reply until two kicks from Jimmy Gopperth and a converted Ian Madigan try pushed them over the line and out of Ulster’s reach.
Front-row lynchpin Rory Best and stellar scrum-half Ruan Pienaar stood up in the Ulster starting XV for the first time since picking up respective shoulder and knee injuries six weeks ago in the Heineken Cup exit to Saracens, while head coach Mark Anscombe made 11 further changes to the side which secured last week’s famous victory at Munster.
Tommy Bowe and Andrew Trimble returned to the wings, with Jared Payne partnering Darren Cave in the centre, and Jackson reclaiming the Number Ten jersey which James McKinney had filled so admirably at Thomond Park. Meanwhile, a new-look second row saw captain Johann Muller lining up alongside Iain Henderson, with Robbie Diack, Chris Henry and Roger Wilson providing the support from the back row.
Ulster did more than hold their own in the first period, keeping the Leinster scoring opportunities to a bare minimum, and chipping away at the scoreboard when chances presented themselves. Following a missed Pienaar penalty attempt from distance on three minutes, Jackson slotted over from closer to home four minutes later after good work down the right from Bowe. Ulster went on to keep play well enclosed in Leinster’s half for a further 10 minutes, recycling sharply around the home ‘22’ until the first scrum of the evening finally gave Leinster the opportunity to flex their muscles, Cian Healy overpowering Ricky Lutton and forcing the penalty.
Leinster made nothing of their first foray into Ulster territory, however, with the fired-up Henderson instrumental in breaking up their advances and leading a short-lived counter-attack. The men in blue wasted little time in coming again, though, with O’Driscoll getting perilously close to the line before the attentions of Payne and Trimble forced a marginal knock-on.
Hesitant tackling from the retreating Ulster backs allowed out-half Gopperth room to roam on 26 minutes, and, although the move was blighted by another knock forward, Leinster were now enjoying too much dominance for Ulster’s liking – until a dubious decision from Gordon D’Arcy, putting in a late shoulder charge on Bowe after the winger had cleared with the boot, saw the bewhiskered centre sent to the sinbin and his side reduced to 14 men.
Ulster’s numerical advantage soon showed, Pienaar and Jackson exploiting space out wide on the right to force the knock-on from Dave Kearney as he attempted to wrestle possession from the Springbok scrum-half. Ulster managed the scrum well, rapidly switching play to the left wing, where an offside from Eoin Reddan saw Jackson double the Ulster lead with the last kick of the half.
Half-Time Score: Leinster 0 Ulster 6
With D’Arcy back in play on 43 minutes, Leinster began to pose their opponents some more probing questions, with Healy and Jamie Heaslip in particular offering aggressive line breaks. The Ulster defence was steadfast, however, and once back in possession on 48 minutes, strong carrying from Henderson saw a committed tackle from O’Driscoll lead to a premature exit for the centre with suspected concussion, replaced by Madigan.
Another infringement from D’Arcy gave Jackson his third score of the evening, but it was to prove the out-half’s final contribution of the match as he too succumbed to injury and made way for McKinney. At this stage Leinster opened their account courtesy of a Gopperth penalty after Black had handled in an offside position, just before Pienaar was unlucky to be beaten to his charge-down of a Gopperth clearance by Fergus McFadden behind the Leinster goal-line.
With under 20 minutes remaining, a smart kick to the corner from Gopperth led to a Leinster steal at the Ulster lineout – and the concession of another penalty as the tacklers failed to roll away at the breakdown. The Leinster Number 10 dispatched his kick with swagger, but the swift reduction in their lead seemed to reinvigorate the visitors, as Gilroy and Wilson combined to lead an upfield charge which saw Pienaar get to within a foot of the line before an eventual knock-on.
Leinster’s breakthrough came on 72 minutes, a perfectly-timed run from Madigan sending the utility back through the heart of the Ulster defence from a Gopperth pass, as he showed both athleticism and determination to shrug off a handful of tackles to ground the try.
Gopperth’s conversion left Ulster requiring a try to grab the victory, but as they mauled five metres from home, referee Leighton Hodges spotted a marginal knock forward as Payne attempted to retrieve the ball and supply a team-mate.
Ulster kept hold of the ball as the clock hit red, but a final knock forward brought Ulster’s season to an end, and set up the prospect of an emotional swansong for the retiring O’Driscoll in two weeks’ time as his side face Glasgow Warriors in the PRO12 final.
The defeat and close of the season sees Ulster bid adieu to several key players – among them Muller, Tom Court, John Afoa and Paddy Wallace – but also heralds the arrival of a new crop of Ulstermen for the new campaign as Anscombe’s side bid to go further still in both domestic and European competition in 2014/15.
Full-Time Score Leinster 13 Ulster 9
Leinster (15 – 9) R Kearney; F McFadden, B O’Driscoll, G D’Arcy, D Kearney; J Gopperth, E Reddan (1 – 8) C Healy, S Cronin, M Moore, D Toner, Q Roux, R Ruddock, S Jennings, J Heaslip (c)
Replacements (16 – 23) A Dundon, J McGrath, M Ross, L Cullen, S O’Brien, L McGrath, I Madigan, Z Kirchner
Ulster (15 – 9) C Gilroy; T Bowe, J Payne, D Cave, A Trimble; P Jackson, R Pienaar (1 – 8) C Black, R Best, R Lutton, J Muller (c), I Henderson, R Diack, C Henry, R Wilson
Replacements (16 – 23) R Herring, A Warwick, A Macklin, D Tuohy, S Doyle, P Marshall, J McKinney, L Marshall
Match report by Neil Carnduff
