This was a tremendous tussle from the jump between these two sides, with Leinster on the attack from the first whistle, forcing an early try for the home-side from Butler. Paddy Curry converted, giving Leinster a 7-0 lead in the opening moments.
Ulster did not lie down and were quick to bounce back, with a powerful back row driving against Leinster in the form of Dylan Fox, Harry McIlwaine and Sam Clarke. It was in the 11th minute, Ulster broke into the Leinster 22 for the first time, with fly-half Andrew Jackson snapping a left-handed pass to Adam Hewitt who powered down the right wing. Leinster were able to turn the ball over, but Jackson’s vision was not over, and a terrific kick found its way back to Hewitt who touched down to close the gap to 7-5 in the 12th minute.
Ulster stopped some Leinster attempts with excellent defence work from Dylan Fox, and Danny Guy who was a menace at every breakdown. Ulster would get another chance for a try when another missile of a pass from Jackson put McDowell in business down the wing, but was turned over by a strong Leinster defence.
Luke Caskey saw a yellow for a high tackle in the 26th minute, but despite their best efforts, Leinster were not able to capitalise on their 15 man advantage, Ulster held firm. Stand-out defensive performances from the likes of Josh McCaughey ensured Ulster survived the 7-minute disadvantage without conceding and looked like finishing the half on attack.
Running into the sheds at half-time, the two teams had just two points difference, Leinster 7, Ulster 5.
HT: Leinster U18 Clubs 7 - 5 Ulster U18 Clubs
Ulster ran back onto the pitch in attack mode. They found themselves in the Leinster 22 within minutes, and had hopes after an excellent run from prop Don Farrell looked like they would be heading into the lead. However, it wasn't until the 44th minute, that the excellent Andrew Jackson weaved through heavy traffic to find second-row Jayden Irwin on his shoulder for a try. Jackson added the extras, pushing Ulster into the lead, 12-7.
At this point the crowd was electric, with cheers for Ulster sweeping through Energia Park. An excellent kick-chase from Jackson made it look like Ulster could score again, however the Leinster defence stayed strong.
Leinster dominated the next few moments of the game, hungry to get back in the lead. A yellow card for McDowell saw Ulster at a disadvantage once more, and Leinster were victorious in getting it over the line in the 63rd minute, try coming from their captain, O’Doherty. Hallinan added the extras and pushed Leinster into the lead with the clock ticking, 14-12.
The failure to hold the restart added to by Ulster’s continuity forced a penalty which Jackson used to recover a 15-14 edge in the 67th minute. With just three minutes left in the game, the title looked to be Ulster’s, however a successful lineout play from the home-side saw Bolger get it over in stoppage time. Hallinan converted, the final score reading Leinster 21, Ulster 15.
The U18 Clubs team showed tremendous effort and determination throughout this interprovincial campaign and should be proud of the heart they showed. Although we didn’t get the result on the day, the success throughout the campaign cannot be overlooked nor can the impressive performance the team displayed.
FT: Leinster U18 Clubs 21 - 15 Ulster U18 Clubs