The home side showed great resilience, fighting back from a significant halftime deficit.
Leinster took the lead early, with a cleverly worked lineout move after six minutes. The visitors' forward pack earned a penalty, which they kicked to the corner. From the resulting lineout, hooker Brion Donagh threw to the front, received a return pass, and crashed over from close range. Leinster's out-half, Harrison McMahon, was unable to convert from the tight angle, leaving the score at 0-5.
Ulster responded with a period of sustained pressure in the Leinster 22, forcing a scrum penalty. Full-back James McMillan stepped up to open the home side's account with a successful kick at goal, making it 3-5 after 25 minutes.
Leinster struck back against the run of play, when an intercepted pass just outside the Ulster 22 allowed McMahon to go all the way for an unconverted try, 3-10.
The visitors extended their lead on the stroke of halftime after a series of pick-and-go attacks near the try line. The Ulster defence stood firm until McMahon changed the angle and sent lock Oscar O’Braonain through a gap to score. McMahon's conversion gave Leinster a 17-3 lead at the interval.
HT: Ulster 3 - 17 Leinster
Leinster picked up where they left off at the start of the second half, with lock James Whitty and scrum-half Johnny Woods combining to carry deep into Ulster territory. The ball was quickly recycled, allowing winger Tommy Smyth to score in the corner for an unconverted try, stretching their lead to 22-3.
Ulster's reply was instant. Captain Cian McClean led the charge, with prominent carries from locks Archie Graham and Jayden Irwin setting up the position. McClean then powered through a tackle to touch down for Ulster's first try of the game, with McMillan adding the conversion, closing the gap to 10-22.
Ulster's comeback continued as they forced a scrum penalty against the head, and McMillan slotted over another three points from a straightforward kick in front of the posts, leaving the score 13-22.
Leinster replacement Micheal Kenny was on target with a penalty three minutes later as Ulster were caught offside in midfield, 13-25.
The home side gave themselves a lifeline when hooker Charlie Reaney scored on 55 minutes. Ulster kicked a penalty to touch and their forwards set up a powerful maul that marched Leinster back 20 metres, allowing Reaney to touch down. McMillan added the two extra points, bringing the score to 20-25.
However, Leinster extinguished any hopes of a home victory with a final try just three minutes later. After working the ball through multiple phases, No. 8 Herbie Boyle showed great pace and power to smash through a couple of tackles and dot down under the posts. A successful conversion from replacement Michael Kenny sealed the 32-20 win for Leinster.
Despite the loss, Ulster can be proud of a resilient and determined second-half effort, demonstrating their fighting spirit and ability to compete against a strong opponent.
Scorers
Ulster
Tries: McClean, Reaney
Conversion: McMillan (2)
Penalty: McMillan (2)
Leinster
Tries: Donagh, McMahon, O’Braonain, Smyth, Boyle
Conversion: McMahon, Kenny
Penalty: Kenny
Teams
Ulster
15 James McMillan, 14 Harry Wells, 13 Nathan Hamilton, 12 Connor Patton, 11 Dylan Gry, 10 Josh McCaughey, 9 James Wells, 8 George Gamble, 7 Cian McClean (C), 6 Harry Doherty, 5 Jayden Irwin, 4 Archie Graham, 3 Alex Stinson, 2 Charlie Reaney, 1 Lewis Robinson
Replacements
16 Alex O'Hagan, 17 Reuben McIlwrath, 18 Jonah Woolley, 19 Elliot Magowan, 20 James Reid, 21 Oliver Gartley, 22 Jack Best, 23 Jack Coulter
Leinster
15 Finn Brennan, 14 Chris Maguire, 13 Niall Gallon, 12 Joshua Grant, 11 Tommy Smyth, 10 Harrison McMahon, 9 Johnny Woods, 8 Herbie Boyle, 7 Michael Smyth (C), 6 Eoin Farrell, 5 James Whitty, 4 Oscar O'Braonain, 3 Rory O'Brien, 2 Brion Donagh, 1 Tom Quigley
Replacements
16 Dan McKenna, 17 Dan O'Donohoe, 18 David Kenny, 19 Sam Kennedy, 20 Senan Gavin, 21 James McMahon, 22 Michael Kenny, 23 Tom Martin