Ulster won the U19 inter-provincial championship despite a losing 8-3 to Leinster on Saturday at Donnybrook.
After securing victories over Connacht and Munster, they needed just a draw in Dublin to clinch the title. However the resulting loss didn't matter as Connacht registered a win against their Munster counterparts.
Leinster took a 3-0 lead in the first minute of the game when Tim Schmidt converted a penalty opportunity following an Ulster infringement at the breakdown. For the ...
Ulster won the U19 inter-provincial championship despite a losing 8-3 to Leinster on Saturday at Donnybrook. After securing victories over Connacht and Munster, they needed just a draw in Dublin to clinch the title. However the resulting loss didn't matter as Connacht registered a win against their Munster counterparts. Leinster took a 3-0 lead in the first minute of the game when Tim Schmidt converted a penalty opportunity following an Ulster infringement at the breakdown. For the remainder of the first half Ulster enjoyed almost total control of the possession and territory. They pressurised the Leinster defence continually but let themselves down, at times, by knocking the ball on and giving away a series of penalties at crucial times. Injuries forced a number of changes in the Ulster backline but they stayed true to their determination to play with the ball in hand. The hosts might have increased their lead close to the interval when, on a rare incursion into the Ulster 22m area, they had the chance to score a try. However, a crossing offence led to a penalty for the Ulster team and they were able to relieve the pressure with a clearance kick. The teams turned around for the second period with Leinster holding a 3-0 lead but Rory Campbell was successful with a penalty to level the score at 3-3 five minutes after the restart. Midway through the second half Michael Cartmill made a great break through the Leinster defence and had the line at his mercy. However, play was brought back by the referee who adjudged that he hadn't released the ball in a previous tackle. The Ulster team had a player sent to the sin bin with five minutes left to play and Leinster began to threaten more. A penalty found touch and, from the resultant lineout, replacement player, Andy Marks took advantage of some indecision in the defence to touch down. The conversion was missed but the home side had an 8-3 lead, a which they held until the final whistle. There was a sense of devastation in the Ulster U19 camp immediately after the game but the mood lifted dramatically when, on the way back to Belfast, the result came through from Galway and they were declared inter-provincial champions.
Ulster won the U19 inter-provincial championship despite a losing 8-3 to Leinster on Saturday at Donnybrook. After securing victories over Connacht and Munster, they needed just a draw in Dublin to clinch the title. However the resulting loss didn't matter as Connacht registered a win against their Munster counterparts. Leinster took a 3-0 lead in the first minute of the game when Tim Schmidt converted a penalty opportunity following an Ulster infringement at the breakdown. For the remainder of the first half Ulster enjoyed almost total control of the possession and territory. They pressurised the Leinster defence continually but let themselves down, at times, by knocking the ball on and giving away a series of penalties at crucial times. Injuries forced a number of changes in the Ulster backline but they stayed true to their determination to play with the ball in hand. The hosts might have increased their lead close to the interval when, on a rare incursion into the Ulster 22m area, they had the chance to score a try. However, a crossing offence led to a penalty for the Ulster team and they were able to relieve the pressure with a clearance kick. The teams turned around for the second period with Leinster holding a 3-0 lead but Rory Campbell was successful with a penalty to level the score at 3-3 five minutes after the restart. Midway through the second half Michael Cartmill made a great break through the Leinster defence and had the line at his mercy. However, play was brought back by the referee who adjudged that he hadn't released the ball in a previous tackle. The Ulster team had a player sent to the sin bin with five minutes left to play and Leinster began to threaten more. A penalty found touch and, from the resultant lineout, replacement player, Andy Marks took advantage of some indecision in the defence to touch down. The conversion was missed but the home side had an 8-3 lead, a which they held until the final whistle. There was a sense of devastation in the Ulster U19 camp immediately after the game but the mood lifted dramatically when, on the way back to Belfast, the result came through from Galway and they were declared inter-provincial champions.