Ulster Beat Leinster in Home and Away Double for First Time Since 2013.

Ulster have broken Leinster’s spell by winning at home against the Province after beating them on their home turf back in November. The evening in Belfast was windy and very, very wet but Ulster, spurred on by a resilient and buoyant home crowd, ground out the win. This result could prove crucial come the conclusion of the season.

Ulster have found great form in both the URC and European cup, recording seven wins in a row including hard fought victories against Clermont in France, Northampton Saints in Franklin’s Gardens and a big win over Cardiff. They looked to carry on this form, lifted by the return of Ireland Internationals; Nick Timoney, Robert Baloucoune and Mike Lowry. There was no doubt that, despite Leinster losing so many players to internationalduty, they were never going to roll over and make this an easy fixture.

Ulster’s first try came early at just before 9 minutes with Sam Carter crashing over the line. The move started with (surprise surprise) a lineout. John Andrew started the move, taking the ball from the back of the maul and crashing over Scott Penny to make an extra five or six meters in contact. From here Ulster go through three phases of quick ruck ball and a crash up from a forward before Doak pops the ball neatly to Carter who takes an awkward angle and slides in between two blue defenders. Doak adds the extra two points, kicking not far off centre.

Leinster apply plenty of pressure after Ulster’s score, entering the 22 repeatedly. Ulster held them out until the 28th minute when Max Deegan takes advantage of a tiring defence and blasts through Vermeulen and Burns to touch down. Byrne adds the two to take the lead but Doak soon after sends a penalty through the posts to tie up 10-10. With five minutes left of the half, Mike Lowry decides he’s gone long enough without a try and after being fed the ball by Burns pops it to Baloucoune who returns the favour and sends Lowry over the line. Doak knocks it slightly wide which can be more than forgiven considering the conditions and the angle. The half ends with another penalty from Doak who makes it 18-10 to Ulster.

Early in the second half Byrne kicks a penalty to bring the game to what would eventually be the final score: 18-13 to Ulster.

Whilst the last 38 minutes of the game played out without any more points being added to the scoreboard, it certainly wasn’t without it’s excitement. Once again Lowry provided thrills, making line-breaks from his own try-line, Ntamack style. Eric O’Sullivan put in a huge hit that was felt from the stands, Robert Baloucoune extinguished a very promising Leinster attack with a huge tackle and Ulster defended their try-line more than they would have liked.

Tom Stewart has proved himself a valuable asset since returning from injury. He came on late in the first half and had a really solid game. Marcus Rea has continued to put down a marker, stealing the ball seemingly whenever he feels like it and making huge carries and tackles. Not that he has to stake a claim or anything, but Sam Carter, I feel, is getting better every match. It’s hard to describe but I feel he brings a bit of bite to Ulster that they sometimes lack. Something similar to Vermeulen. Carter gets in the opposition faces and frustrates them, providing a little bump to an offending player to show some disapproval. O’Connor has definitely played this role before but the more he captains the side the less he can play enforcer as I’m sure he is watched by the ref with a touch more scrutiny.

A really solid performance in poor conditions from Ulster, adding to their winning streak and getting two wins over Leinster in a row which is not a feat easy to come by. Ulster stand one point below Leinster in the URC, battling for first place.