Ulster 14-13 Leinster

INPHO
Author: Alex KeeryPublished 27th Apr 2019
Last updated 27th Apr 2019

Ulster narrowly beat Leinster 14-13 in the final regular game of the PRO14 season.

Neither side had anything to play for, and it was abundantly evident for most of the afternoon at Kingspan.

A dull half hour was brought to an abrupt end when Leinster full back Jimmy O'Brien was fed into space out wide, and burst clear to open the scoring in the 30th minute.

However, Ulster pulled level almost immediately through Dave Shanahan, with Jonny McPhillips slotting the kick on a rare appearance for the province.

The boot of Ross Byrne then nudged Leinster back in front just before the break, but there was still time for Fergus McFadden to dive into the corner after collecting the pass out wide to further extend their lead.

13 minutes into the second half, Ulster were given the numerical advantage when Oisin Dowling was shown the yellow card for repeated infringements at the breakdown.

It came amid a period of Ulster encampment in the Leinster 22 that didn't end until debutant Marcus Rea crashed over for a try just after the hour, with Peter Nelson's kick putting them in front.

The attritional rugby continued, but Ulster's defence stood strong and held on for a morale-boosting win for the young side.