Champions Cup QF: Leinster 21-18 Ulster
Ulster came agonisingly close to upsetting the odds at the Aviva as they were narrowly edged out by the holders Leinster in a 21-18 quarter final defeat in the Champions Cup.
Kieran Treadwell scored to give them a shock lead, with Ross Byrne and then Adam Byrne crossing for Leinster. Luke Marshall scored on his return for Ulster to set up a tense finish, but Ross Byrne's late penalty won it.
The visitors will have left the Aviva reflecting on what could have been, as Jacob Stockdale dropped the ball after crossing the line, and the often reliable John Cooney missed a straightforward conversion.
The visitors had taken a shock 6th minute lead after Garry Ringrose was guilty of some bizarre defending, running across his own 22 before attempting to clear with a poor kick.
It was charged down by Rory Best, and Kieran Treadwell was a yard ahead of Rhys Ruddock as he pounced on the loose ball to send Ulster into an unlikely lead, with John Cooney slotting the conversion.
However, the defending Champions kept their cool, moving the ball through 25 phases before Ross Byrne powered over from close range in the corner in the 11th minute, although he put his conversion wide.
Ulster's hopes then took a major blow in just the 16th minute when captain Rory Best was forced to leave the game with an injury, replaced by Rob Herring.
It didn't deter them though, and with 22 on the clock, John Cooney kicked Ulster into a 10-5 lead after Cian Healy's strange decision to enter a harmless ruck from the side.
Some clumsy Ulster defending at the breakdown then allowed Byrne to pull his side to within 2 points with a penalty on the half-hour mark, with another effort from the tee in the 35th minute giving them the lead.
Just before the break, Cooney slotted another kick that restored the Ulster lead after some weak defending by Sean O'Brien to round off a 40 minutes that left Leinster stunned.
It prompted a single change at half-time, with Noel Reid replacing Noel O'Loughlin in the center as the Champions looked to exert some control.
However, only 5 minutes into the second half, Jacob Stockdale should have scored Ulster's second try. His searing run saw the winger break several tackles, but he chose to stoop and touch the ball down one-handed, and lost control as he tried to ground it.
It was an error for which they were soon punished; Jack Conan suddenly broke the line in the 54th minute, and released Adam Byrne down the right, with the winger crossing for Leinster's second try, his namesake Ross adding the extras.
Ulster's Luke Marshall then took to the field for the first time since May, having recovered from an ACL injury, and he made almost an instant impact. Dan McFarland's side moved the ball through the phases, creating a huge overlap for the center to crash his way over from 15 yards to make it 18-18 with 15 minutes left to play.
That was how it remained until the 72nd minute when a half-fit and limping Ross Byrne nailed a penalty from wide on the right after several Ulster defenders came in at the side of a maul.