Ulster 16-14 Leinster

Ulster (3) 16
Try: Boss Con: Humphreys Pens: Humphreys (3)
Leinster (7) 14
Tries: Berne, Fitzgerald Cons: Berne, Sexton

Ulster went to the top of the Magners League for the first time in four years with a deserved victory over Leinster at Ravenhill on Saturday night.

Leinster were 7-3 up at half-time thanks to a Shaun Berne try just before the interval but Ulster, aided by the strong wind, bossed the second period.

Ian Humphreys narrowed the gap with his second penalty and Isaac Boss streaked clear for the decisive try.

Leinster grabbed a bonus point with a Luke Fitzgerald try right at the end.

It is the first time Ulster have led the league since they won it in 2005.

The match was played in difficult conditions with strong wind and rain, and it stayed scoreless until late in the first half.

Humphreys edged Ulster ahead with a penalty awarded after deliberate infringing by Bernard Jackman which saw the Leinster hooker sin-binned.

But Leinster replied almost immediately with Brian O'Driscoll releasing fly-half Berne to touch down in the right corner.

Berne had missed three penalties but he landed a superb touchline conversion.

Both sides were down to 14 men when Ulster's Tamaiti Horua was yellow-carded just before half-time.

A Humphreys penalty cut the deficit to one point and then scrum-half Boss raced clear to score after Ulster won turnover ball on the halfway line.

A splendid conversion and a third penalty from Humphreys stretched Ulster's lead to 16-7.

Replacement Fitzgerald got Leinster's second try with the final move of the match.

Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin:
"It was a difficult night to play rugby. But we fought hard and did what we had to do.

"All credit to the lads, they stuck at it and grabbed a smashing try just before half-time.

"We handled the conditions extremely well, and it was a case of when we got into their half we took the points.

"We came off a defeat last week against Edinburgh and we were bitterly disappointed.

"It was a great fillip to have the European champions coming up to us this weekend. We racked it up during the week and all credit to the players they reacted in the right way."

Leinster coach Michael Cheika:
"We played in patches. In certain stages we played the game required for the conditions but we did not technically manage the first half very well.

"We worked hard but we did not work smart enough. We should have had more intensity to close Ulster down. We gave them yards we should not have given them.

"We played well in the second half but made a couple of basic errors which cost us."

Ulster: Schifcofske, Nagusa, Cave, Whitten, Trimble, Humphreys, Boss, Court, Brady, Botha, Tuohy, Caldwell, Horua, Faloon, Henry.
Replacements: Kyriacou, Young, O'Donoghue, Diack, Marshall, O'Connor, Danielli.

Leinster: R. Kearney, Dempsey, O'Driscoll, D'Arcy, Nacewa, Berne, Keane, McCormack, Jackman, Ross, Toner, Hines, McLaughlin, O'Brien, Healy.
Replacements: Fogarty, van der Linde, O'Kelly, Stephen Keogh, Simon Keogh, J. Sexton, Fitzgerald.

Referee: Andrew Small (RFU)

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