After much huffing and puffing Leinster got there in the end. And deservedly so, too, if for no other reason than they tried to play rugby and for their excellent recycling, which starved Ulster of virtually any possession in the second period.
As against Munster, the manner in which Ulster faded, and looked to be out on their feet against a far fresher-looking Leinster side, must be causing concern. Admittedly, their tackling was good and must have taken a heavy toll, but there remains too many question marks about their tight five. Not surprisingly the hard-working Malcolm O'Kelly pillaged their line-out.
It says everything about the difficulty in breaking down defences, both at Donnybrook last night and in the Guinness interpros thus far, that the crucial moment, and game's only try, was a 65th minute interception by Denis Hickie, two minutes after Brian O'Meara had edged Leinster in front for the first time with a drop goal. An injury-time penalty by Mark McHugh with the last kick was a fitting finale to the night.
A rusty Brian O'Driscoll still looked a class act alongside the in-form Shane Horgan and Simon Broughton danced and passed cleverly along the gainline off Brian O'Meara's fine service. But his and Leinster's kicking was awful. Ulster's, through the pinpoint Humprheys, was far better but they have a real problem recycling, especially out wide.
No sooner had David Humphreys opened Ulster's account inside three minutes, after Shane Horgan and Liam Toland in turn had drifted offside, than Ulster's superior tactical kicking came sharply into focus.
Simon Broughton's restart went out on the full and this was augmented by Humphreys finding the first of three first-half 50-metre plus touch finds unerringly within metres of Leinster's corner flag. Much of the exchanges took place in the middle third of the field before Brian O'Driscoll (with his first touch) brought some sense to it all by finding touch on the Ulster 22. O'Kelly duly nicked Richie Wier's throw and Gary Longwell's late tackle on Dempsey allowed the latter to level matters with an angled penalty. Leinster were recycling the ball better but making little headway, and their tendency to over complicate was punished when Humphreys restored Ulster's lead for `crossing'. However, Ulster's own achilles heels was highlighted on 32 minutes after another of Humprheys' touch finds gave them an attacking platform inside the Leinster 22. But when moving it wide to Tyrone Howe, they couldn't recycle it, with no loose forward in sight to prevent O'Driscoll stealing on his feet.
Nearing the break, it livened up when Topping's fine long offload in the tackle and transfer by Hendersonn put Howe away, but he was hauled down from behind by Hickie, and Jonathan Bell ignored an overlap across the pitch from the recycle by passing back inside.
Leinster came even closer when O'Driscoll took a brilliant line in steaming onto Broughton's diagonal break and cleverly disguised inside pass but the supporting Hickie was caught hard and slightly high by Tyrone Howe.
Ulster lost the prominent Tony McWhirter at half time, which was a blow, but Leinster litany of kicking errors (there were at least eight out on the full or down Henderson's throats) continued apace. The spate of replacements also mounted, Leinster losing O'Driscoll's cutting edge but gaining McHugh's more measured control and some impact forwards. Nearing the hour, Shane Horgan did well to release Hickie and another good passage of rucking and recycling ended with Mark McHugh ending a 42-minute scoring drought to level the sides.
Back came Leinster, O'Meara arrowing a lovely return kick along the line for O'Kelly to steal another throw, and the increasingly influential scrumhalf rounded off more continuity with a snap drop goal. Within two minutes Mark Blair and Paddy Johns rumbled up the middle to create a two-man overlap, but as the last defender, Hickie, gambled on Humphreys' flat pass to intercept nobody could catch him, even from his own 22. That, effectively, was that.
"Our discipline was good - we didn't give away one penalty in our half in the second half," said Matt Williams.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 3 mins: Humphreys penalty 0-3; 14: Dempsey penalty 3-3; 22: Humphreys pen 3-6; 57: McHugh penalty 6-6; 63: O'Meara drop goal 9-6; 65: Hickie try, McHugh conversion 16-6; 83: McHugh penalty 19-6.
LEINSTER: G Dempsey; D Hickie, B O'Driscoll, S Horgan, G D'Arcy; S Broughton, B O'Meara; R Corrigan, S Byrne, G Halpin, L Cullen, M O'Kelly, E Miller, V Costello, L Toland (capt). Replacements: P Smyth for Byrne (2838 mins, and 66 mins), M McHugh for Broughton (52 mins), P McKenna for O'Driscoll (53 mins), P Coyle for Halpin (50 mins), D O'Brien for Miller (70 mins), R Sheriff for Cullen (78 mins).
ULSTER: G Henderson; J Topping, R Constable, J Bell, T Howe; D Humphreys, B Free; J Fitzpatrick, R Weir, S Best, P Johns, G Longwel l, R Nelson, T McWhirter, A Ward. Replacements: D Topping for McWhirter (half time), M Blair for Longwell (55 mins), S Stewart for Henderson (67 mins), S Bell for Free (75 mins)
Referee: D McHugh (IRFU)
