Leinster 13 Ulster 9
When you know how to win, you know how to win. Serial winners at the business end of the season, Leinster rolled up their sleeves and engineered what often times seemed an improbable win from 9-0 down for their 19th victory in 24 knock-out games over the last six.
Alas, as Ulster can also testify, when you lose a few knock-out games, it has a funny habit of repeating itself. So it was that this constituted another one that got away, an eighth defeat in 11 knock-out ties over the last four seasons.
Ultimately, that experience of winning big games and trophies, that composure under pressure in key moments, can become part of the DNA on vital end-of-season occasions. It passes on from player to player, from coach to coach and and, critically, it extends deep into the squad's reserves.
Their strength
It was always likely that, along with their strength at scrum time in the absence of Tom Court and John Afoa, Leinster's superior bench would make an impact, and Jack McGrath, Mike Ross, Sean O'Brien et al duly did, but it was the way they did which will give sustenance to Leinster's belief that they can continue to thrive in Life After Brian.
When a reluctant Brian O'Driscoll was removed from the fray with half an hour ago due to suspected concussion – receiving a standing ovation as he left – the reshuffle saw Ian Madigan come on at inside centre and D'Arcy shift out.
As O'Connor noted, it gave Leinster an added passing and playmaking dimension at '12' but more than that, Madigan took responsibility for winning the game. After one unrewarded break by Devin Toner, it was Madigan who stepped Chris Henry and Johann Muller in the build-up to their opening penalty after all of 58 minutes to kick-start Leinster, thereafter roared on by the home crowd, into life.
It was another carry by Madigan, after a superb steal by Toner, which led to Dan Tuohy being penalised for not rolling away and Jimmy Gopperth's second penalty. Full of running, always looking for a gap and using his sharp footwork, when Gopperth took the ball to the gain line again in the 72nd minute after good carries by the excellent Jamie Heaslip, D'Arcy, Leo Cullen and McGrath, Madigan went with him at pace, taking Gopperth's short pass and a good line at Jared Payne's inside shoulder to break through him and James McKinney before stepping off his right foot and transferring the ball to his left hand in breaking Craig Gilroy's tackle.
Tries win games, and in a game of tiny margins, Madigan thus proved the match-winner with his 20th try in 106 games for Leinster, of which 63 have been from the start. It is a phenomenal strike rate given the vast majority of those tries have been from out-half.
First hour
Ulster's team and crowd alike initially set the tone. They took the game to Leinster for much of the first hour and should have been more than 9-0 ahead. The purpose with which the outstanding Iain Henderson, Roger Wilson and Jared Payne carried, and some of their attacking shape, depth, width, decoy runners, and change of direction by bringing Tommy Bowe and Andrew Trimble in off their wings, was in stark contrast to the lateral play which, say, Munster have returned to in recent weeks.
With Gilroy menacing out wide, they tested Leinster to the limit, but a defence which conceded just 30 tries in 22 league games under Matt O’Connor (16 less than last season) soaked it all up, scarcely competing at the breakdown to keep their shape, as they made 159 tackles (albeit missing 25) to Ulster’s 89 (missing 17).
One ventures at least 30 of those were within five metres of their own line, right up until Rob Kearney’s try-saying tackle on Payne and undetected illegal handiwork on the ground in the 78th minute.
They kept their try line intact, notably when restricting Ulster to just three points in the ten minutes Gordon D'Arcy was sin-binned. That ten minutes summed up Ulster's lack of ruthlessness. Ruan Pienaar missed one of four penalties to touch and he and Paddy Jackson also made handling errors in the pressure before Jackson kicked straight to Rob Kearney.
Pienaar took a few wrong options as well, though assumed responsibility himself to go for the line and would have reached it but for another try-saving tackle by Rob Kearney. But once Jackson went off, it appeared that too much fell on Pienaar’s shoulders.
Tellingly coach Mark Anscombe said afterwards: “We have great character in this team and no one can ever question that, but we have got to balance that . . and not rely on one or two people making decisions, . . . Others have got to take responsibility.”
Leinster have those players, and here it was Madigan.
LEINSTER: R Kearney; F McFadden, B O'Driscoll, G D'Arcy, D Kearney; J Gopperth, E Reddan; C Healy, S Cronin, M Moore, D Toner, Q Roux, R Ruddock, S Jennings, J Heaslip (capt). Replacements: I Madigan for O'Driscoll (50 mins), L Cullen for Roux (53 mins), M Ross for Moore, S O'Brien for Ruddock (both 56 mins), J McGrath for Healy (65 mins), Z Kirchner for McFadden (67 mins), L McGrath for D Kearney (69 mins), A Dundon for Cronin (78 mins). Sinbined: D'Arcy (34-44 mins).
ULSTER: C Gilroy; T Bowe, J Payne, D Cave, A Trimble; P Jackson, R Pienaar; C Black, R Best, R Lutton, J Muller (capt), I Henderson, R Diack, C Henry, R Wilson. Replacements: J McKinney for Jackson, L Marshall for Cave (both 56 mins), D Tuohy for Muller (59 mins), A Warwick for Lutton (61 mins), S Doyle for Henry (69 mins).
Referee: Leighton Hodges (WRU)
