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Ulster gave their United Rugby Championship challenge a massive boost with a stirring 20-10 win over previously unbeaten Leinster at RDS.
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James Hume’s late intercept try sealed Ulster’s first victory at the Ballsbridge venue since March 2013, adding to a coolly-struck 67th-minute penalty from replacement Nathan Doak.
Fit-again Ulster scrum-half John Cooney played in Greg Jones for a 16th-minute try, setting up a 7-0 interval lead.
Cooney added a penalty but Robbie Henshaw’s superb pick-up for a try, 10 minutes into the second half, lifted a misfiring Leinster.
A Ross Byrne penalty briefly brought the hosts level, but Doak and Hume combined to ensure Ulster ended a run of six interprovincial derby defeats.
The visitors left early points behind them, before Hume’s break outside Jordan Larmour took him up to five metres out. Cooney’s quick delivery from the ruck was well-finished by the inrushing Jones.
Cooney converted from the right, but Ulster needed more points to show for their dominance of possession and territory, midway through the half.
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A general sloppiness blighted Leinster’s play while Ulster’s Nick Timoney impressed at the breakdown.
Billy Burns’ sharp break almost created a try for Cooney, before Adam Byrne’s surge into the Ulster 22 was spoiled by the fast-thinking Timoney.
Cooney missed a long-range penalty on the stroke of half-time, but Leinster continued to fall foul of referee Frank Murphy’s whistle.
Although the 11th penalty against the hosts was turned into three points by Cooney, Leinster soon found some much-needed rhythm.
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Despite a loose pass from Luke McGrath, Henshaw picked it up off his bootlaces to evade Eric O’Sullivan and score from a few metres out. Ross Byrne converted.
Ulster knocked on at a maul just a few metres out, before Hume, the eventual URC player-of-the-match, did well to cover a dangerous kick from Larmour.
A strong spell of Leinster carrying teed up Byrne to kick them level, but a confident Doak split the posts with aplomb to punish a Max Deegan maul infringement.
Handling errors continued to frustrate Leinster, and instead, with two minutes remaining, it was Hume who gobbled up a Tommy O’Brien pass on halfway and raced clear for Doak to convert.
