Heineken Champions Cup: Leinster 30-15 Ulster – Hosts progress to last eight

Ulster exited the Heineken Champions Cup at the last-16 stage for the second year in a row as Leinster ran out comfortable winners in Dublin.

Jamison Gibson-Park and Andrew Porter added second-half scores for Leinster, who always looked to have the edge over their inter-provincial rivals.

James Hume and Rob Herring scored tries for Ulster but it was not enough.

Ross Byrne, who started at fly-half for Leinster in place of the injured Johnny Sexton, was impressive off the tee, kicking 15 points to help his side over the line.

While Ulster came into the game having won five of their last six matches, the northern province were well beaten by a star-studded Leinster side who have now won 20 of 21 games in all competitions this season.

The four-time Champions Cup winners, who boasted 14 Ireland internationals in their starting line-up, produced a performance that underlined their status as the competition’s favourites, grinding Ulster down with an efficient and authoritative display at a rainy Aviva Stadium.

While it is another disappointing European exit for Ulster, Leinster can look forward to a home quarter-final against Leicester Tigers on Friday evening as Leo Cullen’s side continue their quest to avenge defeat in last year’s decider by La Rochelle.

Leinster unmoved by flashes of Ulster quality

In a match that failed to replicate the drama and nail-biting conclusion of their 2019 quarter-final, Ulster started with promise and there were cheers from the visiting supporters when Ireland star full-back Hugo Keenan spilled a Billy Burns kick.

From there, Ulster won a penalty when Leinster were caught offside and Nathan Doak slotted over the bar.

But typically of Leinster, there was no panic from the men in blue and they responded immediately through Byrne before Baird touched down for the game’s first try, the TMO ruling that he had grounded the ball despite pressure from two Ulster tacklers.

Byrne converted and then nailed a superb penalty from distance to establish a 10-point lead for Leinster.

At that stage, it looked increasingly ominous for Ulster but Dan McFarland’s side responded by conjuring their best moment of the match as Hume plucked a pinpoint Burns cross-field kick out of the sky and crashed over.

But while Ulster hoped that Hume’s intervention would fuel their challenge, Leinster reasserted control immediately. They had a second try chalked off when Conan failed to ground the ball, but with Ulster pinned back, Leinster won another penalty which allowed Byrne to put the favourites eight points up at the break.

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first. After a period of sustained pressure and a yellow card for Hume, Gibson-Park picked up a loose ball and darted under the posts.

But like they did when Hume charged over in the opening period, Ulster found a way to reignite their hopes when Herring touched down after a powerful, driving maul.

Again, that failed to swing momentum back in Ulster’s favour, and while Stuart McCloskey produced a wonderful tackle to thwart a Jimmy O’Brien try, Porter finished from short range to put the result beyond doubt, with Ulster’s misery compounded when replacement Harry Sheridan was yellow-carded for a high tackle on Byrne.

Line-ups

Leinster: Keenan; Larmour, O’Brien, Henshaw, Lowe; Byrne, Gibson-Park; Porter, Sheehan, Furlong, Molony, Ryan (capt), Baird, van der Flier, Conan.

Replacements: McKee, Healy, Ala’alatoa, Jenkins, Penny, McGrath, Byrne, Frawley.

Ulster: Lowry; Baloucoune, Hume, McCloskey, Stockdale; Burns, Doak; Sutherland, Herring, O’Toole, O’Connor (capt), Treadwell, McCann, Timoney, Vermeulen.

Replacements: Stewart, O’Sullivan, Toomaga-Allen, Sheridan, Rea, Cooney, Moore, Moxham.

Referee: Luke Pearce (England)