PRO12 Play Off 1: Leinster v Ulster, 20 May

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Leinster Rugby v Ulster Rugby
Friday 20 May 2016
KO: 19:45
RDS Arena, Dublin

Referee: Ian Davies (WRU, 48th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Ben Whitehouse, Sean Brickell (both WRU)
Citing Commissioner: John Cole (IRFU)
TMO: Jon Mason (WRU)

Live on Sky Sports/TG4 and BBC Sport NI

A. Head to Head

30 Played 30
22 Wins 6
6 Losses 22
2 Draws 2
614 Points 439

B. Form

Ulster Rugby 30 - 6 Leinster Rugby
30th April 2016

Leinster Rugby 8 - 3 Ulster Rugby
27th November 2015

Ulster Rugby 26 - 10 Leinster Rugby
24th April 2015

Leinster Rugby 24 - 11 Ulster Rugby
3rd January 2015

C. Teams

Leinster Rugby 

I Nacewa (c); D Kearney, G Ringrose, B Te'o, L Fitzgerald; J Sexton, E Reddan J McGrath, R Strauss, M Ross, D Toner, M Kearney, R Ruddock, J Murphy, J Heaslip.

Replacements: S Cronin, P Dooley, T Furlong, R Molony, J Conan, L McGrath, I Madigan, Z Kirchner.

Ulster Rugby

J Payne; A Trimble, L Marshall, S McCloskey, C Gilroy; P Jackson, R Pienaar; C Black, R Best (c), R Lutton, P Browne, F van der Merwe, I Henderson, C Henry, S Reidy.

Replacements: R Herring, K McCall, A Warwick, R Diack, R Wilson, P Marshall, S Olding, D Cave.

Ouch, that was a close one.

Game on!

Fantastic from Callum Black acting as scrum half!

Ulster really bossing this after the Leinster onslaught in the first 15.

Ulster may be behind but I feel they will drive on in the second half.

Excellent game to watch

Good game!

2 points in it at halftime.

Ulster looking more up for it in the second half.

Have Leinster run out of wind after their initial brilliant burst?

Game on.

Oof, we could have given away a try from that restart.

Very happy with the way Ulster have played their way back into the game. We took some serious body blows to start... and we're still standing. Will that plant some doubt in Leinsters minds? Feel like we can win from here. Sick with nerves!

Stephen Ferris has become an awfully dull analyst.

Come on Ulster

Pot Hale wrote:Stephen Ferris has become an awfully dull analyst.  

No doubt about it!

Great bout of defending by Leinster.

Ringrose!

Another really good try

Damn... and Sexton flawless from the tee so far too.

He ran behind his own players who interfered with potential tacklers ability to push up on him.

Offload from Te'o was amazing.

Ulster scrum starting to cave in. This is not good!

I have sooo much pain, bitterness and anger when it comes to playing Leinster. It pretty much crushes my soul.
No offence intended. Leinster boys, you know your record over us. I'm sure you can understand.

Sexton is just dominating this game. It's as well as I've seen him play in a long time and Jackson will have to be patient for a bit longer.

You can see just the shift in pressure is that everything that was sticking in the last few games is just not. Mistakes are rife.

Leinster with a chance to go for the jugular and finish us off.

Another day that could have been a yellow

Thats it. Gotta give credit to Leinster, their pack and Sexton have just taken away our platform and position in this half. It's been a professional, clinical demolition job.

It doesn't get any easier to watch over the years.

Cronin for the game (probably).

Ulster just looking flat and not particularly confident. Seem to need to do so much work for their points.

Oh yes Seanie.

That's an incredible stat about Cronin - 50 Ireland caps, 42 as a sub!

Toner literally a towering influence.

Game on?

Don't think that I've even been less excited to watch a Leinster side.

They get the job done, but that's it.

Congratulations to the Leinster fans on the board on making another final.

Hugely disappointed....

Well played Leinster.

Every May I get my heart broken, every August I dare to dream. When will I ever learn!?

George Carlin wrote:Don't think that I've even been less excited to watch a Leinster side.

They get the job done, but that's it.

A bit harsh. They played very well.

Ulster disappoint again. And it will continue to be the case with the likes of Rory Best, Roger Wilson and van der Merwe and others. Too many veterans "happy" to finish as second best. Too many "losers". Best is the perfect example. Ulster and Ireland better off without him. He wouldn't get near a Warren Gatland side - not bloody minded enough.

As for Les Kiss - overrated and will be found out again.

"Ah shucks" Rory... Tough luck, keep on losing... You are well used to it at this stage. "Second Best"

UlsterinKildare wrote:"Ah shucks" Rory... Tough luck, keep on losing... You are well used to it at this stage. "Second Best"

Whatever makes you feel better

The evidence is undeniable...

UlsterinKildare wrote:The evidence is undeniable...

You really do seem to have a personal vendetta against the guy looking at your posting history.

Well, that game caught me more than I thought it would.  Absolutely dreaded Ulster getting the ball, they have some power and pace hitting through there at times - they really want to force some serious holes.  I'm surprised more of the steam engine darts didn't pay off.  
I think that's Leinster's greatest weakness right now - the lack of a power enforcer or two.  Toner is the right height but they're a team that have to work so hard to set up a gap.  

Commiserations to the Ulster lads here.  I obviously was nail-biting all the way for Leinster to do it - especially with the opening they had.  It can be more embarrassing to be dragged back from a great opening than to have never had a moment at all.  

But in real terms, I wouldn't have minded Ulster doing it and putting a smile on the faces of some great players - most especially Rory.  What a man - especially at the end there where his graciousness doing his congratulations round was touching.  His forward boys - on the other side for a night - but that recognition between him and them.

Leinster - they got through, but I just worry about that lack of a Natural enforcer to take a firmer grip of the rhythm.

Well done Leinster, was a great match to watch and some performance from Leinster.

You can't blame one player.


I thought it was lost up front (tight 5) and the slow start. Leinster also had a strong bench. I don't think Ulster played their best but they were under a lot of pressure from Leinster.

The poor start killed them, think the penalty against Henry for 'not rolling away' and the lack of a yellow for Strauss was harsh on Ulster but ultimately had a mountain to climb and tried to force things when they didn't need to

Hmm, didn't see that UlsterinKildare guy's posts til now.

Warren Gatland coaches Wales.... so he's right about that one, I guess.

profitius wrote:You can't blame one player.

I thought it was lost up front (tight 5) and the slow start. Leinster also had a strong bench. I don't think Ulster played their best but they were under a lot of pressure from Leinster.

And also- dedicated and hard-working players owe us nothing. We pay money to follow the team knowing we are not guaranteed to see success. They put their life into it. We watch on a Friday night and go back to our lives the rest of the week win or lose. They put their blood, sweat and tears into it all week, all season.

People are entitled to their opinions but I feel like the case for being respectful of their efforts in victory or defeat is fairly convincing myself. You have to be able to handle the hurt and disappointment of being a sports fan. No-one is making us stay. Yeah 9 major knockout defeats in 5 seasons hurts, it really hurts, but let's keep it in perspective.

SecretFly wrote:Hmm, didn't see that UlsterinKildare guy's posts til now.

Warren Gatland coaches Wales.... so he's right about that one, I guess.

Seems to be plenty like him tonight, I didnt see one Ulster player not give everything and dont see any of them happy with losing though some fans do seem to be in their element when it comes to times like this

I take it you're looking at other sites, marty? Only guy I see here like Kildare is Kildare.

SecretFly wrote:I take it you're looking at other sites, marty?  Only guy I see here like Kildare is Kildare.

Yeah plenty seem to be coming out of the woodwork tonight demanding change and they are the voice of change

How many years did it take Munster to get it right?

Unfortunately Ulster only played for 20 mins in each half and in the end left themselves with far to much to do.

They almost opened Leinster up a few times but just not clinical enough in the end. They certainly are a hard team to bring down.

I thought Henderson had a great game and was probably the real MoM. I have never been entirely convinced by him but he certainly looked a very good player tonight, both in attack and defence.

Absolutely gutted, but well done Leinster. Thoroughly deserved, and all the best in the final. Hope all your fans are having a great night.

UlsterinKildare wrote:Ulster disappoint again. And it will continue to be the case with the likes of Rory Best, Roger Wilson and van der Merwe and others. Too many veterans "happy" to finish as second best. Too many "losers". Best is the perfect example. Ulster and Ireland better off without him. He wouldn't get near a Warren Gatland side - not bloody minded enough.

As for Les Kiss - overrated and will be found out again.

Deleted.

Shouldn't respond to the wums.

@SecretFly "Warren Gatland coaches Wales.... so he's right about that one, I guess."

He also happens to coach the last successful Lions team since 1997!

Well if you knew me, you'd know I don't give a schidt what successful Lions team he coached.

But again, that's just a personal opinion - like your own.

I was at the RDS tonight, thankfully didn't have too far to travel home. And I have been at 18 matches home & away this season. Believe me, just like the Munster game at Ravenhill at the beginning of the year, way too many players on the Ulster team who are simply too accepting of defeat. No winning mentality. And it starts at the top.

And it's been that way for too many years. Anscombe was right - but he put too many noses out of joint. Some people couldn't bear to hear the truth. Too comfortable being also rans.

Sure, applaud Best for being gracious in defeat (again). It all rolls off the tongue a little too easily. I'd rather a hard nosed bast@rd that wouldn't settle for anything less than a win. You think McCaw or Martin Johnson or O'Driscoll or even Dallaglio would have been so easy after losing?

This defeat doesn't rest with the younger guys - Jackson, Gilroy, Henderson, McCloskey, etc. are the solution. The problem is the lack of on-field leadership and the lack of off-field strategy and preparedness. Kiss, Best and the senior players are to blame for yet another failure. There's a reason Schmidt was only too glad to let Kiss go to Ulster. Just like there's a reason why a 'winning' coach like Gatland (who is better than Schmidt!) wouldn't have Best on his Lions squad.

Sometimes the truth hurts, but it's still the truth...