Ulster turn tables on dazed foes

Five years of Ulster hurt was laid to rest in Donnybrook last night in as commanding a fashion as the scoreline suggests. Their sup eriority was so total that by the end that Ulster even claimed a maximum five-point haul with their fourth try, and with it a bonus point, in the last minute. Leinster got what they deserved, nowt.

Far more cohesive, far more assured and making far fewer handling errors, Ulster were two tries and 17 points to the good by the interval. The Leinster pack did galvanise themselves with some pick-and-go surges to cut the deficit to 10 points at one stage, but you could sense that no one in the subdued crowd of up to 4,000 were buying the comeback theory.

Whenever Leinster scored, Ulster's response was invariably swift. That Ulster won so convincingly was, curiously, despite having a much inferior line-out and despite seeing their scrum come under increasing pressure near the end. Otherwise, they were pretty much better in every department.

Led by a deserving, two-try man of the match in Andy Ward, they also had much the more effective half-back combination. Stephen Bell cleared the ball away snappily and though David Humphreys sliced a few later on, he varied his game much more than McGowan.

Here, too, Ulster had done their homework, Humphreys directing the high balls and angled kicks towards Kevin Nowlan and John McWeeney for huge yardage gains. The composure of Girvan Dempsey was in marked contrast, so Humphreys and Bell pretty much ignored him.

At times, Leinster didn't seem to know what they were about. One line-out move saw Emmet Byrne holding the ball out for the criss-cross runners . . . and holding it and holding it, as no-one took it from him.

Barry Gibney gave note of his talent, primarily in the manner he supported the ball-carrier, but this talent was largely under-used simply because Alan McGowan kicked so much ball. And it was also noticeable how Ward's influence seemed to grow further once the Blackrock youngster was replaced, in part the consequence of a nagging shoulder injury. Only when Derek Hegarty was introduced did Leinster's game pick up in tempo a bit.

Declan O'Brien and Victor Costello, especially, had productive evenings with the ball in hand but even Costello caught the handling malaise by the end. Brian Carey had some good runs, and Shane Horgan deserved his individualistic try, but therein lay the rub; for so much of Leinster's moments were done in isolation.

Several of Ulster's scores came after unforced Leinster turnovers and defensively Leinster seemed far less organised, especially around the fringes. The restarts, where Simon Mason's deliveries were invariably on the button whereas McGowan's were over kicked, must have been around five to one. There's no doubt that Ulster's outing with Morocco gave them an edge in organisation and match practice. A "delighted" Harry Williams admitted that, though Mor occo weren't much of a test, the video analysis of their own performance alone had been invaluable. He warned that Ulster will "get even better".

Leinster can cling to that hope as well. Mike Ruddock highlighted the absence of any match practice, cited the absence of several injured players and maintained "there's no need to panic". But they're on the back foot now, as they were from the first quarter last night.

The territorial gains eventually resulted in a 20th minute breakthrough, with Stanley McDowell pounc ing on a Nowlan fumble and a strikingly bulkier Mason making more yardage for Tony McWhir ter to beat Pat Holden's tackle off the recycled ball and take a couple of Leinster bodies over the line.

Whereas Gabriel Fulcher won Leinster's first four line-outs, Ulster lost their first four; the synchronisation between lifters, jumpers and Allen Clarke was well off sync, though Clarke showed up very well around the pitch.

Ironically, when they got it right close-in off Longwell's clean take, Ward was last into a well-worked maul to plough over. Mason converted both tries and then sickened Leinster some more when Shane Byrne was penalised for pushing Clarke as one of many scrums broke to end the half with a 40-metre penalty.

Leinster raised a gallop when Costello and O'Brien made the yardage for Horgan to slip out of McDowell's tackle and beat Stephen McKinty to score. But, ominously for them, Leinster were immediately halted in their stride when O'Mahony was nailed off a laboured blind side scrum move and Bell promptly cut through off a line-out for the supporting Ward to score.

Ruddock promptly brought on Hegarty, the pack rumbled some more and they deserved their try when Fulcher pilfered a Clarke throw. Carey set up good ball as Ward tormented the Leinster backs some more, O'Brien made some more crucial yards and Nowlan hit the line well to score.

But, tellingly, back came Ulster again. Mason tagged on a penalty and after Ward had spread the Leinster defence again, McDowell stepped inside Nowlan and McGowan for the bonus point.