On Matchday 17, Ulster scrum-half John Cooney kicked a crucial penalty in the final minute of the game, giving the team a 23-21 home victory over Leinster.
The hosts gave their best throughout the match, but were limited to only two tries from Rob Herring and Jacob Stockdale, with Cooney scoring the decisive kick, scoring two conversions and three penalties.
Leinster had Charlie Ngatai, Cormac Foley and Michael Araratoa score more tries than their rivals, with Harry Byrne kicking all three conversions in error.
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Leinster, who led for much of the match at Kingspan Stadium, earned a defeat bonus point and secured a top-four finish a week before the European Champions Cup final against Toulouse.
They dominated the opening stages, with Michael Lowry twice crossing the Leinster line but without scoring, and the hosts were awarded a penalty with a corner kick in the 13th minute.
From there, Ulster hit a maul and Herring touched down to score, and the goal was conceded after referee Andrea Piardi went upstairs.
Leinster equalized in the 22nd minute after Billy Burns’ kick was charged by Will Connors and supported by Charlie Ngatai for a touchdown. Harry Byrne scored, making the score 7-7.
Leinster took the lead after 29 minutes when Hugo Keenan broke the line and played an inside pass to supporter Cormac Foley, who cleared to score the visitors’ second goal, and again Byrne scored his second goal directly. added.
Cooney converted a penalty in the 31st minute to cut Leinster’s lead to 14-10 and that was the end of the first half.
Three minutes after the restart, Cooney converted his second penalty to reduce Leinster’s lead to their only point.
However, after a series of picks and jams on the line, the visitors were again pushed further forward when Michael Alaalatoa drove in minutes later.
Byrne’s conversion gave Leinster a 21-13 lead, but Ulster came back and it was a one-point contest.
Jacob Stockdale intercepted Byrne’s pass, raced almost the length of the field, and Cooney added a nice conversion to give the hosts a 21-20 lead going into the final 20 minutes.
The shot, set for a spectacular finish, fell to Cooney with three minutes remaining, and his long-range penalty sealed the win and ensured Ulster a place in the play-offs.
read more: Manny Livbok pushes Stormers into strong play-off position as Cardiff beat 14-man Sharks
lineup
Ulster: 15 Ethan McIlroy, 14 Mike Lawrie, 13 Will Addison, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Billy Barnes, 9 John Cooney, 8 Nick Timane, 7 David McCann, 6 Cormac – Izuchukwu, 5 Alan O’Connor (c), 4 Kieran Treadwell, 3 Tom O’Toole, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Eric O’Sullivan
Replacement: 16 Tom Stewart, 17 Andy Warwick, 18 Scott Wilson, 19 Harry Sheridan, 20 Matty Ray, 21 Nathan Doak, 22 Stewart Moore, 23 Jude Postlethwaite
Leinster: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Tommy O’Brien, 13 Jimmy O’Brien, 12 Charlie Ngatai, 11 Rob Russell, 10 Harry Byrne, 9 Cormac Foley, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Will Connors, 6 Max Deegan, 5 Brian Deeney, 4 James Ryan (c), 3 Michael Araratoa, 2 Ronan Kelleher, 1 Cian Healy
Replacement: 16 John Mackie, 17 Michael Milne, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Ross Moloney, 20 Scott Penny, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Sam Prendergast, 23 Ben Brownlee
