Leinster 34-26 Ulster
Two tries from Shane Horgan completed a a five star performanct from Leinster, as they ran out 34-26 winners over Ulster.
Leinster provided five scores in total with Luke Fitzgerald, Heinke Van Der Merwe and Richardt Strauss, in addition to the two from Horgan.
Pedrie Wannenburg, Craig Gilroy and nine points from the boot of Ian Humphreys, provided the fight from Ulster.
First Half
Leinster got the game off to a flyer as hooker Richardt Strauss went over after a well-executed chip from Sexton left the Ulster defences napping.
Sexton missed the extras, and missed a second conversion when Isa Nacewa's line break and offload put Luke Fitzgerald in for the score.
Fergus McFadden extend his side's lead to 12 as his cut out pass allowed Ulster to spread the ball wide to Horgan who duly obliged with a score in the corner.
Having missed two kicks from the left side of the field, Sexton slotted a much harder kick from the right to continue Leinster's fast start.
Ian Humphreys kept his side in touch with three penalties but a try from Heinke Van Der Merwe secured the bonus point for Leinster and returned the leads to double figures.
The sides headed in 27-12 at the break, with Ulster down to 14 after Pedrie Wannenburg was sin binned for tackling a player off the ball.
Second Half
Leinster continued where they left off in the second half and Horgan's second try of the match with an audacious but fortunate chip to himself saw him break the line and run over on his own.
Both sides rang the changes with Nathan Hines and Sean O'Brian adding experience to Leinster's already formidable lineup, with key players including Sexton getting a well-earned rest as the result was all but secured.
As expected Ulster kept on fighting and were rewarded for their efforts as Wannenburg made up for his time off the field in the first half with a push over try which Ruan Pienaar happily
converted.
Ulster continued to huff and puff but couldn't break through the defences and errors began to creep in at crucial phases in during the waves of Ulster attacks.
Craig Gilroy got a consolation try for Ulster as he cut through the line with a wonderful side step and Pienaar added the conversation to take the game within eight points.
Leinster showed their experience as they held on, former Ulster scrum half Isaac Boss kicking the ball into touch.
Final Score Leinster 34-26 Ulster
Leinster leapfrog Ulster into second place in the Magners League table extending their unbeaten home run to 25 wins in a row as Ulster were made to pay for their slow start, missing out on what could have been a crucial losing bonus point come the end of the season.
Both side's will want to consolidate their positions in the playoffs and can now focus on domestic matters after their recent Heineken Cup exit to Northampton Saints.
