On the charge: Leinster's Nathan Hines bursts through the Ulster defence during last night's Magners League encounter at Ravenhill

A HORRIBLE night in Belfast, but smiles all round for Ulster as they deservedly ended Leinster’s five-year unbeaten run at Ravenhill. If torrential rain and a swirling wind made the game something of a lottery, the winners’ pack demonstrated more urgency in the loose, and critically, they were dominant at half-back where Ian Humphreys and Isaac Boss comprehensively outplayed Shaun Berne and Chris Keane.

A Leinster victory would have put them on top of the Magners League going into the November break however they paid a heavy price for a pretty listless opening half when they had the gale at their backs and instead it was their northern rivals that took over the first-pace position. Berne missed three penalties and the visitors’ 7-3 interval lead was a good 10 points short of what was required in the appalling conditions.

You couldn’t quite say that Ulster turned the screw after the break, but they gave fewer penalties away and as Willie Faloon beavered away effectively at the breakdown, Humphreys and Boss exhibited the sort of control their opposite numbers sorely lacked.

Although Leinster outscored the winners by two tries to one – Luke Fitzgerald’s injury-time effort secured a losing bonus point – Humphreys’ place kicking return of four from five as against Berne’s one from four made a major difference. If Ulster could somehow manage to hang onto the ball and stay in the game until the changeover, it was clear that they were going to be in with a big shout, and for the opening quarter anyway they had a stranglehold on proceedings.

Despite some impressive driving play, they were soon in trouble with English referee Andrew Small for going off their feet. Berne was wide with one penalty attempt from 40 metres for Leinster and then when Ulster created a promising situation through a Dan Tuohy line-out take and BJ Botha’s surge, they were penalised again.

There wasn’t much let-up in that dispiriting pattern for Ulster as they made a mess of a line-out inside their own 22 and they were immediately pinged for hands at the ruck. The kick was easier this time, but once more Berne’s radar was askew.

Maybe it was a cunning plot by the home side to run down the clock as they battled the weather, but they were soon incurring the wrath of Mr Small again. Another penalty, and another miss by Berne as the ball clipped the post from 35 metres, and mystifyingly, Leinster chose to throw the ball around when hoofing it towards the corners appeared to be the best and most obvious option for the conditions.

You mightn’t have said that the contest suddenly burst into life but one imperious series of pick-and-gos by Ulster, with Tom Court particularly in evidence, brought play deep into Leinster territory where a double-whammy was waiting for the visitors. Bernard Jackman killed the ball, receiving a yellow card for his troubles, and Humphreys tapped over the easy penalty.

Leinster needed to respond and within a minute they managed to score the game’s first try. As they drove forward, Tamaiti Horua was sin-binned for a similar offence to Jackman’s, however in what was hardly a ringing endorsement of Berne’s place kicking, Jamie Heaslip took a quick tap, and with Ulster out of position, O’Driscoll found Berne who dived over. Perhaps wanting to make a point to his teammates, the out-half converted to give his side a 7-3 interval lead.

As Leinster turned to face the rain and wind which by now had intensified, that four-point cushion never looked to be enough. Although Humphreys was given a smoother ride than Berne by his dominant forwards, he was so much more influential as the second half progressed.

The out-half soon landed a penalty to reduce the margin and then Ulster struck for a superb opportunist try by Boss. Keane had sniped away from a scrum, but an all-enveloping tackle by Chris Henry on halfway created the turnover and Boss was quick to exploit a vacant blindside despite Malcolm O’Kelly’s despairing lunge.

Fifty metres and several seconds later, the scrum-half was diving over near the corner and making light of the worsening conditions, Humphreys fired over a magnificent conversion to make it 13-7.

Jonathan Sexton was brought on in place of Berne and there were a couple of touches to savour from O’Driscoll but when Sexton high tackled Cave with 10 minutes remaining, a sure-footed Humphreys was on target with his third penalty to make the game safe.

Fitzgerald’s late try following an astute kick ahead by Isa Nacewa gave Leinster a losing bonus point, but in truth it was the most they deserved.

ULSTER C Schifcofske; T Nagusa, D Cave, I Whitten, A Trimble; I Humphreys, I Boss; T Court, N Brady, B Botha; D Tuohy, R Caldwell; T Horua, W Faloon, C Henry Subs R Diack for Horua, B Young for Botha, both 63 mins Sin bin Horua, 40-50 mins

Scorers Humphreys 3 pens, con; Boss try

LEINSTER R Kearney; G Dempsey, B O’Driscoll, G D’Arcy, I Nacewa; S Berne, C Keane; R McCormack, B Jackman, M Ross; D Toner, N Hines; K McLaughlin, S O’Brien, J Heaslip Subs M O’Kelly for Toner, CJ van der Linde for McCormack, both h-t; J Fogarty for Jackman, 44 mins; L Fitzgerald for Dempsey, 55 mins; J Sexton for Berne, 58 mins; Simon Keogh for Keane, Stephen Keogh for McLaughlin, both 68 mins Sin bin Jackman 37-47 mins Scorers Berne try, con; Fitzgerald try, Sexton con

Referee A Small (England)