Ireland internationals Robbie Henshaw and Caelan Doris both scored for Leinster as they clinched their third consecutive Guinness PRO14 title in Dublin.
The defending champions triumphed 27-5 against provincial rivals Ulster at the Aviva Stadium, extending their unbeaten record to 23 games in all competitions this season – including 17 in a row in the league.
Henshaw and Doris’ efforts followed James Lowe’s first-half score for Leo Cullen’s men, who will now turn their attention to a European Champions Cup quarter-final with Saracens next weekend.
But Leinster did not have it all their own way in the final, finding themselves behind inside five minutes after James Hume raced over the whitewash for a superb Ulster score.
Starting their first Guinness PRO14 final since 2012/2013 and targeting their first title since 2006, Ulster bolted out of the blocks – much to the surprise of the reigning champions.
Yet after a frantic opening to the contest, Leinster began to exert their dominance and they responded Hume’s try with a well-worked score of their own on 12 minutes.
The men in blue surged forward to Ulster’s five-metre line before Jamison Gibson-Park whipped a pass out wide to Lowe, allowing the Irish-qualified wing crossing in the corner.
Ross Byrne’s conversion and a further penalty gave the hosts a five-point cushion at the break, although not before a knock-on cost Ulster a potential second try on the cusp of half time.
Those missed chances, which including turning down two penalty opportunities, came back to haunt Ulster after the restart as Dan McFarland’s side suffered a knockout blow in the opening five minutes of the second half.
Byrne added another penalty soon after the resumption before Henshaw pounced on a Billy Burns pass and ran between the posts, extending Leinster’s lead to 20-5.
Leinster’s brutal line speed, aided by Ireland stars James Ryan and Josh van der Flier, continued to stifle Ulster’s attack and ensured the home side remained in the ascendancy.
And as the conclusion approached, Doris put the finishing touches to an outstanding individual campaign for him personally by bullying his way over the whitewash late on.
Johnny Sexton, who came off the bench for a short 20-minute cameo, kicked the conversion and sealed a historic third consecutive Guinness PRO14 title for ‘The Invincibles’.
The victory also means Leinster have completed their campaign unbeaten for just the second time, following on from their perfect record in the first-ever Celtic League season in 2001/02.
