Unbeaten Leinster edge out Munster to make PRO14 final

ULSTER staged a stunning second-half fightback at Murrayfield to become only the second team after Scarlets to win an away PRO14 semi-final and leave Edinburgh heartbroken.

Trailing 12-0 and 19-7 after Chris Dean scored the hosts’ third try after 62 minutes, the visitors hit back with tries from Rob Herring and John Andrew, Ian Madigan levelling the scores with four minutes left.

As the clock ticked to red, replacement hooker Mike Willemse infringed and Madigan stepped up to land a remarkable winning penalty with the last kick of the match.

Ulster will face Leinster in Dublin next Saturday in their first final since 2013.

Edinburgh’s giant wing Duhan van der Merwe was razor sharp from the first minute, making 98m in the first half alone and beating defenders every time he got the ball.

Ulster were grateful for Marcel Coetzee’s last-ditch tackle to deny Blair Kinghorn before the hosts took the lead after 13 minutes. They turned down an easy kick at goal to go for the corner and were rewarded when captain Stuart McInally burst off the back of the driving maul to score.

Edinburgh were having the better of the set-piece, winning several scrum penalties, while Hamish Watson twice won penalties over the ball to frustrate Ulster, whose best chance disappeared when Billy Burns knocked on metres from the line.

Edinburgh had further chances as the interval beckoned, Chris Dean’s looping pass setting Van der Merwe rampaging down the left wing before Jaco van der Walt’s halfbreak and offload sent Dean haring into space.

But each time Ulster’s scramble defence held firm to prevent the hosts turning the screw.

Six minutes after the resumption they earned some breathing space when Van der Walt broke through two tackles to put Darcy Graham in at the right corner, Van der Walt’s conversion made it 12-0.

They could have put the game to bed moments later when Mark Bennett broke away from his own line, only for Burns to make a vital interception.

Instead Ulster earned a lifeline when Marcel Coetzee released Rob Lyttle to step off his wing to score.

But Edinburgh responded immediately, the outstanding Hamish Watson barrelling through two tackles before sending Dean over.

Ulster hit back though, Herring finishing off a rolling maul to reduce the margin to seven.With five minutes left replacement hooker John Andrew ploughed over, Madigan’s touchline conversion levelling at 19-19, before his penalty decided matters.