Ulster captain Iain Henderson insists there is much more to come from his team following their win over Leinster.
It was only their third win in 22 visits to the RDS and just their second there in the last 11-years.
Ulster No. 8 Nick Timoney scoring two tries in the landmark 22-21 victory away to the BKT URC league leaders.
“We had a good plan and I felt we executed it well” said Henderson. “We were playing to Billy’s (Burns) strengths and our team’s strengths”.
“With the conditions, we were looking to put the ball in behind them. It became a bit of a dog-fight at times, but we got the job done and we are happy to come away with the points”.
“This result by no way means we are the finished article of what we want to be” added Henderson, Ulster now fourth in the table.
“This is another stepping stone on the journey we are on and where we want to get to”.
“It’s a win we are going to relish and enjoy over the next few days, but we know there is oceans more in this squad and, as I say, hopefully it’s just another stepping stone to making us a better team.”
Ulster move into league top four
Player-of-the-match Burns added: “Off the back of a couple of wins, we came down full of confidence, but knowing how tough a job it is”
“So it means a huge amount to get the victory” declared Burns. “We put a lot of energy and effort into this game, we came up with a plan which we stuck to”.
“We are slowly building". Burns added "We will keep showing improvement week-on-week and we will see where that takes us.
“We have got some big games coming up in the near future which will tell us a lot about where we are and where we can go.”
The other Irish derby saw Connacht end a five-match losing run in all competitions, beating Munster 22-9. Where, former Munster fly-half JJ Hanrahan slotted six shots at goal.
“We deserved the result” said Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins “You are not going to win an interpro in those conditions without bags of character”.
“I thought that was there. The fight, the relentlessness; that was really important for us.”
Four games were played on Saturday. Edinburgh gained revenge for their defeat at Scotstoun eight days earlier by beating Glasgow Warriors 19-14 at Murrayfield. But it was Glasgow who retained the 1872 Cup on a 36-29 aggregate result
Elsewhere, Benetton completed the double over Zebre Parma with a six-try 36-14 triumph in Treviso. Taking Benetton up to second in the table.
Finally, the DHL Stormers followed up their 26-20 win over the Vodacom Bulls with another Cape Town victory. Squeezed past the Hollywoodbets Sharks 16-15.
Teenage sensation shines in Welsh derby
It was an old school game between the Ospreys and Cardiff Rugby - but one lit up by an 18-year-old.
But teenage Ospreys No 8 Morgan Morse made light of the muddy surface as he scored one of the tries of the season.
Gathering the ball some 45 metres out, he left three would-be tacklers in his wake on a weaving, side-stepping run and then managed to slide over the line as the covering defenders converged on him. Ospreys winning out 27-21.
Game of the round
Edinburgh Rugby 19, Glasgow Warriors 14
It was a real thriller in front of a 37,904 crowd at Murrayfield. A a record attendance for a Scottish club fixture.
Test winger Duhan van der Merwe claimed the decisive try eight minutes from time and what a try it was.
From a turnover near their line, Edinburgh counter-attacked through Darcy Graham who burst away before releasing fellow wing Van der Merwe on his own 22.
It was then over to the big man who put down the hammer as he raced up the left touchline and dived in at the corner amid scenes of wild jubilation from the home fans.
Edinburgh then held on during a tense finale to gain sweet revenge for their 22-10 defeat at Scotstoun just before Christmas.
Cian Prendergast (Connacht)
Connacht’s 22-9 victory over Munster at a rain-lashed Galway Sportsground was built on work-rate and huge physical commitment. No-one epitomised that more than flanker Prendergast.
The 23-year-old blindside admitted there had been a lot on the line for the west of Ireland province following five successive defeats.
“We weren’t going to shy away from it. It’s been a really tough patch for us,” said Prendergast. “We hadn’t done the fans any credit, we hadn’t done ourselves any credit.
“So we decided we wanted to dictate how the night went. We said we would hopefully get the result through work-rate and physicality and I think we showed it out there”.
“The conditions played a part and it was a night where we just had to dig in, work really hard for each other and decide our own destiny”.
“For us now, it’s about building, getting better every week and hopefully we will be up there for the business end of the season.”
