Glum-looking Ulster coach Alan Solomons

It was the Ulster's new-found star Paddy Wallace who presented Leinster with a gift.

Lions centre Brian O'Driscoll, making his first start of the season, found touch deep into Ulster's 22.

Wallace tried to take a quick line-out but only passed the ball to Lions lock Malcom O'Kelly who waddled over for the opening try.

Ulster did manage to put together a few good phases, but once again their line-out work was atrocious as they lost yardage from hard-won territory.

The scrums in general were a bit of a mess with referee Nigel Williams threatening to send both front-rows to the sin-bin.

He did, however, flash the yellow card twice with Leinster hooker Shane Byrne and Ulster replacement Mark Blair cooling off for 10 minutes either side of the interval.

Shoulder injury

Once again, Ulster had to rely on the boot of fly-half David Humphreys, while 20-year-old Neil McMillen had another good match in the loose and was equal to his opposite number Keith Gleeson.

Humphreys, who worringly went off with a shoulder injury late in the game, landed two first half penalties with Wallace adding another before the break.

However, Leinster were already in control by the interval with D'Arcy swooping for his first try in the 26th minute.

The ball had moved from right to left, and back again with O'Driscoll throwing a long ball to D'Arcy for the winger to leave the defence for dead.

A Nathan Spooner penalty and Girvan Dempsey dropped goal gave Leinster a 16-9 half-time lead.

Jeremy Davidson outjumps Mal O'Kelly

Four minutes after the restart Spooner landed his second penalty and on the hour D'Arcy swooped again.

Leinster had contained Ulster as they tried to get back into the game, and then struck with Eric Miller giving D'Arcy a pass into space to sprint home.

The final ignominy for Ulster came from Ireland winger Denis Hickie in inury time.

Once again the Ulster defence was spreadeagled and Hickie had little trouble winging his way in under the posts for Spooner to convert.

Leinster: G Dempsey, D Hickie, B O'Driscoll, S Horgan, G D'Arcy, N Spooner, B O'Meara; R Corrigan, capt, S Byrne, E Byrne, M O'Kelly, L Cullen, E Miller, V Costello, K Gleeson.

Replacements: T Brennan for Miller (77), A Magro for D'Arcy (77).

Scorers: T: D'Arcy (2), O'Kelly, Hickie; C: Spooner; P: Spooner (2); DG: Dempsey. Ulster: P Wallace, S Coulter, J Bell, A Larkin, T Howe, D Humphreys, N Doak; J Fitzpatrick, P Shields, S Best, P Johns, J Davidson, A Ward, capt, R Nelson, N McMillen.

Replacements: C Boyd for Best (71), M Blair for Johns (44), T McWhirter for Ward (71), K Campbell for Doak (78), N Malone for Humphreys (72), R Constable for Bell (56).

Scorers: P: Humphreys (2), Wallace.

Referee: N Williams (WRU).