The Dubliner downed his home province with a stunning long-range penalty with just 80 seconds remaining to secure a 23-21 win for Richie Murphy’s side at Ravenhill, which ensures that they will finish inside the top eight after a roller-coaster 2023/24 season. For a long time, it had looked like a campaign that was listing aimlessly for Ulster as they were dumped out of the Champions Cup, and head coach Dan McFarland was given the sack after the Ospreys inflicted a third straight loss on them in February. But, after three losses in his first four games, now-permanent head coach Murphy has righted the ship with four straight wins, and Ulster now have knock-out rugby to look forward to.
“A couple weeks back, I found that Sharks game a low, I thought we were poor and didn’t know how to fix it,” concedes Cooney. “To come back over the last four weeks and get the wins – dogged wins as well – yes, we could have been better, but we showed some resilience and some heart that we haven’t shown throughout the year. “It’s reflected in those grind-out wins.
“We did that a couple of years ago when we had that ‘fight for every inch’ mantra we used to have. It’s sport, turn up every week. You show up every Monday and try not to be too high or too low.
” Nobody in attendance at a sold-out Ravenhill on Saturday night will forget Cooney’s match-winning, Play-Off-sealing penalty that earned Ulster the 23-21 win over Leinster. As he has done time and time again, the.