Special Leinster side now sit atop as the greatest provincial team Ireland has produced

Analysis

Some might suggest it was the Jimmy Davidson/Willie Anderson-led squad of the '80s. Others could point to Munster's double-winning Heineken Cup group of the early noughties. Leinster's Joe Schmidt-coached BOD generation was pretty special, too.

All that said, and, bear in mind we are still in the midst of something exceptional in terms of potential matching return, this Leo Cullen/Stuart Lancaster time could be the best of the lot to date.

Some statement, yes. But the manner of this latest PRO14 success, the utilisation of the ever-growing squad based on trust between players and management, makes this our most successful rugby unit to date. Hopefully the ugly and tainted achievements of Toulon and Saracens have been trumped by a system based primarily on school/club/academy, and young player development.

Unlike Munster a week before, Ulster went out to take Leinster on in the art of rugby. For 40 minutes, through an impressive lineout and willingness to at least attempt to put the ball through hands, they largely succeeded. If anything, the 10-5 lead at the break flattered the home side.

Dan McFarland has been a revelation since taking up the reins. Unlike so many, he talks with a great sense of reality. He also, unlike Munster, trusts in his squad.

The Ulster head coach summed it up simply in the immediate aftermath when saying that, right now, no side in the PRO14 comes remotely close to Leinster. They weren't at their best on Saturday, and still they took a third PRO14 title in a row, comfortably.

Despite all the individual talent at Cullen's disposal, Leinster Rugby is all about the collective. Buckets of passes were trumped only by buckets of tackles - but full credit to Ulster for giving it a go. James Hume's try was a class five-pointer in terms of creation and execution.

Unfortunately, they were to go another 76 minutes without registering a single point. Both sides changed their half-backs, but with very different motives. Here, again, for Leinster it worked. While Alby Mathewson did well in place of the underperforming John Cooney, Billy Burns had one best forgotten.

The Leinster management, by contrast, got everything they needed out of the named squad, but with Saracens very much in mind. The lineout is in need of address and, rest assured, Cullen himself will do just that with James Ryan, on the back of this run out, set to be a much more potent presence against two of the best locks in the business this Saturday.

There was good news for officialdom, too, with Andrew Brace, by and large, helping the game flow.

But back to Leinster, and the beautiful situation of the collective almost equal to the sum of its parts. The number 53 (as in players figuring in this campaign) was bandied about post-match. What does that say about the talent, but also about the coaching and selecting rationale exercised by Cullen, Lancaster, Felipe Contepomi and the rest?

This generation of fans will find it impossible to believe the term 'ladyboy' was once applied derogatorily to Leinster Rugby.

Against Ulster, save for the opening salvo lasting roughly 10 minutes, they were in match-winning mode.

We'll not suggest anything aesthetic to this particular success, but therein lies the real beauty of a squad and team at any given time capable of winning any which way. I'd love if they played like the New Zealand provinces, but even Crusaders (with whom recent favourable comparisons have been drawn) cut their cloth when needs be.

Winning with style is the bonus, but winning with conviction and confidence is the key to any successful team in any sporting code. If there was a weak link on Saturday, I sure didn't spot it.

Jamison Gibson-Park and Ross Byrne were excellent, as were the centres, with Garry Ringrose, this time as skipper, typically selfless in everything he did.

Beyond that, I felt Caelan Doris and Jack Conan, in terms of work ethic, stood out.

Yet Josh van der Flier was the named man of the match. Heady times, indeed.

There is no guarantee a successful attack on the Champions Cup will follow, but I doubt any other of the remaining eight could be in better physical or mental nick.

The cream has again risen to the top and the best team by far are champions of a PRO14 competition badly in need of revamping.

One final request to the powers that be in Munster Rugby - can there be a radical reassessment as to what winning rugby is all about? To think Rob Penney was effectively shown the door.