Just in time, though, David Humphreys came to the rescue with a 79th minute dropgoal from the 10-yard line which managed to bounce off both posts before falling the right side of the cross bar.

Up in Edinburgh, Leinster had done as much as they could to claim the title by trouncing a heavily understrength home side but just as their hopes had been raised by Jason Spice's late try for the Ospreys, Humphreys' late piece of magic robbed them of anything concrete to show for Michael Cheika's first season in charge.

All in all it was an interesting conclusion to a competition that lost its way after Christmas when more important and interesting tournaments, namely the Six Nations and Heineken Cup, began to grab the limelight.

But Ulster's healthy level of travelling support at the Liberty Stadium on Friday, and indeed the sizeable numbers who went to Scotland with Leinster, proves that if managed and scheduled properly, the Celtic League has a big role to play in Irish rugby's future.

Certainly, David Humphreys seemed a happy chappy after the game, although he was probably just relieved that his two easy penalty misses early in the second-half didn't cost Ulster in the end. "It's a good feeling, " said the out-half, who'll continue in the Ulster jersey for another year. "In the first half we had a number of opportunities to score tries but we didn't manage to do that and the tension grew as the game went on. But the important thing was that we managed to keep our heads out there and take the opportunity when it came our way. It was just a case of holding onto the ball when we conceded that late try and waiting for an opportunity to present itself, whether it be a penalty or a try or a drop-goal opportunity."

Humphreys, who scuffed two late drop-goal attempts against Llanelli last week but found his range just at the right time, had no doubt that Ulster were deserving champions over the course of the season. "I don't think we've lost in Wales this year, we're now unbeaten in 10 games in a row so I think there's a confidence there that we can win games when things become tight, " he said. "We knew at half-time that it was going to be tight and that it could come down to just one score and we spoke about how we'd have to be strong mentally to win it. Munster have proved they're the experts at that and we've shown a bit of that this season."

One player who appears to have helped Ulster gain this winning mentality has been their second-row, Justin Harrison. The former Australian international has been a big hit up in Belfast and when Spice got that late try to put Ulster behind with the clock ticking down, it was Harrison who was doing the talking under the posts.

As a result, Mark McCall's side refused to panic and Humphrey's drop-goal was set-up with maximum efficiency and little or no panic.

"It's a sign that this side is maturing, " said Harrison.

"We have a lot of young guys playing exceptional football and for us to move forward we have to realise the mistakes we've made. But we were great there at the end.

We'd been penetrating all game and it was just a matter of time before we started to take our opportunities."

Harrison showed that he has something of a sense of humour when asked why Irish rugby was on such a high. "It's got to be the craic, " he answered with a smirk.

"Ah no, everybody's on an emotional high in the country at the moment and people are working hard at rugby."

Just like Ulster have done all season.