With one match of the regular season remaining, Munster have climbed back into the top eight, subject to Saturday’s matches in the penultimate round but Ulster paid the price for a yellow card in each half by slipping five points off the play-off positions. Two tries from man of the match Tom Farrell added to his hat-trick in Belfast in Munster’s pre-Christmas as his side reversed a three-game losing streak when it really mattered. Munster led by 24-20 at the interval, having secured their try bonus-point after 34 minutes as Michael Milne, Farrell, captain and Lions call-up Tadhg Beirne, and Niall Scannell scored before the break, Stuart McCloskey and Jude Postlethwaite replying. Yet it was one-way traffic after the break as Farrell scored again before O’Mahony produced the moment of the match with a well-taken try on 58 minutes as Munster kept the visitors scoreless after half-time. A home match in Cork next Friday against Benetton is all that now stands between Munster and a play-off berth which will secure Champions Cup rugby next season. It had been a helter-skelter, six-try first half, that had been tit for tat until hooker Niall Scannell brought up the try bonus point on 34 minutes. Ulster had opened the lead on five minutes as McCloskey exploited a gaping hole on the blindside as his side profited from their maul following a penalty concession upfield from Alex Nankivell. Milne grabbed his first try since joining on loan from Leinster ahead of his permanent move south this summer but Jack Murphy’s penalty for Ulster on 18 minutes made it 10-5, albeit having been reduced to 14 men following a yellow card for prop Scott Wilson for a high hit on Gavin Coombes. There was a minute left on the sin-bin when Munster finally took advantage on 24 minutes and it was an excellent attacking move as forwards and backs combined off a scrum on their 10 metre-line, O’Mahony providing the assist for Farrell from the right wing by drawing in two defenders to create space for the crucial pass inside for Farrell’s ninth try of the campaign. Munster only had themselves to blame for conceding a second time, just two minutes later, with the home side guilty of overplaying on their own 22 and Ulster punishing them as Postlethwaite scored in the right corner, Murphy’s conversion opening up a 17-10 lead. Munster took their turn to respond as Beirne charged down Murphy’s clearing kick from the restart, following up to score after 28 minutes. Crowley’s conversion levelled the scores once more and when Niall Scannell brought up the bonus point, the fly-half converted for a 22-17 lead. Ulster finished the opening 40 minutes with a Murphy penalty to make it 24-20 but a scrappy third quarter did them no favours, and neither did another yellow card, this time for McCloskey on 53 minutes. It was to prove a fatal blow to Ulster’s play-off hopes, Farrell claiming his second shortly after as a short-handed defensive line creaked two minutes later. Crowley’s conversion made it 31-20 and the fly-half set up the moment of the night with a crossfield kick to the right corner which saw O’Mahony leap above Nathan Doak and then sign off with a superbly taken try. The way he hammered the ball into the ground showed how much it meant to the Ireland Test centurion, 15 years on from his senior debut for Munster and the stadium erupted with his score as O’Mahony hurled the ball into the stands, Crowley converting for a 38-20 lead. It was O’Mahony’s final act as he left the stage for the last time, with next week’s home against Benetton set to be his hometown curtain call at Virgin Media Park, shortly followed by fellow Corkman Archer. By the time Murray entered the scene on 66 minutes Munster had taken a giant stride towards the play-offs and another year of Champions Cup rugby. MUNSTER: T Abrahams; C Nash, T Farrell, A Nankivell, D Kilgallen; J Crowley, C Casey (C Murray, 66); M Milne (J Wycherley, 60), N Scannell (L Barron, 60), S Archer (J Ryan, 63); J Kleyn (T Ahern, 49), T Beirne – captain (S O'Brien, 77); P O'Mahony (F Wycherley, 60), J Hodnett (A Kendellen, 55), G Coombes (Milne, 68 – FR sin-bin rep) Yellow card: J Wycherley 67-77. ULSTER: M Lowry; R Baloucoune (T O’Toole, 20 – FR sin-bin rep; W Kok, 60), J Postlethwaite, S McCloskey (S Moore, 68), J Stockdale, J Murphy, N Doak (D Shanahan, 60); A Warwick (C Reid, 49), R Herring (T Stewart, 60), S Wilson (T O’Toole, 54), I Henderson – captain (A O’Connor, 60), C Izuchukwu; M Rea (D McCann, 48), N Timoney, J McNabney. Yellow card: S Wilson 15-25, S McCloskey 54-64. Referee: Adam Jones (Wales).