The Irish giants leapfrogged defending champions Leinster at the top of the standings after their match against the Scarlets was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols.

Leinster – who have had a flawless season, boasting 35 points after winning all seven of their matches to date - however, will take comfort from the fact that they have a game in hand.

It was Ulster that ended Edinburgh’s dream in last year’s competition by coming from behind to win the semi-final, but the rematch of that playoff game was not nearly as close.

A hat-trick by Ulster hooker John Andrew set them up for a convincing victory as the visitors outscored their opponents seven tries to two.

The team broke out of the blocks early on, building up a 19-0 lead after 25 minutes before Edinburgh scored either side of halftime to cut their advantage to 19-14.

This, however, sparked a strong comeback from Ulster who charged full steam ahead in the latter part of the second half to take a three-point lead over Leinster at the top of the conference.

In Conference B Munster took full advantage of the chance to stretch their lead on the standings over the Scarlets to 16 points as they thumped Zebre 52-3 in Limerick, with Springbok centre Damian de Allende scoring one of their seven tries.

In the other matches, the Dragons registered a 26-19 away win against Benetton in Treviso and the Glasgow Warriors defeated the Cardiff Blues 19-10 in Newport.

Guinness PRO14 results:

Edinburgh 14 – 43 Ulster (BT Murrayfield, Edinburgh)

Benetton 19 – 26 Dragons (Stadio Comunale Di Monigo, Treviso)

Cardiff Blues 10 – 19 Glasgow Warriors (Rodney Parade, Newport)

Munster 52 – 3 Zebre (Thomond Park, Limerick)