ULSTER BANK LEAGUE:
UCD 21 Lansdowne 17

On a night when Old Belvedere and Clontarf were battling for top-flight supremacy, defending All-Ireland League champions Lansdowne were put to the sword at Belfield by a 68th minute try from UCD replacement Mark McGroarty.

In a bright opening quarter, Lansdowne out-half Tom Kiersey and his opposite number Niall Earls traded a brace of penalties, before the latter gave the Students a 22nd minute lead with a successful 40-metre place-kick.

A strong move on the left-wing led to an unconverted Willie Earl try for Lansdowne six minutes before the interval, but the hosts had the final say in the opening period, as full-back Andy Boyle touched down clinically in stoppage-time.

The holders managed to recover from this setback with a further set of Kiersey penalties in the 44th and 47th minutes respectively, and these scores looked being crucial after UCD’s Liam Bourke twice fell short from similar attempts.

Bourke’s fellow substitute McGroarty spared his blushes 12 minutes from the end, though, as he finished off a decisive move in the left-corner.

Scorers for UCD: A Boyle, M McGroarty try each, N Earls 3 pens, L Bourke con.

Scorers for Lansdowne: W Earl try, T Kiersey 4 pens.

UCD: A Boyle; A Byrne, B Dardis, A Kelly, S Murphy, B Daly; N Earls, J Glynn; R Harrison, J Tracy, K Moloney; B Cawley, G Thornbury; S Grannell, C Gilsenan, E Joyce.

Replacements: L Hyland, A Clarkin, M McGroarty, S O’Meara, L Bourke.

LANSDOWNE: W Walsh; C Aherne, M Roche, S Morrissey, T Farrell; T Kiersey, P Maher; P Dooley, T Moran, A Boland; W Earle, R Jones; C Ross, C Butterworth, B Moylett.

Replacements: I Prenderville, W Larkin, J Moran, S Deasy, T Daly.

Referee: A Brace (IRFU).