Terenure College benefited from some clinical finishing as they made it back-to-back successes in the top flight with a 31-18 dismissal of bottom-placed Dolphin at Lakelands Park.
Second-placed ‘Nure, who are seven points behind Lansdowne and seven ahead of ‘Tarf, stayed on course for the semi-finals as centre Stephen O’Neill created the openings for first half tries from Ian Hanly and Harry Moore (his eighth of the campaign).
Dolphin trailed 14-6 at the break following two Rory Scannell penalties, but they profited from Robert Duke’s yellow card when number 8 John Fitzgerald drove over for a maul try which Scannell converted.
Just three minutes later, Terenure responded as excellent approach work by Kevin and Mark O’Neill teed up lock Kevin O’Dwyer for his side’s third converted try. But the Corkmen hung in there thanks to a well-taken five-pointer by replacement scrum half Killian O’Keeffe.
Having replaced Mark O’Neill at out-half, Stephen O’Neill then took centre stage again by running in Terenure’s bonus point score which he converted himself. Having been replaced, Mark O’Neill returned to replace his brother Kevin O’Neill at scrum half and his late penalty confirmed the 13-point winning margin.