DUBLIN UNIVERSITY 0 TERENURE COLLEGE 24, College Park
Scorers: Dublin University: –
Terenure College: Tries: Oisin Heffernan, Michael Melia, Sam Coghlan Murray, Stephen O’Neill; Con: Mark O’Neill 2
HT: Dublin University 0 Terenure College 12
Terenure College kicked off the new league season in style with an eye-catching 24-0 bonus point victory over Dublin University at College Park.
Trinity’s dramatic 27-25 win over the same opponents at the end of last term saved their Division 1A status, but Terenure exacted revenge today with unanswered tries from Oisin Heffernan, Michael Melia, Sam Coghlan Murray and Stephen O’Neill.
The students were up against it almost straight from the off, flanker Sam Pim seeing yellow for a tackle in the air in the third minute. Although they held out initially, the home defence gave when when Leinster-capped prop Heffernan powered over from a maul.
Out-half Mark O’Neill converted brilliantly from a tight angle in the tenth minute. Following Pim’s return, the Terenure pack continued to look dangerous deep in Trinity territory. Another drive towards the posts was finished off by lock Melia.
As the first half developed, heavy rainfall made life difficult for both sets of players and clear-cut opportunities were few and far between. Toby Boyd and out-half James Fennelly broke for Trinity to get them into scoring range, but the half ended with ‘Nure still with a 12-point cushion.
Two of the visitors’ summer signings, front rowers Schalk Jooste (South Africa) and Giorgi Turabelidze (Portugal via Georgia), were having a noticeable impact. The latter was involved in a sweeping 57th-minute move which ended with winger Coghlan Murray scoring out on the left.
Trinity, who were missing some of their frontline players from the 2016/17 campaign, kept plugging away but they struggled to create try-scoring opportunities.
Terenure, on the other hand, had a bonus point in their sights, and it finally arrived six minutes from the end. Impressive centre Stephen O’Neill intercepted a pass and sprinted over to seal the maximum for James Blaney’s side, who top the table after round 1.
DUBLIN UNIVERSITY: Jack Fitzpatrick; Bryan Mollen, Michael Courtney (capt), Kyle Dixon, Billy O’Hara; James Fennelly, Angus Lloyd; James Bollard, Maurice Buckley, Darragh Higgins, Arthur Green, Jack Burke, Sam Pim, Toby Boyd, David St. Leger.
Replacements: Joe Horan, Fintan Murphy, Jack Dunne, Brian Slater, James Hickey.
TERENURE COLLEGE: James O’Donoghue; Jake Swaine, Stephen O’Neill, Marc Hiney, Sam Coghlan Murray; Mark O’Neill, Conor Weakliam; Schalk Jooste, Robbie Smyth (capt), Oisin Heffernan, Michael Melia, Alex Thompson, Cathal Deans, Niall Lalor, Eoin Joyce.
Replacements: Adam Clarkin, Giorgi Turabelidze, Paddy Thornton, James Thornton, Ted O’Donoghue.