ST. MARY’S COLLEGE 15 DUBLIN UNIVERSITY 18, Templeville Road (played on Friday)
Scorers: St. Mary’s College: Tries: Marcus O’Driscoll, Tim Maupin; Con: Conor Dean; Pen: Conor Dean
Dublin University: Tries: Richard Dunne, Paddy Finlay; Con: Bryan Mollen; Pens: Bryan Mollen 2
HT: St. Mary’s College 15 Dublin University 8
A strong scoring burst either side of half-time saw Dublin University battle past St. Mary’s College for a potentially crucial 18-15 win at Templeville Road on Friday.
Lying second-from-bottom, Trinity came from behind to secure their third triumph in four league games with returning Ireland Sevens international Bryan Mollen landing the match-winning penalty in the 54th minute.
St. Mary’s opened the scoring in the third minute with a supremely-executed penalty by out-half Conor Dean. On a damp evening, Trinity should have been level soon after but Mollen’s first kick of the night, from just outside the 22, drifted well past the left hand post.
It was not long until Mary’s were back on the front foot. Following a neat offload by Dean, Leinster-capped back rower Caelan Doris broke powerfully through a gap in the defence. He was hauled down just shy of the whitewash before play was switched out to the right where centre Marcus O’Driscoll was able to ease over for the opening try.
After Dean narrowly missed the conversion at 8-0, Mollen got the students off the mark from his second penalty attempt in the 25th minute. However, former Trinity favourite Tim Maupin stung his old club by clinically finishing a try in the right corner off a counter attack. Dean swung over a terrific touchline conversion for 15-3.
Nonetheless, just when Mary’s appeared to hold all the cards, Trinity responded with a crucial score just before half-time. Building through the phases, it was influential openside Richard Dunne who succeeded in holding off a series of tackles to notch a five-pointer under severe pressure.
The seven-point deficit was completely wiped out within two minutes of the resumption. Tony Smeeth’s youngsters gained a foothold close to the opposition posts after Maupin had spilled possession in the greasy conditions, and although they had to be patient, hooker Paddy Finlay eventually crossed the whitewash on the left.
A successful conversion from Mollen had Trinity back on level terms, and with Mary’s now struggling to find their rhythm, the visitors moved ahead on 54 minutes. Forceful attacking play from Trinity led to a penalty in front of the posts and Mollen comfortably added the three-pointer.
With four defeats from their previous five league outings, Mary’s were desperate to end a scoring sequence that had seen Trinity register 15 points without reply. They had a chance to do so close to the hour mark, but the visitors breathed a sigh of relief when Dean’s latest penalty attempt dropped short.
Mary’s started to get on top of possession moving into the final quarter, though, and with Dean kicking to touch from penalties in the 72nd and 74th minutes, it was clear that they wanted to seek out a match-winning try.
After securing the lineout from the second of these set pieces, Mary’s embarked on a multi-phase attack that looked set to yield the crucial score. However, the Trinity defence brilliantly manufactured a penalty on their own five-metre line, which allowed them to close out a narrow but deserved victory.
ST. MARY’S COLLEGE: Terry Kennedy; Tim Maupin, Darren Moroney, Marcus O’Driscoll, Craig Kennedy; Conor Dean, Paddy O’Driscoll; Tom O’Reilly, Richard Halpin, Adam Coyle, Ciaran Ruddock (capt), Cathal O’Flaherty, Caelan Doris, Nick McCarthy, Jack Dilger.
Replacements: Cathal Ryan, Emmet Ferron, Jack Aungier, Hugh Kelleher, Robbie Glynn, Ryan O’Loughlin, Mark Fallon.
DUBLIN UNIVERSITY: Michael Silvester; Bryan Mollen, Michael Courtney (capt), Seb Fromm, Billy O’Hora; James Fennelly, Angus Lloyd; James Bollard, Paddy Finlay, Joe Byrne, Jack Burke, Alex McDonald, Sam Pim, Richard Dunne, David St Leger.
Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Darragh Higgins, Niall O’Riordan, Rowan Osborne, Jack Kelly.