DUBLIN UNIVERSITY 29
BLACKROCK COLLEGE 11
A FOUR-TRY salvo either side of half-time proved crucial in College Park yesterday afternoon, as Dublin University made their bow in Division 1B with an impressive Dublin derby victory over an
overwhelmed Blackrock College.
In a tight and tense opening period, Blackrock outhalf David Godfrey opened the scoring with a routine penalty but, following a spell of persistent pressure from the Trinity pack, David Joyce was on hand to restore parity to the contest with an 18th-minute penalty.
Both sides would have their fair share of possession for the remainder of the half; however it was Dublin University who would strike next, with centre Ariel Robles crossing over the whitewash after a long kick up-field had been chase down effectively by Niall Hanratty.
Godfrey brought the margin back down to two with a successful penalty for ‘Rock, but Trinity would have the final say of the half, as a converted try from Billy Dargan gave last year’s Division 2A champions a nine-point interval lead (15-6).
This score would prove to be of great importance, as it gave Trinity the impetus to push on for further scores, and Dargan registered his second try of the day in the early moments after the restart following excellent work by powerful flanker Brian du Toit.
Joyce was once again on hand to convert this score, which he also did for Dublin University’s bonus point try from Martin Kelly as we moved into the final half-hour of action.
This scoring burst effectively killed off the game as a contest, because even though Mark Scott-Lennon got through for a well-taken try on 74 minutes, it was only a mere consolation on a day when Dublin University were convincing winners.