Tries: Niyi Adeolukan, Pierce Dargan, Brian du Toit; Cons: Cathal Marsh 2; Pens: Cathal Marsh 3
Tries: Lorcan McGillan 2, Josh Pentland; Cons: Lorcan McGillan 3; Pen: Lorcan McGillan
David Fanagan; Neil Hanratty, Ariel Robles, Paddy Lavelle, Niyi Adeolukan; Cathal Marsh, Michael McLoughlin; Ian Hirst, Warren Larkin, Martin Kelly, Max Waters, Jack Kelly, Alan MacDonald, Brian du Toit, Jack Dilger.Replacements used: Pierce Dargan for MacDonald (half-time), Tom Collis for Larkin (63 mins), Paddy Carroll for Robles (80+6), Ciaran Wade for M Kelly (80+7), James O’Donoghue for Marsh (80+10).
Taylor Acheson; Lorcan McGillan, Michael Barker, Mark Gribben, Jay Malcolm; Josh Pentland, Johnny Creighton; David Halliday, Chris Taylor, Jake Caulfield, Alan O’Connor, James McCallister, Conor Joyce, Neil Alcorn, Glenn Moore. Replacements used: Alastair Coulson for Caulfield, Shane Kelly for Malcolm (both 51 mins), Malcolm for Gribben (54), Simon Bailie for Taylor (63), Cory Tipping for McCallister, Caulfield for Coulson, Taylor for Bailie (all 74), Coulson for Caulfield (80).
Trinity Complete Stunning Comeback Against Malone
A 74th minute try from flanker Brian du Toit helped Dublin University maintain their winning start to Ulster Bank League Division 1B as they overhauled former leaders Malone at College Park.
It was a dramatic, nail-biting victory for the Trinity students, bringing their incredible unbeaten run in Ulster Bank League fixtures – between the current season and the last – to 17 matches.Visitors Malone had made an excellent start to the contest, with winger Lorcan McGillan finding the target with a 35-metre penalty after just two minutes of play.
The Belfast outfit were really taking the game to the hosts in the early exchanges, and they deservedly crossed over the Trinity whitewash five minutes later through out-half Josh Pentland, who opted to run a penalty on the right-hand side. McGillan was on hand to supply the bonuses to this score, but Trinity eventually got their account underway with a 12th minute Cathal Marsh place kick from a tight angle on the left.
Malone weren’t ready to drop their intensity levels just yet, though and, following a misplaced pass out of defence by Trinity, the outstanding McGillan touched down in the right-corner for a try that he also converted. Pacy Trinity left-wing Niyi Adeolukan did get through for his side’s opening try of the afternoon with four minutes remaining in the opening period (converted by Marsh), but this was cancelled out on the stroke of half-time by another seven-point salvo for McGillan following a fine move across the Trinity line. This gave the Ulster men a 24-10 interval lead, meaning that Trinity were facing the very real possibility of a first league defeat in all of 13 months.
However, the Dublin men did receive a lifeline just six minutes after re-start, when replacement Pierce Dargan was put through for his side’s second try by a neat off-load from centre Paddy Lavelle. Trinity No. 10 Marsh was wide of the mark on this occasion with the subsequent conversion, but he made amends on 56 minutes with a routine penalty, reducing the Malone cushion to six points. Another three-pointer from Marsh 12 minutes later cut even further into the Cregagh Road brigade’s advantage, as Trinity sensed that there was now a chance that they could get something out of this contest.
Having played some sparkling rugby before the break, Malone were now struggling to break down a far more compact Trinity defence, and they were hit with a real sucker punch seven minutes from time, when flanker Du Toit broke free for a try on the left flank, set-up brilliantly by an incisive pass from scrum-half Michael McLoughlin. This, and an expert conversion by Marsh, proved to be the decisive scores of the tie, as Trinity held out for four precious points, in spite of 12 minutes of stoppage time in the Dublin 2 venue.
Referee: Stuart Gaffikin (IRFU)