OLD BELVEDERE 29 ST. MARY’S COLLEGE 24, Anglesea Road
Scorers: Old Belvedere: Tries: Eoin Sweeney, Jack Keating, Martin Maloney, Peter O’Beirne, Roman Salanoa; Cons: Steve Crosbie 2
St. Mary’s College: Tries: David Aspil, Tim MacMahon, Penalty try; Cons: Conor Dean 2, Pen try con; Pen: Conor Dean
HT: Old Belvedere 17 St. Mary’s College 10

Roman Salanoa’s injury-time try swung a dramatic Division 1B clash in favour of hosts Old Belvedere at Anglesea Road. Despite enjoying 14-point advantages in both halves, ‘Belvo were left reeling by the concession of back-to-back converted tries.

St. Mary’s College looked set to claim a share of the spoils, only for replacement prop Salanoa, who had only just returned from the sin-bin, to dramatically intervene. Mary’s were in confident mood ahead of their short trip to Ballsbridge and they broke the deadlock with just under three minutes on the clock.

A series of attacking phases led to a 35-metre penalty, which the reliable Conor Dean, who is now part of the Connacht Academy, converted with minimal fuss. Despite falling behind early on, Old Belvedere gradually grew in stature as the first half progressed.

Experienced full-back Daniel Riordan released winger Fergus Flood for an overlap on the left flank, although the retreating Mary’s defence was able to gather his kick up the line. The hosts looked set to cross over when Ben Carty charged down an attempted clearance, but the centre knocked on just shy of the whitewash.

However, when player-backs coach and out-half Steve Crosbie kicked a 15th minute penalty to touch, it was the catalyst for the game’s maiden try. A powerful lineout maul saw the hosts gobble up the yards and lock Eoin Sweeney applied the finishing touches for a 5-3 scoreline.

After Crosbie’s conversion rebounded off the near left-hand post, Belvedere remained on the front foot and the 25th-minute sin-binning of Mary’s lock Liam Curran offered them a gilt-edge chance to kick on. They turned down several kicks at goal before the decision to spread play out to the right paid off with Riordan releasing Jack Keating for the winger’s fifth try of the campaign.

Backed by their vocal home support, Andy Kenny’s charges stung Mary’s with a third try as Crosbie, who was beginning to dictate affairs from half-back, unlocked the defence with an incisive break to set up young flanker Martin Maloney for a well-crafted seven-pointer.

However, Mary’s found their rhythm in attack to close the gap to 17-10 in time for the break. Dean sent a penalty to the left corner and openside David Aspil was able to round off a concerted attack by touching down against the base of the post. Dean knocked over the straightforward conversion to leave just seven points between them.

Belvedere had the better of the exchanges on the resumption, and it took just 11 minutes to register their bonus point try. Scrum half Peter O’Beirne scored it after getting on the end of Riordan’s spectacular break on the left. Crosbie’s conversion, coupled with the sin-binning of Mary’s replacement Paddy O’Driscoll, strengthened the hosts’ hand.

Again though, Mary’s showed their battling qualities and stayed in the hunt in impressive fashion. The dynamic Dean identified some space in behind the ‘Belvo defence and his well-weighted kick past the try-line was grounded by replacement Tim MacMahon for another confidence-boosting converted score.

The Mary’s forwards were causing increasing problems for Belvedere, making the lineout option all the more enticing for number 10 Dean. The back-up hooker, Stephen O’Brien, led the latest charge in the 66th minute which ended with referee Oisin Quinn awarding a penalty try for an illegally sacked maul.

That meant the sides were level at 24 points apiece but, crucially, Mary’s could not take advantage of the yellow cards for Belvedere front row replacements John McKee and Solanoa. Instead it was under-strength ‘Belvo who largely controlled possession for the remainder. They were denied a kick at goal but the 21-year-old Salanoa had other ideas, grounding the ball under a pile of bodies right at the death.

OLD BELVEDERE: Daniel Riordan; Jack Keating, Jamie McAleese, Ben Carty, Fergus Flood; Steve Crosbie (capt), Peter O’Beirne; James Bollard, Ed Rossiter, Declan Lavery, Eoin Sweeney, Connor Owende, Martin Maloney, Eoin O’Neill, Colin Mallon.

Replacements: John McKee, Roman Salanoa, Michael Oyuga, Jack Kelly, Joe White, Adam Howard, Simon Killeen.

ST. MARY’S COLLEGE: Tim MacMahon; Craig Kennedy, Myles Carey, Marcus O’Driscoll (capt), Mark Fogarty; Conor Dean, Cormac Foley; Tom O’Reilly, Richard Halpin, Michael McCormack, Liam Corcoran, Liam Curran, David Aspil, Ronan Watters, Mark Fallon.

Replacements: Stephen O’Brien, Colm McMahon, Nick McCarthy, Paddy O’Driscoll, Hugo Conway.

TERENURE COLLEGE 8 DUBLIN UNIVERSITY 25, Lakelands Park (played on Friday)
Scorers: Terenure College: Try: Jamie Glynn; Pen: James Thornton
Dublin University: Tries: Arthur Greene, Max Kearney, Jack Kelly; Cons: James Fennelly 2; Pens: James Fennelly 2
HT: Terenure College 0 Dublin University 15

Three-try Dublin University climbed into the top half of the Division 1A table after running out 25-8 winners over bottom side Terenure College in their Friday Night Lights clash at Lakelands Park.

Trinity made it back-to-back wins with Arthur Greene, Max Kearney and returning Leinster ‘A’ captain Jack Kelly all touching down. Terenure, who trailed 15-0 at half-time, improved in the second half but it was not until injury-time that a neat Jamie Glynn finish gave them a elusive try.

A hat-trick hero last week against Young Munster, full-back Michael Silvester had a strong impact for the students in the early stages at Lakelands, while Liam Turner, the latest player to roll off Blackrock College’s famous schools rugby production line, almost scored at the end of an incisive move.

A powerful run out of defence by former Leinster winger Sam Coghlan Murray seemed to lift the pressure off Terenure’s shoulders, only for Trinity to respond with the opening try in the 12th minute. James Hickey and Kearney made initial drives towards the line, but it was lock Green who eventually touched down to the right of the posts.

Influential out-half James Fennelly converted and although ‘Nure started to settle as the first quarter progressed, they remained scoreless as a relieved Trinity defence watched Coghlan Murray’s overcook his pass to waiting winger Sam Dardis and a try went a-begging.

Indeed, the hosts fell further behind in the 29th minute when Fennelly knocked over a penalty, and a second try soon followed for Tony Smeeth’s well-drilled Trinity side. Captain Colm Hogan and Turner threatened on both wings before flanker Kearney supplied the finishing touches to a multi-phase attack which ground the ‘Nure defence into submission.

Fennelly’s conversion attempt rebounded off a post, leaving it 15-0 at the interval. James Blaney’smen needed the breaks to fall their way on the resumption and the sin-binning of Trinity prop Bart Vermeulen offered them a chance to get back in the hunt. With their set piece moves not quite producing dividends, James Thornton was called on to kick at goal in the 49th minute and open their account.

However, in spite of their numerical advantage, ‘Nure leaked three points to Fennelly at the other end, and once restored to their full complement, the Trinity pack kept the visitors on the front foot. A brilliant Kyle McCoy lineout steal thwarted them, though, and a series of handling errors also stopped the white shirts in their tracks.

Nonetheless, Trinity were able to seal the result when another attacking scrum spelled danger for Terenure and outside centre Kelly cut a superb line to power over for a high-quality seven-pointer. ‘Nure did at least finish with a flourish, switching play to the right where the ever-industrious Glynn, the former UCD scrum half and captain, jinked through for an eye-catching consolation score.

TERENURE COLLEGE: Sam Coghlan Murray; Harry Moore, Stephen O’Neill, Robbie Carroll, Sam Dardis; James Thornton, Jamie Glynn; Karl O’Brien, Robbie Smyth, Tiarnan Creagh, Michael Melia (capt), Matthew Caffrey, Kyle McCoy, Rory Murray, Eoin Joyce.

Replacements: Adam Clarkin, Killian Bolger, Aaron Ryan, Erik Wijten, Kevin O’Neill.

DUBLIN UNIVERSITY: Michael Silvester; Liam Turner, Jack Kelly, James Hickey, Colm Hogan (capt); James Fennelly, Conor Lowndes; Bart Vermeulen, Joe Horan, Dylan Doyle, Arthur Greene, Jack Dunne, Paddy Nulty, Max Kearney, Niall O’Riordan.

Replacements: William Jennings, Thomas Clarkson, Alex MacDonald, Tomas Killeen, Robert Russell.

Concession of soft tries hurts Hickey

AIL RUGBY

Daire Walsh

CORK CONSTITUTION coach Brian Hickey admitted the concession of soft scores played a major part in his side’s 35-27 defeat to Lansdowne in Division 1A of the All-Ireland League last Saturday.

Despite registering four tries on the Aviva Stadium’s back pitch in a fast-paced affair, Con suffered their opening reversal of the 2018/19 domestic campaign.

“I think we were never close enough to be closing scores on them. We got back into the game at 8-5 and we just kept leaving them get too far ahead,” Hickey explained after the game.

“Then I thought when we came back into it, I was kind of thinking ‘could we get back into bonus point territory’. Losing bonus point territory.

“Then we conceded another try to let them get clear ahead, to give them a comfortable enough finish. That was disappointing.”

While the eight-point gap between the teams meant they missed out on a losing bonus, skipper Niall Kenneally touched down in stoppage-time to ensure Con achieved something tangible in their latest trip to the Ballsbridge venue.

Even allowing for the fact that Lansdowne were the superior team on the day, Con passed up additional try-scoring opportunities in either half.

A more expansive approach has produced 98 points for the Leesiders in their four league games to date, giving Hickey plenty of cause for optimism.

“We’re trying to maybe change a little bit in how we’re playing and I think it has worked fairly well for us in the games leading up to this.

“This was always going to be a step up in terms of intensity, defence, physicality.

“I’ve seen enough to suggest we keep working on it, but it did certainly pointed out where we’re maybe not as clinical as we got away with in previous matches.”

Next up for Con is a crunch home encounter against Garryowen next Saturday, which will be followed by a three-week break from all league action.

Sparks normally fly when the two Munster giants come face-to-face and Hickey believes their latest clash will be along similar lines.

“That will be a huge one and then there’ll be a little bit of a breather after that.

“Con and Garryowen will have a life of its own. We just need to get the injuries sorted out and get back into it.”

Alongside the list of absentees in advance of last weekend’s tie, the Con management will also have to deal with the standard bumps and bruises associated with life at this level.

However, given they were playing on Lansdowne’s re-surfaced all-weather pitch, Hickey was hopeful that his squad would be largely unscathed for the Garryowen game.

“We picked up a few knocks going into today. I think every team will and we probably had a few there today, but in fairness it was great to play on the pitch. It has been long overdue having the new pitch here.

“The games have been tight and fast, and open. Certainly there won’t be as many cuts and scrapes as there would have been in the past,” Hickey added.

Con’s league run comes to an end

RUGBY

LANSDOWNE……………………….35

CORK CONSTITUTION…………….27

Daire Walsh

CORK CONSTITUTION slipped to second place in the All-Ireland League Division 1A table on Saturday afternoon, courtesy of an eight-point defeat to defending champions Lansdowne at the Aviva Stadium’s back pitch.

Despite forging a spirited second-half display – which garnered a try bonus for the Leesiders – Con’s winning start to the new campaign was halted by the Harry Byrne-inspired Dubliners. In addition to building on triumphs over Shannon, UCC and Dublin University, Brian Hickey’s men were also aiming to avenge last season’s final reversal against Lansdowne.

However, after he broke the deadlock with a routine penalty, Byrne raced through a gap on the right flank for a ninth-minute try. As expected, the Con pack started to exert its influence on the game as the half progressed. When Aidan Moynihan opted for touch off a resulting attack, a powerful line-out maul was finished over the line by lock Brian Hayes.

This unconverted effort looked set to be a catalyst for the visitors, but Lansdowne asserted their authority. After a short pass from his half-back partner Tim Murphy, Byrne jinked his way over the whitewash for a second try.

He added the bonuses in comfortable fashion, before trading penalties with Moynihan to keep Lansdowne firmly in the driving seat. Their territorial dominance continued in the lead-up to the interval and winger Daniel McEvoy was released for another five-pointer to the left of the posts.

Lansdowne’s 25-8 cushion was subsequently enhanced on the resumption, as Adam Leavy (younger sibling of Ireland flanker Dan) punished Con for a turnover inside the opposition ’22’. His stunning solo try appeared to place the outcome beyond any doubt – only for their Temple Hill counterparts to dramatically reduce their deficit during a pulsating closing-quarter.

Another impressive set-piece on the hour mark ended with number eight Luke Cahill grounding beyond the Lansdowne line, edging them a step closer to the Ballsbridge club. Indeed, after Jack Costigan touched down 13 minutes from time, Con suddenly found themselves within touching distance of a losing bonus point.

A fifth Lansdowne try through Joe O’Brien put paid to their chances but skipper Niall Kenneally crashed over deep into stoppage time to ensure that Con didn’t come away empty-handed.

Scorers for Lansdowne: Harry Byrne 2 tries, 2 cons, 2 pens, Daniel McEvoy, Adam Leavy, Joe O’Brien try each.

Scorers for Cork Constitution: Brian Hayes, Luke Cahill, Jack Costigan, Niall Kenneally try each, Aidan Moynihan 2 cons, pen.

LANSDOWNE: Eamonn Mills; Daniel McEvoy, Harry Brennan, Mark O’Keeffe, Adam Leavy; Harry Byrne, Tim Murphy; Denis Coulson, Tyrone Moran, Ian Prendiville; Oisin Dowling, Jack Dwan; David O’Connor, Aaron Conneely, Willie Earle.

Replacements: James Rael, Greg McGrath, Joe O’Brien, Gareth Molloy, Tom Roche.

CORK CONSTITUTION: Liam O’Connell; Jack Costigan, Alex McHenry, Niall Kenneally, Rob Jermyn; Aidan Moynihan, Jason Higgins; Gavin Duffy, Vincent O’Brien, Brian Scott; Brian Hayes, Conor Kindregan; Joe McSwiney, Ross O’Neill, Luke Cahill.

Replacements: Patrick Casey, Dylan Murphy, Cathal O’Flaherty, Richard Cassidy, Billy Crowley.

Referee: Stuart Gaffikin (IRFU).