Round 18 of the Energia All-Ireland Division 1A brought a lot of crucial fixtures, as playoff seeding was at stake in the final round.
League leaders Clontarf enjoyed a quiet afternoon, after already securing the no.1 seed heading into the playoffs. But all eyes were on Lansdowne and Terenure College.
Cork Constitution 21-17 Lansdowne, Temple Hill
Cork Constitution produced arguably their best performance of the season, as they stunned Lansdowne in a 21-17 win at Temple Hill.
Playoff hopes looked to be in tatters with just minutes remaining, before a late try from Matisse Lamarque gave the hosts a valuable lead.
As a result of the win, Cork Constitution have earned the fourth seed and will head to Castle Avenue to face Clontarf, and struggling Lansdowne head to Lakelands to take on Terenure College.
Terenure College 50-14 UCC, Lakelands
Terenure College wrapped up the no.2 seed in thrilling fashion as they defeated relegation threatened UCC 50-14 at Lakelands.
The result was never in question as Terenure lead 22-7 at the break, before flipping the switch after the break to score a further four tries to wrap up a dominant home win.
Terenure headed into the weekend, knowing a win would guarantee a home semi-final against Lansdowne and head into the playoffs in phenomenal form. The hosts have won 13 of their last 14 games, including a win over Lansdowne last weekend.
Garryowen 12-34 Dublin University, Dooradoyle
Dublin University’s season came to an excruciating end as they missed out on the playoffs, despite a 12-34 win at Garryowen.
The visitors knew anything but a win and a Cork Constitution loss would see them eliminated from contention. Dublin University held their end of the bargain, but missed out on the playoffs by just one point.
UCD 17-35 Clontarf, Belfield
Dylan Donnellan scored twice as Clontarf eased to a comfortable 17-35 win at Belfield against UCD.
There was little at stake at Belfield as UCD have secured their Division 1A status, whilst Clontarf have earned their 17th win of the season and have locked up a playoff fixture against Cork Constitution in two weeks time.
Ballynahinch 17-10 Young Munster, Ballymacarn Park
Ballynahinch head into their relegation playoff with UCC on fine form as they edged Young Munster 17-10 at Ballymacarn Park.
The win sees Ballynahinch wrap up just their second win of the season, whilst for Young Munster they end the season with a whimper. Young Munster have won just three of their last nine games to end the season, and will be hoping for better fortunes in 2022-23.
