Clontarf occupy top spot as the only unbeaten team in 1A following Lansdowne suffering a first defeat on Leeside. City of Armagh move to fourth following their first home win in the top division.
Ballynahinch (4T) 31-5 Shannon (1T), Ballymacarn Park
Ballynahinch produced another impressive home display to move fifth in the standings as a red card shy of the break saw Shannon struggle in the second stanza.
Hinch had their noses ahead 10-0 by the break but it took until the half hour mark for the opening score. Claytan Millign crossed for a try and Conor Rankin added the extras. A red card was shown in stoppage time and from the resulting penalty Rankin was successful.
Similar narrative throughout the start of the second half, neither could break the other down but once Hinch got over after the hour mark the flood gates started to open. Milligan added a second try with Rankin accurate for a 17-0 lead. The bonus point followed then minutes later Mark Best crossed to make it 24-0 as Rankin added the conversion.
Bonus point secured it was Shannon that crossed next for a score as Will Reilly had space to touch down. It was a consolation for all their efforts in the contest, Declan Horrax crossing late on to cap an impressive showing for their second win of the campaign.
City of Armagh (3T) 25-23 (2T) Dublin University, Palace Grounds
A late Jack Treanor try converted by Brayden Laing gave City of Armagh their historic first home win in 1A.
Trinity started much the better and would control the tempo in the opening half. Harry Colbert kicked an early penalty before converting Aaron Coleman’s try for a 10-0 lead after 11 minutes. Shea O’Brien crossed for Armagh for an unconverted try before an exchange of penalties by Colbert and Laing left the score 13-8 at the break.
Seven minutes into the second half Jonny Morton got over for Armagh and Laing made no mistake adding the extras. Colbert added his third penalty before needing the tee once again as Oscar Cawley crashed over for the second try the visitors registered in the contest. The lead 23-15.
Laing cut the gap to five with his second penalty and despite being down to 14 men, Armagh stayed on the attack and Treanor got the all important score and Laing kept his cool to slot the deciding points between the uprights.
Cork Constitution (2T) 23-17 Lansdowne (2T), Temple Hill
Cork Con produced a statement result to end Lansdowne’s unbeaten start to the campaign and certainly change the perspective of the top of the table.
James Taylor and Stephen Madigan exchanged early penalties before Con got the important score. Danny Sheahan crossed for the game’s opening try and the conversion from Taylor put the hosts 10-3 clear. Lansdowne were awarded a penalty try to draw level, however a quick pick and go try from Alessandro Heaney was converted by Taylor and Con were 17-10 ahead at the break.
Taylor has been exceptional for Con since his move this season from Highfield and with two penalties early in the second half the lead was 13 points. Cathal Eddy crossed for a late try for Lansdowne, enough to take a losing bonus point but not enough to change the outcome.
UCD (3T) 28-45 Terenure College (5T), Belfield
Terenure secured a much needed win to end a recent losing streak over Dublin neighbours UCD in Belfield.
A contest that was cagey for large parts in the first half the visitors just had that bit between their teeth as they needed points to triumph with a much better second half. Caolan Dooley struck Nure ahead with an early penalty before UCD worked the phases well and Chris Cosgrave crossed for the game’s opening try, Michael Moloney with the extras.
By the 25th minute Terenure had managed to cross for a try to pull them back into the lead, Adam La Grue touching down and Dooley kicked the visitors ahead by three, 10-7. Two Moloney penalties put UCD back ahead that would change at the death of the opening half as Stephen O’Neill crossed for a second try for the champions, 15-13 at the break.
Moloney and Dooley were having a great battle on the kicking duties, both struck early second half penalties but another from Dooley had Nure ahead 21-16. Dooley was needed to convert Luke Clohessy’s try after the hour mark from a fantastic maul. UCD battled back to level five minutes later, electric stuff from the students as Sean Egan and Andrew Osborne got over, Moloney with one of two conversions the second would have seen UCD ahead, 28-28.
Nure showed just why they were crowned champions last term, in the final ten minutes they added the bonus point and secured the result. Dooley with another penalty restored the lead before Peter Sylvester and Tom Coghlan crossed for tries that Dooley expertly dispatched.
Young Munster (5T) 39-44 Clontarf (5T), Tom Clifford Park
Clontarf remained the only side in 1A to go unbeaten after these early rounds of games, a resurgent Young Munster fought to the very end but time just ran out.
Missing their prolific captain and hooker Dylan Donnellan who is away with Leinster, Tarf still had an impressive pack that proved fruitful attack. The visitors were ahead 31-6 by the interval and may have let off the gas late on as the Cookies showed a late fightback.
Shay O’Leary struck two penalties in the opening half as the hosts had little output in comparison to last year’s runners up. Ivan Soroka, Declan Adamson, Matt D’Arcy and Louis O’Reilly secured the bonus point in the opening half for the Dublin outfit, Jack Murphy converted all four tries while also adding a penalty.
Gearoid Mulcahy crossed early in the second half to stage a comeback but Tarf added a fifth through Aitzol King with Murphy converting near the side-line. That killed the momentum but further tries from Kegan Christian-Goss and a second from Mulcahy cut the gap to 18 points, 38-20.
Conor Kelly put over two penalties either side of a Harry Fleming converted try to keep a double digit lead in place for Tarf. James Horrigan finished off a high pressure move to add a fifth try right at the death, two bonus points for the Cookies as Tarf survived a late spirited fightback.
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Diarmuid Kearney
Diarmuid Kearney is a freelance Sports Journalist based in Co Kerry. He has more than 5 years experience covering domestic and international soccer for different media organisations, while also working for local and national print and digital organisations covering GAA.