Queens University have had their unbeaten streak come to an end, via a dramatic late drop goal by Blackrock College, as they climb to second spot one point behind Queens.
Ballymena 16-14 Nenagh Ormond, Eaton Park
Ballymena got their third win of the season which moved them up to fourth in the table, despite a nervy ending against Nenagh.
Mena controlled the opening half, it proved to be low scoring as Rhys Irvine dotted over for a try, while an early penalty saw them lead 8-0 at the break.
Another penalty pushed them, 11-0 ahead as a yellow at either side of the interval cost Nenagh, however they would cross for a converted try to reduce the deficit.
Irvine added his second try in the half to extend the hosts advantage to 16-7, they looked comfortable but Nenagh caused a nervous end to the tie with a late converted try.
Cashel 21-22 MU Barnhall, Spafield
MU Barnhall had to come from behind to beat Cashel by the minimum, in a frantic game at Spafield.
Cashel led 14-5 at half time, but a brace of tries by Conor Lacey and Tim Lambe saw them take the points in the second half.
Dolphin 27-24 UL Bohemian, Musgrave Park
Dolphin have put distance between them and the bottom two sides in the division,after a narrow win over UL Bohemian who climbed to ninth after getting the bonus point.
The hosts led early with a Tomas Quinlan penalty before a penalty try and Rob Reardon effort had them 15-0 ahead by the 23rd minute. Cam O’Shaughnessy crossed for a third try in the 28th minute, as they led 24-0 at the break.
UL fought hard to come back in the second half, Ignacio Garcia crossed for a hat trick while Joe Murray added another for the bonus point, however they would fall short as the only score by Dolphin in the half proved the winner, Quinlan kicking a penalty to give them a three point win.
Old Crescent 9-15 Navan, Takumi Park
Navan remained in the top four after defeating Old Crescent in a tight game on Shannonside, the result leaving Crescent bottom of the table.
Navan showed their quality to lead 12-0 by the break, they crossed after 18 minutes for the opening try before adding an unconverted score after 33 minutes.
Crescent replied after the break with two Ronan McKenna penalties, but failed to add another score, the second half tight between the two as a 78th minute Navan penalty served as the final score of the afternoon.
Queens University 29-30 Blackrock College RFC, Dub Lane
A last minute drop goal saw Blackrock College record a huge win against leaders Queens University, despite the loss bonus points keeping them in first.
Queens were ahead early with a converted try after ten minutes, but Rock came back to level almost immediately. They finished the half with a flourish, three further tries giving them the bonus point and a 24-7 lead at the interval.
The hosts hit back after the break, two tries left the score 27-19 with 16 minutes to go, David Whitten intercepted on the half way line to cross to make it a one point game with nine minutes left, 27-26 in favour of Blackrock.
Endings don’t come much better than this, Queens landed a drop goal to move two clear with just minutes left in the tie, but right at death Blakcrock kicked one of their own to win what was the game of the division so far.
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.