Round 17 of the Energia All Ireland League did not disappoint with league leaders Greystones making a huge statement after their 83-0 victory over Malahide.
There were also wins for Sligo, Belfast Harlequins, Blackrock College and Wanderers and the battle for a place in the Top 4 will go down to the final day.
Greystones 83-0 Malahide, Dr.Hickey Park.
Stones got back to their free scoring form after a massive, 83-0 win over a Malahide side who have been in good form of late. Stones lost to promotion rivals Galway Corinthians last week and needed a big performance to cement their spot at the summit of the table. Paul Lennon’s men finish their campaign away to Dungannon before the semi final fixtures while Malahide will be looking to end their season strongly against Belfast Harlequins.
Belfast Harlequins 20-10 Galway Corinthians, Deramore Park.
Belfast Harlequins will be oozing confidence ahead of their semi final fixtures in a fortnight’s time after beating promotion rivals Galway Corinthians today. Quins now jump ahead of Corinthians in the standings. The Ulster side end their campaign away to Malahide while Corinthians will look to seal their place in the Top 4 when they play Blackrock College.
Galwegians 15-46 Wanderers, Crowley Park.
The Chaps got back to winning ways with a bonus point victory over bottom side Galwegians at Crowley Park. The win for Wanderers now takes them to within two points of Galway Corinthians and it means that they must find a win next weekend against Sligo and hope that one of the top 4 slip up. Galwegians are now relegated to Division 2C and will play their penultimate game in the league against Ballina.
Blackrock College 45-0 Ballina, Stradbrook.
Blackrock College have confirmed their place in the Top 4 after a bonus point win over Ballina this afternoon. Rock face Galway Corinthians next weekend with the Connacht side needing a win to guarantee their spot in the semi-finals. Ballina end the campaign in ninth place and will be hoping to finish the season with a win over Galwegians next week.
Sligo 29-19 Dungannon, Hamilton Park.
Sligo came from behind to defeat mid table rivals Dungannon today. Dungannon did lead by 14-3 at half time but Sligo showed tremendous heart and belief to get themselves back into the game. The bonus point win came thanks to tries from James O’Hehir, Cal Goddard, Ryan Feehily and Euan Brown. Sligo end their AIL campaign against Wanderers while Dungannon welcome Greystones to Stevenson Park.
Luke Delaney
Luke is a final year Journalism student in DCU. He is a Sports Reporter for Wicklow People Sport and FinalWhistle.ie.