RUGBY ULSTER BANK LEAGUE DIVISION ONE A: St Mary's 23 Young Munster 19OPPONENTS OF the play-offs – scrapped this season by the majority of clubs across all divisions in the absence of true leadership from the IRFU – will cite Saturday's thrilling finale in favour of their argument.
There was also undoubtedly a sense of justice in St Mary’s being crowned champions but the Ulster Bank League were fortunate with this televised climax.
More to the point, St Mary’s are champions for only the second time in their history and for the first time since the star-studded, celebrated side of 2000, emulating Old Belvedere last season to continue the shift in the balance of power towards Leinster.
To win 15 of 18 games brooks no argument, and while the pressure of the occasion perhaps affected them after the high of last week’s win away to Clontarf, the togetherness fostered within a largely home-grown, true club side was again in evidence as they secured a third comeback win in a row.
“The spirit of the lads has been unbelievable all year,” said their coach Peter Smyth, hooker on the team of 2000, “and a lot of these guys have been on the road for seven, eight years in club rugby and they’re getting their reward today. “They put in so much it’s two nights a week on the pitch, two nights in the gym, looking after themselves and then getting up and I think a few of them have already rung in sick for Monday morning.”
That said, less than half-an-hour into the final round of Division One A matches, it looked like being something of an anti-climax for the TV audience and the 2-3,000 at Templeville Road.
As St Mary’s fell 13-0 behind, admittedly playing into the stiff wind and with Munsters’ reduced to 14 men by the fifth minute dismissal of winger Darragh O’Neill for a tip tackle, word had filtered through that Lansdowne’s talented young backs were putting Clontarf to the sword and led 15-0 on the Aviva main pitch. Even as Clontarf began eating into their deficit, early in the second-half they trailed 27-18 while St Mary’s went 16-3 down but no sooner had Gavin Dunne reduced their leeway to 19-16 down in the 68th minute, than word immediately came through of Clontarf going 28-27 ahead through a 72nd minute Noel Reid penalty. Suddenly, as things stood, Clontarf would be crowned champions for the first time.
So it remained for over nine minutes, until St Mary’s were rewarded for taking a couple of attacking set-pieces and, with Matt D’Arcy calmly orchestrating things from the base, they rumbled through seven phases off a scrum before Mark Sexton sped on to the scrumhalf blindside pass to score.
Gavin Dunne landed a tricky conversion for a five-from-five, 13-point haul to put them more than a kick clear although typical of Young Munster, they had worked their way into the Mary’s half in the fourth minute of injury-time before failing to recycle the ball.
Young Munster finished third as Munster’s leading club for the second season running, and Smyth acknowledged respectfully afterwards, “Munsters don’t do easy”.
He also had words of genuine sympathy for Clontarf and their coach Andy Wood, while his Munster counterpart conceded that St Mary’s were worthy champions though echoed Smyth’s view that the play-offs should be restored.
Ultimately, playing with 14 men for 75 minutes caught up with them, but as impact replacements go, Sexton made some impact. The 24-year-old brother of Jonathan suffered a stress fracture in his hip six weeks ago which was diagnosed as requiring three months’ rest. He took four weeks off before returning to the squad as a replacement for the last two games and whereas last week he cut a furious figure on the sideline after a late yellow card in Clontarf, here he scored just over two minutes after coming on as a 49th minute replacement before ultimately proving the match-winner.
Such resilience is typical of the man. At 16 he broke his leg in three places, and after five operations and 18 months away from the game recovered in time to play in the St Mary’s Leinster Schools Senior Cup side as a replacement in a winning quarter-final against Castleknock and a losing semi-final to St Michael’s. He put Saturday on a par with that as the highlights of his career.
Scoring sequence: 10 mins: Staunton pen 0-3; 14 mins: Staunton pen 0-6; 23 mins: Slattery try, Staunton con 0-13; 38 mins: Dunne pen 3-13; (half-time 3-13); 51 mins: Staunton pen 3-16; 52 mins: Sexton try, Dunne con 10-16; 59 mins: Staunton pen 10-19; 61 mins: Dunne pen 13-19; 61 mins: Dunne pen 13-19; 68 mins: Dunne pen 16-19; 78 mins: Sexton try, Dunne con 23-19.
ST MARYS COLLEGE: G Dunne; D Hudson, S Grissing, M ODriscoll, C Hogan; P Brophy, M DArcy; C McMahon, R Sweeney, R Sweeney, D Hall, S Bradshaw, B OFlanagan, G Austin, H Hogan (capt). Replacements: C Ruddock for OFlanagan (24 mins), M Sexton for ODriscoll (49), C Lilly for Dunne (80+1), B OFlanagan for Hall (80+3).
YOUNG MUNSTER: D Bannon; M Doyle, A Burke, R Moloney, D ONeill; W Staunton, B Haugh; G Flaherty, G Slattery, H McGrath, N Melbourne, S ONeill (capt), L Og Murphy, J ONeill, M Rowley. Replacements: A Carroll for Haugh (54 mins), S Duggan for Melbourne (64), G Bourke for Slattery (73), C OHanlon for Moloney (76). Sent-off: D O'Neill (5 mins).
Referee: Peter Fitzgibbon (IRFU).
Day of dramatic twists and turns
A DAY of dramatic twists ands turns wasn’t confined to the top of Division One A. At the other end of the table, Blackrock were condemned to relegation with a 33-27 defeat to Garryowen, while Shannon’s 28-3 win at Dolphin meant that a resurgent Old Belverdere have to negotiate a play-off despite their win at Cork Constitution. That will be at home to Belfast Harlequins, which is some consolation for missing out on the title and promotion to UL Bohemians, who leaped from third to first with their 34-14 win over theBelfast outfit at Annacoty. The talented UCD speedster Sam Coughlan-Murray scored two of the students’ five tries which, coupled with Galwegians’ narrowly missing out on even a bonus point in their 29-20 defeat away to Ballynahinch ensured UCD retained their 1B status.
UPS & DOWNS
DIVISION ONE A
All-Ireland League champions – St Mary’s College
Relegation/promotion play-off – Old Belvedere v Belfast Harlequins
DIVISION ONE B
Champions – UL Bohemians
Relegated – UCC and Galwegians
DIVISION TWO A
Champions – Dublin University
Also Promoted – Malone.
Relegated (two automatic) – Instonians, Clonakilty, Thomond.
DIVISION TWO B
Champions: Cashel
Also Promoted: Banbridge.
Relegated: Wanderers
PROVINCIAL QUALIFYING LEAGUE ROUND ROBIN
Winners/Promoted: Skerries.
