For the watching Leinster coach, Mike Ruddock, Brian Carey's sojourn at out-half for Blackrock College in Saturday's Kitty O'Shea Leinster Senior Championship game against Skerries at Stradbrook would have been a useful exercise.

Ruddock, like any coach, prefers competition for places, and will have been reasonably pleased with Carey's contribution in the number 10 jersey. Despite the odd loose pass and wayward punt, the Leinster centre ran strongly, scoring one fine try and always looking for holes in the opposing defence.

The match was characterised by perspiration rather than invention, but Blackrock were deserving winners with a brace of tries from former Old Crescent prop and one from flanker Gerry McCarthy to add to Carey's fine individual effort.

Elsewhere in Leinster, there were precious few surprises, other than that of UCD, who conjured a second successive quality victory, edging out St Mary's College 2220 at Belfield.

In Munster, Cork Constitution were surprisingly defeated at home by Waterpark, while in the Ulster Senior League Dungannon's reverse at the hands of Malone will hardly have been expected.