Saturday was Judgment Day in the AIB league and there's probably never been a finale like it. Six teams were in contention for the four lucrative play-off places, while a further 21 clubs were involved in the various promotion and relegation issues.
The main winners were, of course the four Division One playoff qualifiers - Garryowen, Cork Con, Buccaneers and St Mary's - who will share next week's semi-final attendances money as well as a pool of £74,500 in prize money.
Garryowen, by narrowly topping the table on points difference from Cork Con, have scooped £15,000 with Cork Con receiving £10,000, Buccaneers £7,500 and St Mary's £5,000. In addition, the beaten semi-finalists are guaranteed a further £6,000 apiece, while the runners-up will receive another £10,000 and the finalists an additional £15,000.
However, the vagaries of the day were perhaps best encapsulated at Stradbrook. Blackrock, mindful that they went into the day with a 10-point inferior differential to Clontarf, produced their best display of the season to beat Ballymena by 33-13. Indeed, another 10 points would have seen them overtake their half-hearted Ulster visitors.
Even so, there were jubilant scenes at the full-time whistle given Clontarf had trailed at Terenure for much of the afternoon and only gone 20-18 in front three minutes from time. But within two minutes, word filtered through that Clontarf had scored two injury time tries, the second in the 86th minute, to finish with a points differential of -48 as against Blackrock's - 52.
A stillness enveloped the ground as home spectators and players alike drifted into different pockets of the pitch to absorb the reality of relegation.
They can at least cite the case of Dungannon as grounds for optimism. Willie Anderson's team ensured themselves of a swift return to the top flight after last season's play-off heartbreak to Buccaneers following Saturday's win at Skerries.
That will be interpreted as good news at Wanderers, who are contesting the second promotion place with DLSP.
After Wanderers' win at home to Sunday's Well, they might be favoured to win their two re-arranged games at City of Derry and Dungannon over the next two Saturdays and slip back into the top flight via the back door on points differential.
Defeats for Ballynahinch and Old Wesley confirmed their relegation from Division Two. Skerries look doomed to join them after losing to Dungannon, all the more so as Dolphin's 29-14 defeat of UCC yesterday means they need only to draw at Ballynahinch next Saturday to survive.
All promotion and relegation matters had been resolved in Division Three before Saturday, when UCD clinched the divisional title with a 39-7 win at fellow promotion travellers NIFC. Trinity and Highfield had already been relegated.
As expected, Midleton and Ballina overtook Banbridge with wins over the bottom two CIYMS and Collegians. With CIYMS already relegated to the junior ranks, those results left Collegians facing a promotion-relegation play-off with Thomond, who edged out Dromore by 22-19 in the qualifiers. Barnhall topped the junior round-robin with a 36-8 win over Connemara to secure promotion to Division Four.
