And then there were none. The last unbeaten record in Division 1A of the Energia AIL ended when Clontarf were beaten 28-10 at Castle Avenue by a dominant Terenure. In another meeting between the big four of the last few seasons, Lansdowne beat champions Cork Con 27-10.
Harrison Brewer, Adam Melia and Jordan Coughlan, as usual, revelling on home turf, were at their best as Terenure roared into an 18-0 lead thanks to tries by Henry McErlean and Chris Cosgrave before coughing up an intercept try.
Winger Craig Adams finished a superb strike move from a scrum on their own 22 instigated by the footwork and offload of Leinster’s Austrian academy out-half Casper Gabriel and another try-scoring assist by Adam La Grue. The visitors were disappointed not to add a bonus point try in the last half-hour, meaning Clontarf stayed top by a point.
A feature of the day was the contributions of so many players returning from the Emerging Ireland tour, for example, the Charlie Tector show at the Aviva backpitch. Although reinventing himself as a centre with Leinster, the ex-Ireland under-20 outhalf enjoyed his return to 10, scoring 22 points with two tries and five kicks from five.
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Yet Leinster scrumhalf Cormac Foley was man of the match for the way he controlled the match. Captain Jack Cooke also scored as they roared into a 17-3 interval lead and as their excellent defence kept Con at arm’s length they were also a little disappointed not to register a bonus point.
The other three games were all decided by kicks in the last minute. Conor Rankin held his nerve to convert a second maul try by Clayton Mulligan to seal Ballynahinch’s 26-25 win away to Young Munster while the St Mary’s centre Mick O’Gara and UCD outhalf and captain James Tarrant earned 25-22 wins at home to Garryowen and away to City of Armagh.
The top-of-the-table 1B clash enabled Old Belvedere to move top with a 32-31 win at newly promoted Nenagh Ormond.
Corinthians’ amalgam of recent and prospective under-20 internationals were at their free-flowing best as they, Cashel and Instonians maintained their perfect records in 2A. Orin Burke finished off two of Corinthians’ four first-half tries after flurries of offloads and sidestepping before 6ft 10in lock Bryan Walsh beat five defenders in a barnstorming 35-minute charge to score their sixth of seven.
Next Saturday Corinthians host Instonians, who have won 38 of their last 40 AIL matches, one of the two exceptions being in Corinthian Park last season.
Energia All-Ireland League results
Men
Division 1A: City of Armagh 22 UCD 25; Clontarf 10 Terenure College 28; Lansdowne 27 Cork Constitution 10; St. Mary’s College 25 Garryowen 22; Young Munster 25 Ballynahinch 26.
Division 1B: Blackrock College 28 Highfield 24; Dublin University 24 Queens 21; Naas 10 Old Wesley 22; Nenagh Ormond 31 Old Belvedere 32; UCC 42 Shannon 7.
Division 2A: Banbridge 62 Buccaneers 26; Cashel 29 Ballymena 24; Instonians 33 Navan 12; MU Barnhall 10 Greystones 14; Galway Corinthians 43 Old Crescent 21.
Division 2B: Clogher Valley 44 UL Bohemian 12; Rainey 15 Dungannon 22; Skerries 27 Malahide 21; Sligo 21 Malone 12; Wanderers 21 Galwegians 20.
Division 2C: Ballyclare 66 Bruff 0; Belfast Harlequins 31 Omagh Academicals 26; Dolphin 40 Tullamore 19; Enniscorthy 24 Midleton 27; Monkstown 27 Clonmel 29.
Women’s Division: Old Belvedere 5 UL Bohemian 31; Blackrock College 15 Railway Union 22; Galwegians 59 Cooke 22; Suttonians 5 Wicklow 45; Tullow 10 Ballincollig 26.
