AIL: Little to separate Belvedere and Terenure atop Division 1A

In hindsight, everyone at Ollie Campbell Park agreed the 20-20 draw between Old Belvedere and Terenure College was a fair outcome. The result leaves Belvedere ahead of Terenure on scoring difference atop Division 1A after six rounds heading into a two-week break.

On another mild winter’s day decorated with 30 contracted Leinster players, attendances were up across all four top-flight games in Dublin, which included three derbies.

Belvedere conjured two typically well-worked tries through James Dillon and scrumhalf Peter O’Beirne, finishing off George Hadden’s break and Gerard Hill’s link play in the opening 10 minutes.

After an Aran Egan penalty, Belvedere would have pulled further ahead only for a try-saving tackle by Oliver Coffey on Jhy Legg. Coffey then finished from 40 metres out after receiving Sean Rigney’s offload, with Egan landing the touchline conversion.

Caspar Gabriel and Jordan Coghlan had already been sent to the bin when Russell too was yellow-carded, conceding a penalty try for his early tackle on Egan before Hugh Reddan’s try-saving tackle on French.

After penalties from Egan and Justin Leonard, an effort just inside halfway in the last kick of a feisty game ended up short for Gabriel.

Belvedere head coach Hugh Hogan hailed his side’s resolve to claw back a draw. “I said to our lads: ‘Look, we can be frustrated or disappointed with parts of the game, but we still showed a lot of character to come back from six down’.”

“You can’t pick the top four,” Hogan added, with just four points separating the top six, “but it’s still a long way to go.”

Terenure head coach Paul Barr was in agreement. “We saw two sides who wanted to make a point to one another, and they went at it.”

On the Aviva back pitch, Clontarf led Lansdowne 21-9 shortly after the interval through tries from Harry Goslin, Dylan Donnellan and Connor Fahy before a Ciaran Mangan double and further tries from John Forde and Hubert Gilvarry – and 17 points from Charlie Tector’s boot – sealed an impressive 37-21 comeback win.

St Mary’s College roared into a 28-0 lead through tries from Jack Nelson Murray, Leandro Ramirez and Braemar Murray before the first of Benjamin Whatley’s double for Young Munster. But Mary’s regrouped to halt the visitors’ comeback, with Mick O’Gara sealing the 35-22 win.

At the Bowl, with Gus McCarthy outstanding and James Culhane giving them go-forward ball, UCD climbed to fourth after edging out Old Wesley 33-31 in a thriller. James Culhane, Andrew Osborne, Bernard White, Maxim Aschenbrenner and Tom Murtagh crossed for UCD before Wesley fought back through tries from Charlie Hempenstall, Rian Handley, Kieran O’Shea and Billy Corrigan.

Aaron Sexton book-ended Ballynahinch’s 31-14 victory over Cork Constitution at Ballymacarn Park in scoring off a Mark Best crosskick in the first minute and later from a pass by Claytan Milligan, who also scored two of his own, to leave Con bottom of the table.

And Naas moved to the top spot in Division 1B with an emphatic 45-21 victory away to Dublin University. Corinthians went top of Division 2A after a 34-19 bonus-point victory away to Queen’s University, while Blackrock lead a three-way tie in Women’s Division 1A after a statement 59-12 victory over Old Belvedere at Ollie Campbell Park, where Kate Farrell McCabe scored three of their nine tries.

Division 1A: Ballynahinch 31 Cork Con 14; Lansdowne 37 Clontarf 21; Old Belvedere 20 Terenure College 20; St Mary’s College 35 Young Munster 22; UCD 33 Old Wesley 31

Division 1B: Blackrock College 31 Highfield 40; City of Armagh 20 Garryowen 7; Dublin University 21 Naas 45; MU Barnhall 30 Instonians 20; Nenagh Ormond 40 UCC 20

Division 2A: Dungannon 10 Ballymena 19; Galwegians 12 UL Bohemian 35; Queen’s University 19 Corinthians 34; Shannon 41 Cashel 35; Wanderers 29 Greystones 20

Division 2B North: Banbridge 55 Sligo 27; Clogher Valley 26 Enniskillen 7; Malahide 30 Malone 28; Navan 23 Rainey 13; Skerries 17 Ballyclare 31

Division 2B South: Bective Rangers 42 Monkstown 14; Bruff 19 Clonmel 20; Buccaneers 27 Dolphin 12; Midleton 57 Enniscorthy 5; Old Crescent 21 Thomond 14

Women’s Division 1A: Old Belvedere 12 Blackrock College 59; Galwegians 10 UL Bohemian 19; Railway Union 24 Wicklow 15

Women’s Division 1B: Cooke 19 Ballincollig 48; Enniskillen 19 MU Barnhall 29; Tullow 14 Ennis 31