In Division 1A of the All-Ireland League, Cork Constitution prevailed 19-18 in a Munster derby classic against Young Munster at Temple Hill, a match that behaved like a seismograph.
Young Munster led for long spells, but Con’s resilience paid off late, Johnny Murphy’s try on 79 minutes flipping the result before Dylan Hicks’ conversion nudged the door shut.
Ballynahinch overpowered Lansdowne 34-13 with a five-try display. Aaron Sexton’s brace before the break gave the Ulstermen a 12-3 half-time lead but the second half belonged to Hinch, with Claytan Milligan, Pierce Crowe and Matthew Booth stretching the margin decisively.
St Mary’s College produced one of the attacking statements of the round, running in seven tries in a 49-27 win away to Nenagh Ormond. Myles Carey’s first-half hat-trick set the tone, and despite Nenagh’s spirited response, Mary’s accuracy from the tee and depth off the bench kept the scoreboard ticking.
Terenure College shook off a dogged Clontarf challenge to win 31-15 at Lakelands Park, only the second time this season holders Clontarf tasted defeat. A brace of tries from Aran Egan and Arthur Ashmore, along with a Darragh Brooks try helped them move to third in the table.
Elsewhere, Old Belvedere ground out a 19-14 away win over UCD, overturning a 14-12 half-time deficit through a second-half try from Fionn McWey.
Division 1B delivered chaos with a capital C. Instonians overturned a 15 point half-time deficit to stun Queen’s University 29-22, making it 33 home wins in a row in Shaw’s Bridge. Dublin University pulled off something even stranger, recovering from a scoreless first half to beat Garryowen 31-29, David Colbert, Hugh Goddard, Zach Quirke, Artur Smykovskiy and Alex Finlay all crossing in a breathtaking second half display.
Naas caused an upset with a 24-17 win over top four chasing City of Armagh, while Old Wesley needed a late try from Jamie Clark to defeat Highfield 19-17 in a game decided by fine margins and finer nerve in Energia Park. At the Mardyke, UCC made first-half dominance count to see off Blackrock College 19-13, Neville O’Leary, Mark Hetherington, and Dawid Novak all crossing for tries.
In Division 2A, MU Barnhall made it 12 wins in a row with a 19-12 win away to Ballymena, Greg Edogun, Finn Brien and Abdul Olaosebikan crossing for their tries. Dungannon needed to weather a second half storm in their 24-21 Ulster derby victory over Banbridge.
Second half tries from Timothy Townsend, Rob Carney and a penalty try saw Cashel pull clear late to defeat Greystones 26-7, Wanderers held off a late Old Crescent surge to win 22-17, and Corinthians completed a stirring second-half turnaround to beat Shannon 27-22 after trailing 19-3 at the break to reignite their top four hopes.
Division 2B was rich in attacking rugby. Buccaneers held Malone at bay in a lively 27-22 encounter, Galwegians proved too strong for Enniscorthy in a 28-14 win to make it 12 bonus point wins in a row, and Clogher Valley left Navan with a deserved 24-14 victory. Rainey shaded Skerries 17-14, while UL Bohemian were emphatic at home, running in eight tries in a 52-17 win over Sligo.
In Division 2C, Bruff’s Wiktor Wilczuk stole the spotlight with four tries in a thrilling 38-28 win over Belfast Harlequins. Clonmel controlled proceedings against Midleton to win 31-17, Dolphin were clinical in a 28-7 victory over Ballyclare, and Monkstown defeated top of the table Thomond 19-17.
Ballynahinch 34 Lansdowne 13, Cork Constitution 19 Young Munster 18, Nenagh Ormond 27 St Mary’s College 49, Terenure College 31 Clontarf 15, UCD 14 Old Belvedere 19.
Instonians 29 Queen’s University 22, Dublin University 31 Garryowen 29, Naas 24 City Of Armagh 17, Old Wesley 19 Highfield 17, UCC 19 Blackrock College 13.
Ballymena 12 MU Barnhall 19, Dungannon 24 Banbridge 21, Greystones 7 Cashel 26, Wanderers 22 Old Crescent 17, Galway Corinthians 27 Shannon 22.
Buccaneers 27 Malone 22, Enniscorthy 14 Galwegians 28, Navan 14 Clogher Valley 24, Old Skerries 14 Rainey 17, UL Bohemian 52 Sligo 17.
Belfast Harlequins 28 Bruff 38, Clonmel 31 Midleton 17, Dolphin 28 Ballyclare 7, Malahide P Bective Rangers P, Thomond 21 Monkstown 0.
