Buccaneers made the most of the weather as the games at Wanderers, Sunday's Well and Malone were postponed. The league leaders from Connacht continued their march through the division. Four wins from four games and an unbeaten run stretched to 14 games since last season leave Buccaneers firmly in control of the league table.
The visitors to Anglesea Road hit Old Belvedere with a secondhalf blitz which left the Dublin side floundering with only their six first-half points to show.
Eoin Brennan went over for a try after 13 minutes before Old Belvedere replied with two penalties from Australian Dave Assenheim to lead 6-5 at the break.
Within a minute of the restart Buccaneer hooker Joe McVeigh went over for a try with Gareth Johnston and Mike Devine following to set up a decisive 6-25 win for the visitors.
Buccaneers now sit on top of the division, a point ahead of UCC. Both Galwegians and Greystones have six points but each have a game in hand.
UCC fought bravely at the Mardyke to snatch a two-point win against Instonians, which stretched their winning run to four games. UCC also look forward to their European Universities semifinal against Toulouse later this month in France.
Tries from the Belfast side's Andy Adair and Roger Wilson combined with two conversions and a penalty from Gray Cornelius gave Instonians a lead of 17-8 at the break. A try from John Fitzgerald and a Colin Healy penalty had just about kept the students in touch in that first period, but when Cornelius added another penalty for Instonians early in the second half UCC looked completely out of the picture.
Instead they replied with two tries from Healy and Twomey. Healy converted both to leave the game 22-20 in favour of the home side. Despite the narrow lead, the students held as Instonians pressed in the final minutes looking for the match-winning score. UCC have now dropped only one point in four games.
City of Derry worked from a platform of strength - their forwards - to earn their first two points of the season, which move them marginally away from the two bottom-placed sides, DLSP and Bective.
The 13-3 win, in terrible conditions, over Skerries was their first in four matches. A try from number eight Keith Graham after just seven minutes followed by a wellexecuted drop goal from Ian McGregor gave them an 8-0 lead.
With the wind advantage in the second half, Derry then added another try after 55 minutes when the pack drove off a line-out and wing forward Neil Stewart grounded the ball. Skerries rarely invaded the Derry half, with Jimmy Dempsey's first-half penalty the only score the Dublin side could register.
Skerries now sit in mid-table, with four points from four games.
