Too much can be attributed to coaches in modern sport yet this hardly tallies with the sea change in DLSP's fortunes this season. Pointless and bottom of AIB League Division Two entering December, since the return of Joe Parkes as coach they have won three in a row to climb to 10th.
The return of the one-time Shamrock Rovers soccer player and DLSP second-rower has coincided with a stunning win over unbeaten leaders Old Crescent and then Greystones, before Saturday's 16-13 win at home to bottom-of-the-table Trinity.
The students, shredding the DLSP line-out, led 10-9 at the break thanks to a charge-down try by John Quigley, although it could have been more given Donal Crotty missed a penalty 15 metres out from the front of the posts.
Crotty then went off injured, leaving lock Peter Lennon to extend the lead with a penalty, but DLSP dominated the possession and territory, finally penetrating the excellent Trinity defence thanks to the man-most-likely, strong-running centre Damien McCabe. Even then Trinity rejected a kickable three-pointer in injury time before having their attempted line-out maul held up.
Trinity, it should be said, looked too good to be bottom.
Old Cresent were knocked off the top by Sunday's Well, who have now won two in a row after losing their first four, thanks in the main to the boot of Enda Hogan-O'Connell, who kicked 23 points. Dolphin, resurgent under new coach David O'Mahony, returned to the top with a first win over fellow Munster opposition in two years and seven matches, beating UCC 18-12 at the Mardyke.
Bective maintained their unbeaten run to go second, with a 21-16 win over Ballynahinch, courtesy of two opportunist tries by winger Brendan Brown and the boot of the division's leading scorer Fergal Campion.
Malone retain the other divisional unbeaten record after a 34-0 rout of Old Belvedere at home and, the only other side to obtain a bonus point for tries scored were Barnhall when running in six tries against Greystones.
Waterpark stay top of Division Three after their 21-13 win at Old Wesley, but Corinthians forfeited the division's only other unbeaten record when going down 9-8 to Connemara in the big Connacht derby. Instonians hammered Clonakilty 33-0.
