In circumstances such as this, it is easy to see why Dolphin may feel frustrated. A draw should have been good enough to keep them in division one, given Old Crescent's demise at Clifford Park but they hadn't reckoned on Dungannon's fighting spirit.

Dolphin supporters could be excused for thinking they were safe after Young Munster scored a late win over Crescent in Limerick, but then came the news of Dungannon's unexpected victory over Clontarf and it was all over for the Musgrave Park side.

Dolphin let it go in the opening exchanges when they fell behind in 13 minutes to a Colin McEntee try which Rory Kearns converted. The home side struggled back into the game when John O'Mahony kicked a penalty and then converted a try by Eddie Knowles seconds before the break.

Kearns equalised with a 57thminute penalty and then added another with 12 minutes to go. It was left to O'Mahony to drag Dolphin back into contention with a late penalty but, as events elsewhere transpired, it was not enough.

Dolphin: C McCoitir, D O'Down, Conor Mahony, Cian Mahony, B O'Neill, J O'Mahony, K Murphy, P Scott, T Kingston, E Knowles, J Forde, H Farrelly, J O'Connell, S Jackson, D Pomeroy. Replacements: B Sheehan for Cian Mahony (15), R Power for O'Connell (65).

Lansdowne: R Kearns, W Clancy, S Horgan, N Gunne, B Glennon, R Governey, D O'Mahony, E Bohan, E Egan, A McKeen, A McCullen, S O'Connor, S Rooney, C McEntee, A doyle. Replacement: G Molloy for Doyle (57).