Gavin Cummiskey
Some things never change. Just two weeks into the AIB All-Ireland League season the traditional superpowers are again clustered at the top of the Division One table. Although Carlow are looking like potential challengers to the elite clubs, the winners of the competition are still likely to come from Shannon, Cork Constitution or Ballymena.
All three sides won away from home on Saturday.
Shannon left Stevenson Park with a comprehensive 26-8 victory over Dungannon, after their forward dominance yielded three tries for Tony Buckley (2) and John Lacey, with the boot of outhalf Andrew Thompson doing the rest of the damage.
Cork Constitution also escaped from Ulster with a valuable win, but Belfast Harlequins made them fight all the way. An injury-time penalty from Pat McCarthy saw them through on a 24-22 scoreline.
Defending champions Ballymena were too strong for Galwegians, with outhalf Ian Humphreys, brother of David, dictating the tempo.
However, the most significant result of the weekend was Dolphin's 24-18 defeat of St Mary's, at Musgrave Park. It was the Cork side's first victory in the top flight, after a five-year absence, and one that forced a review of relegation contenders.
With Terenure already down in Division Two and Lansdowne, Blackrock and St Mary's all at various stages of rebuilding, it is unlikely a title contender is going to come from Leinster rugby's hotbed. Survival appears to be the key word in south Dublin.
"We had five of the current under-20s side in our starting line-up yesterday. The goal is to stay up - the top four would be brilliant but it is crucial we get through this year," said St Mary's coach Brent Pope. "That may sound pessimistic, we know on our day we are capable of beating anybody, but it is my brief for this season."
After recently seeing Shane Jennings make the step up to Leinster, Ciarán Potts, an Irish under-21 international, has ensured the club's tradition of producing quality back-row merchants is continuing.
"We have the makings of a super side, in a couple of years time," continued Pope "We'll probably lose Ciarán Potts after this year, to a provincial contract, but we have other guys who will come through.
"He had a super game last week against Garryowen and he has also put on a bit of beef over the summer. He has all the attributes to eventually be a Leinster player."
Yet, Pope still believes his side will struggle against the more "grizzled and experienced packs. "Already you can put a circle around the teams that are going to be in the top four shake-up - like Ballymena, Shannon, Cork Constitution, Clontarf and probably Carlow."
Meanwhile, Garryowen turned around a 16-8 half-time deficit, thanks to a Conor Hartigan try and a late penalty from Mark Connolly to beat Clontarf 18-16, while UCD resisted a Buccaneers comeback to record their first victory of the campaign at the Belfield Bowl, winning 25-21.
