FRIENDLY: The touring New South Wales Waratahs Development carved out a 20-17 win over Leinster A with a late penalty from fullback Lachlan Turner at Coolmine yesterday.
Bernard Jackman's first-half try, converted by centre Fergus McFadden, enabled Leinster to go in level at 10-10 at the break. Fullback Ross McCarron found the left corner with inches to spare for McFadden to make it 17-10.
However, tries from Patrick McCabe and Clint Davie, converted by Turner, and Turner's late penalty gave the tourists victory.
LEINSTER A: R McCarron; G Brown, F McFadden, M Berne, S Grissing; C Warner, M D'Arcy; J Wickham, B Jackman, R Sweeney; A Byrnes, D Toner; R Leyden, D Dillon (capt), N Ronan. Replacements: P O'Donoghue for D'Arcy (39 mins); G O'Meara for Jackman (44 mins); A Dunne for Warner (58 mins); F Carr for Berne (68 mins); J O'Donovan for Leyden (69 mins); C Healy for Sweeney (72 mins).
LEINSTER SENIOR CUP SEMI-FINALS: Old Belvedere emerged victorious 22-20 from a close-run duel with Greystones in their Leddin Finance Leinster Senior Cup semi-final at Anglesea Road on Saturday.
The Wicklow club were inventive and sharp out wide with David McKechnie (two) and Cian McNaughton putting the finishing touches to their attacks for three tries. However, it was not enough in the face of the performance of old club-mate Richie Murphy, whose 17 points from the boot allied to Eamon Fitzgerald's try saw Belvedere over the finish line.
Holders Clontarf edged out last year's finalists St Mary's College 16-6 at Templeville Road yesterday.
Jonathan Sexton of St Mary's shot two penalties and Clontarf's Australian Matt Nethery hit a drop goal and a penalty to leave it level at the break.
Clontarf went into overdrive in a second half that produced tries for wing Derek Keane and replacement prop Cian Healy to set up a final date with Old Belvedere.
CONNACHT SENIOR CUP FINAL: Former Ireland A winger Ted Robinson went from villain to hero as Buccaneers retained their Connacht Senior Cup crown by beating Galwegians 16-12 in an entertaining encounter at the Sportsground on Saturday.
Robinson was the guilty party when Galwegians were awarded a first-half penalty try after he was adjudged to have impeded his Connacht colleague Conor McPhillips in a race to the line after 24 minutes.
A try from Adrian Hanley just before the break gave Buccaneers an 11-7 interval lead after two excellent long-range penalties from Tom Cregan.
Galwegians made little headway in the third quarter as Buccaneers defended stoutly and Robinson sealed the issue 15 minutes from time when Buccs went on the blindside off a rolling maul and he had the power to make the line.
BUCCANEERS: P Warwick; T Robinson, A Hayman, W Wallace, T Cregan; D Connellan, M Bruce; B Gilligan, G Halligan, K O'Neill; P Cunningham, D Kelly; C Finnerty, C Hartigan, A Hanley. Replacements: N O'Hara for Warwick (half-time); A Wynne for Connellan (half-time); M Madden for Halligan (62 mins); A Hughes for Finnerty ( 75 mins).
GALWEGIANS: D Slemen; C McPhillips, N Wakely, A Barrett, K Hickman; P O'Toole, L Stringer; D O'Brien, J Naughton, R Davies; D Boyd, L Harvey; B O'Connor, A McGettigan, A Conboy. Replacements: P Durcan for O'Toole (half-time); L Skehill for O'Brien, M Swift for O'Connor (both 58 mins); T Ellard for Stringer (61 mins); C Muldoon for Naughton (66 mins).
Referee: R Gibson.
YOUTH INTERPROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP: Underage success has been thin on the ground for Connacht in recent years so the success at the weekend of their youths side in completing their first interprovincial grand slam, by beating Munster 22-0 at Dooradoyle, was cause for celebration in the West.
Connacht will now go into the knockout series after Christmas as firm favourites after a great campaign.
Leinster beat Ulster 26-13.
