UCD secured their place in Division 1A of the All-Ireland League on what was a glorious day for the college in every sense at a sun-drenched and packed Belfield Bowl on Saturday. In front of an estimated crowd of 4,500, UCD held off a spirited late rally from their longest standing rivals Trinity to win their promotion/relegation playoff final by 28-24.
“Relief,” was the over-riding emotion of head coach Emmet MacMahon. “Physically, it was part of the plan to take them to another level in terms of set-piece and it worked.
“We still managed to find a way to let them back into it towards the end. But up until the 60th minute, you would have said that we were, even talking to Tony [Smeeth] after, quite dominant. So I was very proud of the lads’ efforts in that regard.”
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UCD’s powerful young pack, littered with current and prospective Irish Under-20s, laid the foundations with their supremacy in the set-pieces, with the Connacht-bound hooker Duann Maguire and Belgian international number eight Paul Gerard having big games.
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First-half tries by Leinster centre Andrew Osborne and Ireland Under-20 tighthead Sami Bishti, along with the typically accurate goal-kicking of Paddy Clancy, earned UCD a 17-3 interval lead. Clancy extended that lead to 23-3 before a 65th minute try by replacement Hunter Deane-Johns sparked Trinity into life and another by Johnny O’Sullivan, again converted by Matty Lynch, made it a one-score game.
Ben Brownlee’s turnover in the 76th minute proved pivotal as he scored off the ensuing penalty to the corner but Alex Finlay’s try in the penultimate play made it a very tight endgame. It’s tough on Trinity, who had lost only once since Christmas and had missed out on automatic promotion by one point to 1B champions Old Wesley.
In the Division 2A promotion final, UL Bohemian produced a commanding performance to defeat Sligo 58-33 at UL 4G and retain their third-tier status. The hosts were dominant from the outset, racing into a 28-0 half-time lead with tries from Killian Dineen, Darragh O’Gorman, Oisín Fagan and Greg Fitzgerald.
Sligo showed resilience after the interval, with Cillian O’Neill and Mark McGlynn among the scorers, but UL Bohemian continued to find space. Darren Ferrar added two tries, while Liam O’Shanahan crossed late to seal an emphatic victory, with Cian Casey’s accurate kicking ensuring their dominance was reflected on the scoreboard.
Results
Energia All-Ireland League Division 1A Promotion/Relegation playoff finals
Division 1A: UCD 28 Dublin University 24.
Division 1B: UCC v Shannon, match abandoned.
Division 2A: UL Bohemian 58 Sligo 33.
Division 2C: Clonmel 28 Bective Rangers 24.
Division 2C: Malahide 29 Boyne 24.
