Rugby All-Ireland League/Galwegians 13 UCD 19: UCD maintained their push for a top-four play-off spot yesterday with a hard-fought victory at Crowley Park. The win puts them level with Harlequins on 22 points while Galwegians claimed a bonus point to jump over Dungannon, extending the gap between themselves and the relegation zone.
UCD's superior back line, boosted by the introduction of Christian Warner in the second half, helped them open up a 10-point gap from which the home outfit could not recover.
It could have been different had Galwegians made their early second-half domination count, eventually landing a penalty that narrowed the gap to two points.
Galwegians had UCD in all sorts of bother in the scrum, particularly with the introduction of Dan McFarland, yet their naivety proved costly. After earning two penalties from five-metre scrums, Galwegians chose the three-point option.
UCD responded almost immediately, and their first foray into their opponents' half yielded a 65th-minute penalty from outhalf Eoghan Hickey. They maintained a stranglehold on proceedings and when fullback Ross McCarron crossed in the left corner, taking Warner's pass at pace, it opened up a 10-point lead.
Galwegians managed a late try from centre Stuart Meagher, which John Cleary converted to earn themselves a valuable bonus point, but the better-balanced UCD outfit finished the stronger when Hickey added an 83rd-minute penalty.
It was a deserved result for the students who should have been further ahead at the break after Hickey missed a penalty and conversion to the only try of the first half. They laid siege to the Galwegians line just before the break, but the home side's forwards' defence held firm to go into the second half 3-8 in arrears.
Hickey opened the scoring with a 22nd-minute penalty when Galwegians were caught offside, but once again it was the Glenina outfit's pack, inspired by the back row of Ambrose Conboy and Scott Donald, who earned Galwegians a penalty six minutes later for Cleary to level matters.
However, it was not long before UCD responded from a lineout. Once again Hickey was influential, looping with Michael Hastings to create the space for right wing Stephen Grissing whose diagonal burst resulted in a 30th-minute try.
The students, superior behind the scrum, should have scored again. Grissing came closest after a break from inside his own 22 but he was halted by Galwegians right wing Barry Liddy just inches from the line.
GALWEGIANS: P Noble; B Liddy, S Meagher, J Culkin, J Cleary; T Allen, J Heaslip; D O'Brien, H Bourke, P Bracken, J Casserly (capt), B McLearn, A Conboy, I Muldoon, S Donald. Replacements: D McFarland for D O'Brien (half-time), H Murphy for J Culkin (half-time), M Uijs for McClearn (58 mins), J McDonagh for Liddy (75 mins).
UCD: R McCarron; S Grissing, K Kennedy, M Hastings, M Fanning; E Hickey, D Geraghty; B Hall, C Geoghegan, J Moran, S Crawford, A Houlihan, N Coughlan, K Croke, C Davis. Replacements: C Warner for Grissing, C Willlis for Kennedy (62 mins).
Referee: A Rogan (IRFU).
