Bohs And Mary’s To Contest Division Two Decider

UL Bohemians and St Mary’s College, both already promoted to next season’s top flight, will contest the AIB League Division Two final next Saturday after contrasting semi-final wins.

AIB League Division Two Semi-Finals: Saturday, April 30-Sunday, May 1

UL Bohemians 32 Dolphin 10, Thomond Park
Scorers: UL Bohs: Tries: Ben Martin, Martin McPhail, Cillian O’Boyle, John Ed O’Connor; Cons: Martin 3; Pens: Martin 2
Dolphin: Try: John Fitzgerald; Con: John O’Mahony; Pen: O’Mahony

Table-toppers Bohemians earned a chance to erase the disappointment of last year’s last gasp Division Two final defeat by easing by Dolphin in the second half.

Mike Tewkesbury’s side – beaten by an injury-time drop goal from Trinity substitute Pierre Lazies twelve months ago – ran out comfortable 32-10 winners thanks to three second half tries.

Despite losing scrum-half Aidan Rees to the sin-bin ten minutes before the break, the Limerick men boasted a 10-0 interval lead. Australian fly-half Ben Martin jetted over for an early converted try and dinked over a penalty.

Yet within five minutes of the restart, Dolphin had managed to level things up.

The Cork side’s lock John Fitzgerald stretched over from a short range attack for his first try of the season and it was game on with AIL record points scorer John O’Mahony added to his neat penalty strike.

Bohs soon powered clear though, as Ireland Sevens cap Martin McPhail notched a superb 90-yard intercept try and Cillian O’Boyle and John Ed O’Connor also got off the mark to book UL a Lansdowne Road date with St Mary’s on Saturday (kick-off 2.00pm).

St Mary’s College (walkover) UCC, Templeville Road
(Due to UCC not being able to field a team, St Mary’s gain a walkover win)

Exam commitments and ill-timed injuries robbed the Cork students of a full team on Saturday, and with just 13 UCC players available, both parties agreed on a walkover result in the morning.