#EnergiaAIL Men’s Division 1A: Round 10 Review

Terenure College put their recent three-match losing run behind them with a 27-19 home win over Old Belvedere in Energia All-Ireland League Men’s Division 1A.

Energia All-Ireland League Men’s Divisions: Round 10 Results Round-Up

It was four tries to three in another entertaining Dublin derby at Lakelands Park, where Carlos Spencer’s men laid the groundwork with two first-half tries on their 4G pitch.

Seeking to avenge a 30-24 pre-Christmas defeat, Terenure led through an early Chris Cosgrave penalty. The left hand post denied him in the 13th minute, following Old Belvedere captain Calum Dowling’s sin-binning for a high tackle.

Ed Kelly was at the heart of a slick counter-attacking move down the left, at the end of which Griffin Culver released the Ireland Sevens international to score from 20 metres out.

Dowling’s absence was punished again soon after, Will Hickey powering in between two defenders to finish off a pacy 19th-minute surge that started with an Aran Egan break from inside the hosts’ half. Cosgrave converted to open up a 17-point lead.

The second quarter was scoreless, and Old Belvedere came more into it on the half-hour mark. Tom Mulcair needed a kinder bounce to score from Daragh O’Dwyer’s cross-field kick.

Full-back Morgan Meredith evaded the clutches of both Terenure half-backs to lift ‘Belvo with a fine 46th-minute score, leaving 12 points in it.

Yet, Terenure showed their class in attack again, early in the final quarter, when Egan pulled the trigger with a peach of a pass, allowing Hickey and captain Luke Clohessy to combine before Cosgrave applied the finishing touches out on the left.

Meredith converted Hugo O’Malley’s quick-fire response for the visitors, only for Terenure’s persistence to pay off with a 77th-minute bonus point try. Harrison Brewer burst over from a maul to effectively seal the result.

Eighth-placed Belvedere battled on but fell short of taking a bonus point out of the game. Full-back Meredith linked up well with Dowling, in front of the ‘Nure posts, and took the return pass to complete his brace.

Meanwhile, Clontarf ended 2025 with a narrow win over Ballynahinch, and repeated the feat in their first outing of the new year. They won 24-20 at Ballymacarn Park thanks to Alan Spicer’s 72nd-minute try.

Clontarf had two players in the sin bin when the Leinster Academy lock muscled his way over, amid an intense bout of forward pressure. The bonus point score has Andy Wood’s charges five points clear at the top of the table.

Ballynahinch, who lost the Energia Bateman Cup final to ‘Tarf before Christmas, trailed 17-6 before Ryan Connolly’s 48th-minute effort, and a penalty try on the hour mark, nudged them ahead in a bruising battle.

Tadhg Bird had neatly sent his centre partner Alex O’Grady in under the posts for the visitors’ opening try, 28 minutes in. Their forwards went the direct route again five minutes later, with Fionn Gilbert burrowing over from a ruck.

Conor Rankin ended the first half’s scoring with his second penalty, leaving ‘Hinch only 12-6 behind. After the league leaders’ maul did some damage, Conor Kelly put Peter Maher over in the left corner for their third try.

Ballynahinch lifted their game during the third quarter, though, and made serious inroads before Maher saw yellow for a deliberate knock-on. There were calls for a penalty try, but the score did come soon after when second row Connolly reached over from a ruck.

The momentum was very much with Adam Craig’s side when they piled on the pressure at maul time. That led to sin-binnings for Jim Peters and Ben Griffin, the latter one coming after the awarding of the penalty try for collapsing.

However, ‘Tarf showed exactly why they currently have two All-Ireland titles in their trophy cabinet. Kelly converted Spicer’s crucial try and missed a late long-range penalty, but they were able to keep ‘Hinch at arm’s length.

On Friday night, former table toppers St. Mary’s College exacted revenge on Lansdowne with a hard-earned 13-7 victory on the Aviva Stadium’s back pitch. The result keeps them second in the standings.

There were fears that Mary’s would fall again to their Dublin rivals when the hosts chalked up a 13th-minute penalty try. Successive penalties as Lansdowne threatened through their maul led to the game’s opening points.

It was a double setback for the visitors who lost Rob Gilsenan to the sin bin. It was nip and tuck for the rest of the first half, Mick O’Gara landing the second of two penalty attempts to leave the scoreline at 7-3 for half-time.

Mary’s managed to seize the initiative on the resumption, Jack Nelson Murray breaking off a powerful maul and linking with Gilsenan who was stopped just short. Mick McCormack’s quick pick-up was rewarded with seven points.

O’Gara’s conversion took him through the 100-point mark for the season, and Division 1A’s top scorer tagged on a 68th-minute penalty which proved to be the match-winning score.

Lansdowne had their chances, working their way into the opposition 22 with their strong set-piece platform. But a combination of handling errors, and Mary’s resilient defence, prevented them from threatening the try-line.

One final Lansdowne attack ended with James Tarrant hanging a cross-field kick out to the right, where Leandro Ramirez coolly dealt with it. The headquarters club have fallen to fifth, but are just a point outside of the top four.

Back-to-back wins over Nenagh Ormond have boosted Young Munster’s play-off hopes. For the second game running, they pulled clear of Nenagh in the second half to win 43-31 at New Ormond Park.

Nonetheless, there was some consolation for Derek Corcoran’s Nenagh team as they scored four tries – Luke Kerr crossed for the bonus point score in the 56th minute – to register their first league point since their historic promotion to the top flight.

Kerr’s half-back partner Charlie O’Doherty impressed with a 16-point haul, helping the hosts lead 31-26, but tries from Oisin Pepper and Munster’s Jake O’Riordan, coupled with a closing penalty from Shane O’Leary, saw the Cookies finish strongly.

Cork Constitution leapfrogged Lansdowne into fourth place after overcoming UCD 26-7 at Temple Hill. Munster Academy forwards Michael Foy and Danny Sheahan contributed first half tries for Jonny Holland’s side.

It was the reverse of last month’s meeting in Belfield where the students had made the early running. This time, Constitution built on Foy’s well-taken sixth-minute opener, and a subsequent Sean Condon score, to lead 19-7 at half-time.

Conor Tonge briefly had the deficit down to seven points for UCD, but Sheahan cancelled out that try. Peter Hyland came off the bench to pocket Con’s bonus point, four minutes after the break.

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