St. Mary’s Get Back On Track With Home Success

St. Mary's had started the game brightly, as they were aiming to attack the visitors from the word go. Dolphin, who were dogged throughout, did their level best to try and hold out the hosts.

But relentless pressure from the Dubliners finally paid off when winger Ronan Doherty received the ball at the end of a sweeping move to touch down in the right corner.

The lead score was due reward for the way that the Templeogue side had started the contest, and they soon increased their advantage to eight points.

Full-back Gavin Dunne made up for his conversion miss by slotting a 25-metre penalty expertly between the posts ten minutes in.

Dolphin did start to come into the game as the first half wore on, but they were still very much coming off second best.

Only for some stout defending from the likes of Eric Moloney and Willie Devane, Matt D'Arcy and Mark Sexton, brother of Leinster and Ireland star Jonathan Sexton, may well have added to Doherty's earlier effort.

The second try did eventually arrive four minutes before the break. St. Mary's were awarded a penalty try moments after the Cork side’s loosehead prop Gavin Duffy had been sent to the sin-bin.

Dunne was on hand to convert this particular score, which ensured that St. Mary’s took a handsome 15-0 advantage with them into the second period.

Dolphin's chances of forging a comeback suffered a setback when centre Devane departed the scene with a nasty-looking injury on 51 minutes, but Steve Ford's charges responded well.

Their winger Cian Bohane forced a penalty try when he was impeded whilst embarking on a lung-bursting run towards the line.

Out-half Barry Keeshan was on hand to convert for the visitors and they played well for long spells, looking like they might to cut even further into the deficit.

Yet despite having plenty of possession and territory, they could not breach the home defence again and Peter Smyth's side held out for a galvanising victory.

Referee: David Wilkinson (IRFU)