A goal from Stuart Lowndes on 54 minutes proved decisive, as Dunboyne captured the Meath SFC for the first time since 2005 at Páirc Tailteann yesterday.

University of Limerick 3-19 Maynooth University 4-15 (AET): The footballers of UL used all nine lives and their get-out-of-jail card to sneak past Maynooth in this thrilling Sigerson Cup first round tie.

UL scored a dramatic victory in this hugely entertaining Sigerson Cup first round tie having twice looked down and out.

Ulster 21 Leinster 24: A little half-time word in the ears of his charges gave new Leinster head coach Leo Cullen a perfect start to his tenure with what was in the end a comfortable warm-up victory over Ulster at the Kingspan Stadium last night.

Ireland 3 New Zealand 25: The fairytale did not happen but neither did the nightmare.

Had things gone differently, then former Limerick minor hurler Stephen Fitzgerald might be preparing for a big one in the Gaelic Grounds instead of being part of an Irish squad bidding for glory at the World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy.

A winner-take-all clash with New Zealand is Ireland’s prize for Saturday’s four-point victory (24-20) over Scotland in Saturday’s World Rugby U20 Championship Pool game in Calvisano.

Ireland 18 Argentina 16: There is something familiar about a kicker from Cork Con having nerves of steel to land a last-gasp winning penalty, but Tomas Quinlan wrote a script all of his own to get Ireland’s World Rugby U20 Championship off to a winning start.

Nigel Carolan may be in charge of the Irish U20s at a world championship for the first time but the Galwayman has been involved with enough underage national sides to know they face a tough test against Argentina today, 3.30pm (live on TG4).

Scotland U20 17 Ireland U20 10 

Nigel Carolan has asked his Irish U20 side to finish their campaign positively in Netherdale tonight by returning to the full-throttle game which has been suffocated by two defeats in a row.

Kildare 2-15 Meath 0-13: This game hinged on a two-minute period straight after the break, when Kildare found the net almost immediately after Meath had had a gilt-edged opportunity to blow this Eirgrid Leinster U21FC semi-final wide open.

RBS U20 6 Nations

Ireland U20 coach Nigel Carolan still believes ‘the championship is there for the taking’ ahead of tomorrow night’s crucial RBS 6 Nations clash with Wales (Parc Eirias, Colwyn Bay, 7.45pm).

Meath u21s 1-10 Westmeath u21s 1-08: Meath had keeper Jack Hannigan to thank for a brilliant block to deny Dylan McDermott a match-winning goal in added time in this Leinster U-21 FC tie at Páirc Tailteann.

One imagines Nigel Carolan and the rest of his U20s management team have spent many an hour poring over footage of England’s opening Six Nations loss to Wales in Colwyn Bay this last two weeks.

U20 RBS Six Nations

Ireland U20 Six Nations: Ireland’s U20s did all that was expected of them, and maybe more, in beating Italy 47-15 seven days ago but a truer reflection of their collective worth lies in store tonight as they host Fabien Pelous’ French side at Dubarry Park in Athlone (7.05pm).

Ireland’s U20s and Women’s: Both teams enjoyed ultimately comfortable openings to their respective Six Nations campaigns last Friday.

Under 20 Six Nations: Italy 15 Ireland 47: Nigel Carolan’s reign as Ireland U-20 coach got off to a perfect start in dreadful conditions in northern Italy last night as seven different players scored tries.

Ireland U20 preview: Expectations aren’t confined to Joe Schmidt’s Ireland side this next two months.

Irish rugby was relatively slow to cotton onto the benefits accrued from assimilating players with southern hemisphere backgrounds into the national team, but that process has belatedly taken hold in recent years.

More misery for Munster with the selection of just four of their players on Nigel Carolan’s expanded Ireland squad of 30 for the U20 Six Nations.

Laois 1-07 Maynooth 0-18: NUI Maynooth eased to a convincing eight-point win over Laois in Portarlington last night.

O’Byrne Cup

UCD 25 Cork Con 25

UCD 17 Terenure College 26

Leinster forwards coach Leo Cullen has no qualms about putting the province’s youngsters up against Northampton Saints at Franklin’s Gardens today.

France 19 Ireland 13

Ireland begin their quest for Junior World Cup glory in Auckland on Monday, facing an onerous task against Six Nations champions France (QBE Stadium, 6.35am, Irish time, TG4).

ULSTER BANK LEAGUE:

Meath 1-13 Louth 0-10

Summerhill 1-13 Na Fianna 1-10

Munster U20 18 Leinster U20 19

Terenure College 13 Belvedere College 7

IT’S 20 years since Meath last won an All-Ireland minor football title but denizens of the county may find greater solace in their last final appearance, in 2002, when they were well beaten by a superb Derry team.

Munster 12 Leinster 34

You may have seen it.

Cork manager Conor Counihan will pick from a full panel of players when he names his All-Ireland semi-final team this evening.

Meath full-forward Stephen Coogan grabbed a sensational goal with a minute of normal time to play at Newry last night to send his side into the All-Ireland MFC semi-finals.