It wasn’t always pretty, and there were times when it seemed like it would be Ryan McMenamin who would be leaving St Conleth's Park with a first league win for his new team, but Daniel Flynn’s 58th-minute goal proved crucial as Jack O’Connor began life in Kildare with a win.

The strength and power of Armagh’s Oisin O’Neill and Tyrone’s Conn Kilpatrick, around the middle third, was too much for Maynooth.

Perhaps history will repeat itself and a Jack O'Connor-led team will bounce back from a loss to Longford with a strong season but, for now, it's frustration for the new Kildare manager.

UCC are through to play St Mary’s University College, Belfast in the Sigerson Cup final in Parnell Park next Wednesday.

Belvedere College 31 Cistercian College Roscrea 7: Belvedere College produced a stunning performance at the RDS yesterday when they secured their 11th Leinster Schools’ Senior Cup title at the expense of defending champions Cistercian College Roscrea.

Belvedere College 34 Newbridge College 0: Last year’s finalists Belvedere College delivered a near-perfect performance at Donnybrook yesterday afternoon, as they recorded a comprehensive victory over Newbridge College in the Leinster Schools’ Senior Cup first round.

Kildare 2-15 Dublin IT 0-9

Blackrock College 14 Belvedere College 10

C&S UCC Demons 69 Killester 93

THE Republic of Ireland’s hopes of retaining the U18 Centenary Shield ended last night at the Oval as cross-border rivals Northern Ireland took another step towards the title.

THEY like their barnstorming number eights in Rockwell College, and Luke Cahill appears to have all the weaponry in his arsenal to follow in the footsteps of Denis Leamy and Paddy Butler.

BANDON GRAMMAR SCHOOL cruised to the most facile of victories over Waterpark College in a hopelessly one sided first round Munster Schools Senior Cup tie at Dungarvan yesterday.

A LATE flash of genius from Leinster out-half Alex O’Driscoll lit up an attritional A Schools interprovincial encounter in Midleton yesterday.

Leaders Cork Constitution plan to utilise Munster's Jeremy Manning at out-half with David Lyons slipping back to full-back for the first-versue-second tussle with St Mary's College in Division 1A of the AIB League at Templeville Raod on Saturday.

Leaders Cork Constitution will have Munster's Jeremy Manning back at out-half at home to old rivals Shannon in Division 1A of the AIB Leagure at Temple Hill tomorrow.

PBC CORK coach Peter Scott admitted he has plenty of food for thought ahead of his side’s Avonmore Milk Munster Schools Senior Cup semi-final clash with St Munchin’s, after seeing his side rigorously tested by a game Bandon Grammar outfit at Temple Hill yesterday.

MUNSTER’S youngsters once again demonstrated at Thomond Park last night that they have the capacity to step into the illustrious shoes of their predecessors, when defeating Connacht 28-11 in an entertaining and enlightening A Interprovincial game.

MUNSTER bid for their fourth successive victory in the A Interprovincial championship when they face Connacht this evening at Thomond Park (6.30pm).

WALES full-back Lee Byrne has been cleared to play in Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations clash against England at Twickenham.

LEINSTER manager Chris Whitaker described Brian O’Driscoll’s selection by prestigious Rugby World magazine as player of the decade as a no-brainer.

Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll has been voted as Rugby World magazine’s player of the decade.

Leinster wing Michael Keating comes back into the Clontarf side as they go toe-to-toe with Shannon in the AIL at Castle Avenue on Saturday.

Leaders St Mary's College will give a debut to scrum-half Cormac Quinn in a first versus second encounter with Blackrock College, who have been decimated by Magner's League and Ireland U19 commitments, at Templeville Road.

Cork Constitution will be looking to take revenge over Ballynahinch when they will meet in a an AIB Senior Cup second round repeat of last season’s final at Ballymacarn Park on Saturday.

FROM champions to wooden spoonists in the space of 12 months — that was the story for Ireland yesterday as the Men’s Amateur Home Internationals ended at Hillside on the Lancashire coast.

Paul Dunne (Greystones) today became the first player to successfully defend the Irish Boys Amateur Close Championship with a two-stroke victory over Knock’s Colin Fairweather at Bangor Golf Club.

Three players sharing the lead after the opening round of the Irish Boys Amateur Close Championship at Bangor Golf Club today.

MUNSTER failed to shrug offtheir Heineken Cup hangoverafter crashing to defeat at Cardiff Blues.

Ulster 9 Cardiff 11

PINT-SIZED scrum-half Paul Marshall will relish the opportunity to shine when Ulster finish their home Magners League programme against the Cardiff Blues tonight (7.30).

GOALKEEPER Brian Corcoran embellished a growing reputation for saving vital penalty strokes as Bandon Grammar School claimed their sixth Munster Senior Schoolboys Cup in succession in dramatic fashion at Garryduff yesterday.

ASHTON SCHOOL go into today’s Munster Senior Schoolboys Cup final at Garryduff (2.30pm) against Bandon Grammar School hell-bent on returning the balance of power to Cork city after a six-year famine.

AS THE gap widens between Connacht and those above them in the Magners League, every game is becoming more critical, and few more so than a home fixture against the Welsh team immediately above them.

IRELAND hooker Rory Best will lead Ulster’s Magners League challenge against Glasgow at Ravenhill on Saturday night although Stephen Ferris and Paddy Wallace are still unavailable.

CARDIFF BLUES claimed revenge for their shock 28-0 defeat in Scotland in November, but a second-half comeback by Glasgow made it a lot harder than looked likely at the interval of this Magners League encounter.

CARDIFF BLUES will complete a triumphant march into the Heineken Cup quarter-finals tonight, but head coach David Young insists: “There is still work to be done.”

THE lowest point in Leinster’s season came in Castres before Christmas when they lost a game they ought to have won. Coincidence or not, they have won three games since they could just as easily have lost.

ENGLAND will be gunning for revenge against Ireland in tonight’s FIRA-AER U18 European Championship semi-final in Venice (7pm, Irish time).

Ireland 53 Russia 0

LEINSTER’S South African prop Ollie le Roux believes Toulouse will destroy Munster’s dreams of a second Heineken Cup title.

JAKE WHITE ends his reign as South Africa coach ready to consider a host of job offers — including from Guinness Premiership clubs and a fourth division Welsh side.

England hooker Mark Regan has been included in the Barbarians team to face South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday.