Win lifts Carlow off bottom of the table

County Carlow 26 Dungannon 14

The county of Carlow may be under a possible threat of foot-and-mouth, but their rugby team are off the bottom of the AIB League Division One, after posting a 26-14 win over Dungannon.

Ray Ward's men have dogged out many a battle at Oak Park this season - falling gamely to Buccaneers (21-23) and Clontarf (6-11) - but today was their day as, at the fourth attempt, they picked up an away win.

It was all about the forwards for the midlanders as tighthead prop Padraig Brennan and number eight Andy Melville crossed the northerners' try line.

Carlow raced into a 19-3 half-time lead as Brennan bulldozed through from five metres out, and fit-again fly-half Richie Murphy clipped over the convert and four penalties.

Dungannon's sole reply came from Ireland Under-21 Gareth Steenson, and although they stepped it up in the second half with Gillan Carruthers arrowing over, their fight for a third win in four outings was undone.

Melville - who was earlier sin-binned with Brennan - struck off the base of a maul, which took the Dungannon pack backwards from their 22-metre line, to confirm Carlow's win.

Scorers: Carlow: Tries: Andy Melville, Padraig Brennan; Cons: Richie Murphy 2; Pens: Murphy 4

Dungannon: Try: Gillan Carruthers; Pens: Gareth Steenson 3