Munster’s dominance on the wain

Barry Coughlan

Champions Shannon are in the best position despite their galling loss to Ballymena at Eaton Park on Saturday, while Garryowen are still just four point adrift of one of the top places.

The light blues, thanks to a narrow victory over Belfast Harlequins at Dooradoyle, managed to keep pace, but it still took a late drop goal from Killian Keane to give them the four points they desperately needed.

These are changed days for Munster’s AIB League challengers. There was little enough enthusiasm for the battle at Dooradoyle and no crowds to shout about.

Keane brought a sense of experience to the occasion and, happily, also provided the match-winning points with two penalties and two drops to respond to the Belfast side.

Shannon may feel just as aggrieved as Harlequins for their loss at Eaton Park.

They were actually the better side and Ballymena had to score an injury time try and conversion to beat them - at a time when the visitors were down to 14 men.

Prop Anthony Buckley was

yellow-carded with five minutes left and it was from there that Ballymena launched their final and successful

assault.

Galwegians stayed ahead of their

rivals with a hugely deserved 41-20 win over Terenure at Lakelands.

In fact, the Connacht club grabbed a total of six tries and picked up a bonus point for their efforts.

The problem from their perspective was that Lansdowne did exactly the same as they ran riot against Blackrock College at Stradbrook.

Lansdowne didn’t match the Galwegian’s try total with just five, but it was still enough to give them the extra point as they seek to put pressure on leaders Clontarf and second placed Ballymena.

Dungannon managed, by a whisker, to keep County Carlow in the relegation zone when they travelled south and picked up a 13-12 win. The winning score came midway through the second half and Carlow were unable to find a way back.

Beaten finalists in the last two seasons, Cork Constitution struggled again this weekend.

They are now fourth from the bottom and by no means safe after losing to University College Dublin at Belfield.

Sure, Constitution scored four tries but had a barren return in the goal kicking stakes.

The students scored five tries in an open contest, but also made sure with four conversions and a drop goal to

secure a 36-20 victory.