UL/Bohs take their chances against St Mary’s

UL/Bohemian 18 St Mary’s College 14

The atmosphere could hardly have contrasted more greatly with the Heineken Cup game the evening before but the rival teams did all they could to provide a game of reasonable entertainment.

Mary’s are nowadays a shadow of their outstanding teams of the past and are a classic example of the changing face of the Irish club game.

Coach Stephen Hennessy once contested a Munster Senior Cup final for Bohs but now has his hands full trying to regain Mary’s’ status as one of the leading teams in the country.

UL/Bohs, for their part, are now an established part of Division One. Yesterday they demonstrated what they are capable of as early as the third minute when Martin McPhail brought play into the right corner of the Mary’s defence and when the attack was checked, the ball was quickly spun left and Kenny Barry and Ireland under-21 winger Ian Hanley combined to send Ryan Hartigan over for a try.

But James Norton’s pace proved too much for sloppy Bohs defending on 18 minutes and he scorched in for the equaliser. Ben Martin restored Bohs lead with a penalty before Jonathan Sexton kicked a Mary’s penalty and Fergal Lawlor dropped a goal with the last kick of the half to see the home side 11-8 ahead at the break.

Bohs were well on top in the second half but experienced difficulty in turning their supremacy into scores. Instead, Sexton levelled the scoring with a long range penalty for Mary’s before Hanley finally got in for a Bohs try which Martin converted.

A Mark McHugh penalty was sufficient to give Mary’s the bonus point they just about deserved.

UL/BOHEMIAN: C. Garvey; I. Hanley, B. Martin, C. Finn, M. McPhail; F. Lawlor, C. Dolooze; M. Harty, G. Ryan, K. Flanagan, B. Madigan, K. Barry, R. Hartigan, J.E. O’Connor, A. Hartigan. Replacements, A. Rees for Hanley; M. Butler for Garvey; R. Freeney for Harty; J. O’Neill for Barry.

ST MARY’S COLLEGE: P. Brophy; J. Norton, M. McHugh, C. Fifield, R. Smyth; J. Sexton, S. Gibney; C. O’Boyle, M. Duggan, B. Moran, G. Logan, A. Copeland, W. Duggan, P. Nash, M. Donnellan. Replacements, R. Gannon for Sexton; J. Lillis for W. Duggan.

Referee: O. Trevor (IRFU).