Heat is on in Division Two

With just one of fixtures left in Division Two, the heat is certainly on at both ends of the table following wins for leading sides Old Belvedere and Dublin University, but a slip up from former table toppers UL Bohemian as they lost 9-6 at Young Munster.

Belvedere head the pile on 47 points, thanks to a 16-5 success over Barnhall at Anglesea Road. Out-half Keelan McGowan was again inspirational as he kicked three penalties in DU’s 16-11 win at Terenure – their first against the former Division One kingpins for more than six years.

At the other end, bottom side Sunday’s Well will have to win at Dublin Unversity in a fortnight to stay in Division Two, but rallied well this afternoon to defeat Waterpark 16-10 at Musgrave Park.

Well are still fighting for their lives and must rely on a loss for the Waterford side at Terenure in the next round if they are to remain a Division Two side.

New Zealand out-half Jono Lynch put on a superb solo display in the first half as he scored a try, conversion and 3 penalties for a 16-3 interval lead. Lynch kicked his side in front after 6 minutes and timed his run to perfection cross under the Waterpark posts nine minutes later.

The visitors hit back through a John Lillis penalty on 25 minutes to cancel out Lynch’s second, but another Lynch effort, after Well nearly got in for a second try but for an unfortunate knock on by flanker Fintan Whelan, handed them a 13-point buffer.

Lillis clambered over on 63 minutes to close the gap, and converted to make it a six-point game, but with both out-halves missing long range penalty attempts, Well emerged victorious.

Elsewhere Young Munster have out-half Brian Murphy to thank after he landed the only score of the second half at Tom Clifford Park, a 35-metre penalty to hand Munsters a surprise 9-6 win over promotion chasing UL Bohs.

UCC (24-3 at Thomond) and DLSP (16-13 at Bective) enjoyed fruitful away wins while Ballynahinch always had the measure of neighbours Malone, easing out to a 28-12 victory at Ballymacarn Park, to edge them ahead of the visitors into tenth place.

DIVISION TWO: RESULTS:

Ballynahinch 28 Malone 12, Ballymacarn Park

Bective Rangers 13 De La Salle Palmerston 16, Donnybrook

Midleton 10 Old Crescent 18, Towns Park

Old Belvedere 16 Barnhall 5, Anglesea Road

Sunday’s Well 16 Waterpark 10, Musgrave Park

Terenure College 11 Dublin University 16, Lakelands Park

Thomond 3 UCC 24, Liam Fitzgerald Park

Young Munster 9 UL Bohemian 6, Tom Clifford Park