Shannon lead Con at half-time

Cork Con 7 Shannon 12 - half-time

Five-time winners Shannon hold a 12-7 lead against table-toppers Cork Con in the AIB League Division One showpiece final at Lansdowne Road.

All of the Limerick side’s points have come from the boot of their league top scorer Cregan, a nifty winger, who notched a brace of penalties from 25 and 32 metres inside the first 10 minutes to edge Shannon 6-0 in front.

Constitution’s French centre broke inside the Shannon cover to garner a 20th minute scrum 10 metres from the Limerick side’s line.

From the resulting set piece, scrum half Tomas O’Leary offloaded for left wing Cronan Healy to slip Trevor Hogan’s tackle to get over.

Conrad O’Sullivan converted for a 7-6 Con lead. Cregan hit a sure-fire drop goal six minutes later to regain the lead, however.

From a rapid Mossie Lawlor left wing break inside, Cregan clipped over 15 metres in from the touchline for his third penalty success from four.

Con brought on Leinster scrum half Brian O'Meara in place of the ineffective O’Sullivan on in the first minute of injury time.

Scorers: Cork Con: Try: C Healy; Con: C O’Sullivan

Shannon: Pen: T Cregan 3; Drop gl: T Cregan

CORK CON: A Horgan; D Dillon, R O’Donovan, JV Igarza, C Healy; C O’Sullivan, T O’Leary; G Murray, D Murray, M Ross, K Coughlan, S O’Connor, D Pusey, J Murray (Capt), B O’Connor.

Subs used: B O’Meara for O’Sullivan (41 mins)

SHANNON: J Lacey; T Cregan, B Tuohy, E Cahill, M Lawlor; A Thompson, F O’Loughlin; F Roche, J Flannery, G McNamara, T Hayes (Capt), T Hogan, C McMahon, J O’Connor, E Halvey.

Referee: Alan Lewis (ARLB)