Blackrock toppled by UCD

UCD 10 Blackrock College 6

A fired-up UCD handed table toppers Blackrock College their first defeat of the new season at Belfield this afternoon.

There was plenty to admire in this Dublin derby and 'College had a number of heroes in their side as they retained the Fogarty Cup.

'Rock, who boast blistering pace behind their scrum, edged the first 20 minutes but they could not convert an early bout of pressure into points.

Indeed, it was UCD who took the lead thanks to a 30-metre penalty from centre Fergus McFadden.

Three-nil ahead at half-time, UCD kept their wits about them as Darragh Fitzpatrick, Simon Morrissey and Shane Monahan tried to outfox the home defence.

And 'Rock were stung when UCD back rower Kevin McLaughlin bulldozed through for what proved to be the only try of the game.

Leinster man McLaughlin ran a clever support line to take a pass from centre Killian Lett and cross close to the posts.

McFadden converted and two Darragh Fitzpatrick penalties were all the visitors could muster as UCD secured their first league win.

Fitzpatrick's kicks saw Blackrock through the 100-point barrier in this season's league but it was little consolation as they dropped to second place in the table, behind Clontarf.

This four-point success lifts UCD up to 14th in the standings.

Their performance deserved a better reward. Their pack got a grip on the game during that early part of the second half and the McFadden-Lett centre partnership was particularly effective in defence and attack.

Scorers:

UCD: Try: Kevin McLaughlin; Con: Fergus McFadden; Pen: Fergus McFadden

Blackrock College: Pens: Darragh Fitzpatrick 2

HT: UCD 3 Blackrock College 0