UCD 10-32 TERENURE COLLEGE
Energia AIL – Round 15
Venue: Belfield
Terenure College stretched clear of UCD in the second half, prevailing 32-10 in Belfield to make it a dozen wins for their Energia All-Ireland League campaign so far.
Second-placed Terenure turned a 17-10 interval lead into a 22-point winning margin thanks to a trio of unconverted tries from Jordan Coghlan, Levi Vaughan (with his second of the game) and Colm de Buitléar.
After an early exchange of penalties between Michael Moloney and Caolan Dooley, a well-controlled lineout drive saw ‘Nure hooker Vaughan score the opening try in the 12th minute.
UCD fell further behind entering the second quarter, with the visitors capitalising on Ross Deegan’s yellow card for an off-the-ball incident involving Craig Adams. The latter crossed soon after, the beneficiary of a nice spread of passes across the backs.
Dooley’s well-struck conversion made it 17-3, but UCD hit back swiftly when David Ryan touched down from a lovely skip pass by Rob Gilsenan. Leinster Academy back rowers Sean O’Brien and James Culhane were both prominent in the build-up.
‘Nure had to come through a tricky period either side of half-time, losing both Adams, who was whistled up for a deliberate knock-on, and stand-in captain Mick Melia to the sin bin.
However, Sean Skehan’s charges took control of the scoreboard with two more tries approaching the hour mark. Influential number 8 Coghlan broke off a maul to go over in the left corner in the 51st minute.
The visitors’ lineout was the launchpad again for Vaughan to complete his brace, bagging the bonus point in the process. UCD lifted the tempo in response as ‘Nure lost replacement Stephen O’Neill to the bin for an off-the-ball tackle.
Crucially, Moloney missed touch from the penalty and after Andy Keating’s introduction, a dominant ‘Nure scrum landed the students back in their own 22. The maul was stopped on this occasion, but centre de Buitléar crashed over from a fizzing Alan Bennie pass.
Extract taken from the IrishRugby.ie / IRFU website.
