We established our attacking intentions early, when captain and blindside flanker Michael Whelan gathered the ball from the kick out and started the first assault on the students. The ball came out to JJ Walsh who straight away found a gap and cut the students’ defence in half and only for conceding a penalty allowing the students to exit, we could have been on the score board in the first play.  We continued the early pressure with scrum half Paul Kinney also making sniping breaks and with the ball going through several hands before reaching (long distance) running hooker Ross Smith. He powered for the line but was just held up short.  It was all Lansdowne for the first quarter of an hour, so it was against the run of play when the students seized on a rarely fumbled ball and set up a lightning counter attack and scored under our posts. 0 - 7 Dagnabit, or words to that effect.

The students maintained their shock and awe tactics and kept us in our half long enough for us to concede penalty after penalty. The first they took quickly, but we foiled. The second they kicked and missed.  By the time they got a third and then fourth penalty, it w clear that the ranks of Lansdowne supporters were soon going to be swelled by one of our players and so it was that a certain veteran centre popped shore for a much-needed ten minute rest. The students convertedthe penalty this time and we enter squeaky bum time at 0 – 10.

It would be fair to say that we weren’t quite in the ref’s good books at this point and as another club stalwart received his “carton jaune” we were down to 13 for over five minutes.  But not only did we not concede any more penalties or points throughout this period, we started to exert control again. Their set pieces struggled as spoiling jumpers, Mikey Whelan and Fionan Eve pilfered much of their lineout ball, while props Luis Castro and Ruadhan Pits treated the students to a scrumming lesson. Luis' heroic work all around the pitch might have gone unnoticed, but for the fact that he wasn’t wearing his scrum cap and his shiny dome was hard to miss under the floodlights!

Back to just 14 men we were in their 22 and had an attacking lineout, and Fionan Eve broke through the UCD defences and scored in the corner and finally got our side of the scoreboard moving. 5 -10.

As we came to half time five points down, but back to our full complement, we started to look as comfortable as we had been in the early stages, camped in their 22 and probing for gaps.

As the second half commenced, enthusiasm on the sideline was building anyway, but in another stroke of coaching/managing genius, Mark “Face” Quinn lifted us to new heights with “The Switch”. He passed around M&M’s instead of Jellies. Now we knew anything was possible. And so it proved. Our attacks came in waves, one after another now and only for a particularly vigilant and brave call from a (home) touch judge, we might have been awarded a next try. But we didn’t have to wait long for the next opportunity. With their defences starting to weaken, the ref called advantage to us and out half JJ pulled out of the bag one of his personal favorites, chipping across pitch to the winger. With pinpoint accuracy, he found Paddy Burke and over he jogged for our second try. William McEvoy converted and we took our rightful place in the lead. 12 - 10

As Paul Kinney limped ashore having left everything out on the pitch, a lesser squad and indeed club might have struggled to replace him. But what fresh magic did Face have in store for us next? Only the return of star centre, Rory “Dallas” Cunningham to number nine! Mad Ted, Mad!

We were now living in their 22 and taking pot shots at their line from every angle. But somehow the students kept us at bay and we know from so many times before against them, two points isn’t much of a margin.  Finally, it’s another great play with attackers weaving in and out of UCD defenders and flyer Mulligan is the last man to touch the ball as he goes over for his brace. Will also obliges again and the margin is starting to look a bit healthier at 19 - 10 with five minutes left on the clock.

But our dominance continued to the and is rewarded with a great attacking penalty, a ruck is set up and Dallas sends it quickly blind to the right wing. Yes, you know him from tries number two and three, but now he’s getting his hattrick … it’s Michael Mulligan! 26 - 10

Will converts yet again and at 26 - 10 you’d imagine the students would drop their heads in injury time, but they came back at us over and over again. Only for some more excellent defensive lineouts by you-know-who (I’m trying to limit mentions of “him” to three per game) we might have conceded, but the final whistle blew and with that great victory a weekend of winning Junior rugby was off and running.

Full time Lansdowne 26 - 10 UCD

Match Report - Brian Whelan