Conor Hayes continues to light up this season’s Energia Men’s All-Ireland League, scoring a hat-trick of tries as Young Munster overcame Lansdowne 24-20 on the Aviva Stadium’s main pitch.
Hayes, the strongly-built former Connacht Eagles winger, finished today’s epic encounter with 17 points, including a crucial 63rd-minute try which saw him combine out wide with Patrick Campbell, another of the Cookies’ impressive young guns.
Lansdowne fought back from 17-3 down to lead 20-17, with Leinster pair Peter Dooley and Cormac Foley both touching down, but the Hayes-inspired Cookies prevailed to make it four wins on the trot.
The hosts lost Michael Silvester to injury before kick-off, and it was a mostly defence-dominated first quarter. Charlie Tector threatened with chip kicks, while Tom Goggin picked up two important lineout steals for Munsters.
This Division 1A tussle really came to life when Jack Lyons broke from a quick tap. Lansdowne’s Michael O’Brien snaffled a turnover, Tector kicked through and then Cookies full-back Campbell brilliantly countered out of his own 22.
Opposing outhalves Tector and Evan Cusack exchanged well-struck penalties, the latter having pushed an earlier effort to the right and wide.
Nonetheless, it was Young Munster who closed out the first half with a two-try combination punch, right into Lansdowne’s stomach.
Cusack’s inside pass sent Hayes bursting clear from halfway and he scooted around full-back Liam O’Sullivan’s challenge to go in underneath the posts.
The conversion successfully dispatched, the Cookies soon followed up with a thrilling team try. Hooker Mark O’Mara was heavily involved, with excellent hands from both backs and forwards, and Munster’s Keynan Knox - on as a replacement - was halted just short.
Quick recycling saw the ball moved wide to the right where Hayes dived over untouched in the corner. Cusack flung over a terrific conversion, but Lansdowne rallied just before the break with a good run from lock Joey Spzara.
Munsters’ discipline has let them down at times recently, and Campbell was caught on the ground infringing. He was promptly yellow carded and Tector’s penalty, from inside the 22, cut the gap to 11 points.
Mark McHugh’s men kept hold of the momentum for the early stages of the third quarter, thundering through the middle through centre Paul Kiernan who passed for freshly-introduced scrum half Foley to finish off behind the posts.
Tector was successful with the simple conversion and he also added the extras to Dooley’s subsequent score. A great passage of phase-building ended with the Birr man powering over from close range, after both Jack Dwan and Luke Thompson had been tackled short.
Dooley increased his influence with an important breakdown penalty, keeping the Cookies at bay, but Gearoid Prendergast’s charges were building for a strong finish in front of the North Stand.
Campbell attacked at pace in the Lansdowne 22, his diagonal run seeing him link with Hayes who cut back inside to score his sixth try of the campaign already. The former Ireland underage international added the conversion himself.
Taking over the kicking duties from Cusack, Hayes was wide with a 69th minute place-kick after the Munster Academy’s Eoin O’Connor had won a penalty at the breakdown.
Lansdowne had enough possession to force a score in response, especially on the back of a pacey break involving Corey Reid and replacement Adam Boland, but the Cookies stood firm to hand the headquarters club their first defeat of the league season.
Meanwhile, defending champions Cork Constitution ended their three-match losing run with a 32-13 bonus point victory at home to Dublin University.
A week on from his first senior start at outhalf for Munster, Jack Crowley was back in club colours - playing at full-back - and he was at the heart of Con’s strong start.
He touched down out wide in the 14th minute after being set up by a roaming Sean French, who had come across from the opposite wing. Just a couple of minutes later, Greg Higgins sliced through the middle to score under the posts, despite the best efforts of Leinster’s Rob Russell.
Russell’s provincial colleague, lock Jack Dunne, made his first start of the season as he continues to bounce back from a fractured ankle. However, Trinity were left trailing 14-0 with Con captain Aidan Moynihan landing both conversions.
He added a penalty for a 17-6 half-time lead, in response to two Mick O’Kennedy strikes at the other end. The Trinity forwards were beginning to warm to the task, with Dunne and Alan Francis both impressing.
Moynihan started the second half’s scoring with another penalty, before Cathal O’Flaherty went close to scoring from a thrilling move that showcased the running and handling abilities of Con front rowers Paddy Casey and Jack Dinneen.
With a quarter of an hour remaining, former Con skipper Niall Kenneally made a strong burst and replacement Max Abbott got the ball away for French to make it 25-6.
The resilient students battled back with Ulster Academy forward Harry Sheridan clawing back seven points. But their hopes of a bonus point push were extinguished by Kenneally who gobbled up a loose ball for a 25-metre run-in.
It was a real game of two halves at Ballymacarn Park where league leaders Garryowen beat Ballynahinch 27-22. They crammed all bar a single penalty from Tony Butler into a strong first half showing.
The Light Blues must have had high hopes of notching a bonus point when leading 24-0 at half-time. Hooker Pat O’Toole was on the prowl from lineout mauls, bagging two tries, and Munster flanker Jack Daly also crossed the whitewash.
However, an early try after the restart from Ulster’s Marcus Rea ignited ‘Hinch’s comeback. James Simpson, with a charge-down, and Aaron Cairns made it three tries for the hosts, but it took a last-gasp penalty from replacement Jack Milligan to secure their bonus point.
Terenure College threatened to derail Clontarf’s early season progress, leading 14-5 at the break, but ‘Tarf had the better of the second half to win 29-14 and take home maximum points from Lakelands Park.
Alan Bennie and lively full-back Colm de Buitléar had a try apiece for ‘Nure, the latter crashing in under the posts on the stroke of half-time.
However, in-form hooker Dylan Donnellan went on to score a hat-trick for the visitors. He made it a two-point game before a penalty from Conor Kearns, kicking instead of the injured David Hawkshaw, edged Clontarf in front.
With the ‘Tarf pack ramping up the pressure from mauls and carries around the fringes, Donnellan and replacement Adrian D’Arcy both proved unstoppable from close range, the former taking his season’s try tally to five.
At Belfield, UCD’s wait for their first league win is over after getting the better of UCC on a 40-31 scoreline. It would have been a more comfortable margin but for Matthew Bowen’s hat-trick heroics in earning the Corkmen a bonus point.
Munster Academy scrum half Paddy Patterson helped himself to a brace of tries, the hosts’ other scores coming from Bobby Sheehan, David Ryan, Leinster Academy flanker Sean O’Brien and James Tarrant, who also kicked five conversions.
Munster’s John Hodnett was busy at the Bowl, breaking through to set up Luke Kerr’s 17th-minute try. He was also sin-binned at a crucial stage in the second half when UCD were able to get out of harm’s way with two more tries.
A word for ‘Mitch’ Bowen, the UCC flyer is back to full fitness and looking as sharp as ever. He had a quick-fire double, scoring directly from a second half restart, before earning the bonus point with a superb intercept score, seven minutes from the end.
Energia Men’s All-Ireland league results (Saturday, October 30th)
Division 1A
Ballynahinch 22 Garryowen 27, Ballymacarn Park
Scorers: Ballynahinch: Tries: Marcus Rea, Aaron Cairns, James Simpson; Cons: Greg Hutley 2; Pen: Jack Milligan
Garryowen: Tries: Pat O’Toole 2, Jack Daly; Cons: Tony Butler 3; Pens: Tony Butler 2
HT: Ballynahinch 0 Garryowen 24
Ballynahinch: Shane Ball; Paddy Wright, Ryan Wilson, Rory Butler, Aaron Cairns; Greg Hutley, Chris Gibson; Harry Simpson, Tom Stewart, Peter Cooper, Thomas Donnan, John Donnan, Zack McCall (capt), Reuben Crothers, Marcus Rea.
Replacements: John Dickson, Diego Vidal Souza, James Simpson, Tagen Strydom, Conor McAuley, Jack Milligan.
Garryowen: Jamie Heuston; Colm Quilligan, Bryan Fitzgerald, Jack Delaney, Jamie Shanahan; Tony Butler, Ed Barry; Mark Donnelly, Pat O’Toole, Darragh McCarthy, Paddy Kelly, Kevin Seymour (capt), Tim Ferguson, Jack Daly, Sean Rennison.
Replacements: Dylan Murphy, Niall Horan, Roy Whelan, Aaron Cosgrove, Tommy O’Hora, Jack Madden.
Cork Constitution 32 Dublin University 13, Temple Hill
Scorers: Cork Constitution: Tries: Jack Crowley, Greg Higgins, Sean French, Niall Kenneally; Cons: Aidan Moynihan 2, Jack Crowley; Pens: Aidan Moynihan 2 Dublin University: Try: Harry Sheridan; Con: Mick O’Kennedy; Pens: Mick O’Kennedy 2
HT: Cork Constitution 17 Dublin University 6
Cork Constitution: Jack Crowley; JJ O’Neill, Greg Higgins, Niall Kenneally, Sean French; Aidan Moynihan (capt), Duncan Williams; Brendan Quinlan, Jack Dinneen, Paddy Casey, Cian Barry, Cathal O’Flaherty, Luke Cahill, Michael Casey, David Hyland.
Replacements: Max Abbott, Luke Masters, Eoin Quilter, Billy Crowley, Gerry Hurley, John Forde.
Dublin University: Rob Russell; Ronan Quinn, Luis Faria, Gavin Jones, Marcus Kiely; Mick O’Kennedy (capt), Louis O’Reilly; Giuseppe Coyne, Mark Nicholson, Thomas Connolly, Jamie Berrisford, Jack Dunne, Harry Sheridan, Alan Francis, Ronan Murphy.
Replacements: Ben Nel, Bart Vermeulen, Diarmuid McCormack, Anthony Ryan, Cormac King, Aran Egan.
Lansdowne 20 Young Munster 24, Aviva Stadium main pitch
Scorers: Lansdowne: Tries: Peter Dooley, Cormac Foley; Cons: Charlie Tector 2; Pens: Charlie Tector 2 Young Munster: Tries: Conor Hayes 3; Cons: Evan Cusack 2, Conor Hayes; Pen: Evan Cusack
HT: Lansdowne 6 Young Munster 17
Lansdowne: Liam O’Sullivan; Sean Galvin, Corey Reid, Paul Kiernan, Daniel McEvoy; Charlie Tector, James Kenny; Ben Popplewell, Luke Thompson, Conan Dunne, Joey Szpara, Jack Dwan, Jack O’Sullivan (capt), Michael O’Brien, Clive Ross.
Replacements: Jamie Kavanagh, Peter Dooley, Matthew Healy, Cormac Foley, Peter Hastie, Adam Boland.
Young Munster: Patrick Campbell; Conor Hayes, Pa Ryan, Harry Fleming, Jack Harrington; Evan Cusack, Jack Lyons; David Begley, Mark O’Mara, Colm Skehan, Tom Goggin, Sean Rigney, Alan Kennedy (capt), John Foley, Dan Walsh.
Replacements: Bailey Faloon, Conor Bartley, Keynan Knox, Eoin O’Connor, Adam Maher, Shay McCarthy.
Terenure College 14 Clontarf 29, Lakelands Park
Scorers: Terenure College: Tries: Alan Bennie, Colm de Buitléar; Cons: Caolan Dooley 2
Clontarf: Tries: Dylan Donnellan 3, Adrian D’Arcy; Cons: Conor Kearns 3; Pen: Conor Kearns
HT: Terenure College 14 Clontarf 5
Terenure College: Colm de Buitléar; Sam Coghlan Murray, Stephen O’Neill (capt), Peter Sylvester, Craig Adams; Caolan Dooley, Alan Bennie; Conor McCormack, Levi Vaughan, Adam Tuite, Luke Clohessy, Michael Melia, Harrison Brewer, James Connolly, Jordan Coghlan.
Replacements: Campbell Classon, Andy Keating, Matthew Caffrey, Adam Melia, Tiarnan Neville, Adam La Grue.
Clontarf: Tadhg Bird; Ben Woods, Michael Courtney, Matt D’Arcy (capt), Jack Power; Conor Kearns, Angus Lloyd; Darragh Bolger, Dylan Donnellan, Vakh Abdaladze, Cormac Daly, Brian Deeny, Martin Moloney, Max Kearney, Tony Ryan.
Replacements: Barry Gray, Ben Griffin, Fionn Gilbert, Alan Foley, Aitzol Arenzana-King, Adrian D’Arcy.
UCD 40 UCC 31, Belfield Bowl
Scorers: UCD: Tries: Bobby Sheehan, Paddy Patterson 2, James Tarrant, Sean O’Brien, David Ryan; Cons: James Tarrant 5
UCC: Tries: Luke Kerr, Matthew Bowen 3, George Coomber; Cons: Billy Kiernan 3
HT: UCD 19 UCC 5
UCD: Chris Cosgrave; David Heavey, David Ryan, James Moriarty, Jack Ringrose (capt); James Tarrant, Paddy Patterson; Chris Hennessy, Bobby Sheehan, Evin Coyle, Mark Morrissey, Jonathan Fish, Diarmuid Mangan, Sean O’Brien, Ronan Foley.
Replacements: Richie Bergin, Rory McGuire, Jack Boyle, Alec Byrne, Harry Donnelly, Jamie Murphy.
UCC: George Coomber; Louis Bruce, Sam Tarleton, Daniel Squires, Matthew Bowen; Cian Whooley, Luke Kerr; Alessandro Heaney, Scott Buckley, Corey Hanlon, Aidan Brien, Mark Bissessar, Jack Kelleher (capt), John Hodnett, Jack O’Sullivan.
Replacements: Billy Kingston, Tom Ormond, Richard Thompson, Sam O’Sullivan, Louis Kahn, Billy Kiernan.
Division 1B
Malone 17 Highfield 20, Gibson Park
Scorers: Malone: Tries: Dave Cave, Andy Bryans, Angus Curtis; Con: Rory Campbell
Highfield: Tries: Robert Murphy, Miah Cronin, Travis Coomey; Con: Shane O’Riordan; Pen: Shane O’Riordan
HT: Malone 12 Highfield 12
Malone: Aaron Sexton; Rory Campbell, David McMaster, Nathan Brown, Andy Bryans; Angus Curtis, Shane Kelly; Tommy O’Hagan, Claytan Milligan, Gareth Milasinovich, Adam McNamee, James McAlister, Dan Kerr, Dave Cave (capt), Max Porter.
Replacements: Gary Andrews, Aidan McSwiggan, Stewart McKendrick, Ben McCaughey, Lewis Finlay, Ricky Greenwood.
Highfield: Luke Kingston; Sam Burns, Paddy O’Toole, Mark Dorgan, Paul Stack; Shane O’Riordan, Chris Banon (capt); James Rochford, Robert Murphy, Daragh Fitzgerald, Fintan O’Sullivan, Dave O’Connell, Ryan Murphy, Ronan O’Sullivan, Miah Cronin.
Replacements: Travis Coomey, Ian McCarthy, Cathal Gallagher, Eddie Earle, Sean Quaid, Colin O’Neill.
Naas 20 Old Wesley 36, Forenaughts
Scorers: Naas: Tries: Bryan Croke, Gary Kavanagh; Cons: Bryan Croke, Peter Osborne; Pens: Peter Osborne 2 Old Wesley: Tries: Nathan Randles, Tommy O’Callaghan 2, Paul Derham; Cons: Tim Clifford 2; Pens: Tim Clifford 4
HT: Naas 17 Old Wesley 6
Naas: Peter Osborne (capt); Donal Conroy, Gary Kavanagh, Matt Stapleton, Fionn Higgins; Bryan Croke, Tim Murphy; Adam Coyle, Connor Johnson, Peter King, Paul Monahan, David Benn, Ryan Casey, Will O’Brien, Paulie Tolofua.
Replacements: Paul Carroll, Conor Doyle, Cillian Dempsey, Patrick O’Flaherty, Connor Halpenny, Sam Cahill.
Old Wesley: Conor Gaston; Tommy O’Callaghan, James O’Donovan, Eoin Deegan, Nathan Randles; Tim Clifford, Ian Cassidy; Harry Noonan, Ben Burns, Cronan Gleeson, JJ O’Dea, Iain McGann (capt), Will Fay, Alastair Hoban, Reuben Pim.
Replacements: Howard Noonan, Sam Kenny, Paul Derham, David Poff, Paddy McKenzie, Charlie O’Regan.
Navan 30 Banbridge 20, Balreask Old
Scorers: Navan: Tries: Evan Dixon, Paddy Fox 2; Cons: Mark Farrell 3; Pens: Mark Farrell 3
Banbridge: Tries: Conor Field, Neil Kilpatrick, Andrew Morrison; Con: Josh Cromie; Pen: Josh Cromie
HT: Navan 6 Banbridge 8
Navan: Paddy Fox; Sean McEntagart, Rory Gordon, Evan Dixon, Ben McEntagart; Colm O’Reilly, Mark Farrell; Niall Farrelly, Jack Nelson, Eoin King, Colm Carpenter, Conor Hand, Andrew Doyle, Conor Farrell, Hardus van Eeden.
Replacements: David Clarke, Liam Carroll, Conor Ryan, Willie McAleese, Ben Daly, Liam McLoughlin.
Banbridge: Adam Doherty; Conor Field, Andrew Morrison, Jonny Little, Robert Lyttle; Josh Cromie, Neil Kilpatrick; Michael Cromie (capt), Peter Cromie, Stuart Cromie, David O’Connor, Brendan McSorley, Matthew Laird, Max Lyttle, Robin Sinton.
Replacements: Timothy Savage, Josh Chambers, Alex Weir, Joshua Cunningham, Lewis Nelmes.
Shannon 32 Old Belvedere 10, Thomond Park back pitch
Scorers: Shannon: Tries: Jake Flannery 2, Killian Dineen, Ikem Ugwueru; Cons: Jake Flannery 3; Pens: Jake Flannery 2 Old Belvedere: Tries: James McKeown, Dean Moore
HT: Shannon 22 Old Belvedere 5
Shannon: Jamie McGarry; Ikem Ugwueru, Killian Dineen, Alan Flannery, Jack O’Donnell; Jake Flannery, Ian Leonard; Conor Glynn, Jordan Prenderville, Luke Rigney, Ronan Coffey, Sean McCarthy, Kelvin Brown, Charlie Carmody, Daniel Okeke.
Replacements: Declan Moore, Darragh McSweeney, Kieran Ryan, John O’Sullivan, Aran Hehir, Odhran Ring.
Old Belvedere: Colm Hogan; James McKeown, David Butler, Robbie Deegan, Ariel Robles; Justin Leonard, Briain Leonard; James Bollard, John McKee, Stewart Maguire, Dean Moore (capt), Paddy Dowling, Colin Mallon, Calum Dowling, Tom Ryan.
Replacements: Shane O’Hehir, Ryan McMahon, Fionn McWey, Will McDonald, Aaron Atkinson, Jack Gilheany.
St Mary’s College 35 City Of Armagh 13, Templeville Road
Scorers: St. Mary’s College: Tries: Myles Carey 3, Matt Timmons, Daniel Lyons; Cons: Conor Dean 5 City of Armagh: Tries: Andrew Willis, Evin Crummie; Pen: Kyle Faloon
HT: St. Mary’s College 14 City of Armagh 8
St Mary’s College: Ruairi Shields; Matt Timmons, Myles Carey, Mick O’Gara, Craig Kennedy; Conor Dean, Mark Fogarty; Niall McEniff, Richie Halpin (capt), Mick McCormack, Liam Corcoran, Ian Wickham, Daniel Lyons, Niall Hurley, Ronan Watters.
Replacements: Steven O’Brien, Padraig Dundon, Loris Nikolov, Ryan O’Loughlin, Colm Reilly, Dave Fanagan.
City Of Armagh: Kyle Faloon; Andrew Willis, Chris Colvin (capt), Evin Crummie, Matthew Hooks; Harry Boyd, Alex Johnston; Paul Mullen, Jonny Morton, Philip Fletcher, John Glasgow Josh McKinley, James Hanna, Ryan O’Neill, Neil Faloon.
Replacements: Jack Treanor, Peter Lamb, Ryan Finlay, James Morton, Gerard Treanor, Tim McNiece.
