All-Ireland League round-up: UCD may be devoid of bonus points this year but the boot of Eoghan Hickey ensures they stay in the hunt for a semi-final berth. With Belfast Harlequins losing the Antrim derby to Ballymena and the students edging Buccaneers in Dubarry Park a mere two points now separates the fourth and fifth teams.
Hickey kicked 19 points - four penalties, two conversions and a drop goal - but it still took a late try from replacement flanker Louis Burke to ensure they took the spoils and in the process killed off Buccaneers season.
Ballymena edged victory on a dirty day at Eaton Park with two Paddy Wallace penalties enough to see off a Harlequins side down five players due to call-ups to the Irish under-21 squad.
UCD are largely unaffected by the Six Nations campaign as even having Leinster winger James Norton or hooker David Blaney is considered a bonus. The sides meet on March 26th, perhaps crucially at the Belfield Bowl.
The three teams above them all produced gritty wins on the road, Clontarf the most impressive as they came away from Galwegians with a bonus point.
The home side fielded a team strengthened by the gap in the Celtic League with Connacht players like Michael Carroll, Peter Bracken and Henry Bourke adding muscle to the pack. They duly led 16-3 at the turn.
This all changed, though, with Warren O'Kelly, Conor Mahony, Simon O'Donnell and Darragh O'Sullivan claiming the tries that pushed Clontarf back on top of the table.
Shannon just about managed to avoid the banana skin that is County Carlow by eking out a 17-7 win with a late try and penalty from Jerry Flannery and Andrew Thompson. Garryowen remain third after beating Dungannon, minus under-21 outhalf Gareth Steenson, with a late try from Billy Treacy the difference.
Blackrock and Dublin University drew 19-all at Stradbrook, while Cork Constitution overcame Lansdowne at Temple Hill thanks to a man-of-the-match display from Conrad O'Sullivan.
The All-Ireland League returns in two weeks.
American outhalf Mike Hercus kicked third-place Sale Sharks to the most unlikely of English Premiership League victories over London Irish yesterday
The Exiles have been dragged into the relegation zone after Hercus, stand-in for England number 10 Charlie Hodgson, landed two first-half penalties and a 40-metre drop-goal as Sale built up a 9-0 lead against the run of play and clung on for victory.
But that was only achieved thanks to a nightmare kicking display by London Irish's usually dependable Mark Mapletoft, who squandered numerous penalty and drop goal chances.
