The first four-match semester of the AIB All Ireland League concluded with little more than a whimper at Templeville Road. A match that blew hot frequently but rarely lived up to the sum of its parts, namely a selection of young exciting players, finished in gloaming light, UCD trundling off the pitch with a moral victory, St Mary's wondering how a second half could become such a wasteful event.
How times have changed and whoever would have imagined that UCD or any other college side would be sizing up to St Mary's to decide pre-eminence in an All-Ireland competition.
The nay sayers have been mumbling quietly but regularly about the state of teams this year and the way the waged players can be plundered from clubs at will. Not UCD.
"We're happy that our players are getting the recognition. That's what we're about," said UCD's director of rugby John McClean on the selection of Dermot O'Sullivan and Shane Moore to the development squad.
To be fair to St Mary's coach Brent Pope, he wasn't complaining too loudly either about the lack of his Leinster players or John McWeeney, who was needed against the Samoans yesterday. That meant Pope was missing a few, namely McWeeney, Peter Coyle, Malcolm O'Kelly, Emmet Byrne, Peter McKenna, Victor Costello, Denis Hickie, Mark McHugh, Peter Smyth, Gareth Gannon, and Shane Jennings. Quite a pick.
"It's hard for clubs to get a competition going like this which still has interest in it and then have players pulled out for games all over the place," said Pope.
"We accept that guys have to get their games around the place but we're trying to build teams. We'd one player back from the bench today (Gavin Hickie) so a club like St Mary's aren't even getting bench players any more."
What might have frightened the coach more was the frequency of St Mary's errors in the second period. Usually, the bad pass came within 10 metres of the UCD line at the height of a home-side offensive. And there were countless numbers of those during the one-sided second half during which Barry Lynn kicked one solitary penalty to add to his two in the first half for a 9-3 lead.
Right wing James Norton, following a break on the right wing and a deft chip behind the UCD defence, may well have grabbed the desperately needed St Mary's try but for a late tackle from Philip Bredin which stopped him in his tracks, while Conor McPhillips also fed off a pacey break from Paddy Dunne but trailed a foot into touch just as he dived over at the left corner flag.
To UCD's credit, they defended heroically and with full back Bredin and outhalf Eoghan Hickey kicking intelligently to touch, the final flourish from the college side after St Mary's had essentially punched themselves out, could easily have pinched the match. Hickey's equalizing penalty in the 78th minute was deserved, but any more would have been larceny.
"But we really need to put these games away early in the season. I'd have been happy with three wins at this stage but I'm p***ed off that it's not four wins," said Pope. "Without a doubt it's a moral victory for UCD. They can't be disappointed. That much St Mary's pressure in the second half, that much territory, that much ball and to give them six points."
The league resumes again in three weeks.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 21 mins: B Lynn pen 3-0; 27 mins: B Lynn pen 6-0; 35 mins: E Hickey pen 6-3. 51 mins: B Lynn pen 9-3; 72 mins: E Hickey pen 9-6; 78 mins: E Hickey pen 9-9.
ST MARY'S; D Hughes; J Norton, K Lewis, L Copeland, P Dunne; B Lynn, C McPhillips; P Tucker, G Hickie, D Clare (capt), E Keane, J Ryan, M Brown, K Jennings, M O'Shaughnessy. Replacements: A McCarthy for Ryan 51 mins. K O'Brien for Brown 79 mins
UCD: P Bredin; B McGeever, M Colling (capt), P Hickey-Dwyer, S McCarron; E Hickey, B O'Riordan; M Moynagh, D Blaney, J Montgomery, P Callanan, C Keane, A Carroll, T carter, N Coughglan. Replacements: L Burke for Caroll (55).
Referee: D Woods (Leinster)
