A superb display by the Irish Colleges saw their counterparts completely overturned in a one-sided affair at Castle Avenue last night. The universities, still looking for their first win against the Colleges, were never able to match them and with just five minutes gone fell behind when Steve Smyth ran in the colleges' first score.
Colm McMahon in particular was majestic in the line-out but it was up front where Colleges hit their opponents the hardest and Smyth's try was to set a pattern for the rest of the game with the Universities unable to match their opponents for pace.
And two unfortunate blunders just before half-time effectively killed off the students' chances with the colleges racing into a 31-3 lead at the break and they maintained their momentum after the break with Smyth and Cian Mahony both running in hattricks.
Irish Universities: C Healy; R Collins, A O'Shea, R O'Donovan, S Doggett; G Harren, G Walsh; A McSweeney, H O'Neill, C Joyce, A Hamilton, D Marmian, M O'Riordan, B Clibbhorne, W Robb.
Irish Colleges: T Trainor; F Walsh , R Southam, C Mahony, P Gleeson; S Smyth, K Murphy; D Dobson, B Jackman, J Cullinane, B Buckley, D Sheehan, C Varley, C McMahon, P Hatton.
Referee: A Baird (Leinster Branch).
Scorers: Irish Colleges - S Smyth 3 tries, C Mahony 3 tries, R Southam 2 tries, B Jackman try, P Gleeson try, T Trainor 4 cons. Irish universities - G Harren try and pen.
Bath had no answer to Tonga's exuberance as the tourists enjoyed a 13-29 victory ahead of their international with Wales on Sunday.
Bath fielded sufficient players with top class experience, such as British Lions hooker Mark Regan, but the Tongans scored four tries to ease home easily.
A deft pass out of the tackle by fly-half Sione Tai produced the first score for centre Tuiti Teviti under the posts after six minutes, converted by Kusitafu Tonga.
Iain Balshaw replied with a penalty and Bath took the lead on the half hour with a fine solo effort from Zimbabwian fly-half Kennedy Tsimba who caught his own chip ahead and raced 40 metres.
Tonga lead 12-8 at half-time, however, after Belshaw fluffed a high kick and the Tongans created a try on the right by Semisi Faka'osifolau.
The nimble Tsimba kept Bath in the game with another runaway try on 47 minutes but it was Tonga who looked hungrier.
Replacement Stanley Lotima collected the tourists' third try within seconds of coming on in the 55th minute, Tai adding the conversion.
The final score was Lotima's drop goal on 64 minutes and although Bath pressed in the last quarter they could find no way through.
