Energia AIL Rd 12: UCD 15 – 12 UCC

Collidge returned to winning ways with this hard fought-for victory at a stormy and very wet UCD Bowl on Saturday. Playing with storm Denis first half tries from Tommy O’Brien and Stephen McVeigh (both unconverted) put Collidge 10-0 ahead. A rare UCC visit to Collidge’s 22 just before half-time produced a try to reduce the deficit to just 5 points (10-5).

Now playing into the teeth of the storm and a deluge of rain, the five-point Collidge lead seemed precarious to say the least. However, in the only incisive second-half attack (51 mins) on the UCC line Emmet Burns somehow managed to squirm through and ground the ball under a pile of bodies. James Tarrant missed the conversion (15-5).

The remainder of the half belonged to UCC as the camped in the UCD half of the pitch and their pressure was rewarded with a converted try on 69 minutes (15-12). Thereafter they threw everything at Collidge in the final 10 minutes and, despite being awarded a succession of penalties inside the 22, they found the Collidge defence resolute and impossible to breach. The match ended after Collidge had put together 26 phases of very disciplined “pick-and-go’s” before Paddy Patterson gleefully kicked the ball dead.

With this win Collidge stay in 3^rd place before next Friday night’s visit to Terenure.

UCD: 15 David Ryan; 14 Adam Byrne; 13 Gavin Mullin; 12 Tommy O’Brien; 11 Josh O’Connor; 10 James Tarrant; 9 Paddy Patterson; 1 Rory Mulvihill; 2 Richie Bergin; 3 Emmet Burns; 4 Jonny Guy (Capt); 5 Bobby Leahy; 6 Dan O’Donovan; 7 Alex Penny; 8 Stephen McVeigh. Replacements: 16 Ronan Loughnane; 17 Sam Griffin; 18 John Fairley; 19 Jack Ringrose; 20 Tim Corkery.

Click here for match photos. 

Next match: v Terenure (away) Fri 21/02