Dublin University Football Club (DUFC) fell to a heavy 76-26 defeat at the hands of an imperious Lansdowne side in the shadow of Aviva Stadium this afternoon. With the pitch bathed in sunshine, DUFC will have come into this match against the runaway league leaders on a high, following Monday’s dramatic late win against Young Munster, which all but sealed the side’s survival in Division 1 of the All-Ireland League.
However, it was the hosts, eight points clear at the top before kick off, who exploded out of the blocks. Employing a quick and incisive brand of rugby, tries from Mark O’Keeffe, Eamonn Mills, Scott Deasy and Aaron Conneely meant the visitors took a 26-0 lead within the opening 13 minutes as a porous DUFC defence struggled to come to terms with their hosts’ quick attacking play.
The visitors, though, did enter a purple patch of their own, and when quick hands found Evan Dixon out wide, he made no mistake as he shrugged off two tackles to crash over in the corner. Outhalf Jack McDermott expertly converted his conversion from a tricky angle.
DUFC soon found their groove and dominated proceedings midway through the half. Sustained attacking pressure by the Trinity pack brought the visitors within metres of the line before scrumhalf Angus Lloyd picked the ball from the ruck, and spotting space, slipped under the posts, leaving McDermott with the easiest of kicks to narrow the gap to 26-14.
Lansdowne, for their part, reacted like prospective champions, turning the screw as the game approached half-time. Having absorbed sustained attacking pressure, they were soon after awarded a penalty try, before Deasy crossed the line on the stroke of half-time for his second try of the afternoon, giving the hosts a commanding 40-14 lead at the interval.
If the first half had been nip and tuck, the second proved to be the exact opposite, as the league’s dominant side really hit their stride. Exploding out of the blocks, Lansdowne prop Tyrone Moran extended their lead inside the first three minutes following a perfectly executed maul by the hosts’ pack. The home side further extended their lead with three easy tries, all but securing their win by the midway point of the second half.
To their credit, DUFC kept their heads up. Remaining industrious in the attack, Trinity rallied in the closing stages, and tries by McDermott and Dan Sheehan ensured a valuable losing bonus point for DUFC, as they put an air of respectability on the scoreboard.
The defeat leaves Trinity third from bottom, 14 points clear of last-placed Buccaneers with just two games to play, all but ensuring Trinity’s safety for another season. Next up for DUFC is a local derby and grudge match with University College Dublin (UCD), who sit one place above Tony Smeeth’s side in seventh.
