Ulster Bank League 2014-2015 talk/gossip/rumours

Division 1A
Ballynahinch 18 Clontarf 33, Cork Con 3 UCD 10,
Old Belvedere 18 Terenure 8, St Marys 45 Dolphin 18,
Young Munster 15 Lansdowne 5

Semi-Finals: Saturday, April 25
Lansdowne v Young Munster, Terenure v Clontarf

Final Aviva Stadium Saturday, May 8

Promotion/Relegation play-off: St. Mary's College (2nd bottom in 1A) v Garryowen (2nd in 1B)
Relegated to 1B: Dolphin

Division 1B
Ballymena 45 Buccaneers 0, Dublin University 41 Belfast Harlequins 5, Galwegians 17 Garryowen 13, Malone 37 Shannon 34,
UL Bohs 24 Corinthians 19

Galwegians champions and promoted to 1A. Playoff as above
Corinthians and Malone relegated to 2A

Division 2A
Banbridge 29 Old Wesley 24, Cashel 15 Skerries 10,
Dungannon 37 Bective Rangers 28, Nenagh Ormond 26 Rainey Old Boys 14, Queens Belfast 55 NUIM Barnhall 26, Seapoint 12 City of Derry 27,
Thomond 11 Naas 16, UCC 15 Blackrock College 15

Old Wesley champions and promoted to 1B. Blackrock also promoted to 1B
Next 8 club(3rd to 10th) join Corinthians and Malone in new 2A. Remainder of sides(11th to 16th) fall to new 2B division

Division 2B
Bruff 12 Boyne 27, De La Salle Palmerston 41 Ards 0, Old Crescent 22 Navan 24, Richmond 21 Kanturk 12, Sligo 7 Greystones 3, Sundays Well 13 Highfield 10, Tullamore 0 Armagh 21, Wanderers 27 Midleton 21

Highfield Champions. 2nd, 3rd, 4th join them in new 2B. 5th to 13th will be new 2C along with winner of playoff between winner of round robin and DLSP who finished in 14th in 2B.

Round Robin
Connemara 0 Instonians 40, Dundalk 24 Clonmel 8

Dundalk are 2 wins from 2 and on 8 points. Instonians are 1 from 2 and on 6 points. Clonmel are 1 from 2 and on 5 points and Connemara have 0 points having been well beaten in both games - yet to score a point, try/penalty. Dundalk have to travel to Clifden in the final round next weekend while Instonians host Clonmel. Cant see anything but Dundalk going senior


Next Season
Division 1A
Lansdowne, Terenure, Clontarf, Young Munster, Old Belvedere, UCD, Ballynahinch, Cork Constitution, Galwegians, St Marys or Garryowen

Division 1B
St. Mary's College or Garryowen, Dolphin, Dublin University, Ballymena, Belfast Harlequins, Shannon, Buccaneers, UL Bohemians, Old Wesley, Blackrock College

Division 2A
Malone, Corinthians, Skerries, Banbridge, Cashel, Queen's University, Naas, Thomond, Nenagh Ormond, UCC

Division 2B
NUIM Barnhall, City of Derry, Rainey Old Boys, Dungannon, Seapoint, Bective Rangers, Highfield, Armagh, Greystones, Sunday's Well

Division 2C
Tullamore, Midleton, Bruff, Sligo, Wanderers, Old Crescent, Navan, Kanturk, Boyne, plus winner of play-off between DLSP and Winner of Round Robin

Borders no.2 wrote: »

I presume from what's written above the top team in division 1b no longer gets a place in the semi-finals as was the case a couple of years ago?

No. There hasn't been playoffs in a few years and that was discounted. Only top flight teams get into playoffs.

Just 7 games left now. Division 1A semi finals and final. Playoff to decide last place in 1A. Last round of round robin and Playoff between round robin winner and DLSP

Con won Bateman Cup 24-9
http://www.irishrugby.ie/club/ulsterbankleagueandcup/34361.php

Dundalk won round robin and face Ards in playoff to decide final UBL place for next season

Malmedicine wrote: »

Dundalk play DLSP in the playoff. Should be an interesting game. If its open and expansive DLSP have a chance, if its 10 man they're doomed.

Yeah that's who I meant not Ards who're relegated...
Would disagree on if its open/expansive Salmo having a chance. Think its totally Dundalk's to lose. Dundalk lost twice during league but I think their momentum will definitely get them the win to go senior

stars20 wrote: »

Rising star UBL monthly award is a joke. You obviously have to be in one of the academy's to get it. Stephen O'Neill for example for terenure is only 20 and scored 5 tries in March but still doesn't get it. I'm been biased for that example as a terenure fan but come on. He's also joint top try scorer in the AIL on 12.. Rant over

I don't think its a joke.
Have you seen enough of players etc to determine who gets the award....
Yes you probably are slightly biased and talking about academies is rubbish. Adair isn't in Ulster's and Quinlan isn't in Munster's.

stars20 wrote: »

Yes I have seen a lot of games this year and there is some great young players in the league. Apologies but Quinlan has played Munster A and Adair has played for full Ulster team so it's as good as. It's a great idea but should be judged on performance regardless of status

There is lots of great players in the league but I don't think you can say that these awards are based on anything other than performance. Its a very subjective thing. O Neill was super this season and he represented the Irish clubs team on the back of his performances. He perhaps should have been nominated but who isn't deserving of a place that O Neill should have taken?

SA09 wrote: »

Would tend to agree that the Rising Star award has focused too much on academy players. Ulster Bank probably want to try to ensure that the players who are more likely to play pro in future are the ones receiving these awards as Ulster Bank will then benefit from being able to claim that "X player, now playing for Leintser/Ireland, won UBL Rising Star in 2015" and so being able to piggyback on the name.

The marketing appeal isn't there for them to award unknown players the Rising Star Award.

Agree re O'Neill - Himself and Moore have led the scoring charts all season and are not rewarded with any of these monthly awards.

Does it really matter? Maybe that is the thinking behind the awarding to the awards to academy players but they probably are as deserving of the award for performances as the others.
ONeill likely to get the award for 1A top try scorer if he has scored as many as people have said here

Stainalert wrote: »

Yea agree - If you ask me the academy players are already on their way to stardom - I would prefer to see some recognition of "new" talent being rewarded

Why shouldn't academy players get recognised if playing well? They may be on the way to stardom but that isn't always the way things occur. Should they not get an award for good performances because they might go on to better things as a full time pro later in their career?

Anyway teams are up on irish website for the semi finals...

TERENURE COLLEGE: Ian Hanly; James O'Donoghue, Stephen O'Neill, Harrison Brewer, Harry Moore; James Thornton, Kevin O'Neill; Gary Hamilton, Robbie Smyth, Oisin Heffernan, Fergal Walsh, Kevin O'Dwyer, Robert Duke, James O'Neill (capt), Kyle McCoy.
Replacements: Kevin Buckley, Rory Harrison, Jonathan Barretto, Niall Lalor, Mark O'Neill, Graham Coffey, Shane Donovan.

CLONTARF: Rob Keogh; Michael Brown, Colm O'Shea, Evan Ryan, Conor O'Brien; Matt D'Arcy, Sam Cronin (capt); Ivan Soroka, Bryan Byrne, Royce Burke Flynn, Tom Byrne, Ben Reilly, Karl Moran, Adrian D'Arcy, Anthony Ryan.
Replacements: Rory Litchfield, Liam Og Murphy, Ian Hirst, Dermot O'Meara, Ariel Robles, Rob McGrath, Conor O'Keeffe.

LANSDOWNE: Cian Kelleher; Cian Aherne, Tom Farrell, Tom Daly, Ian Fitzpatrick; Scott Deasy, Adam Griggs; Peter Dooley, Tyrone Moran, Ian Prendiville, Brian Moylett, Stephen Gardiner, Joe McSwiney, Aaron Conneely, Ron Boucher (capt).

Replacements: Paddy Flood, Adam Boland, Tadhg Beirne, Joe O'Brien, Paddy O'Driscoll, Conor McKeon, Mark Roche.

YOUNG MUNSTER: Shane O'Leary; Diarmaid McCarthy, Dan Goggin, Gearoid Lyons, Eamonn Carr; Willie Staunton, Rob Guerin; David Begley, Ger Slattery (capt), Hugh McGrath, Tom Goggin, Sean Duggan, Alan Kennedy, Yasin Browne, Sean Rennison.

Replacements (from): Luke O'Halloran, Paul Allen, Darren Gallagher, Darren Ryan, Ben Kilkenny, Diarmaid Dee, Kolio Hifo, Evan Mulcahy, Ed O'Keeffe, David O'Mahony.

So Lansdowne won 23-19 and Clontarf 9-0
Lansdowne win with last play of the game

shaungil wrote: »

dundalk bea DLSP and are playing UBL next year.
Skerries beat Tullamore in 2AB cup final

Dundalk are a super side. Salmo have been slipping down the past few seasons, since finish 4th in division 2 4/5 seasons ago they've been dropping down finishing much worse off each season. Its 30 years since De La Salle and Palmerston combined next season. you would hope they have something big planned to help them get back close to or up to senior. They have a huge population surrounding the club which should help with building the underage and using them to get back senior