Cork Con stay on course

All-Ireland League: This is the least predictable AIB All-Ireland League for years. It started with the usual contenders, Shannon, Garryowen and Cork Constitution, threatening to form a league within the league but that has changed since.

The mighty Shannon even stumbled in Thomond Park recently. Garryowen are in dire straits, losing four games on the trot - the latest to Terenure - while Cork Con are holding it together.

A 19-15 victory over Galwegians keeps them three points clear of the unique chasing pack of UL Bohemians, Dungannon and Clontarf.

Cork, Limerick, Tyrone and Dublin representatives in the play-offs would be an even spread.

Belfast Harlequins, finalists two season back, seemed a dead certainty to sink into Division Two. But last week they did a job on Shannon at the Grafton Arena before running in six tries in a 43-36 victory at Stradbrook on Saturday.

Despite 11 tries in total this was not Super 14-style rugby. Some of the tries were down to embarrassingly slack defending.

Blackrock looked set for a comfortable afternoon as their forwards made inroads with pick and drive tactics through the Harlequins' soft underbelly. All this despite the presence of Harlequins player-coach Andy Ward.

Blackrock did produce the pick of the tries via an individual effort from Fionn Carr but it was the departure of player-coach and outhalf Emmet Farrell that sparked a late collapse.

Farrell's opposite number, Niall O'Connor, was the game's outstanding player with a highly composed kicking performance to pull Blackrock into the relegation scrap.

Elsewhere, Jerry Flannery got a vital 40 minutes under his belt in Shannon's bonus-point victory over UCD at Thomond Park.

UL Bohemians continued to ignore the traditional script with another impressive win on the road, this time in Ballymena. Tom Luke, Colman Finn, Ben Martin and Martin McPhail crossed for tries in a 29-22 victory.

Dungannon are another team in impressive form after their 20-8 defeat of Lansdowne at Stevenson Park despite key forwards, Ryan Caldwell and Declan Fitzpatrick, on Ulster duty and Nigel Brady being out injured.

Clontarf remain in the top four but a last-gasp, long-range penalty from Jonathan Sexton provided St Mary's with a 23-22 win at Castle Avenue.