OLD WESLEY'S six-year tenure in the first division of the Insurance Corporation All-Ireland League came to an end at Tom Clifford Park on Saturday. Defeat by Young Munster, allied to the win achieved by Old Belvedere over Garryowen, left Old Wesley in second last place and relegated.

On a day that would not have been out of place in mid summer - brilliant, warm sunshine - Old Wesley fought with considerable resolution. It was not, however, enough. Young Munster had the power up front and the accuracy to avail of the penalty opportunities that came as Old Wesley made the concessions in the task of containment.

It was Young Munster's first win on home soil in the league this season.

It was unfortunate for Old Wesley that it should have come in this match. It was understandably a very subdued Old Wesley team that left the scene and with it the first division.

It was always going to be very hard for us in this match and the circumstances in which it was played," said Old Wesley captain Conor Hoey. "The reality is that we came here under immense pressure because of what had happened earlier in the league." Then, reflecting ruefully on earlier results and missed opportunities, he added: "We did not go down just because we lost out there today."

Those sentiments were also expressed by Chris Pim, who has given Old Wesley such outstanding service. He is now contemplating his future, but Old Wesley will need his vast experience and full-hearted commitment if they are to achieve what Hoey expressed as the objective now: "We must get out there and fight our way back into the first division."

Young Munster coach Dan Mooney, who at the end of the season will be stepping down as coach for business reasons, said: "It was good for us to win and to end this losing sequence on our own ground. We needed the win to bring an end to any psychological block about playing on our own ground."

But Mooney had profound sympathy for Old Wesley. "We are very glad to have won, but there is no elation at the victory as it means Old Wesley are relegated. I am very sorry to see them leave the first division. But we went out there determined to win, we owed that to ourselves, to the game and indeed to Old Wesley."

Old Wesley had travelled with hope allied to grim determination, aware that a win was an urgent requirement to stay in the top sphere. It was a formidable assignment, yet for a while in the initial stages of the match, there was more than a glimmer of optimism that the Dublin side would make a second successful expedition to Limerick, having won the previous week against Garryowen.

After withstanding some early pressure, it was Old Wesley who took the lead when Simon Mitchell kicked a penalty in the 13th minute. He added another in the 27th minute.

Two minutes later matters got even better. Robbie Love made a break and from the ensuing ruck the ball was moved right to wing Robert Casey and he did extremely well to step inside the cover to score a try in the right corner. It was not converted, but Old Wesley stood 11-0 in front.

The news filtering through from Anglesea Road at that stage was that Old Belvedere led Garryowen 10-3. With Old Belvedere having gone into their match level on match points with Old Wesley but with a five-point advantage in the crucial matter of points differential, that had now been reduced to one.

But in the end the calculators were not required as Young Munster lifted the pace and level of their performance and it was all too much for Old Wesley's survival.

Two penalties from Aidan O'Halloran late in the first half cut Old Wesley's lead to 11-6 by the interval. Within five minutes of the second period he kicked two more and Young Munster led 12-11 and Old Wesley's loyal supporters knew it was crisis time.

By the midway point of the second half Young Munster led 18-11 as Mick Lynch kicked a superb penalty from the touchline and Aidan O'Halloran added yet another.

By this stage the Young Munster pack had got on top. Mick O'Halloran and Denis O'Meara were controlling the line out. Old Wesley had back row Michael Higginson throwing in to the line, as they had a prop Stuart Kinlan in the hooking berth.

Young Munster's back row of Des Clohessy. Declan Edwards and Ger Earls were becoming increasingly influential. Pim and Shane Gill worked extremely hard up front for Old Wesley. But much now of what Old Wesley were attempting was born of desperation rather than conviction. Nor were the scrums a platform from which they could attack and Young Munster won three strikes against the head.

Hawe reduced the deficit to 21-17 with eight minutes left. But it was Young Munster in command as the game entered it final phase, and they got the try that Old Wesley so badly needed. Mick O'Halloran won a lineout and Clohessy scored in the right corner for a 12-point winning margin. It was an accurate enough reflection of their superiority and the final commentary on Old Wesley's tenure in the top division.