Nobody in either the Cork Constitution or Terenure camps went wild after this lifeless match at Temple Hill on Saturday. Constitution were deflated and Terenure, though happy, were restrained in their reactions.

Coach Gerry Murphy described the win as "significant" but tempered his satisfaction by demanding a huge improvement from his charges.

"It's nice to have the points but we wouldn't win a league on this form. It was a funny type of game and there wasn't much pattern to it. Not much good football either - but we won."

That win was hard earned, despite Constitution's capacity for self-destruction. With oodles of possession in the first half, the Cork side did nothing much with it. Instead of being in a position of strength they were level at 8-8 at the end of the first period and their train looked like going seriously off the rails after Terenure took an early second-half lead.

Ronan O'Gara didn't kick particularly well after that and Brian O'Meara, the most influential of Constitution's injury-hit back division, was carried off the field within 10 minutes of the restart. Despite a scare and a trip to hospital by ambulance, O'Meara suffered no serious injury.

So, as Constitution kicked badly they played into Terenure's hands. Paul Hennebry was easily the more forceful of the two outhalves and Terenure full-back Ciaran Clarke was a class apart when he decided to launch counter-attacks. There was also always a serious threat from speedy winger David Coleman.

Constitution had opened the scoring with a delightful try from O'Meara. They still held an 8-3 lead after Peter Walsh and O'Gara exchanged penalties, but a storming run from Terenure's Coleman man left Constitution for dead in the 22nd minute.

He was the first to react after a chip through from Derek Hegarty and won the race to the touchdown from no less than three Constitution players.

A few minutes after half-time, Michael Smith took advantage of another run from Coleman and Walsh converted to make it 15-8.

Barry McLoughlin did, however, apply the finishing touches to a series of attacking scrums from Constitution in a six-minute period and O'Gara converted that 71st minute try.

Constitution, at that stage, had everything to play for. The crowd were behind them but they lost direction. Two handling errors as they went forward gave Terenure the attacking initiative and Walsh, unlike O'Gara, was never going to miss an opportunity from close in.

It wasn't conclusive but Coleman could really have rubbed it in when he hacked through only to see the ball dribble over the dead ball line seconds from the end.

New Zealand coach John Hart last night threw down a challenge to his midweek side ahead of tomorrow's match against an English Rugby Partnership XV at Bristol City's Ashton Gate ground.

Hart revealed that he was considering possible changes when New Zealand tackle Wales at Wembley stadium next Saturday. And with star number eight Zinzan Brooke struggling to make that game through injury, there is an obvious opportunity for the All Blacks' midweek skipper Todd Blackadder.