Timely victory helps St Mary's ease their relegation fears

All-Ireland League Round-up:St Mary's relegation fears were eased by victory over Shannon at Templeville Road on Saturday. With the four clubs now below them all losing, a Hugh Hogan try, converted by Leinster outhalf Johnny Sexton, was the pivotal score on a weekend when results for the most part were as expected.

Considering the difficult conditions all over the country, Sexton deserves a further mention for kicking the crucial penalty that ensured a 10-8 victory.

Shannon slip to second in the table as Cork Constitution's 20-3 win over UL Bohemian leaves them as the only undefeated side in Division One after six rounds.

Besides the continued progress of Ballymena under new coach Jacques Benade - they beat Lansdowne 20-0 at Eaton Park - the table has a familiar look to it with Clontarf again flying the flag for Dublin clubs.

The Northsiders beat Dolphin 20-12 at Castle Avenue thanks to two tries from Max Rantz-McDonald and a 10-point contribution from outhalf Ian Keatley. Despite only winning three games this season, the five bonus points picked up along the way leaves them in fourth place.

Blackrock College toughed out a 17-11 victory over Old Belvedere at Stradbrook (renewing an old rivalry on ice since 1998) thanks largely to the work of the pack where Shane Byrne and Des Dillon stood out.

Byrne, who returned to the amateur ranks this season after a stint with Saracens, was a constant menace around the fringes, carrying ball over the gain-line to keep his younger team-mates moving forward. Dillon harassed the Belvedere lineout, particularly when Rock faced into the strong second-half gale.

Brian Canavan and Peter Huntley crossed for first-half tries while all Belvedere's points came from player-coach Richie Murphy.

Despite an array of underage talent in both backlines, the match did not feature any notable line- breaks as Byrne, Dillon and company played smart rugby dictated by the conditions.

Belvedere face Greystones next week in a season-defining encounter.

The real test of Blackrock's progress also comes next Saturday when Garryowen come to Dublin. The defending champions continued their recovery from a poor start to the campaign with a 19-5 win over Dungannon that featured two tries from Munster prospect Keith Earls.

Elsewhere, UCD continue to confound pre-season predictions by adding Terenure to the other notable Dublin scalps of Belvedere and St Mary's.

Finally, the seemingly doomed Greystones remain rooted to the bottom of the league with one win and no bonus points after losing at home, 23-15, to Galwegians.