Irish Clubs XV Defeat Scotland.

The Ireland Clubs XV side regained the Dalriada Cup with a deserving victory over their Scottish counterparts in the Ulster Bank Club International at Temple Hill.

Ireland Clubs 28, Scotland Clubs 3.
Referee Nick Cockburn passed the pitch playable after three pitch inspections following afternoon torrential rain that left pools of water on the pitch.

Ireland played with the wind in the opening half and Mark Roche taught he was in for a try in the opening minute for Ireland but knocked on over the line after he hacked a loose ball on inside the Scottish half .

Both sides were finding it difficult to hold the greasy ball and Ireland opened the scoring on thirteen minutes when a move involving Gerry Hurley, David Joyce and Stuart Morrow sent full back Danny Riordan in for a try in the corner .

Joyce added a penalty minutes later and Riordan was in for his second try on twenty seven minutes after Joyce and Michael McGrath combined to send the full back in. Joyce added the extras for a 15-0 lead.
Peter Jericevich kicked a penalty for Scotland eight minutes before the interval but that was cancelled out immediately by a Joyce penalty to leave the score 18-3 at half time.

Ireland enjoyed the better of the exchanges in the second half despite playing into the wind and Hurley extended their advantage with an individual try after forty nine minutes when he gathered the ball on the ten metre line and found a gap to score.

Ten minutes from time substitute Declan Lavery scored Ireland’s fourth try after Ireland disrupted a Scottish line out inside their own Twenty Two.

Ireland Clubs: Daniel Riordan (Old Belvedere RFC); Cian Aherne (Lansdowne FC), Stuart Morrow (Ballynahinch RFC), Mark Roche (Lansdowne FC), Michael McGrath (Clontarf FC); David Joyce (Clontarf FC), Gerry Hurley (Cork Constitution FC) (capt); Colm McMahon (St. Mary's College RFC), Tyrone Moran (Lansdowne FC), Christy Condon (Dolphin RFC); Dean Moore (Old Belvedere RFC), Fergal Walsh (Terenure College RFC); Willie Earle (Lansdowne FC), Charlie Butterworth (Lansdowne FC), William Ryan (Cork Constitution FC).
Replacements: Ian Hirst (Clontarf FC) for Colm McMahon 5-17 blood, Andrew O’Driscoll (Cork Constitution FC) for Tyrone Moran, Ian Hirst (Clontarf FC) for Colm McMahon, Declan Lavery (Old Belvedere RFC) for Christy Condon all 52, James Ryan (Cork Constitution) for William Ryan 66, Sean Walsh (Cashel RFC) for Dean Moore, Neil Cronin (Garryowen FC) for Gerry Hurley, Ritchie McMaster (Queen's University RFC) for Danny Riordan, Barry Daly (UCD RFC) for Cian Aherne all 70..

Scotland Clubs: Nyle Godsmark (Edinburgh Accies); Erlend Oag (Aberdeen Grammar), Chris Auld (Gala / Edinburgh Rugby), Dean Kelbrick (Ayr), Craig Gossman (Ayr); Richard Mill (Melrose), Peter Jericevich (Ayr); George Hunter (Ayr / Glasgow Warriors), Fergus Scott (Ayr / Glasgow Warriors), Nick Cox (Ayr / Glasgow Warriors); Murray Douglas (Heriot’s) (capt), Callum Templeton (Ayr); Andrew Nagle (Melrose), Will Bordill (Stirling County / Glasgow Warriors), Jamie Swanson (Stirling County).
Replacements Used: Andrew Redmayne (Glasgow Hawks / Glasgow Warriors), Lindsey Gibson (Hawick), Rory Sutherland (Gala), Struan Cessford (Aberdeen Grammar), Andrew Redmayne (Glasgow Hawks / Glasgow Warriors), Gary Graham (Gala), Greg Cottrell (Hawick), Stuart Edwards (Stirling County) and Ewan Scott (Gala).

Referee: Nick Cockburn (RFU).