Shannon score only Limerick win but are relegated in All-Ireland League

THERE was just one Limerick win on the final day of the energia All-Ireland League's regular season.

However, that sole local success, secured by Shannon in Division 1B, wasn't enough to prevent the Parish side from suffering relegation to Division 2A for next season.

Shannon will make the drop to 2A for the 2025/2026 season despite scoring a runaway 66-12 bonus point victory over Queen's on the back pitch at Thomond Park.

Shannon had needed to win the game with a bonus point and hope neither Dublin University or Highfield managed to pick up  a match point in their respective fixtures. However, Highfield edged past Naas 43-42, while Dublin University overcame promotion play-off side Nenagh Ormond 20-7.

Back-row Kelvin Brown helped himself to five of Shannon's 10 tries in Saturday's victory over the students.

Shannon, who finished bottom of the table, led 26-12 at half-time with a hat-trick of tries from Brown and one from Cillian Corkery helping the home side secure a bonus point by the interval. 

Further tries followed in the second half from Luke Doyle, with two, Cian McCann, Brown with two, to bring his tally for the game to five and Cian O’Halloran. 

In Division 1A, Young Munster completed their programme of top flight fixtures with a heavy 10-40 defeat to six-try UCD at Tom Clifford Park.

Home side Young Munster, who's hopes of securing a top four play-off spot ended in recent weeks, managed two tries, including one from winger Hubert Gilvarry.

Also in Division 1A, basement side Garryowen finished off their campaign with a 26-13 defeat at the hands of semi-final bound Lansdowne on the back pitch at the Aviva Stadium.

Garryowen, who were already relegated to Division 1B for next season prior to kick-off, trailed 3-14 at half-time. The Light Blues reduced the deficit to a single point, 13-14, into the second half, before Lansdowne pulled clear with two further tries to secure a bonus point.

In Division 2A, Old Crescent, who had already secured their status in the Division for next season, suffered a 69-21 thumping at the hands of Cashel at Spafield.

Crescent finished the regular season in seventh place in the table.

Meanwhile, in Division 2B, UL-Bohemian, dropped to sixth place in the table after suffering a 12-8 defeat to Sligo at Hamilton Park, Strandhill.

All the points in the game came in the opening half. UL-Bohemian had a try from Darren Ferrar and a penalty goal from out-half Olisin Fagan.

In Division 2C, Bruff, who had already secured their place in the AIL for next season, fell to a 24-15 defeat to Dolphin in their final fixture of the season at Virgin Media Park.

Bruff, who fell 5-19 in arrears, had a try from Shane Duggan, following a fine break from Sean Kilbridge. Tries from Fionn Flanagan and Kilbridge reduced the Cork side's lead to nine points, 19-10. However, a late try from Dolphin sealed victory for the home side. 

Bruff have finished the season in eighth place in the table. 

DIVISION 1A:

LANSDOWNE 26 GARRYOWEN 13, Aviva Stadium back pitch

Scorers: Lansdowne: Tries: Donough Lawlor, Sean Galvin, Cormac Foley, Cathal Eddy; Cons: Hugo McLaughlin 3

Garryowen: Try: Oisin McCormack: Con: Dylan Hicks; Pens: Dylan Hicks 2

HT: Lansdowne 14 Garryowen 3

LANSDOWNE: Todd Lawlor; Peter Sullivan, Hugo McLaughlin, Harry O’Riordan, Sean Galvin; Steve McMahon, Cormac Foley; George Morris, Chris Poole, Tom Connolly, Conor McMenamin, Ruairi Clarke, Jack Cooke (capt), Barry Fitzpatrick, Donough Lawlor. Replacements: Ben Pope, Jack Treanor, Louis McGauran, James Kenny, Dylan O’Keeffe, Cathal Eddy.

GARRYOWEN: Colin Lew; JJ O’Neill, Gordon Wood, Jack Delaney, Ronan Quinn; Dylan Hicks, Kelvin Langan; George Hadden, Dean Fanning, Ronan Foxe, Finn McCall, Kevin Seymour, Oisin McCormack, Des Fitzgerald (capt), Brian Gleeson. Replacements: Dara Phelan, Harry Gleeson, Mikey Veale, Oisin Kearney, Oisin Cooke, Jordan Power, Chulainn Williams, Tom Ironside Wickham.

YOUNG MUNSTER 10 UCD 40, Tom Clifford Park

Scorers: Young Munster: Tries: Hubert Gilvarry, Stephen McLoughlin

UCD: Tries: Andrew Sparrow, Charlie Molony, James Tarrant, Andrew Osborne, Bobby Sheehan, Diarmuid Mangan; Cons: James Tarrant 5

HT: Young Munster 0 UCD 21

YOUNG MUNSTER: Patrick Campbell; Hubert Gilvarry, Fionn Gibbons, Samson Seinafo, Shay McCarthy; Julian Leszczynski, Donnchadh O’Callaghan; David Begley, Arron Roulston, Paul Allen, Sean Rigney, Evan O’Connell, Alan Kennedy (capt), James Horrigan, Stephen McLoughlin. Replacements: Bailey Faloon, Seamus Kerrisk, Tom Goggin, Ihechi Oji, Marcus Lyons, Oisin Pepper.

UCD: Ruben Moloney; Charlie Molony, Tom Murtagh, Ben Brownlee, Andrew Osborne; James Tarrant (capt), Rob Gilsenan; Hugo O’Malley, Bobby Sheehan, Andrew Sparrow, Dan Barron, Alan Spicer, Diarmuid Mangan, Oisin Spain, James Culhane. Replacements: Chris Hennessy, Rory McGuire, Matt Healy, Conor Tonge, Thomas Quinn, Daragh Gilbourne.

DIVISION 1B:

SHANNON RFC 66 QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY 12, Thomond Park back pitch

SCORERS: Shannon:  Tries: Cillian Corkery, Cian O’Halloran, Luke Doyle 2, Kelvin Brown 5, Cian McCann.

Conversions: Jamie Gavin 7, John O’Sullivan.

Queen's University:  Tries: Ryan Street, Henry Walker. Conversions: Eamonn Rogers.

HT: Shannon RFC 26 Queen’s Uni. 12

Shannon RFC: Cillian Corkery, Harry Long (capt), Stephen Kiely, Cian O’Halloran, Luke Doyle, Jamie Gavin, Ian Leonard, Conor Glynn, Gus Harrington, Darragh McSweeney, Jack Brady, Lee Nicholas, Kelvin Brown, Luke Murphy, Cian McCann.

Replacements: Alex Long, Kieran Ryan, Tadhg O’Brien, Luke Moylan, Matt Te Pou, John O’Sullivan.

Queen’s Uni.: Jordan McAuley, Ryan Street, Fraser Cunningham, Callum Florence, Matthew Curry, Eamonn Rogers, Harvey Patterson, Joshua Stewart, Henry Walker, Jack Boal, Oliver Hughes, Paddy Martin, Kyle Ferguson, Will Cusack, Ethan Pavolic.

Replacements: Tom-Arthur Donnan, Martin Meenan, Dylan McCauley, Sam Arundel, Adam Lowey, Cameron McCaughey.

DIVISION 2A:

CASHEL RFC 69 OLD CRESCENT 21, Spafield

Scorers: Cashel RFC: Tries: Padraig Leamy, Alan Flannery 4, Josh Pickering, Diarmuid Rowe, Richard Moran, Sean O’Connell, Marcel Strydom, Ryan O’Sullivan. Conversions: Ben Twomey 7. Old Crescent: Tries: Daithi Byrnes, Timmy Duggan, Niall Hardiman. Conversions: Ronan McKenna 3.

HT: Cashel RFC 42 Old Crescent 0

Cashel RFC: Ben Twomey, Padraig Leamy, Alan Flannery, Jamie Ryan, Tom Tobin, Timothy Townsend, Josh Pickering (capt), Cormac O’Donnell, David Upton, Adam Shirley, Fearghail O’Donoughue, Diarmuid Rowe, Liam Shine, Richard Moran, Joseph Callery (capt). Replacements: Sean O’Connell, Noel Roche, Brendan Crosse, Marcel Strydom, Ryan O’Sullivan.

Old Crescent: Glen Kelly, Daithi Byrnes, Cathal Monaghan, Werner Hoffman, Timmy Duggan, Ronan McKenna, Aaron Cosgrove, Evan Creaven, Eoghan Quinn, Jake Considine, Yasin Browne, Sean Monaghan, Niall Hardiman, Karl Madden (capt), John Lyons. Replacements: Robert Magill, Billy Ryan Stapleton, John Toland, Sean Donnarumma, Shane Mullaly.

DIVISION 2B

SLIGO 12 UL-BOHEMIAN 8, Hamilton Park

Scorers: Sligo:  Tries: Louis McVitty (15′, 29′). Conversions: Euan Brown (16′). UL-Bohemian: Tries: Darren Ferrar (18′).

Penalties: Oisin Fagan (35′).

HT: Sligo 12 UL Bohemian 8

SLIGO: Euan Brown, Louis McVitty, Brendan Cunningham, Stewart Cruden, Will Whelan, Cillian O’Neill, Andrew Ward, Conan O’Donnell, Matthew Earley, Jason East, Archie MacLean, Ciaran Cassidy, Fintan Crawley, James O’Hehir, Will MacAuley.

Replacements: Benjamin Hynes, Luke Timms, Ciaran Cummins, Rob Tiernan, Aorelian Durkan.

UL-BOHEMIAN: Seamus Lyne, Joe Johnson, Matt Sheahan, Paul Clancy, Darragh O’Gorman (capt), Oisin Fagan, Alan Kiely, Kean Sheehy, Darren Ferrar, Jack Ryan, Mike McMahon, Padraic Galvin, Jordan Mills, David Rowsome, Liam Neilan.

Replacements: Matt Henry, Pauric Nesbitt, Josh Kahler, Killian Dineen, Liam O’Shanahan, Lochlann Kelleher, Sam Lynch, Zac O’Loughlin.

DIVISION 2C:

DOLPHIN 24, BRFF 15 at Virgin Media Park

Scorers: Dolphin: Tries: Jordan Soli, Craig O’Connell, Cameron O’Shaughnessy, Dalton O’Shaughnessy.

Conversions: Jordan Soli 2. Bruff: Tries: Shane Duggan, Sean Killbridge, Fionn Flanagan.

HT: Dolphin 19 Bruff 5

DOLPHIN: Jordan Soli, Karl Waterman, Scott Sexton, Craig O’Connell (capt), Darragh Buckley, Cameron O’Shaughnessy, Ryan Foley, Finn Cowhig, David Byrne, Dalton O’Shaughnessy, Brian O’Mahony, Eoin Sheehan, Richie Heaslip, Conor Drummey, John Fitzgerald. Replacements: Philip Elwood, Jack Fox, James Vaughan, Darragh O’Sullivan, Sam Boyle.

BRUFF: Paul Collins, Shane Duggan, Andrew O’Byrne, Conor Fitzpatrick, Clem McAuliffe, John Bateman, Sean Killbridge, Ciaran Cronin, Mike Frawley, Kieran O’Dwyer, Tom O’Dwyer, Brendan Gleeson, Mark Kennedy, John Sheehan, Mike Cooke.

Replacements: Cillian Rea (capt), Fionn Flanagan, Aidan Carroll, Declan Moriarty, Ben Tucker.