In a chilly CIYMS rugby club in Belfast Ulster turned in an unbeaten display to earn the 2012 Interprovincial Championships.
With the first game taking place between Leinster and Ulster it was the home side who got off to a flying start with star performances from Captain Eoin Corr, Andrew Winder and Paddy James leading their side to an emphatic 38-0 victory.
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This came despite some hard hits from seasoned Leinster student Darragh Williamson. Ulster’s defence proved impenetrable in the opening game even with members of last year’s Ireland Student squad Conor Farrell and Stephen Oakley running hard all day.
In the second meeting of the afternoon Munster took on Ulster who were buzzing after their comfortable win in the opener.
However, it would not be an easy second outing for Keith Armstrong’s side as Munster got off to a flying start and built up a 16-0 lead.
This clash was a much more physical affair with both sides putting in massive tackles in the opening half.
A late first half try would give the hosts a lifeline and provide them with a platform from which they could attempt to salvage the game and win the tournament.
And that’s exactly what they did when they bagged a further two tries early in the second half to level the game.
The game would turn out to be a nail biter as with two minutes to go Munster retained their lead with a penalty kick making the score 18-16.
It seemed that Munster had put themselves in a position to steal the competition from under Ulster’s nose but there would be late drama as Ulster looked to make it a clean sweep.
With just seconds left on the clock Ulster mounted a last ditch attempt on winning the game. Their efforts proved fruitful with a try in the last play of the game securing a 20-18 victory and the 2012 Student Interprovincial Championships.
In the final game of the day Leinster and Munster did battle. This game would again see Leinster fall to a heavy defeat despite maximum effort and a much improved defensive structure.
Munster would run out 32-4 winners leaving Leinster bottom of the table and Munster ruing the concession of a last minute try in the previous game.
Speaking after the game Rugby League Ireland General Manager Gordon Matthews said “It’s fantastic to see how far the college game has come over the last few years. Only three years ago we formed our international student team and now we have three provincial student teams competing for a championship.”
