Division 1A
It was quite a day for the McGrath family as Mick made his PRO12 debut for Leinster and older brother Rob scored a try as Clontarf began their Ulster Bank League title defence with a bonus point win over Young Munster.
The 23-year-old Mick was top try scorer in Division 1A last season and his 24-year-old sibling seems eager to follow in his footsteps, getting on the scoresheet in a 37-19 victory at Castle Avenue.
An upset was on the cards when Young Munster broke into a 14-3 lead with returning centre Shane O'Leary, who has signed for Connacht, scoring a try and two penalties.
A try from former UCD underage player Jimmy 'Honey Badger' Hawkshaw, coupled with a David Joyce penalty, brought the deficit back to a single point at half-time.
Having regrouped, the north Dubliners hit the ground running in the second half with tries from Peter du Toit and Martin Garvey, while it was left to new winger McGrath, who was playing for NUIM Barnhall last season, to run in the bonus point score.
Munsters were not finished though and after the hosts had Conor O'Keeffe and Karl Moran sin-binned, replacement Barry Gibbons touched down to make it 30-19. But David Hegarty put fellow replacement Brian Keelan over for a final try which confirmed 'Tarf's winning start.
UCD erased an 11-point deficit to eventually edge out St Mary's College 23-20 in a lively Ulster Bank League Division 1A opener at Belfield.
Two late converted tries, the second of which was a penalty try, saw the students prevail.
Mary's looked odds-on to win when replacement Keelan McKenna's 63rd-minute try and a subsequent penalty from full-back Gavin Dunne had them leading 20-9.
But UCD showed impressive resilience - and a good deal of confidence in their young athletic pack - to create a close-range try for tighthead prop Liam Hyland and the match winner followed from a 76th minute lineout maul that had Mary's in all sorts of trouble.
Ireland Under-20 out-half Ross Byrne converted both tries to complete a tidy 13-point haul for himself, as Bobby Byrne's youngsters rescued a tight win from the jaws of defeat.
Lansdowne kicked off the new league campaign with an emphatic 37-6 bonus point defeat of Dolphin on the main pitch at the Aviva Stadium.
Dolphin were due to host Mike Ruddock's men in Cork on the opening day but owing to their pitch not being ready just yet, Lansdowne had home advantage and former Munster player Scott Deasy shone at out-half.
Deasy controlled proceedings alongside new scrumhalf Adam Griggs, while Leinster Academy members and Ireland Under-20 internationals Ian Fitzpatrick and Cian Kelleher were let off the leash in attack.
After an difficult opening 15 minutes during which the sides were neck and neck, Lansdowne pulled 16-6 clear for half-time and bossed the second half with Kelleher, New Zealander Griggs and Fitzpatrick all scoring tries. Newly-signed flanker Aaron Conneely also touched down with Deasy kicking 15 points.
Meanwhile, Old Belvedere led from start to finish as new Cork Constitution head coach Tom Tierney watched his charges lose 24-8 at Anglesea Road.
'Belvo, last season's runners-up, started well with ex-Connacht centre Aidan Wynne landing two early penalties. That lead was built upon by a try from flanker Jack O'Beirne and Wynne's third successful penalty for a 14-0 interval advantage.
Cork Con improved on the resumption; number eight Luke Cahill crossed for a try and a 70th-minute penalty from Gerry Hurley set up a grandstand finish with just six points separating the sides.
However, Paul Cunningham's men ground out the result with Wynne taking his tally to 14 points with another penalty and the conversion of a late penalty try.
In the fifth Division 1A game to take place in Dublin over the weekend, promoted club Terenure College opened their win account at home to Ballynahinch.
A superior second half display helped Terenure put some daylight between themselves and Ballynahinch as they earned a deserved 32-20 victory in front of a large home crowd.
Right winger Shane Donovan produced a big hand-off on the way to scoring the Dubliners' first try, but their County Down visitors hit back on the stroke of half-time with a converted effort from one of their own wide men, Ross Adair.
A try from centre Richard Reaney made it 20-14 to the Derek Suffern-coached Ulstermen, but they failed to score after that as Terenure found an extra gear.
Replacement Niall Lalor grounded the ball at the end of a muscular lineout drive and then a quick turnover saw Robert Duke - the 2013/14 Division 1B Player of the Year - offload for his back row colleague Kyle McCoy to touch down under the posts.
Both sides had players in the sin-bin - 'Hinch lost their scrum half Aaron Cairns and Terenure had to cope without try scorer McCoy - and the hosts seemed to cope better as two final penalties from replacement Mark O'Neill settled the issue.
Division 1B
Galwegians - the only team to gain a try-scoring bonus point in the opening round - are the early pacesetters in Division 1B of the Ulster Bank League.
All four of their tries in a 25-17 triumph over Dublin University were scored by backs as wingers Jerome Harimate and Matt Dever were joined on the scoresheet by centre Gary O'Brien and scrum half Caolin Blade.
Two tries inside the first 12 minutes at Crowley Park got last year's Division 2A champions up and running under new head coach Matt Brown, who is assisted by Connacht captain John Muldoon.
Trinity captain Paddy Lavelle showed the way for his side with a try to claw it back to 13-7 but another converted effort put 'Wegians 13 points ahead at half-time.
The sides swapped unconverted tries in the third quarter and Trinity almost nicked a bonus point right at the death - Lavelle's centre partner Conor Kearns touched down in injury-time but the conversion kick was missed.
Kalani Moore came off the bench to score a late match-winning try for UL Bohemians as they got the better of Belfast Harlequins - 22-19 - on Thomond Park's back pitch.
This league opener looked to be all over entering the last 15 minutes as Adam Larkin's 'Quins outfit held a 19-10 buffer. But a pushover try, credited to Moore, was converted by Shane Airey in a dramatic finish.
Airey, the UL out-half, cancelled out an early penalty from Mark Best before the visitors retook the lead thanks to a converted try from flanker Frankie Taggart, who was a member of last season's Ireland Under-20 team.
Somewhat against the run of play, Bohs got back on terms with a seven-pointer from their captain Ed Kelly, but Harlequins led 13-10 at the breaks thanks to an Eamon Lane penalty.
The goal-kicking centre punished indiscretions by the home side with two more penalties and suddenly Bohs were nine points adrift.
The Limerick men staged a late rally though with openside Ian Condell's try cutting the deficit to four points. The entire UL pack then drove over the line for Moore to edge them in front and Airey's superb conversion from the touchline added a final gloss.
Meanwhile, Andy Graham's Ballymena were too strong for visitors Corinthians as they ran out comfortable 20-0 winners at Eaton Park.
Graham is hoping his side can build some 'early form and momentum' in the league and they look very capable of doing that with their new-look half-back pairing of Ritchie McMaster and David Shanahan impressing.
The 21-year-old scrum half Shanahan, who played twice for Ulster in the PRO12 last season, crossed for two tries and McMaster, formerly of City of Derry and Queen's, kicked a conversion and penalty.
Connor Smyth, Mike McComish and John Andrew caught the eye in an industrious Ballymena pack who produced the game's other try scored by loosehead prop Adrian Fitzpatrick.
Corinthians, who trailed 12-0 at half-time, had Connacht's Ronan Loughney, Miah Nikora and Eoghan Masterson in their team but they could do little to inspire the disappointing westerners.
Aided by a powerful display from their forwards, Malone lie fourth in the table after seeing off the challenge of Buccaneers on a 29-11 scoreline at Gibson Park.
Full-back Andy Bryans raced on to Josh Bingham's well-weighted chip in behind the Buccs' defence to score the opening try in the 15th minute.
Winger Rory O'Connor, who had threatened early on, responded for Buccaneers in the 28th minute when he beat two defenders to go over in the corner.
But Malone got back on track to lead 13-8 at the turnaround thanks to Bryans' second try of the day and a penalty from centre Josh Pentland.
Pentland went on to kick 14 points in all with the Belfast club dominating the final half hour of the game. They signed off with a third try in the final seconds, with winger Michael Barker benefiting from John Creighton's quick tap penalty.
RESULTS
DIVISION 1A
UCD 23-20 St Mary's
Clontarf 37-19 Young Munster
Lansdowne 37-6 Dolphin
Old Belvedere 24-8 Cork Con
Terenure College 32-20 Ballynahinch
DIVISION 1B
Garryowen 21-3 Shannon
Ballymena 20-0 Corinthians
Galwegians 25-17 Dublin University
Malone 29-11 Buccaneers
UL Bohemian 22-19 Belfast Harlequins
