LEADERS Clontarf maintained their drive towards qualifying in first place for the semi-finals. The home side started strongly thanks to a James Norton try but Clontarf struck back thanks to Darragh O'Shea.

Jonathan Sexton kicked a superb penalty from distance before a slick exchange left Derek Keane striding in. And when second row Gareth Logan was sent to the bin, 'Tarf looked to turn the screw.

Sexton split the posts in the 48th minute from an acute angle to let the leaders know that this would be an 80minute resistance. But touchdowns from Niall O'Brien and a third O'Shea penalty put seven between them. Outhalf Sexton kept Clonarf honest before O'Brien went over two minutes into added time for a bonus point.

ST MARY'S COLLEGE R Smyth; J Norton, B Lynn, R Gannon, J McWeeney (c); J Sexton, J Kilbride; M Duggan, O McCormack, C O'Byrne, E Keane, G Logan, W Duggan, C Potts, H Gervis Subs M Aboud for Keane, 30 mins; F Lynch and B Moran for Gannon and O McCormack, 58 mins; B McCormack for Duggan, 65 mins; S Gibney for Kilbride, 68 mins

CLONTARF D O'Shea; N O'Brien, M Hewitt, B O'Donnell, D Keane; P O'Brien, D Geraghty; J Wickham (c), N Carson, R Sweeney ( A O'Donnell 59), B Gissing, A Wood, J Ellison, P Perdue, D O'Brien Subs J Hepworth for O'Donnell, h-t; F O'Loughlin and D Quinn for Geraghty and Perdue, 54 mins; A O'Donnell for Sweeney, 59 mins Referee D Courtney (IRFU)