CORK CONSTITUTION grabbed two injury-time tries to snatch a dramatic late victory over a flamboyant but ultimately toothless St Mary's at Templeville Road.

The home side had played the more attractive, running rugby throughout to lead 1312 with time running out. But Con's brilliant mauling and superior firepower up front yielded tries in added time for wing forward Brendan Cuttris and prop Tim Ryan.

It was a cruel defeat for St Mary's, who led 10-0 after 27 minutes thanks mainly to Ireland under-21 out-half Jonno Sexton, who dropped a goal and converted a fine try by winger Keith Douglas.

Constitution's bigger pack was their main threat and when hooker Robert Quinn bulldozed his way over for the first of his two tries on 36 minutes, the signs were there that the visitors were not going to roll over and die.

St Mary's dominated the early exchanges, coming out of the traps like greyhounds on a gloriously sunny winter's afternoon. But it took them 15 minutes to convert their sustained period of superiority into points.

Sexton played well in the opening exchanges, consistently finding touch with long, raking kicks and passing swiftly along the line.

He deftly dropped a goal to put the home side 3-0 ahead but St Mary's could easily have run in a try or two in the opening quarter of the game had they taken advantage of a a couple fine overlaps by full-back James Norton.

After 27 minutes they finally broke their try-scoring drought with their first touch down for four games when Sexton broke from halfway and passed inside to Ronan Doherty who beat the cover with pace and spread the ball wide for right winger Keith Douglas to gather and score.

Sexton added the extra points to put St Mary's 10-0 ahead and Cork Con could have no complaints about the scoreline having produced virtually nothing in terms of an attacking threat until then.

It wasn't long before they woke up, however, with hooker Quinn bursting over on 36 minutes after Constitution had twice opted to kick for touch after winning penalties in the opposition 22.

Out-half Daragh Lyons added a fine conversion to make it 10-7 and it stayed that way for the remainder of a half which the home side should have dominated by a greater margin on the scoreboard.

Quinn's second try came after 53 minutes and while Lyons' conversion attempt went wide off the upright, the visitors were just 13-12 behind and slowly began to dominate the game and put St Mary's under the kosh.

The sin-binning of St Mary's full-back Norton for needlessly striking Constitution winger Cronan Healy after 62 minutes put his side under unnecessary pressure at a vital stage and while they survived several close calls, they were undone in injury time.

Three minutes into added time wing forward Ross Noonan brilliantly sent Cuttris on his way to the line with substitute Dan Netherley converting to make it 13-19 before Tim Ryan grabbed an 89th-minute score to give Con a bonus point and maintain their challenge at the top of the table.

ST MARY'S COLLEGE J Norton; K Douglas, S Grissing, P Brophy, R Doherty; J Sexton, M D'Arcy; C O'Byrne, M Duggan, R Sweeney, V Ryan, S Bradshaw, P Nash, B O'Donohoe, H Hogan Subs G Logan for Ryan, 55 mins; M Donnellan for Nash, 70 mins; R Sweeney for O'Donohoe, R Gannon for Doherty, both 80 mins CORK CONSTITUTION D Hurley; D O'Riordan, T Gleeson, D O'Leary, C Healy; D Lyons, P McKee; C Murphy, R Quinn, T Ryan, M O'Connell, S O'Connor, R Noonan, B Curtiss, F Cogan Subs D Murray for Quinn, D Netherly for O'Leary, both 73 mins Referee L Colgan (MAR)