Club history
The AIL years
St Mary's College RFC, Season 1990-91 to 2005-06
The All Ireland League (AIL) kicked off in the 1990-91 season with the top 19 clubs from the 1987-88, 1988-89 and 1989-90 Provincial League competitions invited to compete in two divisions. Six Leinster clubs competed in the first season. St Mary's College RFC had finished the three-season review ranked 1st of the 15 Leinster Senior Clubs, so it was game time in Division One in 1990-91. Three seasons later the AIL was extended to involve all 46 senior clubs in the country: fifteen from Leinster, thirteen from Ulster, eleven from Munster and seven from Connacht. Division One now comprised eleven clubs, Division Two also included eleven clubs, while there were thirteen clubs in Division Three and eleven in Division Four.
St Mary's College RFC made their debut in the AIL on Saturday 6 October 1990 against Cork Constitution in Cork. The Dubliners lost their Division One opener 9-13. Let history record that Peter MacGiollaRiogh scored St Mary's College RFC's first ever try in the AIL, with Steven Hennessy slotting a conversion and a penalty goal.
Season 1990-91 Year one
Ray Hernan elected club captain for a second term. Two wins (22-10 home to Wanderers and 12-7 home to Ballymena) in the opening four games saw the club placed fourth in the table halfway through the season. St Mary's lost all four away games during the campaign, including three in Munster (9-13 at Con, 13-15 at Garryowen and 7-11 at Shannon), before losing 6-19 at home to Instonians in the last of eight games. Four defeats on the run into the finish meant the club only escaped relegation thanks to a better points difference than Wanderers, who were relegated along with Malone. Cork Con won their first title at Dooradoyle on the last day of the season. At the end of their first campaign, St Mary's College RFC were ranked 7th club in the land, and were the second-placed of the six Leinster clubs now in the AIL.
Season 1991-92
Joining from Otago in New Zealand, 31-year-old No 8 Brent Pope made an 18-13 winning debut at home to Garryowen on 16 November 1991. John Muldoon had his earlobe ripped off at Young Munster (3-18) by an identifiable player. The club found itself in the relegation zone after weeks 4, 6 and 7, before a win away to Instonians in week 7 — the first in eight away games since the AIL began — kept the club up. The following weekend, Lansdowne were relegated as a result of St Mary's failure at home (10-11) to beat Cork Con in the final game. And now you know why Lansdowne have never lost an AIBL game in eight visits to Templeville Road.
Season 1992-93
Nicky Barry arrived from Garryowen, while Jim Curran and Kevin Conboy began their St Mary's careers in senior team management. After losing the opener 18-21 at Stradbrook, the club went unbeaten in six games and led the table going into the final round. For safety reasons, the IRFU moved the Young Munster game to Lansdowne Road — St Mary's lost this decider 14-17 in front of an attendance of 13,100 according to the IRFU (others said it was nearer 17,000), with Brent Pope sent off by referee David McHugh during the game. Away in Cork to Con in February, St Mary's got their first win (12-11) in seven AIL visits to Munster. At the end of the third campaign, St Mary's were ranked the 3rd club in the land, and were the first-placed of the eight Leinster clubs now in the AIL.
Season 1993-94
Victor Costello, after much head-hunting by Declan Coleman, enlisted from Blackrock. At home to Cork Con, Kevin Potts was dismissed by a Welsh referee for retaliation after David Corkery persisted in kissing him at each maul situation. After another acrimonious game at Young Munster (lost 3-18), St Mary's produced video evidence of Peter "The Claw" Clohessy stamping on captain Steve Jameson. The club lost three games, won three, then won three on the trot — two of them at home to Leinster clubs. This season was the first time the Shay Deering Memorial trophy was played on an AIL date; Garryowen won 13-12 at Dooradoyle to retain the bust for a fifth consecutive year. St Mary's were in the relegation zone after weeks 5 and 7, but ended the season by beating Shannon 22-18 at Templeville — a first.
Season 1994-95
"Popey" moved across the Liffey to play with Clontarf, and Aidan White went west to Corinthians. Greg Maher started the first of his three seasons as first XV manager. After an opening loss (6-20 away to Shannon), the club won six on the bounce but never topped the table. Along the way there were two wins in Cork on successive October weekends, and a first win (21-19) in four fixtures with Young Munster.
Season 1995-96
The professional era arrived on the horizon as the game went "open." Denis Hickie motored in from UCD after winning his Colours as a first-year student. For the first time in six seasons the club won its opener (beating Old Belvedere 24-12), and led the table for the first five rounds, but managed no victory in the final four games. The IRFU decreed there would be no relegation from any division that season, having decided to increase the participating clubs from 45 to 49 and enlarge Division One from eleven to 14 clubs. Steve Jameson, against Blackrock College (11-7 away win), played his 50th consecutive AIL game. For the first and only time, all four Munster clubs occupied the top four table positions at the completion of ten rounds in Division One.
Season 1996-97
There were thirteen games on the Division One agenda this season. St Mary's College RFC were the only club ever-present in Division One not to have won the title. The club won the three openers and led the table after rounds 4 and 5, then won four on the bounce in March. Victor Costello, having signed for London Irish at the start of the season, returned from London in January. St Mary's lost the last two games of the season, including the first-ever AIL meeting with Terenure (0-14 at Templeville in April), but beat all four Limerick clubs this season — the first Leinster or Ulster club to do so — including a first win in eleven AIL visits to Limerick (19-11 at Young Munster in January). There was still bad blood with Young Munster; referee Sean Buggy had to request protection for the St Mary's players after the game. The Shay Deering trophy returned after seven seasons at Garryowen. Denis Hickie scored a try on his international debut in Cardiff in February, and by season's end Steve Jameson had reached 67 AIL games on the trot.
Season 1997-98
AIB took over sponsorship of the All-Ireland League, semi-final play-offs were arranged for the end of the season, and a ten-minute sin-bin was introduced. Trevor Brennan (to be capped by Ireland in South Africa at the end of the season) arrived from Bective, and Kevin Conboy began the first of his three seasons as first XV manager. The club won four games on the trot in mid-season, and beat Lansdowne (42-10 in February) under lights at Lansdowne Road — a first victory in seven AIL games against them. Three club players (Conor McGuinness, John McWeeney and Kevin Nowlan), plus Malcolm O'Kelly, made their international debuts against New Zealand in November. St Mary's won the final three league-phase games but never led the table during the season, and had now lost all four AIL games at Dooradoyle — until a win away to Old Crescent on 14 March (Easter), in a very bad-tempered match that saw three players sent off by Gordon Black, and the first win by a Dublin club in Limerick that season. The club reached the semi-final play-off, losing 21-28 away to Shannon in mid-April in a match shown live on TV. Richard Ormond landed a record ten conversions at home to Dungannon.
Season 1998-99
Peter Smyth arrived from Blackrock and Peter McKenna from Old Belvedere, while Craig "Bundy" Fitzpatrick departed for Terenure after two senior seasons. Against Lansdowne on 12 December, "Jemmo" hit 83 AIL games on the trot. The club won three on the trot in January and February, before a 0-38 defeat at Cork Con at the end of February — the biggest loss yet in the AIL. There followed a first victory (19-13 at home in March) in nine years over Terenure in all senior competitions, and the club had now achieved consecutive AIL wins over Blackrock, plus the last seven home wins over Limerick clubs, including a fourth consecutive home win over Shannon. St Mary's crept into the top four by winning the last two games, with the other results falling correctly on the day. The semi-final play-off at Garryowen (lost 17-19 on 24 April) was shown live on TV.
Season 1999-00 AIL Champions
The Super 12 bonus points system was introduced into AIBL scoring. Brent Pope assumed the coaching mantle after four seasons at Clontarf, during which he brought them from the third to the first division, and Brendan Spring became the first Templeogue College past pupil elected president of the club. St Mary's won the four openers and led the table after all but five of the 14 rounds, winning four of the last five games in the league phase, including both away games in Limerick (20-6 at Garryowen and 39-9 at Shannon). The club played its 100th AIL game, beating Clontarf 23-16, and five hundred people attended the Terenure v St Mary's pre-match lunch at Lakelands in April. Leinster clubs finished in the top three slots in the league. Eight internationals featured in the side which beat Lansdowne 25-22 in the AIBL Final at Irish headquarters, with captain Trevor Brennan receiving the trophy "for St Mary's College RFC, for Dublin and for Leinster." According to some Munster clubs it was a "flawed final," as they were short of some contracted players due to Munster's run to the Heineken Cup Final at Twickenham.
Season 2000-01 Centenary season
The club's centenary season. Out-half Eddie "Heineken" Hekenui joined from New Zealand and was immediately picked by Leinster. St Mary's lost the two openers but won five on the trot later in March and April, and were unbeaten in five games against Leinster clubs this season. Due to Foot and Mouth restrictions, four games were postponed in February and played later in May. A big marquee was erected in May for a large lunch prior to the home game against Terenure (won 24-15), and the Shay Deering bust again travelled down the N7 to Limerick. On 17 April, Denis Hickie scored the last of his 30 AIL tries to date for St Mary's.
Season 2001-02
Trevor Brennan, after twelve Irish caps with St Mary's, moved back to his roots at Barnhall, and John Muldoon began the first of his four seasons as first XV manager. The club was unbeaten in the opening four games, including a 30-24 victory at Lakelands in the first Dr Michael Smyth Memorial Trophy match between the two clubs, and led the table after rounds 2, 3 and 4 before dropping out of the top four by the start of September. St Mary's lost five on the trot during December and January. The game against UCD (9-9) was the club's 1,225th AIL outing, and St Mary's had now won on their last three visits to Young Munster. The club enjoyed success in the last six games of the campaign, equalling the club's longest AIBL win sequence — though it had collected only two bonus points for tries scored in each of the last three seasons.
Season 2002-03
"Pistol Pete" McKenna returned to Old Belvedere having secured his Irish cap while at Templeville. The club achieved a sixth consecutive home win over Shannon (26-21 in October), and played its 150th AIL game on 13 April — still without a win in seven home games against Lansdowne. After round 12 (29 March), St Mary's had conceded the most penalty goals (28) in Division One, and lost the last three matches of the season, including a record 10-80 thrashing by Clontarf at Castle Avenue. The senior squad this season included 15 contracted players — 13 attached to Leinster and two out west in Connacht.
Season 2003-04 Relegated
No win in the opening five games, and, starting in the new year, four defeats on the trot. Both away games in Cork were lost, and the first home win of the season (34-13 v Dungannon) was not achieved until the end of February. St Mary's registered the fewest tries (16) in Division One, and for the first time collected no bonus point for tries scored all season. The club was relegated to Division Two after fourteen consecutive seasons in the top tier, and after five seasons, Brent Pope vacated the coaching chair.
Season 2004-05 Division Two
An AIBL campaign in the second division. Former club captain Steve Hennessy came on board as head coach for the second time, and the club went unbeaten in all eight games on the road this season. St Mary's suffered only one loss in the league phase, 13-14 at home to Terenure in January, and achieved their 100th AIL win — the fourth club to reach the milestone — in a victory at home to Barnhall in the last game of the league season, becoming the seventh club to immediately bounce back into the first division after relegation. Away to UL Bohemians, John McWeeney became the third player to score 50 tries in the AIL. The club qualified for the Division Two play-offs, received a walkover from UCC in the semi-final, but lost the Division Two Final 12-18 to UL Bohemians at Lansdowne Road.
Season 2005-06
No win in four visits to Munster this season, and only one win from the concluding five games. John McWeeney finished the season on 53 AIBL tries. The club lost two big finals this season — the Leinster Senior League Cup (16-23 to Clontarf) and the AIB Cup (12-37 to Cork Con). As had been the position at the end of the 1992-93 AIL competition, St Mary's College RFC were still ranked the 4th club in the land, and were the first-placed of the seventeen Leinster clubs now in the AIL.
Read the club's full AIL Statistics, or jump back to the top of the page.