Old Belvedere beat Lansdowne 35 to 26 in the All-Ireland League on Saturday. The away side moved further clear at the top of the table while the hosts slipped deeper into trouble. It was the third meeting between the two this season, and Old Belvedere have now won both.
By then the visitors had already shown what they could do. Their previous two matches had ended 56-10 and 47-14, and they carried that momentum into this one. Lansdowne, meanwhile, had lost their last two league games 26-43 and 18-19. The pattern was clear from the start.
And here's the thing about this result — it wasn't close. Old Belvedere scored nine tries to Lansdowne's five, and the conversion rate made the difference. The visitors took their chances; the hosts did not. To be fair, Lansdowne had periods of possession, but possession without penetration is not enough.
After the match the standings told the story. Old Belvedere sit second with 14 points from four games. Lansdowne remain seventh with 7 points from four. The gap between them is widening, and the form suggests it will widen more.