Clongowes send out a Cup warning
CLONGOWES WOOD COLLEGE………………. 30
ST GERARD’S BRAY…………………………………. 06
Daire Walsh
LEINSTER SCHOOLS SENIOR CUP
CLONGOWES Wood College’s sent out a message of intent at Templeville Road last Thursday afternoon, as two first-half tries from right-wing Cian O’Donoghue set them on their way towards a comprehensive victory over St Gerard’s of Bray in the opening round of the Powerade Leinster Schools Senior Cup.
Having missed out on securing a third consecutive triumph when they were defeated by St Michael’s College in last year’s decider at the RDS, the north Kildare side’s quest to reclaim the top crown in Leinster schools rugby was kick-started in spectacular fashion, and in registering an impressive tally of five tries in the Templeogue venue, they confirmed their status as one of the teams to beat.
It wasn’t always plain sailing for Noel McNamara’s charges, though, as they found themselves falling behind in the 12th minute when scrum-half David Baker drove a 30-metre penalty between the posts. Baker had taken over kicking duties from his half-back partner Tommy Whittle, a move that paid further dividends when the No. 9 extended his team’s lead to 6-0 with a similar effort soon after.
Clongowes were finding it difficult to settle into the tie, but they eventually settled into the proceedings to bag their first try of the game through diminutive full-back Ben Osborne on 18 minutes. Out-half Fergal Cleary was narrowly off target with the conversion that followed, but Clongowes had the bit between their teeth now, and excellent play by Sebastian Fromm created space for O’Donoghue deep inside the Gerard’s half, and he displayed tremendous pace and power to touch down underneath the posts.
Cleary made no mistake with the bonus kick on this occasion, and with the Clane oufit in front for the very first time, they pushed on for the remainder of the half, as O’Donoghue’s second try 27 minutes in helped them towards a 17-6 interval cushion.
This left Gerard’s with an uphill task upon the resumption, and though they enjoyed decent spells of possession in the second period, the scrappy nature of the play made it difficult for them to carve open the Clongowes defence in the manner that was required.
Weather conditions certainly didn’t helped matters, because apart from a very strong breeze (which favoured Bray in the first half), there was a near torrential downpour for a brief spell after the re-start.
Fortunately, this died off relatively quickly, and Cleary was presented with the opportunity to increase the Clongowes advantage even further with a 54th minute penalty on the 22-metre-line. The Irish Under-18 star successfully negotiated this place kick, which opened up a 14-point gap moving into the final quarter.
This offered Clongowes some extra breathing space, and with their defence proving to be impenetrable for the most part, their place in the next phase was close to being assured. Nevertheless, they continued to press forward in the closing stages, and the inevitable fourth try arrived with 12 minutes left on the clock, when German U-18 international Fromm finished off a sweeping move in the left corner.
This put the result beyond any doubt, and coach McNamara opted to dip into his reserves in an attempt to examine the capabilities of the squad at his disposal. He would have been extremely pleased, therefore, to see Cillian Burke (a replacement in the 60th minute for Osborne) crossing over just eight minutes after his introduction, and even though he was wide of the mark with his very own conversion attempt, his contribution brought a satisfactory end to a fine day out for the eight-time winners.
CLONGOWES WOOD COLLEGE: Ben Osborne; Cian O’Donoghue, William Lappin, Sebastian Fromm, Alan Jeffares; Fergal Cleary, Philip Maher; Alex Dudeney, Dylan Donnellan, David Garty, Conor Gleeson, Robert Collins, William Connors, Stephen Kealan, Stephen McVeigh.
Replacements: Cillian Burke for Osborne (60), Conor Ganley for Dudeney (63), Jake Kennedy for Collins (65), Colm Mulcahy for Jeffares (67), Joshua Pim for Kealan (70).
ST GERARD’S, BRAY: Mark Prendergast; Sam Kingston, Con Callan, Calvin Jordan, Adam Simmonds; Tommy Whittle, David Baker; Nathan Buckley, Jack Ryan, Tom Kenna, Harry Conan, Charlie Kenny, Barry Fitzpatrick, Daniel King, Fergal Smith.
Replacements: Stafford Tyrrell for Smith (52), Mark Gallagher for Simmonds (65), Roddy O’Caoimh for Whittle (70).
REFEREE: Gary Conway (LB).