LEINSTER SCHOOLS JUNIOR CUP FINAL – POST MATCH REACTION
it Was About Winning The Fight – Dave Brew
By Daire Walsh
NEWBRIDGE College coach Dave Brew was elated after his side were crowned outright champions of the Leinster Schools Junior Cup at Energia Park in Dublin on Friday.
After the proposed final meeting between Newbridge and Blackrock College in March 2020 was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two schools were declared joint-winners of the competition. Last week’s showdown between the same sides was decided on the field of play, however, and Newbridge emerged as deserved winners.
“It’s much better to get the game played and I suppose last year felt a bit empty. Everyone is congratulating you and we had no interest in celebrating. I think it now feels a bit better that we can think about having one and a half now and maybe being involved going for a third one next year,” Brew remarked after Friday’s game.
Out-half Paddy Taylor produced a real captain’s display in their superb final win, contributing 14 points to bring his tally for the campaign up to 77. Whereas he had registered six tries in three games en route to the decider, Taylor’s entire haul on Friday was off the kicking tee.
In comparison to the free-flowing nature of their previous encounters in this year’s cup, Brew anticipated that the dead-ball prowess of his skipper was going to have a major bearing on the outcome of the contest.
“I think the final was a completely different kind of game in that there were tries galore in all the other rounds, whereas this was more attritional. It was about winning a fight and I think we did that.
“We never took a backward step against them and it comes down to things like that. If you look at the kicking, our guy didn’t miss and theirs did. At the end of the day that’s what it came down to.”