RUGBY: BANK OF IRELAND LEINSTER SCHOOLS SENIOR CUP FIRST ROUND
Five Try Haul Helps Newbridge To Advance
NEWBRIDGE COLLEGE 31
ST GERARD’S, BRAY 12
By Daire Walsh
A clinical edge in attack helped Newbridge College to kick-start their Leinster Schools Senior Cup campaign with an opening round win over St Gerard’s, Bray at Energia Park in Donnybrook last Wednesday afternoon.
Joint-winners of this competition in 2020 along with fellow Kildare school Clongowes Wood College – their proposed final meeting was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic – Newbridge were seeking to set out their stall against the north Wicklow outfit. While they had to withstand pressure for large stretches of the contest, a five-try haul ensured they progressed to the last-eight with all of 19 points to spare.
Coached by former Munster star and Rathangan native Johne Murphy, Newbridge stormed in front from virtually their first attack of the game. Following excellent approach work by John Collins and Calum Bolton, Todd Lawlor crossed in the left-corner for a converted try in the seventh-minute.
Facing into a tricky breeze, Newbridge were pinned inside their own half for long spells. Yet they were always a danger when in possession and after the ball broke into the path on 23 minutes, Ciarán Mangan touched down in consummate fashion.
Gerard’s persevered with their challenge, however, and No 8 Luke Long finally opened their account with a five-pointer just past the half-hour mark.
Newbridge briefly lost skipper Kieran Kelly to a blood injury, but replacement Sam Watson made a telling impact in his absence. Following a prolonged period inside the opposition ’22’, the reserve flanker dotted down for a try that was comfortably converted by Paddy Taylor – who along with Lawlor won a Leinster Schools Junior Cup as recently as last October.
This scoring burst left Newbridge 19-7 in front at the interval and within sight of a spot in the quarter-finals. Much like the opening period, Gerard’s developed some encouraging phases at the start of the second half, but were struggling to pierce holes through a committed Newbridge defence.
The sin-binning of Ronan Byrne on the third-quarter mark was a further blow for the Bray side and during his time on the sidelines, Newbridge placed the outcome beyond doubt. Restored to the back-row on the resumption, Kelly produced a superb one-handed finish over the line.
The industrious Gerard’s grabbed a second try through tighthead prop Fionan Denver with five minutes remaining on the clock, but Shane Treacy’s stoppage-time effort ensured that a ruthless Newbridge had the final say.
NEWBRIDGE COLLEGE: Calum Bolton; Ciarán Mangan, John Collins, Tom Waters, Todd Lawlor; Paddy Taylor, Diarmuid Enright; Finn Mahon, Mark Masterson, Patrick Stapleton; Max Barry, S Treacy; Kieran Kelly, Ronán McGroary, Sam Fitzgibbon. Replacements: Sam Watson for Kelly (34 mins-half-time, blood sub), Calum Corcoran for Collins (37), Oliver Udell for Masterson (44), Billy Bohan for Stapleton, Tom Bohan for Enright (both 46), Watson for McGroary (52), Adam Larkin Smithers for Lawlor (54), Ruairí Byrne for Kelly (62), Ryan Healy for Mahon (65).
ST GERARD’S, BRAY: Ciarán Foley; Ben Crowe, Callan O’Reilly, Shay O’Keefe, Harry O’Reilly; Rory O’Connoll, Jordan Younger; John Butler, Ronan Byrne, Fionan Denver; Thomas McGovern, Patrick Harrington; Marcus Von Teichman, Tim Wilkinson, Luke Long. Replacements: Sonny Keogh for Crowe (8), Joshua Wyse for O’Connoll (44), Cuan Riordan for Harrington (58), Cian Geraghty for Von Teichman, Scott Dalton for O’Keefe (both 62), Jack Holland for Younger, Guy Carson for Denver (both 70).
Referee: Robbie Jenkinson (LRR).