Michael’s over Clongowes to set up Blackrock semi-final date
St Michael’s College will face defending champions Blackrock College in the Leinster Schools Senior Cup semi-final after getting the better of Clongowes Wood College in a last-eight encounter at Energia Park on Monday afternoon.
Fresh from overcoming the stern challenge of Terenure seven days earlier, Clongowes – whose backroom team is spearheaded by former Munster and Ireland scrum-half Tomás O’Leary, the school’s Director of Rugby – were hoping to claim the scalp of their south Dublin counterparts.
Yet it was Michael’s who drew first blood in this contest with their full-back David Lucey getting over for an unconverted eighth-minute try. Their five-point lead remained intact, until outside centre Jules Fenelon split the uprights off a penalty just in time for the Ailesbury Road outfit to bring an 8-0 cushion into the interval.
Michael’s were confident of stretching further in front on the resumption and did just that when their scrum-half James Sherwin blocked down an attempted clearance from Clongowes’ Harry Mallon for his side’s second try of the action.
Fenelon was on hand to supply the extras and Michael’s then looked set for a comfortable victory when Larry Kirkham also crossed the whitewash on 43 minutes.
However, Clongowes played with great spirit inside the final-quarter and Daniel Baugh finally dotted down for the north Kildare men with 12 minutes remaining on the clock. This was a major morale-boost for a resolute Wood and the nine-time winners added another try moments later from prop James Wyse.
Nevertheless, another Michael’s five-pointer courtesy of Charles Foley ensured that Conor Lysaght’s impressive finish in the dying embers only served as a consolation for Clongowes.
On the other side of the Senior Cup draw, Newbridge College (coached by ex-Munster back Johne Murphy) will take on Cistercian College Roscrea.
: Tries – D Lucey, J Sherwin, L Kirkham, C Foley. Pens – J Fenelon. Cons – J Fenelon (2).
: Tries – D Baugh, J Wise, C Lysaght. Cons – T Murtagh.
: D Lucey; L Kirkham, J Fenelon, M Canniffe, P Wood; W De Klerk, J Sherwin; B Howard, T Stewart, R Coogan; D Walsh, M O’Reilly; J White, R Brown, S Corrigan.
: B O’Donoghue for Brown, C Foley for Kirkham (both 58), E Black for Canniffe, C O’Connor for Sherwin, T Murray for Howard, T Begley for Stewart, D Maguire for Coogan, F McKenna for O’Reilly (all 69).
: P Spillane; D Baugh, H Roche Nagle, C McDonald, O O’Brien; H Mallon, T Murtagh; J Wyse, K Ugwueru, M Duggan; B Molloy, A Kelly; M Roche Nagle, D Collins, D Daly.
: G Keane for McDonald, B McCarthy for O’Brien, A Hemeryck for Duggan (all 43), J Moynihan for Mallon, M Doyle for Ugwueru (both 52), M Coveney for Molloy (64), C Lysaght for Collins, L Murtagh for Wyse (69).
: P Haycock (LRR).