St Michael’s College were forced to dig deep at Energia Park before ultimately securing a Leinster Schools Senior Cup quarter-final victory at the expense of Terenure College.

After comprehensively dominating possession in the early stages, Michael’s edged in front with a seventh-minute penalty from out-half Joe Quigley.

Andy Skehan’s side looked set to push on from here, but instead, it was their fellow south Dubliners who subsequently bagged the first try of the game.

At the end of an extended attack inside the Michael’s ‘22’, ‘Nure’s own number 10, Caspar Gabriel Lorin, linked up brilliantly with Louis Moran before dotting down for a try that he followed up with a routine conversion.

There was still plenty of time for Michael’s to work their way back into the reckoning, however, and it took an excellent last-ditch tackle by Gabriel Lorin to deny winger Patrick Wood a try on 25 minutes.

The Ailesbury Road outfit developed further attacking momentum as the interval approached and while the ‘Nure defence held them out for large stretches, Michael’s eventually regained the initiative with a ‘tap and go’ finish from hooker Duinn Maguire.

This five-pointer offered the three-time champions a slender 8-7 lead moving into the second half, but their cushion was significantly extended when inside centre Charlie McConnell drove over the line five minutes after the resumption.

Although ‘Nure were left to chase the game, they once again issued a powerful response to the concession of a score. Following a superb catch and run up the left-flank, full-back Paddy Curry released Dan Martin for their side’s second try of the contest.

A successful conversion from Geoff O’Sullivan (who took over place-kicking duties after Gabriel Lorin was withdrawn through injury) cut the gap to a single point and the minimum separated the teams once more as a result of converted tries by Michael’s replacement Chris O’Connor and Curry at opposite ends of the pitch.

This helped to increase the tension around the Donnybrook venue, but when Maguire drove over for his second try of the afternoon right on the stroke of 70 minutes, Michael’s were finally assured of a last-four spot.

ST MICHAEL’S COLLEGE: D Lucey; D Pryce, E Black, C McConnell, P Wood; J Quigley, J Sherwin; B O’Donohoe, D Maguire, R Coogan; D Walsh, F McKenna; J Elliot, R Brown, S Corrigan.

Replacements: C O’Connor for Sherwin (51), D Ryan for Quigley (58), M Berman for McKenna (63).

TERENURE COLLEGE: P Curry; D Cullinan, D Martin, L Moran, G O’Sullivan; C Gabriel Lorin, E Mallen; A Cooper, M Egan, L Kearney; J Mooney, J Carter; B Blaney, M Murphy, L Wardick.

Replacements: G Morgan for Gabriel Lorin (33), L Friery for Blaney (46), S McAllister for Kearney (51), E Balamash for Cullinan, L McNiff for Carter (both 52).

Referee: D Blake (LRR).