Leinster Schools Senior Cup First Round: Terenure College V Clongowes Wood College – The Kildare Nationalist – January 28 2025

LEINSTER SCHOOLS SENIOR CUP FIRST ROUND

TERENURE COLLEGE 18

CLONGOWES WOOD COLLEGE 15 

By Daire Walsh 

There was disappointment for Clongowes Wood College at Energia Park on Monday afternoon as Terenure College produced a late flourish to narrowly get the better of the Kildare school in the opening round of the Leinster Schools Senior Cup.

Eager to make amends for a heartbreaking defeat to Belvedere College at the same stage of last year’s competition, Clongowes began this contest like a team on a mission. After winning a penalty inside the Terenure ‘22’ straight from the kick-off, the Clane-based side elected to kick the ball to touch and hooker Conor Keogh was on hand to apply the finishing touches off the ensuing line-out maul.

Remarkably, all of the above occurred within the 60 seconds of the action and with outside centre Joshua Grant supplying the bonuses from a tight right-hand angle, Clongowes were already seven points to the good.

Eager to build on this whirlwind start, Wood once again kicked to the corner after being awarded a penalty deep inside the opposition half. While they ultimately came up short from their latest set-piece move, superb defence from Clongowes held up Terenure’s Michael Kennedy when he attempted to break over their try-line on 15 minutes.

An earlier wayward place-kick by Geoff O’Sullivan ensured Clongowes’ seven-point buffer remained intact, but the ‘Nure full-back eventually got his side up and running by routinely splitting the posts from close-range just shy of the first-quarter mark.

The south Dubliners were gradually growing into the game and even though winger Niall Fallon was forced into touch as he prepared himself for a race towards the left corner, Gareth Morgan stroked over another penalty in the 24th minute to leave the bare minimum between the teams.

Yet despite their Metropolitan opponents ramping up the pressure, Clongowes re-established a foothold on the play when No 8 Arthur Ashmore powerfully burst up the right-wing on 28 minutes to superbly claim their second try of the game.

Although Grant was wide of the mark from his next shot at the posts, Clongowes had done enough to bring a 12-6 cushion into the interval. This was a far from insurmountable lead, however, and Terenure would have believed it was within their grasp to swing the pendulum in their favour.

The Dubliners certainly stepped up their levels of intensity and performance on the resumption, as they forced Clongowes back inside their own ‘22’ for large stretches. However, thanks to their disciplined and diligent rearguard, the Kildare outfit’s line remained unbreached moving into the final-quarter.

Having held firm under enormous pressure from Terenure, Clongowes’ prospects were significantly bolstered when Grant’s midfield partner Ross Doyle spectacularly found the target off a long-distance penalty towards the right-flank.

Yet moments after receiving a let-off in the form of a missed ‘Nure penalty, Wood suffered a major blow when lock Matthew Smyth was sent to the sin bin on the hour mark. This substantially altered the course of the proceedings as Terenure ultimately seized the initiative during his temporary absence.

After replacement hooker Leo Zelman finished off a line-out maul for a converted try, inside centre Alvaro Swords discovered a gap through the heart of the Clongowes defence to secure a 66th minute five-pointer for the capital men.

While this was a major set-back for Clongowes, a missed conversion from Morgan meant Terenure were just three points ahead during a frantic finale to the action.

As Clongowes pushed hard for a way back into the reckoning, Doyle was presented with a couple of opportunities from the tee to force this encounter into a replay. However, he was narrowly off-target on both occasions as Terenure ultimately held out to reach the Senior Cup quarter-finals.

TERENURE COLLEGE: Geoff O’Sullivan; Ethan Balmarsh, Michael Kennedy, Alvaro Swords, Niall Fallon; Gareth Morgan, Jamie Coleman; Pearse Kelly, Cian Hyland, Adam Cooper; Josh Mooney, Frank Maher; Michael Smyth, Senan Gavin, Ben Blaney.

Replacements: Evan McMonagle for Kelly (26-29, blood), Leo Zelman for Hyland, McMonagle for Kelly, Luke McNiff for Mooney (all 44), James Greally for Fallon (48),

CLONGOWES WOOD COLLEGE: Finn Kehoe; Ross Adams, Joshua Grant, Ross Doyle, Thomas Strickland; Hugh O’Sullivan Sexton, Thomas Walsh; Max Doyle, Conor Keogh, Luke Murtagh; Simon Kelly, Matthew Smyth; James White, John Benson, Arthur Ashmore.

Replacements: Turlough Devitt for Ashmore (47), Ollie Worth for O’Sullivan Sexton (62), Michael O’Sullivan for Keogh (65), Brian A McCulloch for Strickland (67).

Referee: Padraic Reidy (Leinster Rugby Referees).

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