Foy and Hutchinson set Belvo on way to comfortable victory

Belvedere College 28 Wesley College 3

Second-quarter tries by Adam Foy and Josh Hutchinson laid the foundations for Belvedere in Balbriggan as they eased into the quarter-finals.

Rank outsiders Wesley missed an excellent opportunity to open the scoring as James O’Donovan’s 35-metre penalty fell short, and Belvo broke the deadlock on 27 minutes when scrum-half Foy charged down a clearance, before touching down.

Conor Jennings added a fine conversion and he also supplied the extras when hooker Hutchinson went over after a majestic reverse pass by wing Sean Long.

A close-range penalty by O’Donovan offered Wesley a glimmer of hope at the break, trailing 14-3, but the result was put beyond any doubt mid-way through the second half when full-back Sean McCullagh knifed through for another converted try.

Bustling second-row Cameron McCrum secured Belvo’s fourth try seven minutes from time, and with the dependable Jennings once more converting, the north Dubliners’ passage to the last-eight was comfortably sealed.

BELVEDERE COLLEGE – S McCullagh (F O’Meara 65); J McKeon, C Clifford, M White, S Long (R Duignan 60); C Jennings, A Foy (G O’Kelly 66); C Marrie (L Browne 53), J Hutchinson (A Hynes 65), B Lysaght (M Sweeney 53); C McCrum, N Turley; J McGauran, T Keane (C Keane 63), J Doyle (C Peet 38).

WESLEY COLLEGE – A Curry; A McDonnell, D Poff, L Madeley (G Hughes 40), T Walsh; J O’Donovan (M Strong 40-47), J Maybury; A Garvey, A Chandler, P Cullen; S Dalby, J Pratt; K Fitzmaurice (S Carmody 53), J Hopkins, D Kelly (J Brownlow 53).

REF – B Montayne (Leinster Branch).