Belvedere College 34 Newbridge College 0: Last year’s finalists Belvedere College delivered a near-perfect performance at Donnybrook yesterday afternoon, as they recorded a comprehensive victory over Newbridge College in the Leinster Schools’ Senior Cup first round.

Several of last year’s Belvo squad have returned and they eventually broke down a stubborn Newbridge rearguard with a 13th-minute try from hooker Cian Galvin.

Centre Conor Jennings added two points from the subsequent conversion, and he enhanced the north Dublin school’s superiority with a five-pointer just two minutes later.

Newbridge did occasionally pose a threat inside the Belvo ‘22’, but after the concession of further five-pointers to loosehead prop Daniel McCaffrey and right-wing James McKeown, they were facing a 26-0 interval deficit.

Jennings reinforced Belvo’s superiority with a successful penalty four minutes into the second period, before the outstanding McCaffrey claimed his second try on 45 minutes.

A sustained spell of pressure almost produced a Newbridge score towards the end of the third quarter, but an impressive defensive shut-out emphasised how difficult it will be to overcome Belvo in this year’s competition.

Scorers for Belvedere College:

D McCaffrey 2 tries, C Galvin, J McKeown try each, C Jennings try, pen, 3 cons.

BELVEDERE COLLEGE:

H O’Sullivan; J McKeown, C Jennings, H Sexton, P Maher; D Hawkshaw, P Cagney; D McCaffrey, C Galvin, C Wynne-Walsh; H Fenlon, B Egan; S McNulty, M Kearney, T De Jongh.

Replacements:

S Osborne, C Molloy, J Iredale, J Kenny, J Robinson, B Gibbons, N Minogue, F Smith.

NEWBRIDGE COLLEGE:

G Burke; J Deane, D Murphy, C Doolan, C Stapleton; T Murphy, C Doyle; J Duggan, R Wynne, D Breen; M Joyce, M Dillon; D Walker, T O’Neill, P Ryan.

Replacements:

B Howlett, R Cleary, M Ryan, C Prendergast, P O’Brien, R Hyland, T Berney, N Stapleton.

Referee:

J Fitzgerald (LRR).