SCHOOLS RUGBY: LEINSTER SENIOR CUP FIRST ROUND
Newbridge College fall at the first hurdle
BELVEDERE COLLEGE……………………………………… 34
NEWBRIDGE COLLEGE………………………………………. 0
By Daire Walsh
IT was a day to forget for Newbridge College last Wednesday afternoon, as they suffered a comprehensive reversal at the hands of an impressive Belvedere College side in the opening round of the Leinster Schools’ Senior Cup.
Having reached the semi-finals of the competition for the past three seasons, Newbridge were once again aiming to make a big impact in 2016. They found themselves on the back-foot during the early moments of the contest, but courtesy of excellent defensive work from No 8 Patrick Ryan, they were forcing their opponents (who finished second best to Cistercian College Roscrea in last year’s decider) into a number of handling errors close to their posts.
When they cleared their lines on 12 minutes, it looked like Newbridge had weathered this opening storm, but a lung-bursting break from right-wing James McKeown helped Belvo to gain a foothold in the Newbridge ’22’ once again. After working their way through a number of phases, hooker Cian Galvin ultimately broke the deadlock with a powerful drive over the line.
Conor Jennings was successful from the subsequent conversion, and just two minutes later, he enhanced Belvo’s superiority with a well-worked five-pointer. The dynamic outside centre finished off a sweeping move on the left-flank, and even though he was wide of the mark from his second kick at goal, Belvo had already developed a 12-0 advantage on the stroke of 15 minutes.
It was beginning to look quite ominous for Newbridge, but following the concession of this second try, they did find themselves in the Belvo half for a sustained period. Captain Tim Murphy opted for touch from a close-range penalty, but in spite of the best endeavours from Newbridge, the ball was eventually turned over.
An opening score in this juncture would have galvanised the Newbridge challenge, but instead it was their Metropolitan counterparts who extended their lead just shy of the half-hour mark. Another incisive attack saw the play transferred to the right-wing, where loosehead prop Daniel McCaffrey was on hand to register his side’s third touchdown of the half.
As a response to his earlier miss, Jennings added the bonuses in a confident fashion, and he also contributed a two-point salvo on top of a fourth try from McKeown before the interval. This meant that Newbridge were now facing into a seemingly insurmountable deficit, and in many respects, the second half was a damage limitation exercise.
Belvo continued to build on their momentum after the restart, however, and an expertly-taken 39th-minute Jennings penalty reinforced their superiority. Half-time substitute Ben Howlett did bring a freshness to the Newbridge front-row, but via excellent approach play by full-back Hugh O’Sullivan, the outstanding McCaffrey secured his second try of the contest on 45 minutes.
With 34 points now separating the teams, it was perhaps understandable that Belvo’s intensity levels dropped off in the closing stages of the tie, and this did allow Newbridge to make more of an impact in attack. Indeed, they had a large spell of possession inside the opposition ’22’, and Jonathan Deane was particularly close to breaking free 49 minutes in.
NEWBRIDGE COLLEGE: Gavin Burke; Jonathan Deane, David Murphy, Caomhan Doolan, Colm Stapleton; Tim Murphy, Colm Doyle; Jordan Duggan, Robert Wynne, David Breen; Mike Joyce, Michael Dillon; Dylan Walker, Tom O’Neill, Patrick Ryan. Replacements: Ben Howlett for O’Neill (half-time), Niall Stapleton for Duggan (49), Cian Prendergast for Joyce, Robert Hyland for Doolan, Thomas Berney for Doyle (all 53), Ruairi Cleary for Deane (66), Michael Ryan for Breen, Patrick O’Brien for Walker (both 69).