SCHOOLS RUGBY: BANK OF IRELAND LEINSTER JUNIOR CUP FIRST ROUND
Higgins’ brace of tries helps Newbridge ease past Gorey
NEWBRIDGE COLLEGE…………………………………………………… 25
GOREY COMMUNITY SCHOOL…………………………………………. 15
By Daire Walsh
NEWBRIDGE College made a bright start to their Leinster Schools’ Junior Cup campaign at Kilbogget Park last Tuesday afternoon, when they secured a ten-point opening round victory over Gorey Community School.
The south Kildare school’s 2015 odyssey had ended with a heavy defeat to Gonzaga College at the first hurdle, but even though No 8 Jack Ryan was in outstanding form for their Wexford counterparts in Seapoint RFC, Newbridge’s superior firepower guided them towards a place in the last-eight of the competition.
As recently as 2012, Newbridge reached the final of the Junior Cup (when they suffered a 5-10 reversal to St Michael’s College), and with the likes of Jack Doyle and replacement Robert Scully returning from last year’s squad, they were hoping to progress against this season’s Fr Godfrey Cup finalists.
A strong break from outside centre Daniel O’Connor did offer them a foothold in the opposition half on two minutes, but with the wind at their backs, Gorey eventually soaked up this early pressure.
Indeed, after fly-half Mark Boyle opted for touch from a sixth-minute penalty, they eventually broke the deadlock. Sean Wafer had made some strong carries during the opening exchanges, and thanks to a powerful break by the aforementioned Ryan, the Newbridge line was ultimately breached at the end of a lengthy attacking spell from Gorey inside their ’22’.
This was a set-back for Newbridge, but following a wayward conversion attempt by Gorey’s Cian Kenny, parity was swiftly restored to the proceedings. In a similar vein to the breakthrough score, Doyle kicked towards the corner from a close-range place-kick, and when the play was transferred to the right-flank, hooker Bill Kavanagh powered through for a well-worked five-pointer.
Doyle was marginally wide of the mark from a tight-angle, but as the half progressed, it was clear that Newbridge were growing in confidence. Their line-out was extremely effective throughout the course of the action, and when the ball was recycled from an impressive set-piece on 23 minutes, Ethan Lyons and Daniel Caulfield combined to put David Higgins through for a magnificent unconverted try on the left-wing.
Newbridge were now in the ascendancy for the very first time, but even though excellent defensive work denied Gorey prop Ryan Gibney three minutes prior to the interval, the Slaneyside outfit crossed over for a second time through Nacho Farina on the half-hour mark.
This – as well as a missed Kenny bonus kick – meant that the sides were level (10-10) upon the resumption, and with a lot at stake, it came as little surprise that the play was a lot cagier in the third-quarter.
Gorey began the half on the front-foot, and although they didn’t quite possess a cutting edge in the final-third, the Newbridge rearguard employed a very disciplined approach close to their own posts.
The introduction of Robert Scully, Thomas Sheedy and Cormac Stopes provided fresh legs to the Newbridge pack, and from a routine Doyle penalty 48 minutes in, Newbridge regained the lead.
This looked like being a pivotal moment in the game, and thanks to further tries in the 53rd and 59th minutes respectively, Newbridge placed the outcome beyond any doubt. An extended spell inside the Gorey 22-metre-line produced a five-pointer for Scully, and this was supplemented by Higgins’ second touchdown six minutes later – via a perfectly-executed cross-field pass.
Doyle added to this earlier three-pointer by splitting the posts in magnificent style from the left-hand side – increasing Newbridge’s cushion to 15 points in the process.
The spirited Gorey did claim a late try from the exceptional Ryan deep into second-half stoppage-time, but it wasn’t enough to deny Newbridge a safe passage to the quarter-finals. Higgins’ brace of tries were certainly crucial for John Joyce’s charges on the day, but with their replacements bench making a strong impact upon their arrival to the field of play, there will be a healthy competition for places heading into their next encounter.
NEWBRIDGE COLLEGE: Sam Cahill; Marcus Kiely, Daniel O’Connor, Daniel Caulfield, David Higgins; Ethan Lyons, Jack Doyle; Zachary O’Reilly, Bill Kavanagh, Jack Ryan; Oisin Halpin, Fionnan Morrin; Mark Moynihan, Conor McGroary, Muiris Cleary.
Replacements: Harry Quirke for Kiely (14), Robert Scully for Cleary (34), Cormac Stopes for Ryan (43), Thomas Sheedy for McGroary (43), John Shanahan for Lyons (48), Patrick O’Flaherty for Morrin (62), Jordan Nolan for Caulfield (64).
GOREY COMMUNITY SCHOOL: Cian Kenny; Alvaro Onieva, Michael Kennedy, Oran Fitzpatrick, Flynn Donnelly; Mark Boyle, Cormac Wolohan-Walsh; Cian Sullivan, Adam Simpson, Ryan Gibney; Martin O’Loughlin, Pablo Onieva; Nacho Farina, Sean Wafer, Jack Ryan.
Replacements: Mark Kehoe for Kennedy (27), Matthew O’Brien for Fitzpatrick (55).
Referee: Duncan Duke (Leinster Rugby Referees).