RUGBY: LEINSTER SCHOOLS SENIOR CUP FIRST ROUND PREVIEW: NEWBRIDGE COLLEGE V PRESENTATION COLLEGE BRAY
By Daire Walsh
DONNYBROOK Stadium is expected to be a sea of black and white from 3pm tomorrow afternoon (31 Jan), as Newbridge College kick-start their Leinster Schools Senior Cup campaign against Presentation College Bray.
Since the draw was made for the competition at the Bank of Ireland in Dublin’s Grand Canal Square back in mid-December, Niall Smullen’s squad have had one goal in mind. After reaching the semi-final of the Senior Cup three years ago (where they were narrowly defeated by eventual champions Cistercian College Roscrea in a replay) Newbridge suffered consecutive first-round defeats to Belvedere College and St Mary’s College in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
The class of 2018 will be hoping to avoid a repeat display on the south Dublin venue’s 4G surface, and their recent form against the Wicklow school suggests they are capable of doing just that. When the two sides met the Leinster Schools Senior League quarter-final last November, Newbridge secured a narrow 17-15 triumph.
A Luke Maloney penalty was all they had to show for their first-half efforts (they trailed 10-3 at half-time), but thanks to tries from Luke Rigney and Muiris Cleary after the break, the College eventually squeezed past Pres Bray.
Their league campaign ended at the semi-final stage to Gonzaga College in Donnybrook on December 7, but Smullen and his coaches were able to take solace from the spirited fightback that reduced the margin of defeat to 12 points (24-12).
Indeed, whereas Newbridge will fancy their chances of toppling the Newcourt men, Gonzaga have already been eliminated from the Cup. They produced a gallant effort against Belvedere College on Sunday, before the defending champions eventually advanced to the quarter-finals.
With 14 players returning from last year’s squad, a highly motivated and experienced Newbridge side will take to the field tomorrow. Cian Prendergast started alongside Harry O’Neill and Patrick Ryan in the back-row for their 2017 reversal to Mary’s, but featured prominently as a lock during the recent provincial league.
He is expected to be joined in the second-row by Dylan Morrissey – one of four players in the pack that will be embarking on their second consecutive campaign in the Senior Cup. Karmon Fitzgerald and Luke Maloney will once again occupy the pivotal outside centre and out-half positions, while hooker Larry Kelly has been elevated to the starting line-up after appearing as a replacement 12 months ago.
With representative honours for the Ireland U18s, Prendergast is an ideal choice as skipper for this year’s cup odyssey. He also captained the Leinster underage side in their recent interprovincial series, where he was joined by Bray duo Ben Murphy and Mick O’Gara. An inside centre with a prolific goal-kicking ratio, O’Gara (a cousin of both Johnny Sexton and Dublin footballer Eoghan O’Gara) has a strong understanding with Murphy and Ireland U18 sevens star Elliot Ryan. The last meeting between the schools at this grade was back in 2012, and it was every bit as tense as their recent league encounter. A Newbridge side featuring current Munster Academy prop JP Phelan – as well as Kildare GAA attacker Chris Healy – led deep into stoppage-time in an absorbing first-round fixture at Templeville Road.
Yet, when a last-gasp Dermot Masterson penalty squeezed over the posts, it was Pres Bray who progressed. While this may not be an omen of what is to come, it would be no surprise if their latest clash also went down to the wire.