SCHOOLS RUGBY: LEINSTER SENIOR CUP FIRST ROUND
College turned on the style in magnificent win
NEWBRIDGE COLLEGE 36
PRESENTATION COLLEGE, BRAY 0
By Daire Walsh
NEWBRIDGE College turned on the style at Donnybrook Stadium last Wednesday afternoon to comfortably book their place in the Leinster Schools Senior Cup quarter-final at the expense of Presentation College, Bray.
Though their league meeting back in November suggested that this game would be a major test of their resolve, after Luke Maloney crossed the whitewash in the early stages of the contest, Newbridge were never truly in danger of conceding ground to their north Wicklow counterparts.
Superbly led by lock Cian Prendergast, Newbridge recorded five tries in a devastating team performance. They will now meet Belvedere College in the last-eight, who are chasing a third consecutive title at this grade.
Though they are expected to be rank outsiders for this game, based on this display alone, Niall Smullen’s charges are not to be underestimated.
Following their opening round defeats to St Mary’s College and Cistercian College Roscrea in the past two seasons, motivation was a key factor for Newbridge.
They had to withstand some early attacking pressure from Pres Bray, before eventually securing a penalty inside their own ’22’. This helped to lift the passionate ‘Bridge supporters, and with just under seven minutes gone on the clock, they were given further cause for celebration.
His initial break got Newbridge inside the Pres Bray half, and after they worked the ball through several phases of play, Maloney squeezed over for the game’s maiden score. The elusive out-half – a Kildare minor footballer in 2017 – was subsequently wide of the mark with a tricky conversion attempt on the left-hand side.
However, with their tails now up, it seemed like only a matter of time before Newbridge added to their advantage. A prolonged attack on 19 minutes found its way to blindside flanker Oisin Halpin – whose simple pass released Karmon Fitzgerald for a close-range dash over the line.
Maloney’s bonus kick was successful on this occasion and with 12 points now separating the sides, the onus was on Pres Bray to come at their south Kildare opponents. They finally had an opportunity to open their account on the half-hour mark, as Mick O’Gara stepped forward to the tee.
The inside centre is a cousin of Ireland’s Jonathan Sexton and Dublin GAA star Eoghan O’Gara, but although he got plenty of purchase on his kick, it dropped short of the target. This was a minor let-off for Newbridge – who ended the half in much the same vein as they started it.
Prendergast burst through a midfield gap and, at the end of a lung-bursting run, secured a converted try for his side. As a result, Newbridge brought a commanding 19-0 lead into the interval. There was reason for them to be wary, though, as their neighbouring school (Patricians) recovered from a similar position to claim the Pat Rossiter Cup crown six days earlier.
Yet, Pres Bray couldn’t develop any kind of go-forward ball, in spite of O’Gara and Ben Murphy’s best efforts. Indeed, it took Newbridge just eight minutes to extend their lead – Maloney coolly slotting between the posts from a distance of 30 metres.
Maloney was dictating the play in unison with half-back partner Jack Doyle (a talented gaelic footballer who played with the Kildare U17s last year), which ensured that a Pres Bray backlash never materialised.
An attempted clearance by the Newcourt side on 46 minutes was brilliantly blocked down, and Fitzgerald was on hand to register his second try of the action with relative ease. Maloney’s third conversion increased the gap 29 points with several minutes remaining, but Newbridge continued to press for scores inside the final-quarter.
Smullen waited until the closing moments of the tie to fully unload his replacements bench, though it was one of his back-up props that rounded off this impressive triumph. When Newbridge spread the ball into the wide channel six minutes from the end of normal time, Robert Scully dotted down in clinical style.
Maloney then split the posts to bring his personal haul up to 16 points – in front of the watchful eyes of the Leinster Academy coaches. Pres Bray persevered in the dying members of the second half, but a superb defensive shut-out eased Newbridge through to the next phase.
NEWBRIDGE COLLEGE: Donal Conroy; Con Creedon, Karmon Fitzgerald, Eimhin Conroy, Daniel O’Connor; Luke Maloney, Jack Doyle; Thomas Grant, Larry Kelly, Luke Rigney; Dylan Morrissey, Cian Prendergast; Oisin Halpin, Harry O’Neill, Muiris Cleary.
Replacements: Conor McGroary for O’Neill, Thomas Sheedy for E Conroy (both 53), Robert Scully for McGroary (56), Geoff McNelis for Kelly, Mark Moynihan for Halpin, Sam Cahill for Doyle, Ruairi Finan for Maloney, McGroary for Grant (all 65), John Shanahan for Fitzgerald (67).
PRESENTATION COLLEGE, BRAY: David Maloney; Aaron Walsh, Samuel O’Dowd, Michael O’Gara, Josh Pyper; Elliot Ryan, Ben Murphy; Keld Sredojevic, Tom Harbison, Ben Brady, Jack McGrath, Liam Lupton-Smith; Sam Graham, Callum McNulty, Joseph McLaughlin.
Replacements: Darren Magee for Brady (half-time), Brady for Sredojevic (56), Christopher Williams for Harbison (58), Ryan McDonald for McNulty (65), Niall Groves for Graham, Sean Roche for Murphy (both 68).
Referee: Glenn Sheridan (LRR).