Belvo put to the test in Leinster Schools Senior Cup opener against St Mary’s

Tries from Eoghan Rutledge, Jed Tormey and Daniel Hawkshaw secured the win for the 12-time champions.

Belvedere College 17
St Mary’s College 13

Daire Walsh reports from Donnybrook

BELVEDERE COLLEGE HELD off the spirited display of St Mary’s College to advance past the first-round stage of the Leinster Schools Senior Cup.

Despite being firm favourites to progress, Belvo didn’t have it all their own way against the gallant Rathmines side. Nonetheless, tries courtesy of Eoghan Rutledge, Jed Tormey and Daniel Hawkshaw – brother of Leinster Academy star David – ultimately secured a last-eight spot for the 12-time champions.

After scrum-half Jack Lundy edged their opponents in front with a sixth-minute penalty, Belvo suffered a fresh setback when Rutledge was sin-binned for a heavy tackle on Matthew O’Shea.

Belvo remained resolute during his absence, however, and the flanker’s return coincided with the temporary dismissal of Mary’s out-half Daragh Gilbourne.

This helped the North Dubliners to establish attacking momentum for the first time and while Mary’s offered an initial resistance, the rejuvenated Rutledge dotted down in clinical fashion just shy of the half-hour mark.

Tormey subsequently pounced for his side’s second try in time added on, and with Dylan O’Grady adding a conversion, Belvo were 12-3 ahead at the break.

They looked primed to push on from this point, but instead Mary’s reignited their challenge on the restart. Following a blistering run down the right wing, Robert Nolan cut inside for a superb individual try underneath the Belvo posts.

Lundy comfortably supplied the extras to leave Mary’s within touching distance of their capital rivals. However, Belvo never panicked and the Great Denmark Street side reasserted their authority on the third-quarter mark.

Following a sweeping attack across the Mary’s defence, Hawkshaw bagged an unconverted score on the right-hand side.

Another Lundy three-pointer ensured Mary’s remained in contention late on, but it was Belvedere College who prevailed at the end of a compelling affair.

Belvedere College scorers:

Tries: Eoghan Rutledge, Jed Tormey, Daniel Hawkshaw
Conversions: Dylan O’Grady [1 from 2], Jed Tormey [0 from 1]

St Mary’s College scorers:

Tries: Robert Nolan
Conversions: Jack Lundy [1 from 1]
Penalties: Jack Lundy [2 from 2]

BELVEDERE COLLEGE: Dylan O’Grady (Eoin MacAdaimh ’36); Simon Murphy (William Finnegan ’47), Daniel Hawkshaw, Jed Tormey (Peter O’Farrell ’58), James Dillon; Finn McCarrick, Jack MacNiece (captain); Jonathan Sargent, Cal Marrey, Hugh Flood; Eoghan Murphy, Brian Bolger (Ben McCabe ’40); Darragh Coan (Hugo McPeake ’53), Eoghan Rutledge (Donnchadh McCarthy ’61), Jonathan Ross.

ST MARY’S COLLEGE: Gregory Monaghan; Ross Moore (Kieran Ryan ’48), Robert Nolan, Max Svejdar, Louis Moore (John Brennan ’58); Daragh Gilbourne, Jack Lundy; Jack Reidy Walsh (Andrew Gibbons ’48), Matthew Black, Adam Mulvihill; Louis McGauran (Hugo Massey ’61), Daniel Leane; John Kennedy, JohnLuc Carvill, Matthew O’Shea.

Referee: Dermot Blake.