Classic encounter goes to Blackrock

SCHOOLS RUGBY LEINSTER JUNIOR CUP FINAL Blackrock College 12 St Michael's College 10:THE BATTLE of the Rock road. An instant classic due to the manner victory was achieved, this captivating match will always be remembered for the heroics on both sides.

St Michael’s have now lost five successive Junior Cup finals. It is a depressing statistic but merely enhances the quality of player being continually produced by the Dublin 4 rugby nursery.

Blackrock made it 46 Junior titles yesterday and on this evidence the recent dip in senior success will not continue for much longer. The massive ’Rock pack looked poised to steamroll over their smaller opponents in the opening exchanges. The key for St Michael’s was to hang on in there during those intense opening assaults.

They achieved this, as it took Blackrock 15 minutes to score. After a lineout drive was held up over the try-line, flanker Oliver Jager powered over off the resulting scrum. Centre Ian Kinsley added the conversion and the favourites looked to be on their way. It seemed only a matter of time before they would obliterate a valiant defensive line.

Only problem was the St Michael’s backrow of Alex Penny, Cathal McGettigan and Max Deegan refused to buckle. The confrontational Oisín Joyce also made sure his presence was felt.

All the initial perceptions had to be readdressed, however, when Oisín O’Meara intercepted an ill-advised pass back into the Blackrock 22 after 21 minutes. Winger Johnny Redmond did well to catch O’Meara just before the line but the pair of them rolled over allowing referee Ed Kenny to award the try.

Matthew Gilsenan added the conversion and another penalty just before the interval after a sustained period of pressure by St Michael’s to leave it 10-7 at the turn. The notable size difference up front no longer seemed to matter as doubts were clearly seeping into the Blackrock boys’ collective mindset. Only some decent cover tackling denied winger Will Butler a second St Michael’s try.

Gilsenan was off target with another penalty early in the second half but Blackrock had already reacted to the malaise by refreshing their frontrow as well as adding centre Davin Glynn to the fray in an attempt to bring their superior strength in depth to bear on the contest.

The suspicion always lingered that the power of captain Nicholas Timoney, Jager and David O’Connor would make enough headway for the likes of fullback Zach O’Hagan to cut loose.

But the Blackrock pack rejected that option, with carries from Dane Fitzpatrick and Hugo Kean followed by impressive continuity play by Eoin Fanning dragging matters just inches shy of the St Michael’s line. With scrumhalf Tristan Brady directing affairs, and electing not to move it wide, Timoney was eventually shunted over by several team-mates.

Blackrock had a two-point lead with 20 minutes to play. The next score would be decisive. It never came. Despite decent lineout ball coming off Blackrock lock Jack Dwan, St Michael’s disrupted attempts to maul their way home and even orchestrated a drop goal attempt for Gilsenan.

It was wide but the more matters went on like this the more likely they would engineer a winning score in the closing stages.

Timoney was awesome throughout; constantly carrying over the gainline or halting the threat of the St Michael’s midfield, where O’Meara was joined by the impressive Adam Leavy, younger brother of Irish schools’ flanker Dan. The inevitable late charge came primarily through O’Meara and then Leavy before Gilsenan was held up short by Jager, who injured himself in the act of denying a certain try.

Blackrock were eventually rewarded with a relieving penalty, which didn’t find touch, presenting St Michael’s with one last opportunity. The penalty to win it came when Blackrock defenders didn’t roll out of the tackle but Gilsenan’s decent injury-time strike drifted to the left. It happens like that sometimes; a team’s best player is usually the one who puts himself in that position. Yesterday, it went the other way.

BLACKROCK COLLEGE: Z O'Hagan; J Redmond, J O'Hehir, I Kinsley, D Coughlan; J Power, T Brady; S Lynch, G Moylan, E Holland; J Dwan, D O'Connor; O Jager, E Fanning, N Timoney (capt). Replacements: D Fitzpatrick for S Lynch, H Kean for G Moylan, D Glynn for J O'Hehir (all half-time), D O'Mahony for D Coughlan (62 mins), C O'Dwyer for O Jager (68 mins).

ST MICHAEL'S COLLEGE: G Duffy; K Victory, A Leavy, O O'Meara, W Butler; M Gilsenan, S Smith; O Joyce, J O'Connell, H Redmond; C Cregan, J Ryan; A Penny, C McGettigan. Replacements: D Duggan for S Smith (59 mins), L Bradbury for H Redmond (63 mins).

Referee: E Kenny(ARLB).