Leinster Senior Cup quarter-final replay/ Kilkenny College 14 Blackrock College 13: The biggest shock in 120 years of the Leinster Schools Cup? Certainly of modern times.
Kilkenny were priced at 80 to 1 to win this competition at the outset, Blackrock 7 to 4. This kind of result is rare in rugby union, especially schools and positively when Blackrock are camped in their opponents' half for the closing 10 minutes.
It will be a long time before these young Kilkenny men fully comprehend the magnitude of this result. It may just be a glance from a team-mate on some far-flung university campus or, even sweeter, when meeting one of the Blackrock players 10, heck 20, years from now.
You see, the Leinster Schools Cup is controlled by an elite boys club. Membership is restricted to the cream of the rugby society. Kilkenny showed due respect to the defending champions but not an ounce of fear as they scrapped into the semi-finals in the most dramatic endgame this reporter has witnessed.
The story must begin in the 13th minute of injury-time. Yes, count them, 12 painstaking minutes had elapsed, mainly due to a shoulder injury to Kilkenny centre Gary Ryhnart, when Blackrock were handed the most fortunate get-out clause.
They had been bombarding an immensely solid defensive line all afternoon, but when flanker Ross Ronayne was hauled down just inside the 22, referee John Carvill showed no hesitation in penalising Kilkenny players for not staying on their feet.
It took three utterly distraught forwards several seconds to shift their exhausted bodies off the turf and track back 10 yards.
Ian Madigan had a penalty, 20 yards out, in front of the uprights. The Blackrock fullback pulled it left. Carvill ended the contest.
Kilkenny fullback Nevil Copeland, one of several leaders in this team, was the first of an astonished group of players to raise his arms in victory. The Rock team collapsed to the floor in disbelief.
Madigan is a quality footballer, an SCT player for three years, and to lay blame solely at his doorstep would be wrong. Blackrock collectively lost this replay. There were opportunities to put Kilkenny away in the 10-all draw two weeks ago, and tactically the wrong options were employed yesterday.
What the blueprint is for circumnavigating this awesome Kilkenny defence is now a conundrum St Michael's must unravel on March 6th.
Point being, Blackrock had enough possession to win this fixture three or four times over.
They even had added to their coaching think tank in the past fortnight with two AIL coaches, Tony Smeeth (Dublin University) and Peter Smyth (St Mary's), drafted in to assist.
The intensity of the opening exchanges set the tone for this extraordinary game, with all the pertinent questions being asked by a rampaging Kilkenny pack. After six minutes outhalf Craig Ronaldson crossed by the corner flag after a three-man overlap was utilised on the short side. Leinster under-19 lock Wesley Carter straightened before providing a perfectly weighted pass.
Ronaldson's conversion sneaked over the crossbar.
The pressure put on the Blackrock lineout, and especially at the breakdown to slow second-phase ball, meant chances to reply were few. Madigan did recover from an earlier miss to kick a penalty.
The Kilkenny restart didn't go 10 and Blackrock duly upped the pressure. Only for a massive Copeland tackle on Robert Johnson, the champions would have been leading at the break.
Still, they looked set to obliterate Kilkenny in the second half with Madigan and captain Shane Rogers making inroads before scrumhalf Conor Crowley squeezed over.
Kilkenny's immediate response won them the match. They earned a lineout close to the line, which Carter gathered. The maul was halted, but Kieran McArdle picked and drew two defenders before deftly offloading inside to captain Ben Horan, the game's outstanding player, who somehow forced his way over. Ronaldson nailed the conversion - 14-10.
Madigan reduced the deficit to a single point with a close-range penalty, but what followed must be recorded as a calamity of errors. Strangely, no one slipped into the pocket for a drop goal attempt late on.
Kilkenny have demanded a seat at the top table. St Michael's be warned: this Jeff Carter-coached team refuse to give an inch of territory without vicious resistance.
There are new colours in Leinster schools rugby, red and black. Hats off to Kilkenny.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6 mins: C Ronaldson try, 5-0; C Ronaldson conv, 7-0; 35: I Madigan pen, 7-3. Half-time. 36: C Crowley try, 7-8; I Madigan conv, 7-10; 39: B Horan try, 12-10; C Ronaldson conv, 14-10; 46: I Madigan pen, 14-13.
KILKENNY COLLEGE: N Copeland; B Braithwaite, S Yates, G Ryhnart, C Masterson; C Ronaldson, S Hemmingway; K McArdle, K Dagg, G Beattie; W Carter, J McAssey; M D'Alton, B Horan, T Dukelow. Replacements: G Dunne for K Dagg (46 mins), P Mahon for G Ryhnart (55 mins), P O'Morchoe for M D'Alton (68 mins), D Ryall for C Masterson (77 mins).
BLACKROCK COLLEGE: I Madigan; R Johnson, S Rogers, J Ronan, J-S Byrne; D Fitzpatrick, C Crowley; K Cahill, J Leyden, S Schuster; M Cawley, E Sheriff; R Ronayne, R Quigley, J Harris-Wright. Replacements: P McCormack for S Schuster (55 mins), T Parsons for R Quigley (75 mins).
Referee: J Carvill(ARLB).
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