Newbridge make final date

LEINSTER JUNIOR CUP/Newbridge College 14 Terenure College 3:NEWBRIDGE COLLEGE will be bidding to win their first Leinster Schools Junior Cup since 1950 on Sunday week when they take on St Michael's College.

They will do so with a dangerous backline which hinges around the creative skills of their outhalf and captain, Jimmy O’Brien.

He was the source behind fullback Ruairí Cleary’s sweet try in the 15th minute. Left wing Gavin Burke converted to make amends for an earlier penalty miss.

This was the signal for Terenure to begin to apply pressure. An infringement at ruck time gave their number eight Lorcan O’Dea a chance to reduce the deficit to 7-3 in the 18th minute, which he duly took.

The interval came and went with neither side able to dominate. Newbridge hooker Tom O’Neill and centre Rob Buckley were to the fore, the latter scything down Terenure’s Sam O’Shea when a try looked on in the 47th minute.

Openside Rory Murray and O’Dea carried the fight for Terenure, but Cleary’s kick and 50-metre chase gave Newbridge the territory they were crying out for in the final 10 minutes.

Not content to sit on their lead, number eight Ciarán Callan shot off the back of a scrum and centre Jake Howlett took a clever crash ball home, using O’Brien as a decoy on the drift, for a try, converted by Burke, to make it 14-3 in the 54th minute.

NEWBRIDGE: R Cleary; G Burke, J Howlett, R Buckley, J Healy; J O’Brien (capt), M Delaney; M Doyle, T O’Neill, O Larkin, P Condon, P Morrin, O Kelly, L Menton, C Callan. Replacements: A O’Mahony for Morrin, L Farrell for Delaney, both 58 mins.

TERENURE: G O’Reilly; J O’Sullivan, S O’Shea, T O’Donoghue, O Shortt; M Haddock, P O’Hare; J Mullarkey, E Wigglesworth, S Stanley, J Teehan-Burke, J Dignam, S Owens, R Murray (capt), L O’Dea. Replacements: P Tonge for Mullarkey (34 mins); D Kerr for O’Sullivan, H Kavanagh for O’Shea (both 54 mins).

Referee: D Blake (Leinster Branch).