Three-try Adi O’Donovan seals Roscrea victory over St Mary’s

Cistercian Roscrea 31 St Mary’s 14

Centre Adi Donovan was the hat-trick hero as Cistercian Roscrea became the first school to make it into the Junior Cup quarter-final by overpowering St Mary's at Donnybrook yesterday.

St Mary’s looked to their razor sharp Ruairi Shields for points in the first-half. He kicked three penalties in the 6th, 10th and 25th minutes.

The problem was Roscrea had the bigger, more powerful ball carriers in the likes of flanker Michael Milne and number eight Luke Rigney.

Roscrea’s centre Jay Culliton showed his soccer skills to latch onto a loose ball for the opening try against the run of play in the eight minute, and Rigney appeared two-out from a ruck close to the line for a bulldozing second in the 29th minutes and they led 14-9 at the half.

Donovan made it a 10- point gap in the 39th minute with his first try and added two more in 54th and 61st. In between, St Mary’s scrum- half Seán Bourke had stepped inside the fringe defence to score his side’s try.