Leinster Junior Cup quarter-final / St Mary's College 13 Terenure College 5: Despite the initial getting-to-know-you period, St Mary's College held a firm grip over matters in yesterday's Leinster School's Junior Cup quarter-final at Donnybrook.
It was a credit to Terenure College that they stayed in touch throughout.
Terenure's failure to register a single point in the second half proved their undoing.
The game was lost during a St Mary's 15-minute purple patch in the second half, which yielded a try from Niall Sheedy and a smartly-taken drop goal by out-half Conor Breen.
The first try-scoring opportunity actually fell to Terenure when Conor Allen's pace took him clear in the second minute. He was denied a great individual effort by a last-gasp tackle from Eoin Lynagh. It was a sufficient scare. The Rathmines school denied the dangerous centre any further room.
St Mary's responded by taking the lead with Ray Crotty slotting a penalty from in front of the posts in the 17th minute.
However, Terenure went in at the break 5-3 in front thanks to a try from flanker Keith Kane.
It had been coming for a while. Allen twice tested the defence, while his centre partner Paul Early was just held up short before Kane finally powered over the line.
St Mary's wasted little time in replying. With the second half barely a minute old, winger Sheedy outpaced a stagnant defence to collect a chip over the top and touch down near the posts. Ray Crotty converted and the momentum had changed irrevocably.
Terenure had a chance to reduce arrears but outhalf Terry Jones was inches wide with his penalty attempt.
Jones did make a good break up the middle but the ball was quickly turned over and the relieving punt from Breen sent play deep into Terenure territory.
It was Breen who then stretched the St Mary's lead to eight points, with the drop goal, created by an incisive run into the 22 by full-back Stephen Walsh.
The platform Breen was afforded by his pack gave him time to strike the pivotal points of the afternoon.
Terenure continued to press but the need to score twice proved too big a task. However, even with the game clearly up, pride cajoled them forward in search of the line. Gutsy scrumhalf Richard O'Neill constantly drove his forwards on but the Shane Timmons-led St Mary's responded aggressively to every question asked of them.
St Mary's will play the winners of today's High School versus Newbridge College match on March 8th. A place in the final, possibly an all-Holy Ghost affair against Blackrock College, now looks a distinct possibility.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 17 mins: R Crotty pen, 3-0; 32 mins: K Kane try, 3-5; 36 mins: N Sheedy try, 8-5; Crotty conv, 10-5; 45 mins: C Breen drop-goal, 13-5.
TERENURE COLLEGE: S McGrath; G Buckley, C Allen, D Newe, D Byrne; T Jones, R O'Neill; C Wrafter, N McDonagh, I Morley; S Noblett, G Costello; C Fitzgerald, K Kane, S McCann. Replacements: B Ledger for S Noblett (17 mins); A Buckeridge for Fitzgerald (42 mins); R McCarthy for Morley (44 mins).
ST MARY'S COLLEGE: S Walsh; N Sheedy, R Crotty, P Early, E Lynagh; C Breen, D Beirne; M McKay, S Culligan, R Shaffrey; B Shortt, D-O Mahon; P Gannon, N Croke, S Timmons. Replacements: H Lambert for Early (59 mins).
Referee: D Keane (ARLB).
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