Christians' weather the storm

CBC CORK...11 PBC CORK...8:In time-honoured tradition, there was only a kick between them. For keeping an utterly absorbed crowd of 7,000 on tenderhooks until the end credit must go to a gutsy Presentation side that had seemed dead and buried at one point, but ultimately Christians' rode the storm with impressive calm to regain the Coca Cola Munster Schools' Senior Cup.

Despite a sun-drenched day at Musgrave Park and a hard pitch, a tricky, blustery wind played havoc with the respective kicking games. Dave McHugh, refereeing his first Munster Schools' Senior Cup final, also ensured there was a fair contest at the breakdown, and coupled with the ferocious commitment on both sides this contributed to the high turnover count.

Yet there were few penalties and for all the local rivalry, it couldn't have been played in a better spirit. It was also an absorbing contest and, as invariably the case between these two schools, it went right down to the wire.

Peter Melia, the Christians' head coach, admitted it was far too nail-biting for him to actually enjoy. "History shows that it's never over against Pres. In the final five years ago we were 17-3 up and it finished 27-22," Melia recalled.

"It was a very satisfying result today in that this Christians' team were beaten by Pres in the Junior final three years ago and it's actually the first time that this Christians team of under-18s has actually won a trophy outright.

"They've been in every final but lost them all. Always the bridesmaids, never the brides, until today."

For his counterpart, Ian O'Leary, defeat must have been harder to take given his son, talented scrum-half David, had been one of those who had given his all.

"It was a smashing game played between two committed sides. When they went 11-0 up it looked like we had no chance but we fought back to 11-8 and the game was there for the taking, but in the last 10 minutes Christians played a good game. I thought they were a little better under pressure and small things win these sort of matches."

With five of the Munster pack in their ranks, Christians were also stronger in contact, and no-one led from the front or made more hard yards than captain Ross Noonan. Their well-regarded backrow also got going when the game was at its toughest, flankers Michael Essex and Billy Holland growing stronger as the match wore on.

Duncan Williams, a classy player whose speed was largely kept under wraps here, and Eamon Ronan, were polished performers at half-back. Inside centre Karl Mitchell was a brick wall in defence, a strong runner and able kicker, while the composure and kicking of full back Michael John Ahern and winger Gavin Blower were major factors in their territorial supremacy.

Yet the exchanges didn't quite pan out as expected, with the lighter Pres pack going toe to toe with their bigger opponents. Flanker and captain Ruaíri Geoghegan was everywhere, David Daly and Donal Long never took a backward step, and lock Chris Kennefick contributed hugely in the loose while coping adroitly with intense pressure in the line-outs as his team's primary ball-winner.

Their backs were laced with talented runners, such as outhalf Evan Ryan, and full-back David Kingswton, and into the first half wind, they'd asked more defensive questions of their opponents.

Long and Daly had combined superbly off the base of a scrum before the latter was hauled down by Ahern, and Ryan linked with Alex Kelleher before Kingston was stopped short off the next recycle.

Pres were the more willing to end the aerial pingpong, Geoghegan, Long and Ryan counter-attacking cleverly from deep, but similarly, clean breaks by Kingston and Ryan later on came to nothing for lack of support against a Christians defence that were always quick to regroup. It was the story of the half for Pres, as, by comparison, strong running by Mitchell led in turn to a well-struck penalty and drop goal by Ronan, and Christians stretched their lead after the break when Essex went blind off an attacking ruck, taking two tackles and offloading to put James O'Hanlon over in the corner.

However, Pres responded magnificently, attacking wide off a scrum for the nimble-footed Edward Mills to dance through and from the ensuing platform their pack had the temerity to maul over the line, the hard-working Brian Barry deserving his try.

The comeback was truly on when Geoghegan's rumble led to a close-range penalty by Tom Gleeson, but thereafter Christians rolled up their sleeves and kept Pres at arm's length until withstanding another close-range maul in injury time. They held their nerve and their discipline, and amid riotous celebrations, deserved to grap hold of the Cup minutes later.

Scoring sequence: 23 mins Ronan pen 3-0; 39 mins Ronan drop goal 6-0; (half-time 6-0); 39 mins O'Hanlon try 11-0; 47 mins Barry try 11-5; 52 mins Gleeson pen 11-8.

CBC CORK: MJ Aherne; J O'Hanlon, J McCarthy, K Mitchell, G Blower; E Ronan, D Williams; D Hurley, J Kerins, R Hasson, R Noonan (capt), E Mackey, B Holland, J Harte, M Essex. Replacements (not used): N Finneran, G Keane, B Shannon, A Kelly, A Ryan, B O'Keefe, D Keohane.

PBC CORK: D Kingston; F Dennehy, T Gleeson, A Kelleher, E Mills; E Ryan, D O'Leary; M Gately, J Moynihan, B Barry, C Kenefick, S Clinch, D Daly, D Long, R Geoghegan. Replacements: D Prendergast for Long (67 mins), (not used) F Moynihan, J Sommerfield, S Cronin, Dan O'Connell, David O'Connell, K McCarthy.

Referee: D McHugh (IRFU).