TWO second-half tries within three minutes from Ian Murphy and kicking ace Ray Nyland, guaranteed Lansdowne a comeback from an 18-3 half-time deficit to overturn Old Belvedere in this under-19 McCorry Cup semi-final at Lakelands Park yesterday.
Two tries from Old Belvedere right-wing David Keogh, and two penalties from near half-way by captain Greg McWilliams, were the key to Old Belvedere's halftime lead. But when Murphy and Nyland went over in the 38th and 41st minutes, Lansdowne knew they had time and momentum on their side. It was left to Nyland to kick four penalties and see Lansdowne into the final.
NAAS captured the Irish Shell-sponsored Gale Cup for the first time with a 13-5 win over Mullingar in the Donnybrook final yesterday.
Naas scored their only try deep in injury time to give the final scoreline a flattering look. They owed this victory to their resilient defence and the accurate line-kicking of out-half Jim Ferris.
For long periods they found themselves under pressure from a Mullingar pack that out-rucked the pre-match favourites. How ever, Mullingar failed to make use of that dominance, particularly in the second quarter.
After a lacklustre start, the game came alive in the 17th minute when Mullingar full-back, Patty Rouse, scored under the posts after possession had been gained by Oliver Kirby from a line-out on the Naas 22.
Crucially, the simple conversion was missed and although Mullingar continued to enjoy the better of the exchanges, they failed to turn that dominance into scores.
