Newbridge College's Paul Noble exacted sweet revenge for last year's defeat by King's Hospital when claiming all his team's points in yesterday's Leinster Schools' Senior League final at Donnybrook.
In doing so he provided a timely boost for the Kildare school in advance of the Senior Cup.
But they had to work for it. Traditionally, King's Hospital's strength has always been the forwards. This year is no different. The way Richard Milligan, Jonathan Wills, Peter Bagnall, and Ross Darlington forced turnovers, ripped into Newbridge around the fringes and shunted them back in the tackle spoke volumes for the smaller, but more aggressive, King's Hospital side. Indeed, when out-half Hugh Geoghegan found Michael Dwyer with a long miss pass that the brave centre turned into a try in the 49th minute - Geoghegan converted - Hospital jumped into a 10-6 lead. This had followed much Newbridge pressure and lesser sides might have caved in.
While Newbridge dominated territorially, this match had a similar trend to last year's final. Then too Newbridge applied themselves. King's Hospital soaked it up and hit on the break.
But, out-half Patrick Noble was not about to let the situation get to him. Two expertly struck penalties took the sting from King's Hospital and it was Noble who took the ball at pace two minutes into injury time to finally breach the losers' line in an outstanding performance.
Newbridge College: R Murphy; P Jenkins, P Byrne, B Guckian, F Drake-Lee; P Noble, A Guckian; D Kenneally, G De Bruir, N Hughes; T Gibson, T Buckley; H Hegarty, J Roche, J O'Sullivan.
King's Hospital: D Watkins; E Bolton, B McGeever, M Dwyer, D Lyons; H Geoghegan, N Geoghegan; R Milligan, D Murphy, B Curran; R Darlington, T Lennon; J Wills, J Bagnall, P Gibson. Replacements: R Sheridan for Dwyer (temp) nine mins; R Higgins for Darlington 64 mins.
Referee: A Baird (ARLB).
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