St Gerard's show flair in attack

St Gerard's - 27, CUS - 0: The scoreline rang true at Stradbrook yesterday with St Gerard's well worth their victory. Fifteen points ahead at half-time, they never relinquished control of a game that was high on quality.

They attacked in short, sharp bursts making it hard for CUS to regroup but overall they had plenty of attacking outlets. Daniel Shanahan proved a good poacher in the lineout while forwards Kevin Durkan and Niall Chauberg added dynamism up front.

Playing into a strong breeze in the first half, CUS struggled and resultant kicks into open space were returned emphatically by the St Gerard's full back Mark Campbell. Nonetheless CUS defended well early on with Mark Browne and Eoin Kennedy putting in combined tackles to stop an early St Gerard's offensive.

Outhalf Shane Canavan had put St Gerard's in front early on with a well-struck penalty and then came their first try on 11 minutes from Durkan. Canavan added the conversion.

It was the St Gerard's pace which was to unhinge CUS for the second time. Mark Moran combined with wing-forward Aidan McGlinchey and the final pass went to scrumhalf Alan Scanlon who, having kicked ahead, managed to win the chase to the line to score in the corner on 24 minutes.

CUS captain Morgan Hynes was forced to retire with a damaged shoulder a minute later to leave CUS with a depleted back row but they nonetheless managed to stem the tide for a brief period in the second period.

Inevitably though St Gerard's sewed things up with two tries, Shanahan's endeavour seeing front-row Tony O'Kane over just left of the posts. And in the final action Phelim O'Neill scored under the posts which Canavan duly converted.

ST GERARD'S: M Campbell; G Ginty, M Moran, P O Neill, R Burgess; S Canavan, A Scanlan; T O'Kane, L Sinagoga, D Kinsella, D Shanahan, K Durkan, A McGlinchey, S Johnson, N Chauberg.

Replacements: S Saves for Ginty 45 mins.

CUS: J Fraher; E Kennedy, F Brady, M Browne, B Veale; G Ayers, B Williams; A Tobin, R Fitzpatrick, J O'Callaghan, D Kevlin, D Walsh, B Field, K Naughton, M Hynes. Replacements: R Ganty Barnwall for Ginty 25 mins; P Lawless for Fitzpatrick 45 mins; S Quirke for Walsh 45 mins; D Heeney for Tobin 60 mins; B Ormsby for Browne 65 mins; A Hendrick for Kennedy 65 mins.

Referee: B Cullen (ARLB).