Terenure play to strengths

LEINSTER SCHOOLS' SENIOR CUP: Terenure College 10 St Mary's College 3  THE BEST thing about boring matches is they eventually reach a conclusion. Not that Terenure will care, having ground down St Mary's in wintry conditions yesterday to set up a first final between Leinster's most successful rugby schools since 2001.

Now they face the greatest test of their young rugby playing lives as overwhelming favourites Blackrock await in the St Patrick’s Day decider at the RDS Showgrounds.

Terenure retain more than a fighting chance of capturing an 11th title after a six-year drought. They are strong in all the right places, with most of their primary possession coming from the towering lineout pairing of captain Robert Duke and Cathal Deans.

They experienced edgy moments and the normally peerless Deans did struggle to control slippery ball but when it was needed to break the St Mary’s early spirit, twice he soared into the air to pick off attacking lineouts. This platform allows the intelligent half-back partnership of Kevin O’Neill and outhalf James Thornton to impose themselves on a game. Thornton remains the name up in lights but O’Neill’s awareness proved just as crucial.

Having dominated territory and large chunks of possession in the opening 35 minutes all Terenure needed to do was tack on some points. Thornton missed with two penalties, the first glanced off the post, yet his kicking from hand remained impressive.

But as the half wore on St Mary’s grew in confidence, although needlessly running from deep within their 22 as they struggled for any sort of foothold. O’Neill is blessed with the ability to take the right option and he noticed the St Mary’s back three were stretched entering first-half injury-time, duly box-kicking to the corner where retreating winger Neal Flynn was forced to concede a five-metre scrum.

When possession was shifted into midfield Ross Williamson showed serious power to stay on his feet and rumble over with the help of the supporting cast. Thornton ensured a seven-point lead at the interval.

Terenure have the competition’s best halfbacks but the midfield battle between Williamson and Dominic O’Dowd against Blackrock centres Karl Curran and Brendan Macken should provide some wincing collisions.

Terenure were severely restricted by the weather, showing immense discipline to persevere with a conservative game plan that denied St Mary’s any space. Basically, Thornton has a kicking game that will continually punish any team on a fine day. Four minutes into the second half he appeared to settle matters when slotting a drop goal after Deans delivered more clean possession.

St Mary’s refused to buckle and engineered a kickable penalty 12 minutes later after the Terenure defence crept offside. Scrumhalf Simon O’Donnell made it a one score deficit but any chance of a complete revival was impeded by their massive error count.

St Mary’s had other chances, opting to kick for touch instead of reducing arrears to four points with 15 minutes remaining. But from that lineout, Terenure’s prototype openside flanker Ciarán Shanahan deserved the multiple back-slaps after getting over the tackler and remaining upright. Thornton relieved the pressure.

St Mary’s never really showed, despite six returning players from last year’s final, as the ultra-solid opposing midfield continually forced them into errors or down passages that led to turnover ball.

This was how it ended. Despite a heroic lineout steal by number eight Mark Fallon, the ball would not stick under Terenure pressure with Shanahan’s fellow backrowers Adam Clarkin and Eoin Joyce getting through a mountain of hard labour.

Scoring sequence– 35 mins: R Williamson try, 5-0; J Thornton conv, 7-0  Half-time.39: J Thornton pen, 10-0; 51: S O'Donnell pen, 10-3.

TERENURE COLLEGE:J O'Donoghue; C Kelly, D O'Dowd, R Williamson, S Lowe; J Thornton, K O'Neill; P McCormack, S Reid, R Burdock; R Duke (capt), C Deans; A Clarkin, C Shanahan, E Joyce. Replacements: G O'Doherty for C Deans (19-22 mins, blood).

ST MARY'S COLLEGE:D O'Halloran; N Flynn, M Walsh, K Grumley Traynor, E Moriarty; D Fitzgerald, S O'Donnell; G Gallivan, D Callinan, N Croke; R Lennon (capt), L Curran; B O'Connell, G Blackburn, M Fallon. Replacements: H Norton for N Flynn, E Farrell for D O'Halloran (both 60 mins).

Referee:A Rogan (ARLB).