RUGBY LEINSTER SCHOOLS' SENIOR CUP: Clongowes Wood College 13 The King's Hospital 5IT TOOK a try from right wing Aaron Thompson to guarantee Clongowes Wood College's safe passage into the quarter-final of the Leinster Senior Cup against a resolute, aggressive The King's Hospital on a heavy pitch at Barnhall RFC yesterday.
Clongowes centre Garret Ó Suilleabháin struck from distance for the lead, his second attempt, in the 18th minute on a day when scores were hard to come by.
From there on, a stalemate evolved with both sets of packs going hammer and thongs at each other with little give either side of the gain line. Then, Ó Suilleabháin booted his second for an indiscretion at the scrum for a 6-0 scoreline at the break.
Defences were on top in the second half and then, after Clongowes tighthead Ian Prendiville was held up over the line, the backline moved the subsequent scrum for Thompson to round the cover. Ó Suilleabháin converted.
Hospital’s Ireland Schools loose-head Des Merrey reached out a hand to intercept and accelerate away impressively from 40 metres for an unconverted try late on.
CLONGOWES WOOD COLLEGE: S MacAuley; O Ó Suilleabháin, W McGlade, G Ó Suilleabháin, A Thompson; D Quirke, D O'Meara; T Collis, E Lewis, I Prendiville, T Beirne, R Hynes (capt), S Burke, N McCarthy, C Gilsensan. Replacements: C O'Shea for Burke (26 mins, temp); J McMahon for McGlade (45 mins); E Byrne for Collis (47 mins); J Coughlan for Burke (59 mins); D Hayes for O'Meara (61 mins); N Jones for O Ó Suilleabháin 66 mins.
THE KING'S HOSPITAL: P O'Reilly; J O'Connor, D Potterton, M Slone, P McMillan; T Quigley, H Hevey; D Merrey, D McDonough-Kinkade, P Mullan, J Curran, J Hinde, T Satchwell (capt), B du Toit, L Satchwell. Replacements: S Fair-Brennan for Curran (65 mins); S Woods for McDonough-Kinkade (69 mins.
Referee: E Kenny (Leinster Branch).
