Early tries pave way to success for Newbridge

Newbridge College 13 St Andrew’s College 5

Leinster League winners Newbridge locked down a Senior Cup semi-final on the back of tries from their two second rows Brian Larkin and Mike Joyce at Donnybrook yesterday.

A good start turned out to be more than half the battle as Larkin and Joyce contributed twice the value of what St Andrew’s could muster throughout the game.

First up, Larkin took a traditional route to glory.

Hooker Conor Johnson’s accuracy at the lineout on one side of the field led to another on the other side as Newbridge’s backline hummed quite nicely into tune.

Scrumhalf Colm Doyle sniffed out a half-break. Centre Jake Howlett knifed between two defenders. The pressure came. A penalty was conceded. The decision was ruthless.

Rampage over

Captain Jimmy O’Brien signaled to the corner. Johnson was right on the money again to the middle of the lineout. The quick shift of the point of attack created the space for lock Brian Larkin to rampage over for a fifth-minute try.

There was a sense that St Andrew’s did not expect this or were not on point to defend whatever came their way. The same thing happened in the 14th minute.

This time, Newbridge were going through their phases. The recycle was slow in coming back from a dead ruck. Joyce saw a parting of the blue and white sea and simply took off through the middle of the breakdown.

Wing Sean Ballance came across to cut down the lock and was turned by a neat sidestep by Joyce, who wheeled back to the left and into the left corner to make it 10-0 in the 14th minute.

St Andrew’s brought number eight Jonny Guy onto the ball too often and too deep to do real damage. Besides, Newbridge had two men waiting for him every time.

There could have been a sea-change in momentum when the Booterstown school orchestrated a swift move off a lineout for their lock Nick Hibberd to drive low and hard to the line in the 45th minute.

Newbridge didn’t have the answers when they came hard from a lineout for lock Nick Hibberd to drive low to the whitewash, halving the lead in the 45th minute.

But St Andrew’s couldn’t establish any consistent pressure. Instead Newbridge took control of the territory for half-back Doyle to ease them into a two-score lead via a 56th -minute penalty.

ST ANDREW'S COLLEGE: J McDonagh; S Ballance, P Sullivan, G Fearon (capt), S Smith; R Nicoll, J Black; R Bradley, L Judge, R O'Flaherty; B Ryan, N Hibberd, Z Henry, B Nolke, J Guy. Replacements: A Waller for Ryan ht; D Wilson for O'Flaherty (37 mins), C Sinnamon for Ballance (55 mins).

NEWBRIDGE COLLEGE: M Delaney; R Cleary, J Howlett, J O'Brien (capt), C Stapleton; T Murphy, C Doyle; J Duggan, C Johnson, D Breen, M Joyce, B Larkin, T O'Neill, R Buckley, P Ryan. Replacements: A Mahony for Joyce, D Culliton for Howlett (both 69 mins).

Referee: P Haycock, Leinster Branch.