SCHOOLS RUGBY LEINSTER SENIOR CUP/ St Mary's College 22 CBC Monkstown 10: NOTHING CAN adequately prepare a team unused to the do-or-die scenario of a Cup match in Donnybrook.
The St Mary's "veterans" Jack McGrath, Darren Hudson and Ray Crotty were not prepared to end a third Schools campaign in defeat.
So, the old order prevailed. The most disappointing aspect was CBC Monkstown did not show their full capabilities here, but for that the opposition can take credit.
This well rounded St Mary's outfit produced a textbook display of intelligent, ruthless rugby as they discovered the means to overcome what had been described as the greatest ever CBC side.
They nullified an all-Leinster backrow and centre pairing that include some of the most promising young talent in the underage system. By constantly getting the likes of Ronan Lennon in the air, they destroyed the Monkstown lineout and cleverly wheeled the scrum to significantly curtail the impact of number eight Michael Noone.
Coaches David Breslin, Rodney O'Donnell and David Dunne certainly did their homework.
The outstanding performance of this years competition was CBC's 30-3 demolition of the defending champions, St Michael's, in the quarter-finals. It counts for little this morning as they were unable to replicate that standard.
Monkstown's best ever chance to emulate the 1976 Cup-winning team has slipped away. And what must really rankle is they should have had matters sown up by half-time.
Confusion reigned just before kick-off as coach Conor Montayne attempted to approach the referee Mark Gargan. His team had the wind at their backs but, after winning the toss, elected to play in the opposite direction. Gargan disagreed and the contest began.
They did register the only points of the opening 35 minutes through fullback Chris O'Brien (who riskily drop-kicked every penalty and conversion) after St Mary's were penalised for not rolling away after 24 minutes, but three clear try-scoring opportunities went untaken.
A deliberate knock-on by Crotty cut off a three-man overlap, a marvellous cover tackle by right wing Ian O'Neill forced an error, and, moments later, Gary Foley and Noone were pulled back for crossing.
The O'Neill intervention was a seminal moment. The CBC captain, Shane Grannell, rampaged through midfield from deep in his own half but just as he lowered his big frame beside the posts the tiny winger arrived with a once-in-a-lifetime hit. Grannell knocked on.
Blue-shirted bodies lying over the ball was a constant feature of this contest. It starved CBC of the quick ruck ball required to get a rhythm into their high-tempo, offloading game.
St Mary's, like Belvedere and Clongowes last Sunday, play Cup rugby. It's occasionally more streetwise than entertaining but it wins games.
They eventually cranked their maul into gear and five minutes after the break crossed for the first of three tries. Centre Maurice Walsh was the beneficiary after poor defence and decent build-up play by captain Richard Bent.
The CBC restart went straight into touch and thereafter they barely left their 22 until the last minute of normal time.
Darragh Fitzgerald finally found his range to make it 8-3 before a stalemate descended over Donnybrook. That CBC continually attempted to bludgeon through a well organised defence had a certain inevitability about it.
Their lineout continued to malfunction - the loss of secondrow Richard Ivers to injury didn't help, nor did the 11th hour withdrawal of prop Shane Gould - but it was the work of St Mary's forwards like Bent, Robbie Field and Jack McGrath that denied any oxygen for an effective continuity game.
With three minutes remaining on the Wesley clock St Mary's won a penalty five metres out. They opted for a scrum. Bent was held up short. Field picked next, dragging in several big tacklers to allow the prop Robert Ferris burrow over. Fitzgerald's conversion made it 15-3.
CBC's reaction must be applauded as Foley forced his way over in injury-time and O'Brien's conversion made it a five-point game.
They came again but a knock-on by Steve Boucher saw Bent make yardage up the blindside off the resulting scrum. His perfectly timed reverse pass sent O'Neill racing clear for a try that guaranteed a March 16th date with Belvedere at the RDS: a repeat of the 2002 final that St Mary's won 10-6.
The 2008 Cup may well be won in the video room. A cracking chess match of a final awaits.
Scoring sequence: 24 mins: C O'Brien pen, 0-3; 41: M Walsh try, 5-3; 49: D Fitzgerald pen, 8-3; 68: R Ferris try, Fitzgerald con, 15-3; 71: G Foley try, O'Brien con, 15-10; 76: I O'Neill try, Fitzgerald con, 22-10.
ST MARY'S COLLEGE: D Hudson; I O'Neill, M Walsh, P Finnegan, R Crotty; D Fitzgerald, S O'Donnell; J McGrath, W Andreucetti, R Ferris; O McGill, R Field; R Lennon, B O'Connell, R Bent (capt).
CBC MONKSTOWN: C O'Brien; N Rogers, G Foley, K Jenkinson, S Roberts; A Ging, S O'Connor; R Kearney, D Lewis, D Graham; R Ivers, S Flood; S Grannell (capt), S Boucher, M Noone. Replacements: J Fitzsimons for Ivers (40 mins); P Crown for Kearney (48 mins); B Lyons for Lewis (70 mins).
Referee: M Gargan(ARLB).
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