Sport

Bradley's reign off to a winning start

Ireland Under-21... 27 Irish Colleges..

Mon Dec 23 2002 - 00:00

Ireland Under-21 ... 27 Irish Colleges ... 0:  Former Ireland scrumhalf Michael Bradley's first game in charge of the Ireland under-21 side was a winning one at Stradbrook on Saturday.

But for all their possession the under-21s led by only 5-0 at the break. Full back Tommy Bowe beat the Irish Colleges cover in the sixth minute.

Mistakes in the wet conditions prevented the expected landslide. Outhalf David McAllister struck a penalty on the resumption and a brace of tries from left wing Richard Lane, both converted by McAllister, ended the hopes of a Colleges comeback.

The last word went to replacement number eight Michael McComish, on for captain Stephen Keogh, who dived on the ball from a five-metre pushover scrum in the 75th minute.

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IRELAND U21S: T Bowe (Queens University); K Matthews (UL Bohemians), J Hearty (Blackrock Coll), B Murphy (UL Bohemians), R Lane (UCC); D McAllister (Terenure Coll), C O'Loughlin (Buccaneers); E McGovern (Old Crescent), R Best (Belfast Harlequins), W Maxwell (Garryowen), S Crawford (UCD), D Gannon (UCD), J Muldoon (Galwegians), N Ronan (Lansdowne), S Keogh (UCC, capt), Replacements: F O'Loughlin (Shannon) for C O'Loughlin, N McComb (Harlequins) for Crawford 51 mins; P O'Brien (UCC) for Bowe 58 mins; K Corrigan (UCD) for Best 69 mins; M McComish (Ballymena) for Keogh 69 mins; V Soden (Cork Con) for Maxwell 77 mins.

IRISH COLLEGES: A Finn (Cork IT); D O'Riordan (Colaiste Chiarain); P O'Sullivan (Athlone IT), K Lucey ( Cork IT), R Kenneally (Cork IT); D Fitzgerald (Limerick IT), F Murphy (Cork IT); J Campbell (UUJ), D Fogarty (Cork Coll of Commerce), A O'Donovan (Cork IT), J Duffy (Waterford IT), D O'Connell (UL), J O'Neill (UL), B Cutriss (Colaiste Stiophain Naofa), A O'Gorman (Limerick IT). Replacements: A Galavan (Carlow IT) for Fogarty 35 mins; W Wallace (Athlone IT) for Cutriss; J Cleary (Galway-Mayo IT) for O'Riordan 45 mins; C Fitzgerald (Limerick IT) for O'Donovan, F Cogan (Cork IT) for O'Connell both 55 mins; A Rees (UL) for Murphy 61 mins.

Referee: D Woods (Leinster Branch).