Castleknock 17 St Gerard's, Bray 13LEINSTER SCHOOLS SENIOR CUP: Even closer than the final score suggests, Castleknock will be satisfied to get this one over with. With a driving wind and treacherous conditions under foot, the winners' slim lead at the break was enough to squeeze a battling St Gerard's, Bray out of the Senior cup.
Playing with the wind at their backs in the first half, the lighter St Gerard's side, although with a well-drilled pack, were forced onto the back foot before briefly taking the lead and ending 14-10 down at the turnaround, an uphill battle clearly ahead.
The subsequent Castleknock tactic of kicking their opponents back into their own territory proved ultimately the sensible thing to do given the impossible handling conditions. And although St Gerard's demonstrated a hunger to take the game on, Castleknock were the physically stronger team and ultimately took their breaks when they came.
Castleknock full back Harry Morrin-O'Rourke returned the ball with interest each time St Gerard's looked for yardage from the boot while on the left wing Vincent Gough showed he was a player of considerable potential. The strongest runner on the pitch and powerfully built, Gough was a consistent menace long after scoring his first-half try, Castleknock's second of the match.
An upbeat beginning from Castleknock saw them surge into the St Gerard's territory and after five minutes they were eyeing up lineout options five metres from the line.
A Niall Ganly take and a powerful drive from the pack allowed Alan Quinn emerge from the muddy bottom for the first try, openside flanker Shane McCarthy expertly kicking from close to the touchline for the conversion.
Alan Scanlan, always busy at scrumhalf, kicked St Gerard's to 7-3 before their best phase of the match. A lofted kick from winger Rory Burgess on 19 minutes put Castleknock under pressure by their posts. A subsequent five-yard scrum was fed left and again Scanlan was available to wriggle over for 7-10.
Almost immediately Castleknock replied, a knifing attack from the kick-off going out through the centres and ultimately to Gough, who with a little space put St Gerard's to the sword. Again McCarthy kicked accurately for 14-10.
While the second half was hard going, both sides produced as competitive a match as anyone could have expected. By then the wind seemed to pick up as Castleknock pinned back any raiding efforts forward from St Gerard's.
Some handling in a ruck on 58 minutes handed Scanlan an opportunity to take his side to within a point of Castleknock, one he accepted from 25 metres out.
From there on it was St Gerard's frustration and Castleknock's tactical acumen, the winners forcing their opponents to fetch and turn with an increasingly heavy ball.
McCarthy finally and deservedly closed the book with a penalty deep in injury time for the final score, 17-13, but not before an evidently younger St Gerard's had ensured they left the pitch with perhaps even more pride than when they stepped onto it.
SCORING SEQUENCE:
5 mins: A Quinn try, S McCarthy con 7-0; 9 mins: A Scanlan pen 7-3; 19 mins: S Scanlan try, con 7-10; 20 mins: V Gough try, S McCarthy con 14-10. Half-time. 58 mins: S Scanlan pen 14-13; 73 mins: S McCarthy pen 17-13.
CASTLEKNOCK: H Morrin-O'Rourke; E Flanagan, J Cullen, M Flood, V Gough; G Stafford (capt.), M Flanagan; K Cooper, P McLoughlin, C Byrne, A Quinn, N Ganly, W Barry, S McCarthy, A Flanagan. Replacements: D Gray for A Quinn 60 mins.
ST GERARD'S: M Campbell; G McGinty, M Moran, P O'Neill, R Burgess; C Lennon, A Scanlan; T O'Kane, L Sinagoga, D Kinsella, D Shanahan Prendergast, K Durkan, A McGlinchey, S Johnson, N Clainberg. Replacements: M Barton for Durkan 62 mins.
Referee: A Baird
