Castleknock College - 26 High School - 10:SCHOOL'S RUGBY/Leinster Senior Cup: A pet winter's day in Donnybrook. Castleknock, full of swagger and high intentions in the first half, finally let a game they had tightly tethered off the leash. Several frights later and some courageous defending and, as the score suggests, they turned out the undeniable winners of this meeting.
The High School will look to the feisty second half for most of their good times. There they plundered two tries and largely had Castleknock taking stock of their defence, an imperative they set about executing very well indeed.
Some fine running and clever opportunism from The High School closed the scores between the two, but in truth, Castleknock, although they let it slip a little over the closing half hour, never looked like letting their opponents take a grip.
The first 35 minutes were all about High School holding ground as Castleknock camped in a small swathe of land down at the Wesley end. Left wing Ciaran Delaney had shown Castleknock's intentions by charging down the first clearance of the match and narrowly missing a touch down. Still, that came three minutes later when captain Shane McCarthy rumbled over from the side of a ruck close-in.
Number eight McCarthy added another on 26 minutes after a gather from Devin Toner in the lineout and a drive down the left, with McCarthy also converting.
A break from midfield just after half time from Eric Flanagan, who off-loaded to left wing Delaney, put Castleknock 19-0 ahead on 37 minutes to complete a fine start to the second half.
It was then High School's mini revival began. It coincided with McCarthy leaving the pitch injured, and for 20 minutes High School reversed the pattern of squeezing and pressurising their opponents all around the danger zone.
Prop David Lee was flattened just a fingertip away, and although scrumhalf Mathew D'Arcy slipped through a stretched defence to touch down for 19-5, it just wasn't enough to bring High School within touching distance. It was on 55 minutes, a little too late to set about resurrecting a win.
In a frenzied closing five minutes High School replacement Eoin Tippins brought the score to 19-10, but with the conversion fading wide of the posts and the seconds ticking away, the difference between the teams remained two scores. Three minutes later and deep in injury time Castleknock inside centre Sean McKay laid the game to rest, running straight through the gathering High School defence to touch down. Ronan Dillon converted straight in front of the posts.
Scoring sequence: 3 mins: S McCarthy try 5-0; 26 mins: S McCarthy try and con 12-0. Half-time. 37 mins: C Delaney try, McCarthy con 19-0; 55 mins M D'Arcy try 19-5; 69 mins: E Tippins try 19-10; 72 mins: S McKay try, R Dillon con 26-10.
THE HIGH SCHOOL: R Smyth; S Duggan, S Prunty, R Horne, A Feldman; D Thompson, M D'Arcy (capt); D Lee, B Hannon, S Goldsmith, C Harding, E O'Reilly, R Condron, N O'Shea, P Burns. Replacements: E Tippins for Feldman (48 mins); P Anglim for Goldsmith (50 mins); B Campbell-Crawford for Prunty (56 mins); J McDonald for Hannon (61 mins).
CASTLEKNOCK: J Davis; F Lyayi, E Flanagan, S McKay, C Delaney; M Morrin-O'Rourke, R Dillon; W Barry, K Cooper, A Quinn, N Ganley, D Toner, A Nuzum, E Mullen, S McCarthy (capt). Replacements: M Higgins for McCarthy (45 mins); S Geraghty for Barry (66 mins); C Brady for Mullen (70 mins).
Referee: T Redmond (ARLB).
