Schools Rugby Leinster Senior Cup: Clongowes Wood - 15 St Michael's College - 6 Clongowes Wood College showed all their traditional organisation and patience to cut down St Michael's College in a rip-roaring first-round tie at Donnybrook yesterday.
As usual, Clongowes were outsized, but not outmatched, by a well-prepared St Michael's.
Clongowes took their penalty chances in a tryless spectacle that, nonetheless, retained the interest of all onlookers right up until Pierce Casey's 69th-minute drop-goal.
On many occasions full back Robert Kearney kicked 60-70 metre clearances or tested the St Michael's defence with his powerful running game. And, in the fifth minute, Kearney launched a monster penalty from 45 metres. It cleared the crossbar with something to spare.
From the restart, St Michael's centre Mark Gibbons hacked over the head of Kearney and wasimpeded by scrumhalf Louis Ronan. Referee Alan Rogan awarded the penalty and full back Michael Byrne levelled the game.
Then Clongowes openside Peter Lennon reached out a hand to reel in a loose pass and the Michael's cavalry hurtled over the top. Kearney made it 6-3 from the simple penalty.
The swirling wind was a friend to neither school. The safety first option would have been to put the ball to flight. But that was never going to be the approach for two ambitious sides. There may have been mistakes, but they were made with good intentions.
The big boot of Kearney was on show again eight minutes from the break.
He followed an understandable miss from distance and a testing angle with his third success from the same position for a 9-3 advantage at the break.
Clongowes Wood were keen to apply pressure. In one sequence, Peter Lennon burgled John Garry'slineout ball and Kearney blasted the ball to touch as three pairs of hands descended on his left foot.
St Michael's looked to Byrne and centre Gibbons to make the incisions and for openside Peter Foley to provide the link to open Clongowes, but they could not find the phases required to create space down the tramlines.
The Purple-and-Whites moved forward in forensic fashion and St Michael's killed the ball. Kearney was sure-footed with his fourth penalty.
In the 51st minute, St Michael's outhalf Andrew Cummiskey skipped away from flailing arms to set up a counter-charge. He ran out of gas, but not ideas, in chipping dangerously cross-field. However, Kearney was alert to the danger and claimed the mark.
But St Michael's came again for Cummiskey to shoot a splendidly crisp drop-goal in the 51st minute
However, Pierce Casey's slick inside pass sent wing Killian Stafford away on a 50-metre arcing run. Casey applied the finishing touch with his own neat drop-goal.
SCORERS
Clongowes Wood: R Kearney 4 pens; P Casey drop-goal. St Michael's College: M Byrne pen; A Cummiskey drop goal.
CLONGOWES WOOD COLLEGE: R Kearney; R McElwee, F McFadden, D O'Connor, K Stafford; P Casey, L Ronan; D Halpin, M Jacobs, P Crilly, T Sheils, D Fagan, B Coyle, P Lennon, P O'Meara (capt). Replacements: B Collins for Crilly (57 mins); J Rooney for Fagan (69); J Fitzgerald for McFadden (70).
ST MICHAEL'S COLLEGE: M Byrne; P Burke, M Gibbons, T Diamond, B Tolan; A Cummiskey, D McKillen; D Mahony, A Skeehan, R Burke-Flynn, K Smyth, J Garry, K Sheehan, P Foley (capt), M Walsh. Replacements: K Clarke for Skeehan (60 mins); M Twomey for Tolan (66).
Referee: A Rogan (Leinster Branch).
