SCHOOLS' RUGBY: According to pre-season form, the favourites for the Coca Cola Leinster Schools' Section A Junior Cup would emerge from the clash between Mount Temple and St Patrick's Classical School at Ashbourne yesterday.

In a tight, physical game Mount Temple were driven to a 15-6 win by the all-round skills of outhalf Ian Denham, who scored their two tries, a conversion and a penalty.

In a meeting between last year's finalists, Skerries Community College hammered Wilson's Hospital 34-0 at Navan. Eoin Dempsey's kicking was accurate and the tries came from Eddie O'Mahony, Kevin Keane, Jacob Brennan, Eamon Gaskin and Gordon Sambrooks.

Tallaght Community School went out 37-0 to the more established Newpark School at Terenure College. All seven tries came from the back division.

Naas CBS kicked off their first participation in schools' cup rugby with a convincing 32-0 win over another Gaelic football nursery, Good Counsel, New Ross, at Carlow.

At Merrion Road, Sandford Park's Rory Allwright held his nerve to strike an injury-time equalising penalty, to Sean Weimann's seventh-minute opener for St Conleth's College. The replay will be on Friday.

FIRST ROUND

At Terenure College: Newpark School 37 (F Brophy 3 tries; S Lawless 2 tries, con; M Brandon, T McCall try each); Tallaght CS 0.

At Merrion Road: St Conleth's College 3 (S Weimann pen); Sandford Park 3 (R Allwright pen).

At Carlow: Naas CBS 32 (R Murphy, L Denver, E Hughes, K McDonnell, P Burke try each; C O'Brien pen, 2 cons); Good Counsel, New Ross 0.

At Ashbourne: Mount Temple 15 (I Denham 2 tries, pen, con); St Patrick's, Navan 6 (D Crosby 2 pens).

At Navan: Skerries CC 34 (E O'Mahony, K Keane, G Sambrooks, J Brennan, E Gaskin try each; E Dempsey pen, 3 cons); Wilson's Hospital 0.