Schools Rugby Leinster Junior Cup: A triumph fashioned up front. Blackrock await the victors of today's second quarter-final between Belvedere and Kilkenny College after overwhelming Gonzaga yesterday with three of their four tries coming from their exemplary forward unit.
The other try came from energetic scrumhalf Alan MacGinty, after he profited from the solid platform of a five-metre scrum.
Besides the performance of the forwards, opposing coaches will have noted Gonzaga were shut out; all they got for their endeavours was a penalty early in the second half from outhalf William McEvoy. To their credit, they probed enough for an opening, but, besides a 30-yard burst from number eight Daniel Kane in the opening minute, they were met with impregnable resistance. Kane was immediately turned over and two deft dummies from MacGinty brought play back to where the break originated.
Strong running from Neil Hanratty and Colm Keegan did breach the first tackler on several occasions, but a second, and third, inevitably lay in wait.
Blackrock's only concern would be the injury MacGinty's halfback partner David Dunne suffered midway through the first half after a late tackle by second row Dominic Ryan. It ended his participation, but gave replacement Brian Kingston a chance to shine, which he gratefully accepted.
Two tries pushed the scoreboard along in the opening half hour. They came from the Blackrock engine room as Seán McBride and then, in first half injury-time, David Hillery rumbled over. The maul was a hugely effective weapon on both occasions.
McEvoy's penalty kept it interesting until Kingston's chip forced the covering John Cooney to kick the ball dead for a five-metre scrum - from which MacGinty scampered over. In the absence of Dunne, blindside flanker Barry Kelly landed the conversion.
Kelly then got among the tries after a clever inside pass from MacGinty sent him through the stretched Gonzaga rearguard. This time Lorcan O'Daly added the extras.
The impact of several players on the contest will be scribbled down in the spies' notebooks. Captain Michael Cawley was a banker for possession out of touch, Simon Schuster a powerhouse in the tight, while tearaway flanker Isma-Eel Abrahams was a constant menace in defence.
Granted, there is still plenty of rugby to be played, but whispers of the double-double have already begun - that being back-to-back junior and senior cups.
SCORING SEQUENCE - 10 mins: S McBride try, 5-0; 30: D Hillery try, 10-0. Half-time: 10-0. 34: W McEvoy pen, 10-3; 40: A MacGinty try, 15-3; B Kelly conv, 17-3; 52: B Kelly try, 22-3; L O'Daly con, 24-3.
BLACKROCK COLLEGE: G Greene; C Doyle, L O'Daly, R Lynch, M O'Sullivan; D Dunne, A MacGinty; K Groeger, S Lambe, S Schuster; S McBride, D Hillery; B Kelly, M Cawley (capt), I Abrahams. Replacements: B Kingston for D Dunne (15 mins), T Parsons for I Abrahams (49 mins), K O'Grady for B Kingston (57 mins), E Daly for S McBride (60 mins).
GONZAGA COLLEGE: N Hanratty (capt); N Holleran, C Keegan, K Ryan, J Morgan; W McEvoy, J Cooney; G Fitzgerald, S Meagher, P O'Reilly; K McDonagh, D Ryan; S Costello, D Kane, R Crean. Replacements: R O'Keeffe for R Crean (42 mins), C Carolan for G Fitzgerald, K Larchet for K Ryan (both 55 mins).
Referee: C O'Brien (ARLB).
