It was a classic encounter, but not in the traditional terminology of the schools game where fluent back play and purity of endeavour are cherished values.
This Leinster Schools' Senior Cup semi-final offered a more earthy core, two hugely accomplished, athletic packs scrapping over every ball with the fervour of alley cats.
No quarter asked or given, nor possession conceded at lineout, scrum, ruck or maul without a titanic tussle. Both sides came tantalisingly close to winning the match. It wouldn't have been possible to slip a wafer-thin mint between Blackrock College left wing David Blain's long range penalty attempt that grazed the left upright with three minutes remaining.
St Mary's College will reflect on a driven maul grounded over the Blackrock line, the pile of bodies obscuring referee Tony Redmond's view and therefore offering salvation to the light blue and white. Failure could be measured in millimetres at Donnybrook yesterday.
For the 5,000 or so crowd that provided an atmospheric backdrop, it in no way diminished the entertainment value, nails bitten to the quick, the strain of a tense, tight struggle evident on faces.
It is ironic that two schools with huge reputations for back play struggled to muster more than the odd glimmer of excellence, hampered by glitches at half back and the front-foot tackling of the defending side.
The Blackrock pack offered a masterclass in the catch-and-drive gambit from lineouts, securing possession through Stephen O'Dwyer, Darren O'Reilly or the excellent Diarmuid Laffan and in an instant forming a driving wedge.
Hooker James Coady displayed a voracious appetite for work, the back-row trio of Laffan, captain Keelan O'Toole and Niall Corkery no less productive.
Blackrock enjoyed a slight edge in the scrum, better able to tweak their opponents.
Scrumhalf Cillian Willis was tenaciously unbowed but bloodied by the attentions of the St Mary's back row, his service an outhalf's dream. Centre Brian Canavan was very effective when running cutbacks initially, but it was a gambit that became telegraphed through overuse.
The St Mary's pack was no less productive, although they preferred a lower tempo when rumbling forward. Alex Hutchinson had a superb game at openside, so too Paul Nash and second row Conor McInerney but it was tighthead prop Brian McGovern that was the outstanding player on the pitch in making the hard yards.
Outhalf Jonathan Sexton varied his game intelligently while centre Stephen Grissing made the game's one definitive break, but was swamped on the threshold of the Blackrock 22 after a run of 40 metres by the cover.
Credit too to the defensive organisation of both teams; defending well is not just about tackling.
St Mary's started with greater assurance, Sexton pinning 'Rock deep inside their 22 only for the latter to escape. Nerves were apparent on both sides, crooked feeds, punting out on the full, knocks-on peppering the fare.
Blackrock were afforded the first opportunity of points, but outhalf Andrew Geraghty tugged a 26-metre penalty to the left of the posts. Injecting pace into the game, they rumbled into the St Mary's 22 and when the ball was swept across the back line Blackrock centre Gary Byrne was left one-on-one with St Mary's right wing Gary Roche. Byrne was shown the outside, Roche judging the defensive angle beautifully to collar the Blackrock player and manhandle him into touch. Sexton kicked an easy penalty on 18 minutes, Geraghty responding in kind four minutes later.
The St Mary's outhalf added his second penalty on 28 minutes, but, straight from the kick-off, St Mary's transgressed and Blain kicked a superb 36-metre penalty. It was the last score of the match but not the end of the excitement as fortune and field position ebbed one way then another with St Mary's shading the latter.
Sexton had another penalty chance that just dropped short, the same fate that befell Blain on 65 minutes. The Blackrock wing then had another tilt this time from just several metres inside the St Mary's half.
St Mary's coach Rodney O'Donnell aged visibly in the time it took to caress the upright.
On the day, neither side deserved to lose. The rematch will be worth the wait.
SCORING SEQUENCE
18 mins: Sexton penalty 3-0
22 mins: Geraghty penalty 3-3
28 mins: Sexton penalty 6-3
29 mins: Blain penalty 6-6
Half-time: 6-6
Full-time: 6-6
ST MARY'S COLLEGE: P Brophy; G Roche, S Grissing, M Finlay, E Lernihan; J Sexton, B McDermott; M Houlihan, D Fallon, B McGovern; C McInerney, B Smith; P Nash (capt), G O'Meara, A Hutchinson.
BLACKROCK COLLEGE: D Nyhan; S Crowe, M Kavanagh, B Canavan, D Blain; A Geraghty, C Willis; K O'Neill, J Coady, S McClafferty; S O'Dwyer, D O'Reilly; D Laffan, N Corkery, K O'Toole. Replacements: R O'Hara for O'Reilly 45 mins; R Stokes for Willis 55-58 mins.
Referee: T Redmond (Leinster).
