St Mary's College 20; CBS Monkstown 0: It was a victory fashioned on physique. Superior stature up front duly guaranteed a win for St Mary's College at Donnybrook yesterday, their tries coming from flanker Marc Aboud and second row and captain Conor McInerney.

They were models of set-piece efficiency. McInerney's catch at a lineout was quickly smuggled to the back of the maul where Aboud supervised the 12-yard journey to the line. The second, midway through the second half, had its origins in a five-yard scrum. Number eight Kevin Gallivan drove off the back and McInerney won possession as his forwards shunted him over the line.

Outhalf Neil Cowhey kicked both conversions and tagged on a couple of penalties, but St Mary's never really got out of third gear - at least one assumes there is plenty of scope for improvement.

The pack gave their backs an abundance of front-foot possession, but there was precious little spark from the latter unit.

Cowhey seemed content to nudge his pack down the touchline, a task he completed with commendable efficiency. When St Mary's did look to pursue a more expansive approach, they were largely shut down.

Full back Robert Gannon managed one or two half-breaks but Monkstown stuck to their defensive chores with grim determination. In this respect, the inside trio of Ken Keogh, Peadar Nolan and Peter McLoughlin excelled.

The Monkstown pack, though physically dwarfed, showed plenty of guts - in particular, hooker Stephen Verso, flanker Peter Roberts and number eight Paul Grannell. The problem for them though was their opponents were able to take tackles on their own terms.

A stuttering lineout, despite the best efforts of second row Damien Clarke, meant they could not guarantee ball and sustain pressure. A decision to use one out runners played into St Mary's hands and CBC were rarely allowed any momentum.

In the first half they also fell foul of referee Terence Deacon; a nine-one penalty count illustrating the pressure they were under for large tranches of the 35 minutes. The fact they only conceded two tries is a tribute to their attitude and commitment.

Monkstown did try to move the ball wide, but progress was more lateral than penetrative. They were never quite able to fix the drift defence.

The St Mary's pack demonstrated good set-piece technique with McInerney a constant source of possession out of touch and Gallivan driving forcefully off the back of scrums.

Tighthead prop Richard Sweeney carried ball powerfully. There was an understandable rustiness that accompanies any first outing in a tournament and St Mary's will undoubtedly have benefited from the run out.

Cowhey's early penalty atoned for an error in judgment that should have seen the ball out through hands as St Mary's won quick ruck ball on their opponents' line and had the advantage in numbers going left.

Aboud's try on 26 minutes kept the scoreboard ticking over with Cowhey adding the conversion and a second penalty in first-half injury-time.

The winners periodically seemed on the cusp of cutting loose in the second half but never quite managed to build enough phases to translate possession into points. McInerney's try, improved upon by Cowhey, ensured the final 20 minutes were negotiated without too much discomfort and enabled the St Mary's management team to empty the replacements bench.

Monkstown "fought the good fight" as their school's motto demands and their rewards may come in the Vinnie Murray Cup.

SCORING SEQUENCE.12 mins: Cowhey penalty, 3-0; 26: Aboud try, Cowhey conversion, 10-0; 35 (+1): Cowhey penalty, 13-0. Half-time: 13-0. 51: McInerney try, Cowhey conversion, 20-0.

ST MARY'S COLLEGE: R Gannon; R Kilcoyne, S Hannigan, R Hudson, C Hogan; N Cowhey, M Conway; S O'Connell, B Moran, R Sweeney; C McInerney (capt), R Bowe; M Aboud, K Gallivan, B O'Flanagan. Replacements: R Good for O'Connell (52 mins); D Flood for Aboud (55 mins); P Morris for McInerney (59 mins); A Dalton for Hudson (63 mins); R Maher for Moran (68 mins); G Meehan for Conway (68 mins); D Fanning for R Gannon (68 mins).

CBC Monkstown: R O'Connor; A McLoughlin, P McLoughlin, P Nolan (capt), C Jones; K Keogh, P Woods; M Murdock, S Verso, T Fayne; D Clarke, M Kilty; C Shiel-Drohan, P Granell, P Roberts. Replacements: C O'Rathallaigh for Shiel-Drohan (53 mins); S McEvatt for Jones (66 mins); J Rogers for Kilty (68 mins); B Clarke for Verso (70 mins); B O'Donovan for O'Rathallaigh (72 mins).

Referee: T Deacon (Leinster).