Leinster Senior Cup final/St Michael's College 6 Clongowes Wood 0:Champions at last. It's been a long time coming but St Michael's have finally earned the right to stand tall beside former winners of the Powerade Leinster Schools Cup. And man, did they earn it.
This was a horrible afternoon for any sporting event. There was a bitter chill in the air, soon accentuated by a downpour, then 15 minutes of sleet and snow.
Some of the 6,700 jammed into Donnybrook couldn't handle the elements, escaping indoors where they could view the slugfest on television.
They missed the game's only two scores. In last year's final St Michael's winger Noel Reid missed a long-range kick to win the competition. Still a fifth-year student, Reid landed the two penalties in a two-minute period that ultimately delivered the Cup to St Michael's for the first time.
Reid, who also missed an earlier long-range effort, and Clongowes fullback David Kearney were off target with further penalties before half-time, and Reid was short with another from distance six minutes into the second half. That was it for scoring opportunities.
It was a frustrating match not helped by referee Ken Henley-Willis constantly, albeit consistently, penalising the attacking team for infringing at ruck and maul, whether for not staying on feet or hands on the deck.
This has been a constant of schools rugby for several years. The only time players were allowed time at the breakdown this season was when Alain Rolland adjudicated the first-round, 34-8, victory of St Michael's over St Gerard's. Rolland allowed common sense to prevail.
Yesterday's referee was, in fairness, applying the letter of the law in difficult conditions, but some indulgence might have allowed a cohesive and therefore more entertaining spectacle.
St Michael's came into the game with several injury concerns but all made it through.
Clongowes were less fortunate, their influential tighthead prop Jack O'Connell forced off after 12 minutes with a damaged right shoulder. He was a significant loss.
Clongowes enjoyed their best period after St Michael's had taken that 6-0 lead. After seven pick-and-goes, to bring them into the opposing 22, they were awarded Kearney's solitary penalty. It drifted right.
They continued to rely on their forwards, particularly in the maul, until it became painfully obvious St Michael's would not yield like St Mary's and Terenure.
After a campaign when they had consistently spurned the expansive approach, the Clongowes three-quarters looked uncomfortable when moving the ball wide midway through the second half of the final. Errors ensued when they tried to put Kearney, the best attacker in Leinster schools, into space.
The St Michael's back row shackled him when he received ball coming back inside - a transparent tactic used throughout the season. The one time he fended off Reid and looked to break clear, the St Michael's captain, Conor Cleary, tracked across to empty him into touch.
The Clongowes captain, Trevor Conneely, had been another banker to get over the gain line - until yesterday. Ian Leonard and Alex Byrne made some bone-crunching hits on the number eight.
Openside Rajan Reilly also deserves a mention for his consistently aggressive performances, as does number eight Patrick Mallon, who was clearly playing through the pain barrier.
En route to the final St Michael's had pulled away from other opposition in the last quarter, but they were not allowed to do so here.
But considering this battle took place in the middle third of the field, Clongowes spurned a gilt-edged attacking platform when a penalty was reversed 20 yards from the St Michael's line.
That's it really. It was rugby from memory. The fear of error ensuring the sensible approach became the only option.
The most dramatic incident came when a barrier collapsed on the terracing side where most of the St Michael's past pupils were situated. Furtunately, no one was badly hurt.
These former students will have relished the occasion. You have to lose to appreciate success. None more so than coach Greg McWilliams (class of 1996), while his forwards guru Mark McDermott, formerly in charge of the Irish under-21s, certainly earns the lion's share of praise.
It requires a special team to win this competition. Conor Cleary led them up the Bective Pavilion steps for the presentation on a unique day.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 26 mins:N Reid pen, 3-0; 27 mins:N Reid pen, 6-0.
ST MICHAEL'S COLLEGE:M O'Malley; N Reid, R Pratt, C Cleary (capt), P Brophy; S Malone, F Mehigan; I Leonard, J Daniels, M Kelly; C O'Sullivan, S Mahony; A Byrne, R Reilly, P Mallon. Replacements:K McKenna for O'Sullivan (58 mins), R Pigot for Mahony (69 mins), A Kealy for Malone (71 mins).
CLONGOWES WOOD COLLEGE:D Kearney; M Sheehy, T Fletcher, S Kennedy, S Lennon; C Wade, M McLoughlin; C Spelman, T Burns, J O'Connell; N Delehanty, N Mullen; B O'Keeffe, T Joyce, T Conneely (capt). Replacements:M Collis for O'Connell (12 mins), R Timlin for Delehanty, C O'Callaghan for Sheehy (both 67 mins).
Referee: K Henley-Willis(ARLB).
