Schools rugby Leinster Junior Cup, first round/Blackrock College - 36 Templeogue College - 0: Defending Junior Cup champions Blackrock College cruised into the quarter-finals yesterday after an emphatic five-try display that left their fellow Holy Ghost college, Templeogue, with little scope to reply. The manner of victory was important as it lays down a marker to CBC Monkstown who removed St Michael's College on Sunday.
The two schools will not meet unless both progress to the final, something that is distinct possibility on current evidence. Next up for 'Rock are Gonzaga College on February 20th.
Templeogue produced the expected brave opening salvo with lock Colm Ryan and captain Neal Kelly in the thick of the action. However, it was some flowing back play that really caught the eye as Oisín O'Gara was held up short of the line.
After soaking up this early pressure, Blackrock replied with their main asset behind the scrum, full back Gavin Greene, waltzing over from 30 yards out. David Dunne, who with Alan MacGinty makes up a small but effective halfback combination, added the conversion.
Blackrock were cautious as Dunne opted to kick a penalty for goal with the line in sight. The effort was marginally wide but a five-metre scrum followed after a Templeogue hand knocked on.
Captain Michel Cawley picked and drove for the line but was held up by Kelly only for MacGinty to dot down unopposed. Dunne was true with the conversion and added a penalty four minutes before the break to make the result safe.
The pack took over thereafter as first prop Simon Schuster battered his way over before David Hillery and Barry Kelly got in on the act. By this stage coach Alan MacGinty, father of the scrumhalf and school principal, had unloaded the bench but it hardly affected the momentum as replacements Brian Kingston and Ciarán O'Grady nailed the late conversions.
Plenty of strength in depth as the perennial favourites live up to their billing. Initially anyway.
Scoring sequence: 14 mins: G Greene try, 5-0; D Dunne con, 7-0; 22: A MacGinty try, 12-0; D Dunne con, 14-0; 26: D Dunne pen, 17-0; Half-time; 36: S Schuster try, 22-0; 48: D Hillery try, 27-0; B Kingston con, 29-0; 60: B Kelly try, 34-0; C O'Grady con, 36-0.
BLACKROCK COLLEGE: G Greene; N Kilcullen, L O'Daly, R Hoey, M O'Sullivan; D Dunne, A MacGinty; K Groeger, S Lambe, S Schuster; S McBride, D Hillery; B Kelly, M Cawley (capt), T Parsons. Replacements: B Kingston for Dunne, I Abrahams for Lambe (both 47 mins), E Daly for Groeger, A Culhane for McBride, J Walters for Schuster (all 49 mins), C O'Grady for Kilcullen, K McEvoy for MacGinty (both 51 mins).
TEMPLEOGUE COLLEGE: A McNamara; D Shah, O O'Gara, W Thorpe, P Carpenter; K Timmons, D McSharry; B Flaherty, K Murphy, P O'Gorman; C Ryan, A Cruise; D O'Kelly, N Kelly (capt), D Foran. Replacements: T Duke for K Murphy (47 mins).
Referee: K Beggs (ARLB).
