SCHOOLS RUGBY/Leinster and Munster Cups/Blackrock College 20 St Michael's College 13: No solace, no mitigation, just the raw disappointment of defeat. St Michael's College will reflect on opportunities that slipped away, on a couple of refereeing decisions that could politely be termed questionable and the gift-wrapping of one of Blackrock College's three tries.
Yet in sifting through any recriminations, St Michael's should reasonably acknowledge that the better team prevailed in yesterday's Leinster Schools Senior Cup quarter-final at Donnybrook.
Blackrock outscored their opponents three tries to one and adopted a more fluent and expansive approach. It was this attitude and willingness to take risks in pursuing more adventurous options that yielded a deserved reward.
The winners recovered from the loss of centre James Power with a dislocated knee - it popped back in - after 26 minutes by moving Luke Fitzgerald to outside centre, Niall Morris from wing to full back and Rory Keaveny coming off the bench.
Blackrock's tries came from left wing Vasya Artemiev (two) and Francis Moran, but the pack was responsible for victory. Despite being overmatched physically they proved technically and tactically more adept.
Captain and flanker Darren O'Reilly led by example, one the entire pack and Cian Culleton, Eoin Mullen and Mark Lynch were happy to embrace.
But the St Michael's pack demonstrated no less enthusiasm for confrontation, and in tighthead prop Royce Burke Flynn had the game's outstanding forward. Eric Sherlock was a productive lineout option while Tyrone McKillen and Kevin Sheahan scavenged tirelessly.
Blackrock took the lead on five minutes when St Michael's outhalf Andrew Cummiskey had his kick charged down. Moran gathered and raced 45 metres for a try. Seven minutes later it was 12-0, with Ian Madigan's beautifully weighted pass and Moran's hands putting Artemiev away.
Power added the conversion but it would effectively prove his last meaningful input as he dislocated a knee in making a tackle and the game had to be stopped for 12 minutes before he could be stretchered off.
Cummiskey kicked a brace of penalties either side of Power's injury to reduce the deficit to 12-6 in first-half injury time.
Blackrock responded with the game's best try seconds before the interval. Madigan's long pass, with the St Michael's defence sucker in, allowed Artemiev to outpace the cover and score in the corner.
But St Michael's simply cranked up the intensity and were rewarded 10 minutes after the restart when centre Conor Cleary ran a superb line to complement Cummiskey's exquisite inside pass for a well worked try.
The outhalf added the conversion and at 17-13 the outcome was once again up for dispute.
Madigan dropped a neat goal to nudge Blackrock further ahead on 60 minutes and the winners clung on tenaciously.
Despite greater invention behind the scrum, St Michael's couldn't find a way through, although they were denied a try scoring opportunity - Burke-Flynn came away with the ball and would have provided a try scoring pass - by referee Ken Henley-Willis who adjudged hands in a ruck.
Scoring sequence: 5 mins: Moran try, 5-0; 12: Artemiev try, Power conversion, 12-0; 16: Cummiskey penalty, 12-3; 35(+2): Cummiskey penalty, 12-6; 35(+4): Artemiev try, 17-6. Half-time: 17-6. 45: Cleary try, Cummiskey conversion, 17-13; 60: Madigan drop goal, 20-13.
BLACKROCK COLLEGE: L Fitzgerald; N Morris, F Moran, J Power, V Artemiev; I Madigan, D Moore; C Culleton, E Mullen, E O'Cuilleanain; P Ryan, B Cawley; Z Farvivarz, D O'Reilly (capt), M Lynch. Replacements: R Keaveny for Power (26 mins); B Johnston for Moore (57 mins); D O'Connor for Farvivarz (64 mins); D Hegarty for Cawley (67 mins).
ST MICHAEL'S COLLEGE: M Twomey; P Brophy, P Burke, C Cleary, F Kearney; A Cummiskey, D Rowan; D Mahony, R O'Hanrahan, R Burke-Flynn; E Sherlock, R O'Connor; T McKillen, K Sheahan (capt), R Reilly. Replacements: L Hanahoe for Sherlock (64 mins).
Referee: K Henley-Willis (Leinster).
