LEINSTER SENIOR CUP FINAL/Clongowes Wood 46 Cistercian, Roscrea 15:NOBODY WANTED the game to finish. Not the players, not their supporters, because for all of them it meant a great journey would finally be consigned to history.
Entering the sixth minute of injury-time Clongowes Wood attacked, doing so with an abandon not seen from them during this wonderful odyssey that dates back to their all-conquering march to the 2008 Junior title. They lost possession, but immediately switched into defence mode with Conor Gilsenan continuing to lead by example with two ferocious hits in quick succession.
Who can blame them for wanting this feeling to go on forever? The great schools teams always depart the scene on St Patrick’s Day with silverware. That Clongowes merely loaned the chalice for the awards ceremony says all you need to know about these groundbreaking young men.
They bring The Cup back to their Clane outpost for the eighth time, but this is different. They are the first Clongowes side to retain the title, making them strong contenders to be considered the best crop harvested by the rugby nursery that first won the Leinster Schools Senior Cup in 1926.
They fell just three points shy of the greatest winning margin in 125 years of finals, but that must be credited to Cistercians’ brave resistance. Still, this Clongowes team will be spoken about in the same revered tones as Barry Gibney’s 1996 Blackrock side (who beat Newbridge 37-3 in the final) and the 1998 Clongowes vintage captained by Des Dillon that also contained Gordon D’Arcy.
Forty-six points is the second-highest return for a final (Blackrock beat Corrig School 63-0 in 1900), but what really impresses is the hard road they travelled to get back to the St Patrick’s Day showpiece: grinding down Pres Bray, crushing Blackrock and reacting to some clever resistance from St Michael’s with a shockingly proficient 10-minute spell that yielded three tries.
And then came yesterday’s exhibition of structurally excellent, well coached rugby.
Roscrea, competing in just their fourth senior final, knew the importance of protecting their line in the opening exchanges but it was ruptured within eight minutes, again on 13 minutes and once more on 24 minutes as Clongowes built a 24-0 half-time lead.
Let’s take a closer look at the outstanding individuals on display.
Gilsenan, the leader in word and deed, was joined in the backrow by hard-running Jordan Coghlan (professional cricket’s gain looks like being rugby’s loss), while the holy trinity is completed by Nick McCarthy, who overcame a shoulder injury to make a telling impact. With Gilsenan busying himself elsewhere, McCarthy, then Coghlan, claimed the killer third and fourth tries either side of half-time.
However, the platform was laid by Clongowes’ ultra-powerful front five where the Byrne brothers – Bryan, Edward and Thomas – were assisted by Gordon Frayne and Brian Phelan. Their grunt work enabled scrumhalf Conor McQuaid cross for the first try, leaving a battered Roscrea huddle gasping for air under the posts after seven minutes of brutally physical defending, as Conor Mahony began his afternoon kicking clinic.
We must single out Edward Byrne as a prop to track into the men’s game. He would have wrecked more havoc if not prohibited by underage scrummaging laws.
The next try belonged to another nominee for man of the match, outhalf David Quirke, who profited from a clever decoy run by Gilsenan to bump the first tackler, step the next and out-sprint the cover.
Cistercians’ only response in the opening stanza was a wayward drop-goal attempt from normally electric fullback Philip O’Dwyer.
Outhalf Bill Duggan’s penalty did get them on the scoreboard early in the second half, but within four minutes Coghlan quelled any hint of revolt by torpedoing off a five-metre scrum. Mahony’s conversion made it 31-3.
The next try couldn’t have been awarded without the clever introduction of the TMO, as Mahony touched down in the left corner after some thrilling offloads from Conor Joyce and Edward Byrne.
Roscrea were finally rewarded for their perseverance when Rory Moloney forced his way over with 19 minutes remaining.
The Clongowes response wasn’t long coming as Quirke brilliantly stepped three defenders before swan-diving under the posts.
Mahony’s second penalty put them 36 points clear, and into the record books, only for Cistercians winger Jack O’Driscoll’s late try to reduce arrears.
Remember the names: several of them are sure to resurface.
SCORING SEQUENCE – 7 mins: C McQuaid try, C Mahony conv, 7-0; 13: D Quirke try, Mahony conv, 14-0; 24: N McCarthy try, Mahony conv, 21-0; 32: Mahony pen, 24-0. Half-time. 36: B Duggan pen, 24-3; 40: J Coghlan try, Mahony conv, 31-3; 44: Mahony try, 36-3; 51: R Moloney try, B Duggan conv, 36-10; 58: D Quirke try, Mahony conv, 43-10; 64: Mahony pen, 46-10; 66: J O’Driscoll try, 46-15.
CLONGOWES WOOD COLLEGE: H Burns; G Murray, J Glynn, C Joyce, C Mahony; D Quirke, C McQuaid; G Frayne, B Byrne, E Byrne; B Phelan, T Byrne; N McCarthy, C Gilsenan (capt), J Coghlan. Replacements: P Timmins for Phelan (45 mins), M McFarland for McQuaid (46 mins), D Kennedy for McCarthy (53 mins), T Collis for Frayne (56 mins), S Fromm for Glynn (57 mins), D O’Byrne for E Byrne (61 mins), B Grehan for Coghlan (64 mins).
CISTERCIANS COLLEGE, ROSCREA: P O’Dwyer; C Brennan, S Layden, C Finn (capt), M Mellotte; B Duggan, G Gallagher; G Fallon, D O’Dwyer, C Farrell; A McGrath, R Moloney; A Henderson, E Quirke, C Moloney. Replacements: O Heffernan for Fallon, R Enraght Moony for Quirke (both 46 mins), J Fitzpatrick for R Moloney (60 mins), S Moran for Farrell (62 mins), J O’Driscoll for Mellotte (65 mins), A Wheatley for Henderson (66 mins), M Fitzgerald for C Brennan (67 mins).
Referee: K Beggs (ARLB).
