Clongowes Wood 34 Castleknock College 8:CLONGOWES WOOD revealed the vaguest hint of frustration having been kept at zero for 26 minutes against well-organised and manically-aggressive Castleknock.
But this is no ordinary schools team. Trusting well-drilled systems, even with a usually reliable place-kicker having an off-day, they remained calm, eventually cracking open their opponents by blunt force, quickly followed by a thrilling passage of pure rugby.
That’s the way of them – batter then bedazzle. For the first try hooker Bryan Byrne led the vanguard, ramming over four defenders banishing the mounting stress caused by several handling errors. The second, just moments later, was arguably the best try ever seen at this old ground.
Before we get to that, Byrne’s twin brother and captain Edward must be highlighted as, yet again, he performed like a loosehead prop poised to enter the professional ranks. An example. After blocking a kick at point-blank range with his forehead, he barely broke stride to the next ruck.
Despite restrictions at underage level, the brothers and Daniel O’Byrne have even managed the remarkable feat of turning the scrum into a powerful weapon.
Clongowes’ set-piece play in general was excellent. During the warm-up on the back pitch, they repeatedly ran through a move that duly worked in the actual contest. It starts with Bryan Byrne picking out his jumper, Robert Daly, off the top of the lineout. Next scrumhalf general Conor McQuaid finds Mark Nicholson at outhalf. Edward Byrne leaves the lifting to others, instead thundering through midfield with a backrower on his shoulder, (usually Peadar Timmons until the number eight limped off).
There was a sturdy defender waiting in Castleknock captain Thomas Farrell but Byrne can seemingly take a collision with any fellow teenager and still offload.
A wave of big men come crashing in, followed by another pod after that. They are relentless yet smart in possession too, with Nicholson’s boot nudging them into opposition territory when necessary. And they chase like hyenas.
The try of tries belongs to fullback Max McFarland but really it is a tribute to the Clongowes style of play. Turning over possession near their own line, four pairs of forward hands carried ball to halfway, each player having the wherewithal to offload.
Byrne took it up, slowing to throw a left-handed pass that sparked the deeply aligned three-quarter line into action. The blocky German centre Sebastian Fromm bulldozed over the Castleknock 10-metre line before freeing his hands to send McFarland streaking clear. The ball travelled at rapid pace and never came close to touching the earth. The only shame was Fromm sustained a nasty head wound, forcing a seven-minute stoppage while an ambulance took him off to hospital.
Three more tries followed in the second half but that was the moment. Stephen Kealan profited from more brilliance by the Byrne twins, while McFarland and Niall Rhatigan dived over in opposite corners.
The constant endeavour of Castleknock forwards like Paul Nalty and Jack O’Neill was eventually rewarded when Eoghain Quinn galloped over for a consolation try.
The only concern is the potential loss of Timmons and Fromm to injuries ahead of the semi-final meeting with Terenure or Gonzaga on March 4th in Donnybrook. The Leinster Branch have confirmed the 3pm kick-off will be brought forward to avoid a clash with Ireland’s rescheduled game in Paris.
CLONGOWES:M McFarland; C Mahony, C O'Hanrahan, S Fromm, N Rhatigan; M Nicholson, C McQuaid; E Byrne (capt), B Byrne, D O'Byrne; J Paul, R Daly; J Wallace, S Kealan, P Timmons. Replacements: G McVerry for S Fromm (29 mins), S Mullholland for P Timmons (40 mins), J Sullivan for M Nicholson (62 mins), D Donnellan for B Byrne (65 mins), D Garty for E Byrne (68 mins), K Cowhey for S Kealan, C O'Donohue for N Rhatigan (both 69 mins).
CASTLEKNOCK:E Quinn; M Mellett, T Farrell (capt), D Sweeney, S McEntaggart; R Troy, D Henry; M Bennett, D Perry, O McKevitt; E Murphy, A Mu'azzam; S Carroll, J O'Neill, P Nalty. Replacements: J McCormack for S McEntaggart (half-time), E Hanlon for R Troy (57 mins), S Condon for D Perry, K Scanlon for S Carroll (both 59 mins), J Burke for D Henry (65 mins), Z Butt for M Bennett (70 mins).
Referee: P Haycock (ARLB).
