LEINSTER SCHOOLS' CUP:Clongowes Wood 37 Kilkenny College 12
THERE WAS a ruthlessness about Clongowes Wood College’s six-try dismantling of Kilkenny College in the Leinster Senior Cup quarter-final at Templeville Road yesterday.
The cohesion and continuity that flowed from first to last minute was food for thought for their semi-final opponents, St Mary’s College, as Clongowes showed an all-round capacity to strike when they were hot.
In the eighth minute outhalf David Quirke’s superb touch finder from a penalty in to the right corner set up a well-controlled lineout taken by captain Robert Hynes from where openside Nick McCarthy appeared unguarded to plunge for the line.
Ireland Under-18 Schools wing Stephen McAuley, at fullback here, countered quickly to put Clongowes in prime position to strike again only for centre Foster Horan to force left-wing Aaron Thompson in to touch.
The pressure was growing. Lock Tadhg Beirne took a flat pass from scrumhalf Dermot O’Meara to spin out of a tackle for the second try in the 22nd minute, converted by the influential Quirke for a 12-0 lead.
The Kilkenny midfield of Horan and Danny Ruddock made their presence felt in contact but were starved of possession. Kilkenny rushed up offside in their enthusiasm to snuff out danger for Quirke to nail a penalty from 40-metres. Then, number eight Conor Gilsenan brushed aside a defender from a five-metre burst for the third try near the break.
It was a thankless task for Kilkenny as they resumed from an unwinnable position. They were further behind when McAuley sluiced through following the scavenging instinct of Hynes as he hacked on a loose ball to take play all the way to the line only for Kilkenny replacement hooker Robin Foot to momentarily rescue the ball on the floor.
Kilkenny just couldn’t get their hands on the ball long enough to build their game.
Eventually, centre Horan made ground down the middle. From the following scrum, Kilkenny shifted the ball swiftly for fullback Mark Abraham to find the line on the left to reduce the leeway to 25-5 in the 44th minute.
A simple move from the base of a five-metre scrum from replacement number eight Jordan Coughlan to scrumhalf Dermot O’Meara yielded another try, converted by Quirke from the left.
It was soon followed by a sixth touchdown, from right wing Oscar O’Súilleabháin, before Kilkenny replacement Shane Delahunt drove over from the tap-and-go penalty in injury-time.
CLONGOWES WOOD COLLEGE:S McAuley; O O'Súilleabháin, J McMahon (W McGlade 54), G O'Suilleabhain, A Thompson (N Jones 58); D Quirke, D O'Meara (D Hayes 59); T Collis (E Byrne 44), E Lewis, I Prendiville (C O'Shea 54), T Beirne, R Hynes (capt), S Burke, N McCarthy (T Byrne 54), C Gilsensan (J Coghlan 38).
KILKENNY COLLEGE:M Abraham; J Yates (J McDowell 63), F Horan, D Ruddock, M Elmes (J Clare 63); P Lydon, P O'Driscoll; M Ronaldson (P Boeye ht), A Talbot (R Foot 32), R Elmes, W Shirley (capt), M Bernard-Day (R Glynn 59), R Whitten (S Delahunt 37), G Ridgeway, R Deacon (J McGuinness 37).
Referee:D Wallace (Leinster Branch).
