RUGBY: LEINSTER SCHOOLS' JUNIOR CUP SEMI-FINAL: Blackrock College 22 Clongowes Wood College 21: BLACKROCK PIPPED great rivals Clongowes by a point in a simply awesome Leinster semi-final at Donnybrook yesterday.
Clongowes prop Bill Carroll crashed over for the first try which outhalf Stephen McVeigh converted but ’Rock right wing Johnny Redmond barged over for a quick-fire try in the 15th minute.
Blackrock’s Zach O’Hagan added a try before Clongowes’ Cian O’Donoghue got over in the corner. McVeigh added a penalty for a 15-10 lead.
Rock replied and scrum half Tristan Brady spread the play for Oliver Jager to pile-drive for the line. Left wing Dillon Coughlan converted for a 17-15 interval lead.
McVeigh kicked Clongowes back in front from 35 metres. But Blackrock’s pack drove over from a lineout and replacement Hugo Keane got the vital touchdown. That proved enough despite McVeigh’s 57th minute penalty.
BLACKROCK COLLEGE:Z O'Hagan; J Redmond, J O'Hehir, I Kinsley, D Coughlan; J Power, T Brady; S Lynch, G Moylan, E Holland, J Dwan, D O'Connor, O Jager, E Fanning, N Timoney (capt). Replacements: D O'Mahony for Coughlan (38 mins), H Keane for Moylan, D Fitzpatrick for Lynch (both 46 mins), G Glynn for O'Hehir (51), C O'Dwyer for (Jager 62), E O'Sullivan for Redmond (67).
CLONGOWES WOOD COLLEGE:D Kiely; C Neary, C Byrne, C Mulcahy, C O'Donoghue; S McVeigh, R O'Farrell; B Carroll, J Lyons, J Inglis, J Fitzpatrick, B O'Regan, C Gillick, E Tyrrell, M Jones (capt). Replacements: J Pimm for Lyons (49 mins), J Kennedy for O'Regan (58 mins), J O'Brien for Gillick (65).
Referee:S Gallagher, Leinster Branch.
