Blackrock College 24 St Mary’s College 24
A final with a finale befitting the occasion.
If next Monday’s Leinster Senior Cup final replay is anything like this drawn first edition, those who make the trip to Donnybrook are in for a treat.
In the game’s last act, Blackrock captain Luke Coffey nailed a conversion into the wind at Tallaght Stadium to deny St Mary’s College a sixth final victory — and a first since 2002.
In doing so, the Blackrock captain kept alive his side’s hopes of completing a three-in-a-row for the first time in 62 years.
“Obviously we found a way over in the far corner,” said ‘Rock head coach Justin Vanstone of Cian McCarron’s crucial 79th-minute try. “And then the kick, obviously, from Luke.
“You realise it’s the last moment of the game, kicking into difficult conditions. I’d back him 99 times out of 100, but when you factor in that wind, I think that probably changes the odds.”
With the gusty wind at their backs in the first half, ‘Rock failed to fully capitalise and almost paid the price as St Mary’s stormed back into the contest in the third quarter, clawing back a 10-point deficit with two converted tries.
Paul Neary’s 62nd-minute penalty made it 24-17 in their favour but, in a game described as a “rollercoaster” by St Mary’s head coach Kieran Moloney, the Rathmines school could not hold out in the end.
“Whoever deserves to win on the day deserves it,” noted Vanstone. “They’re going to have to reflect very quickly, focus on recovery and just see this as a great opportunity again, which is what it is. In this particular case, I think we just got out of jail.”
‘Rock drew first blood in front of an attendance of 8,736, with Coffey slotting an early penalty before converting the game’s first try, scored at close range by Harry O’Neill, for a 10-0 lead after 23 minutes.
St Mary’s Daniel Tourish celebrates with Joseph Christle after scoring his side’s second try. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
Their rivals responded 10 minutes later through Eoghan Brady’s try, with Neary adding the extras, but ‘Rock finished the half on a high with Bernard White going under the posts and Coffey making it 17-7.
However, St Mary’s had recovered from a 10-0 deficit in their semi-final against Terenure, scoring 17 points in response, and it was a similar story in the decider as they took control in the third quarter.
Christopher Maguire’s initial break culminated in Daniel Tourish scoring beside the posts in the 48th minute, with fellow backs Nicholas Sheehan and Conor Cantwell also involved.
Neary converted, and St Mary’s then took the lead for the first time through hooker Joseph Christle’s try. The outhalf – Coffey’s Irish Schools half-back partner – added the extras, followed by a penalty with eight minutes remaining.
Blackrock had to respond, and they did, with hooker O’Neill storming down the right flank to give his side one last chance. McCarron finished in heavy traffic before Coffey kept his composure with everything on the line.
For head coaches Vanstone and Moloney, there is work to be done to lift their players after the extreme highs and lows of a day that delivered three tries, three conversions and a penalty apiece.
“We’re still 70 minutes from a Cup,” said Moloney. “We’re no closer than we were already. I think it’ll be difficult for both teams. I suppose it’s how we shape it. To be able to perform in a Cup final like that and put ourselves in a position to win, we’ll take a lot of confidence.”
Vanstone reflected: “I’d say it’s difficult at the very highest end, let alone when you’re dealing with schoolboys. And I don’t think either Kieran nor myself really know what we’re going to face in terms of the way the players respond.”
BLACKROCK COLLEGE: C McCloskey; A Vetjens, J Browne, B White, A Aschenbrenner; P Scally, L Coffey (capt); L Magee, H O’Neill, B Guerin; C Power, G Eggars; C McCarron, P Agnew, T Keaveney.
Replacements: R Kenneally for C Power (47 mins); R Keogh for P Agnew (51); L Golden for L Magee (53); L Hill for Keaveney (57); L Kelly for B Guerin (63), S Moloney for P Scally (67).
ST MARY’S COLLEGE: J Kelly; C Maguire, C Cantwell, D Tourish, N Sheehan; P Neary, J Fogarty; T Quigley, J Christle, D Kenny; E Brady, E Farrell; M Egan, A McGauran (capt), S Thornton.
Replacements: J Whitty for M Egan (47 mins).
Referee: Jack MacNiece.
Scorers
Blackrock: H O’Neill try, B White try, C McCarron try, L Coffey 3 cons, 1 pen.
St Mary’s: E Brady try, D Tourish try, J Christle try, P Neary 3 cons, 1 pen.