Schools Rugby Leinster Senior Cup Belvedere College 29 CBC Monkstown 13 It took an hour of yesterday's replay, at Donnybrook, before Belvedere College ended their feisty opponents designs of gate-crashing the elite schools party. They finally found the extra gear to pull away from CBC Monkstown and, in turn, secured their place in the Leinster Schools Senior Cup quarter-final.
Up until Kevin Barden crossed for Belvedere's fourth try of the afternoon, very little separated the sides. It was the combination of a second-half capitulation by CBC and the sheer power of the Belvedere forwards that proved the difference.
The back-row, in particular, must be commended for the immense pressure game they inflicted on out-half Justin Kinch. He constantly had someone bearing down on him as he attempted to find a decent touch. This gave Belvedere several attacking line-outs, two of which resulted directly in tries.
Also, their impressive scrum put considerable strain on every CBC put-in.
This meant that number eight and captain Ron Boucher was unable to give his side the required go-forward ball.
The contest was played out in a highly competitive atmosphere, before the cruel dismissal in the final 10 minutes, with the Monkstown youths striking first blood.
Peadar Nolan sliced through the centre before being hauled down by Jack Whelan in the 22 but from the resulting penalty, Kinch made it 3-0.
Back came Belvedere. In the 16th minute Dublin Minor footballer Ger Brennan barged over for the game's opening try, after Harry Lacey was held up just short. Conor Hayes added the conversion.
All the individual duals were going the way of the north-Dublin school. One such incident saw the towering Boucher find himself driven hard into the dirt by his rival captain, the significantly smaller, Brian O'Neill. With the game in the balance, it surely had a mental effect on those in the trenches.
Coming up to the half hour Monkstown began to pummel their opponents line with Paddy Flynn knocking-on as he attempted to burrow over.
However, the clearance kick, from the resulting scrum, landed in the grateful hands of Ken Casey and his cut-out pass set-up David Simmington for the try.
But O'Neill weighed in with another vital contribution before the break when he crossed for try number two, to leave his side trailing by a single point, 12-13.
They then regained the lead in the 53rd minute when Brennan touched down after a ferocious drive through the heart of the CBC forwards.
Belvedere refused to let up. They continued to take the ball into contact via their big men, mainly Lacey, while Kinch was suffocating in the pocket as Brennan, Ross McDonald and Brian Kennedy gobbled up all the air.
Next came Barden's killer blow, but it wasn't their final try of the day as deep in injury-time outhalf Ian Keatley got on the end of an initial break by O'Neill, up the blindside, to claim Belvedere's fifth try.
Belvedere now face St Patrick's Classical School, Navan, next Friday, safe in the knowledge that they don't have to fear anyone this year. For CBC, the wait continues.
BELVEDERE COLLEGE: C Hayes; K Barden, M McAllister, K Gormley, J Whelan; I Keatley, B O'Neill; H Mahon, R Carson, E Weigel, H McGreevy, H Lacey, G Brennan, R McDonald, B Kennedy. Replacements: P Woods for Whelan, D Gilchrist for Carson (both 42 mins), D Keane for Brennan (66 mins), C Healy for McDonald (77 mins).
CBC MONKSTOWN: K Casey; D Simmington, P Flynn, P Nolan, C Kirwan; J Kinch, D Walsh; R Wolfe, S Verso, G Mulvaney, D Power, D Whelan, R Smialek, C Byrne, R Boucher. Replacements: C Mion for Smialek (52 mins), D Heath for Kinch (74 mins).
Referee: W Sheridan (ARLB).
