Belvedere College 13 CBC Monkstown 13Switched from the heavily-used Donnybrook pitch to Anglesea Road because of the overnight downpours, CBC Monkstown may have felt the ghosts of the likes of former Old Belvedere players Neil Francis and Anthony O'Reilly gave their opponents a marginal advantage for this school tie.
The international players' illustrious photographs may have been beaming down from the boardroom but in this first-round match even the most partisan could not have seen the result as anything but just.
Old Belvedere's ground served up a match that ended as it should have.
The contest often struggled to flow, although one fluid movement in the first half was justifiably rewarded with a CBC try which could not have been executed with more aplomb. That move was worth the wait in a largely grinding and kicking match, where the whistle was a regular feature.
Belvedere dominated territory in the first half with small enough return and CBC, with the wind assistance, controlled the second, snatching the draw in the final two minutes to crank up the excitement.
But it was CBC full back Ken Casey's move after 10 minutes that illuminated the first half and belied the under-foot sludge as CBC swept into the Belvedere 22, fanned out across the pitch.
Casey, hitting the line at speed, took possession and effortlessly side-stepped his man to create the numerical advantage. There was little the cover could do but take Casey, who simply fed it out to David Simmington, steaming down the right wing, for the first touch down, which Justin Kinch skilfully converted.
The 7-0 lead, though, was hardly digested when Belvedere hit back and barely five minutes later Kevin Barden ripped through in possession and, with several arms wrapped around him, muscled over in the right corner.
It was no more than Belvedere deserved; their recycling had served up the ball at least seven times as they hammered away at the CBC line across the entire width of the pitch, Barden using sheer strength as much as anything to secure the score.
Again the try was converted, this time by outhalf Ian Keatley, as the wind gusted diagonally across the pitch.
From there on kicking shaped the game. CBC were winning their lineouts as openside flanker Conor Byrne secured just about every one, but Belvedere dominated territory until the break. Justin Kinch gave CBC the lead from a penalty on 32 minutes and Conor Hayes equalised two minutes later for 10-10.
With the wind behind them in the second half, CBC lay siege to the Belvedere 22, with a few break-outs fizzling out with long clearances. In one instance Belvedere's Robert Carson held on just a little too long as support arrived 15 metres out from the CBC line.
Finally, Belvedere outhalf Ian Keatley sent over a beautiful drop goal just two minutes from the end of normal time and it looked like they had slipped through.
But Kinch had other plans and when CBC earned their second kickable penalty of the half he equalised from in front of the posts with almost the last kick of the game.
The replay will be next Monday (3 p.m.) in Donnybrook.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 10 mins: D Simmington try, J Kinch con 7-0; 15: K Barden try, I Keatley com 7-7; 32: J Kinch pen 10-7; 34: C hayes pen 10-10. Half-time. 68: I Keatley drop gl. 10-13; 70: J Kinch pen 13-13.
BELVEDERE COLLEGE: C Hayes; K Barden, M McAllister, K Gormley, J Whelan; I Keatley, B O'Neil (capt); H Mahon, D Gilchrist, P O'Rourke, H Lacey, H McGreevy, G Brennan, R McDonald, B Kennedy. Replacemnents: C Healy for O'Rourke (35 mins); R Carson for Gilchrist and K McCann for Brennan (50 mins); P Woods for Whelan (62 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 (capt). Replacements: C Mion for Smialek (60 mins).
Referee: W Sheridan (ARLB)
