It was Lansdowne's most complete performance of the season - an amalgam of sharp, incisive running combined with powerful ball carrying and an aggressive, frontfoot defence. It was a cocktail that did not appeal to the Terenure College palate as the home side offered up an unbeaten record at Lakelands this season with a modicum of resistance.
Victory yesterday granted Lansdowne passage to the AIB League Division One final and they will now enjoy home advantage in next Saturday's clash with St Mary's College. Lansdowne produced the type of performance that coach Michael Cosgrave craved: "We played exactly as we wanted to do, translating the training ground to the match situation.
"Our front row was outstanding. Much has been made of their young players but today I thought our guys were brilliant. There were several superb displays, including Brian (Cusack), the back row, Shane (Horgan) and Robbie (Dolan). I thought we created problems every time we got in behind them. The only problem initially was that we gave away too much turnover ball but we stopped doing that and things improved."
The facilitator of Lansdowne's success was 24-year-old outhalf Barry Everitt who contributed 24 points including two tries. The former Garryowen outhalf has suffered some bleak days in both the Leinster and the Lansdowne jersey but yesterday offering a glowing testament to his ability.
"It has taken me awhile to fit in. I struggled at the end of last season and the beginning of this one. I had to get used to a whole new season and I think my confidence took a bit of a knock. A lot of guys came from various places and it has taken the team some time to gel but I think we're coming good at the right time.
"I still think that I have a great deal to offer," he added. On yesterday's display few would argue. He controlled the match intelligently, invariably choosing the right option, whether it was to kick long or to employ the considerable ground-gaining skills of Shane Horgan. The big centre manufactured several breaks but lacked support at times.
Gus Hamilton enjoyed a fine game alongside him, while left wing Robbie Dolan will recall one superbly executed tackle on Girvan Dempsey that saved a certain try. Gordon D'Arcy busied himself in both attack and defence, finding time for a couple of trademark surges. His opposite number Dempsey was one of the few Terenure players to excel.
Up front the Lansdowne eight appeared sharper, save for the occasionally wayward delivery of hooker Ollie Ennis out of touch. Corrigan was impressive in the loose, Cusack equally eye-catching and the back row trio of Aidan McCullen, Colin McEntee and Liam Toland was very good.
Terenure appeared a little flat in contrast. Derek Hegarty, Michael Smyth, Peter O'Malley and Eric Miller were their more effective performers.
Coach Gerry Murphy, in charge for the last time, admitted: "We were well beaten, Lansdowne were the better side. You can't give away 15 points and then we didn't take a couple of half-chances that might have got us back into the match." Every time Terenure threatened to resurrect fading hopes, errors would thwart their ambition.
Two Everitt penalties gave Lansdowne a 6-0 advantage before the outhalf grabbed his first try in the 35th minute. Shane Cullen was harshly adjudged to have knockedon under the Terenure posts. From the scrum Everitt fed D'Arcy and from the return pass looped around Hamilton to score in the corner.
He failed with the conversion and Terenure's singular response before the interval was a penalty from right wing David Lynagh. Everitt's second try was a fine piece of individual skill, gliding past Miller on the outside from a ruck and remaining untouched over 35 metres. The outhalf failed with the extra points but he added a drop goal, a penalty and a conversion to Dolan's try, the latter coming from Everitt's clever inside pass.
Lynagh's second penalty and an injury-time try from Richard Governey, converted by Shane Cullen proved scant consolation. And what of the final? Lansdowne coach Cosgrave wasn't about to offer any insight. "There a good side with strong players . . ."
Scoring sequence - 25 mins: Everitt penalty, 0-3; 33 mins: Everitt penalty, 0-6; 35 mins: Everitt try, 0-11; 39 mins: Lynagh penalty, 3-11. Half-time: 3-11. 47 mins: Everitt try, 3-16; 51 mins: Everitt drop goal, 3-19; 57 mins: Lynagh penalty, 619; 60 mins: Everitt penalty, 6-22; 77 mins: Dolan try, Everitt conversion, 6-29; 80 mins: Governey try, Cullen conversion, 13-29.
Terenure College: G Dempsey; D Lynagh, M O'Kelly, M Smyth, S Cullen; R Governey, D Hegarty; S Barretto, J Blaney, J Campbell; C Potts, R Sheriff (capt); P O'Malley, E Miller, B Kavanagh. Replacements: D Guiry for Kavanagh 49 mins; P Holden for Potts 49 mins; D Murphy for Lynagh 65 mins; D Quinn for O'Malley 78 mins.
Lansdowne: G D'Arcy; R Niland, G Hamilton, S Horgan, R Dolan; B Everitt, D O'Mahony (capt); R Corrigan, O Ennis, A McKeen; G Quinn, B Cusack; A McCullen, C McEntee, L Toland. Replacements: G Fulcher for Quinn 62 mins; S McEntee for McCullen 68 mins; C Egan for Ennis 77 mins.
Referee: D Tyndall (Leinster).
