The late and only try, when Gary Halpin bullocked his way over from the back of a Blackrock scrum, gave this Heineken Leinster Cup final a gloss that scarcely did justice to Old Belvedere's fighting instincts.
Always chasing the match after out-half Emmet Farrell had kicked his side to a 9-0 lead, Old Belvedere's tenacity and potential shone through for most of the second half.
But Blackrock deserved it. Farrell's flawless kicking came off a controlled front eight performance, in which hooker Shane Byrne excelled. And while there was never really that much in the match dominated by the boot, Blackrock played the tune better than their opponents.
Both sides were eager to make a statement about the zest and youth of their players, with Old Belvedere bringing on a number of the club's under-20 talent. Andy Dunne at out-half, as expected, prowled behind his side's scrum looking for any openings.
But Old Belvedere's biggest problem was that Blackrock had largely been given a free reign in the first 40 minutes, and they led 12-3, satisfied that their share of the relatively featureless first period was just reward.
Byrne and Gary Halpin, as well as centre Michael Jackson, offered themselves as ball carriers and any infringement that came off that and the incessant kicking was snapped up by Farrell's boot.
But when, just as the second half resumed, Blackrock scrumhalf John Woods delivered a pass deep in his half to captain Leo Cullen and the ball spilled forward, the tone was set for the ensuing 30 minutes as Old Belvedere continued to knock on the door.
But they never really reached the pitch where the door was in danger of coming down.
Dunne then missed a straightforward kick, and left wing Des McHugh was bundled into touch as he galloped to the corner; the pervading sense was that things were just not sparking for Belvedere.
While the scores were not coming to them with their increased tempo, Blackrock certainly had the look of a side being stretched. Dunne kicked for 12-6 before Farrell kicked his fifth from five attempts. But again two penalties from Dunne reduced the lead to 15-12 with just seven minutes remaining.
The match then turned on referee Donal Courtney's decision to penalise Old Belvedere in a scrum right in front of goal. Farrell again stepped up for his easiest of the game and Blackrock led 18-12 with four minutes remaining. The Belvedere heads sank and that was it.
Halpin's try gilded the scoreline but deservedly secured Blackrock their first win in this competition since 1992.
And Belvedere? Well, they will have to wait another year to try to break the 31-year streak. The last time they won the trophy was in 1968 against UCD.
Scoring sequence: 4 mins: E Farrell pen 30; 19: E Farrell pen 6-0; 34: E Farrell drop goal 9-0; 38: A Dunne pen 9-3; 40: E Farrell pen 12-3. 51: A Dunne pen 12-6; 60: E Farrell pen 15-6; 62: A Dunne pen 15-9; 73: A Dunne pen 15-12; 76: E Farrell pen 18-12; 82: G Halpin try 23-12.
BLACKROCK: T Keating; M Price, G Brown, M Jackson, D Johnson; E Farrell, J Woods; I McLoughlin, S Byrne, G Halpin, J Griffin, H Kos, R Rogers, B Gibney, L Cullen (capt). Replacements: A McSweeney for McLoughlin (49 mins), M Higgins for Rogers (57 mins).
OLD BELVEDERE: D Schmude; D Keogh, A O'Shea, R Monoghan, D McHugh; A Dunne, S Keogh; T Mannix, A Linnane, G Fusco, H McDonnell (capt), C Gleeson, S Walsh, M McGloughlin, J Logan. Replacements: R Brown for McHugh (57 minutes).
Referee: D Courtney (ARLB).
French prop Christian Califano is to lodge an appeal against his ban for head-butting a Fijian forward. The Toulouse forward was suspended until December 5th for his assault during last Saturday's Pool C decider, won 28-19 by France.
His appeal will be heard by the World Cup disciplinary panel at Twickenham on Tuesday.
