CBC Monkstown 18 St Gerard’s 17
Cal Traynor-Russell’s 69th-minute try drove CBC Monkstown into the Leinster Schools Senior Cup quarter-finals at Energia Park on Tuesday afternoon.
For so long, it looked like St Gerard’s had the answers to CBC’s actions, hitting the lead in the eighth minute from a Zenon Chambers try and holding it almost to the end.
It was a lack of discipline that hindered them, their superb openside Turlough McCracken-Brown scavenging a penalty on the floor before St Gerard’s fell into the trap of coughing up back-to-back penalties.
Chambers tidied up Eoghan O’Hanlon’s clever chip, but a CBC raid down the right, involving simple passes, almost created an opening for Traynor-Russell.
However, there was soon the encouragement of three points from the boot of Ronan Mahon to make it 5-3 in the 26th minute.
Back came St Gerard’s and their maul threatened to go all the way before Shane Buckley thought to shift the point of attack.
It was the right choice, accessing the driving game for McCracken-Brown to ground and Ciarán Foley to convert in the 30th minute.
The pace never dropped, CBC working the short side and St Gerard’s spreading the play towards Chambers, a real livewire.
CBC thought they had made a breakthrough at half-time when Tom Reynolds dived for five, only for referee Cillian Hogan to rule it out for an infringement at the ruck, leaving it 12-3 at the break.
Backchat cost St Gerard’s 10 metres but not for the first time CBC looked to have wasted an opportunity until the speedy O’Hanlon darted left and right to produce the try they had been looking for all along.
St Gerard’s were on the verge of mauling over when the excellent Charlie Meagher broke away with the ball.
Still, the Bray school were able to force a penalty to go to the corner and Ross McCrea almost steamed over at the posts.
No matter, the patience of left wing Harry Balfe to hold his width paid off for their third try in the 44th minute.
St Gerard’s were reduced to 14 when Nathan Harte was binned. The maul was a familiar tool for CBC inside the 22 and hooker Luan Moloney claimed a try this time to make it 17-13 in the 57th minute.
Moloney couldn’t escape the clutches of Ultan Woods under the stand and Milo Quinn was held up over the line.
St Gerard’s couldn’t break away. Fullback Mahon made the decisive incision and Conor Broderick fed Traynor-Russell for the flying finish.
There was still time for number eight Sweeney to come hard at the line but he was held up for a turnover.
SCORERS – CBC: E O’Hanlon, L Moloney, C Traynor-Russell try each; R Mahon pen. St Gerard’s: Z Chambers, T McCracken-Brown, H Balfe try each; C Foley con.
CBC MONKSTOWN: R Mahon; B Sharpe, Lu Power, M Quinn, C Traynor-Russell; C Broderick, E O’Hanlon (capt); N Ocampo, L Moloney, C O’Toole; M Shaw, T Reynolds; C O’Donnell, L Cahill, C Meagher.
Replacements: B Tomkins for O’Donnell, C Cave for Sharpe (both 57 mins).
ST GERARD’S: Z Chambers; U Woods, R McCrea, N Harte, H Balfe; C Foley (capt), J Buckley; H Doyle, C Geraghty, E McCall; R Hughes, C Lunn; O Cobbe, T McCracken-Browne, M Sweeney.
Replacements: L Tanner for Buckley, C Fitzpatrick for Foley (both 41 mins); R Moore for Doyle, O Denver for Cobbe (both 50); H Gilmore for Chambers, J McGovern for Geraghty, R Kelly for Balfe (all 69).
Referee: C Hogan (Leinster).
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