Fortune doesn't always favour the brave, if it did then Wesley College would have manufactured a Cup sensation at Donnybrook yesterday. If tenacity and perseverance were virtues that guaranteed victory, Wesley would be contemplating a second-round tie.
Yesterday, they competed for all their worth, tackling relentlessly, absorbing great pressure, usually inside their own 22, only to pinch a turnover, clear their lines and return to the trenches to await the next assault. None epitomised their spirit more than openside flanker Mark Gray, who was outstanding.
His back row colleagues, Stuart Abbot and Colin Wall, gave him ample support, as did second row Stephen Wallace in what was a fine effort from the pack. Abbot made the hard yards off a clever and frequently worked back row move while Wall and Wallace tackled and carried aggressively. Captain Brian Hastings found the odd chink of space but it was left wing Oluseye Ashiru who caught the eye behind the scrum.
It was appropriate he should grab his team's only try, two minutes after the interval. From a ruck 30 metres from the Terenure line, Ashiru stepped out of a tackle and accelerated clear to touch down despite David Cazabon's despairing dive. Brian Hastings missed the conversion - he had earlier kicked a long-range penalty - but Wesley led 8-6.
In praising Wesley it would be churlish to ignore Terenure's response. They had dominated for large stretches of the game, yet lack of control and discipline had left them susceptible to their opponents' fightback. Terenure responded like potential champions, albeit with a little unwitting assistance from referee Wayne Sheridan.
The official missed a blatant Terenure knock-on in the Wesley 22, penalised the latter at a subsequent lineout and although he refused Terenure what seemed like a try from Roy McDonnell's catch and drive, the winners would not be denied. Their excellent flanker Conor McGinn was driven over by the pack from the ensuing five-metre scrum. Outhalf David McAllister missed the conversion but had earlier kicked two penalties and would add another five minutes from time.
This was a potential banana-skin for Terenure and they did exceptionally well. In players like captain Donal Dunlop, McGinn, McAllister and Killian Coleman they possess a strong core to the side and hardened by this encounter will be very tough to beat.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 10 mins: McAllister penalty, 3-0; 18: B Hastings penalty, 3-3; 24: McAllister penalty, 6-3. Half-time: 6-3. 37: Ashiru try, 6-8; 58: McGinn try, 11-8; 65: McAllister pen, 14-8.
TERENURE COLLEGE: D Cazabon; O Pugh, K O'Toole, K Coleman, J Donnelly; D McAllister, P Coleman; J A Lee, G Doyle, F Cronin; E Wallace, R McDonnell; J Barretto, D Dunlop (capt), C McGinn. Replacement: D Gallgher for Wallace 67 mins.
WESLEY COLLEGE: M Hastings; B Harper, R Duffy, B Hastings (capt), O Ashiru; D Wollmington, P Bierne; J Belton, J Musgrave, A O'Connor; S Wallace, A England; S Abbot, C Wall, M Gray. Replacements: N Correll for Bierne 59 mins; D Heelan for Harper 66 mins; J Peare for Belton 69 mins.
Referee: W Sheridan (Leinster).
