Onslaught denies Mary’s
DUNDALK GRAMMAR ST. MARY’S C.B.S. 27 10
A SECOND-HALF Dundalk onslaught proved too much for St. Mary’s C.B.S. to repel in the Duff Cup final at Donnybrook on Wednesday.
The Enniscorthy Juniors put in a tireless effort in the opening half and managed to build a 10-0 interval lead. However, their Louth opponents kept their foot firmly on the gas after the break and blitzed clear to an impressive victory.
Playing with the breeze at their backs in the opening 30 minutes, St. Mary’s played some smart rugby. They moved the ball consistently well through their hands and took their chances when they came along.
They had all the early pressure and pushed Dundalk right back under their posts. It looked like the favourites might have repelled the worst of the storm, only for Stefan San Augustin to break through a small gap, speed past his man and touch down under the posts.
When Ronan Kervick added the extras without fuss, Enniscorthy were 7-0 up after four minutes. A short time later Darragh Kehoe did superbly well to deny Matthew Meegan a try in the corner after Aidan Kane’s dab through tested the St. Mary’s rearguard.
Enniscorthy built from that and, after a spell of pressing inside the ‘22, won a penalty that Kervick popped over in the 19th minute to make it 10-0.
The remaining minutes of the half were spent in the St. Mary’s half, but they defended superbly well to creak but not crack.
When the pressure continued after the break there was an inevitability about what eventually transpired. The superb Harry O’Neill broke the Enniscorthy resistance in the 41st minute and Dylan Keating tapped over the conversion to make it 10-7.
Aidan Kane’s try put Dundalk ahead when he powered through two defenders two minutes later, with Keating making it 14-7.
O’Neill registered his second try, and his side’s third, in the 47th minute as Dundalk threatened to run riot.
To their credit, Enniscorthy could have fallen apart but they played the last few minutes with great heart, conceding just two Keating penalties in the remaining minutes. In fact, they kept probing right to the end themselves but couldn’t add to their first-half salvo as Dundalk prevailed.
St. Mary’s C.B.S.: Darragh Kehoe, Shane Kehoe, Stefan San Augustin (try), James Doyle, Ronan Kervick, Conal Kervick (capt., penalty, conversion), Seán Kelly, Mikey McVeigh, Conor Murphy, Josh Murphy, Chris O’Leary, Neil Foley, Aaron Doyle, Cian Walsh, Ore Lasisi. Replacements - Aidan Kelly, Victory Onwabiko, Marco Byrne, Levente Roza, Jack O’Hagan, Ryan Cullen, Oran Carty, Cathal Roche, also Shadrach Onwabiko, Leo Durnan, Niall Mernagh.
Dundalk Grammar School: Matthew Meegan, Gavin Meegan, Timmy Connolly, Woodley Nicholson, Aodhán Fitzpatrick, Aidan Kane (try), Tom Rian Corcoran, Deshawn Ighodaro, James Stokes, Mark Ajayi, Dylan Keating (two penalties, three conversions), Colman Finlay, Jonah Power, Joshua O’Hare, Harry O’Neill (capt., two tries). Replacements - Charlie Murdock, Harry Graham, Divine Ighodaro, Killian Dunne, Luke Andrews-Walsh, Aaron Spaight, Ross Clarke, Reuben O’Neill.
Referee: Tom Colton.