In-a-row for outstanding Grammar in Senior Cup
Sligo Grammar School are best in class in the province at senior level for the third successive campaign Connacht Schools Rugby Senior ‘A’ Cup Final Sligo Grammar School 29 Marist College (Athlone) 18
TITLE JOY: Members of the Sligo Grammar School senior rugby squad celebrate the capture of the Connacht Schools Senior ‘A’ Cup on Wednesday last at Dexcom Stadium, Galway.
FOR three-quarters of this game, the door was open for Athlone’s Marist College to pull off an upset win, and to deny this Sligo Grammar School team their place in history, alongside the three-in-a-row winners from 1961, 1962 and 1963.
But as a last hurrah for a group where the majority are in their final year of schools rugby, the final quarter of last Wednesday’s Connacht Schools Senior ‘A’ Cup final at Galway’s Dexcom Stadium was quite the sign off.
“I suppose in the end, fitness told,” was the summary of Sligo Grammar manager Jimmy Staunton afterwards, and while that was certainly understated, it was still accurate.
He continued: “We took the ball to them a fair bit and I thought we had probably overall more possession, even in the first-half.
“Therefore, coming towards the end of the game, I knew if we could keep our big ball carriers on the ball, I think
VICTORY SHOUT: Sligo Grammar’s Arann Platt savours last week’s Senior ‘A’ Cup win. their fitness was beginning to run out a little bit, so we were actually making more ground.”
They were doing much more than that. While Marist’s defence – led by the Connachtselected centre partnership of Thomas Cotton and Tom Sheehan – was resolute for the first 50 minutes, in those final stages, Sligo Grammar suddenly found it much easier to run around them, through them, and at times over them.
A moment of twinkletoes magic from Gerard Murtagh in the first-half had led to Dylan McCloat scoring the game’s first try, and that was key to Sligo Grammar going in at half-time level, 10-10.
It wasn’t that Marist deserved to lead, or anything like it, but as the novices at this stage of proceedings, Sligo Grammar were in danger of