Class display by Wicklow!
U18 side power to title
THE Wicklow U18s put on a champions display to claim the Leinster Premier League title thanks to a 39-19 victory over a valiant Boyne on Saturday.
Will Fitzpatrick, TJ Kennedy, Senan Sloan Kelly, Brian Johnston, Darragh McCormack and Cuan Beirne all scored tries on the way to a glorious victory.
Boyne never gave up the fight, scoring two tries late on. They’ll be hoping for revenge when the teams do battle again in the Tom D’Arcy Cup final in a fortnight.
This was another fantastic achievement for an exciting crop of Ashtown Lane talent. They won the South East League in January, followed by the Leinster Premier League, next up the Tom D’Arcy Cup to secure a remarkable trophy treble.
The two clubs met for the first time this season at Athy RFC. Both came into the contest in great form, having only one loss on their record this season respectively. Living on separate sides of the draw, it made for a worthy final.
Wicklow made the dream start; within 60 seconds they had already scored the opening try. The bulldozing Kieran Hunter made an absorbing carry. On the front foot, Wicklow spread the ball where Hugo Sloan Kelly and Brendan Stone combined to release the speedster Fitzpatrick who touched the ball down in the corner.
In the 12th minute, they extended their advantage. The disrupter, Ricardo Whelan, stole lineout ball to win back possession. The always-dangerous Stone sliced through a gap before eventually being brought to ground.
The ball was recycled quickly, with second row Jack McConnell getting in on the action. Fast ball was the key again as hooker Kennedy made a vital carry to score from close range. Johnston kicked his first of three successful conversions
The dash of Tom Murray set the wheels in motion for try number three. The centre racked up the metres before being brought to a halt deep inside opposition territory. Their work at the breakdown provided the platform for a clean and accurate attack. On this occasion, Senan Sloan Kelly was the receiver out wide to cross the whitewash and score in the left corner.
They weren’t messing around, looking like a well-oiled machine, they wasted little time in adding more points to their pile. Straight from the kick-off, they applied the pressure, putting themselves right back in desired land. The talismanic Johston couldn’t be stopped as he showed great power and determination to grab a classy individual try of his own. 22-0, the score after just 22 minutes of play.
Boyne, who hadn’t laid a glove on their opponents in the opening quarter, finally got a foothold in the Wicklow redzone as they punished a poor exit. They made it count by finally getting off the mark and scoring a try to stop the rot.
They went on the pursuit of more, pushing for another score before the break. From a penalty, they opted to have a shot at the sticks, but the effort was wide. It was met by halftime whistle. 22-7, the score at the interval.
It was the boys from the garden county who started the second half the better of the teams. Loosehead prop McCormack used muscle to score and stretch their lead once more. The conversion was good. Jonston tagged on another three points with a penalty.
The soft hands of backrow Jamie Murray offloaded the ball to his athletic second rower, Beirne who sprinted his way to the try-line. Out-half Johnston completed his 14-point haul with the conversion.
Credit to Boyne, who didn’t let their heads drop. Two quickfire tries left the score 39-19 in the end.
Wicklow and Boyne will go toe-to-toe again on Monday, May 6, in the Tom D’Arcy Cup final at Donnybrook Stadium.
WICKLOW RFC: Brendan Stone; William Fitzpatrick, Hugo Sloan Kelly, Tom Murray, Ben Harri; Brian Johnston, Eric Peterson; Darragh McCormack TJ Kennedy, Kieran Hunter, Cuan Beirne, Jack McConnell, Jamie Murray, Ricardo Whelan, Senan Sloan Kelly. Replacements: Cormac Murphy, Stephen Duke, Jack McCall, Samuel Lyons, Jack O’Neill, Niall Connolly, William