#2 Jack Cadell

Terenure College JCT 2014 gpfoto

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St Andrews Coaches: Ian Dumbleton, Peter Dumbleton, Adam Griggs.

Captain: Greg Jones.

Squad: Ben Arrowsmith, Fionn Irwin-O’Hara, Jack Balbirnie*, Greg Jones*, Gavin Beere*, Kyle Jordan, James Black, Daniel Joyce*, Ryan Bradley, Luke Judge, Alex Brady*, Michael Kirk*, Jack Cassidy*, Jordan Larmour, David Evans, Antonie Muller, Jack Farrelly, Alastair Murphy, Gary Fearon*, Ross Nicholl, Andrew Fogarty, Andrew Porter*, Alfie Guy, Alex Waller, Jonathan Guy*, Walter Wood, Stephen Hayes, Daniel Hide*, Darragh Higgins*, Ben Ingram*.

Representative players: Leinster under-19s - Greg Jones, Andrew Porter.

Leinster under-18s - Daniel Joyce.

How school performed in 2013 Cup: Lost in Vinnie Murray semi-final to Wesley.

Prospects: With Greg Jones and Andrew Porter in their side they can beat Castleknock. Then it gets really tough.

Clongowes subdue brave St Andrew’s challenge to book final place against Blackrock Second-half tries from Josh Pim, Cian O’Donoghue and Stephen McVeigh set up an intriguing decider Gavin Cummiskey Clongowes 27 St Andrew’s 12 St Andrew’s refused to go quietly. With the result of this semi-final guaranteed, and with it a Blackrock versus Clongowes Wood final on March 16th, the Booterstown school had one last moment together as a team.

They made it count. The late try by Jonny Guy was all guts.

The confrontational lock carried to the blindside, to be welcomed by three Clongowes defenders. He ran through them all to gain his team respectability on the scoreboard, something they had already achieved from the watching public.

Very little could be added to St Andrew’s first-half performance. They created a try from nothing, defended like warriors and were structurally solid. They deservedly led 7-3.

The three points that were coughed up can be described as a captain’s score. Clongowes carriers were inching ever closer to the try line when Greg Jones, the Leinster schools number eight, took a calculated gamble to collar opposing scrumhalf Rowan Osborne.

Seven points A penalty resulted but Jones avoided a yellow card – instead of what seemed a certain seven points, Clongowes turned tails with just three from the reliable boot of Alan Hughes.

In Stephen McVeigh, Clongowes had the game’s outstanding performer and guaranteed yardage every time he bulldozed into contact. Same can be said of Will Connors and centre Colm Mulcahy. In Josh Pim they have the type of flanker who can change any game while outhalf Fergal Cleary is all class, be it offloading, kicking or in his strong tackling.

There seemed no way through the Clongowes machine. But on 23 minutes right wing Jordan Larmour’s quickly taken lineout caught Clongowes unawares and two clever offloads later fullback Andrew Fogarty touched down.

All of a sudden we had a real battle – no David and Goliath scenario.

Power prevailed in the end. Clongowes regained the lead early in the second half when Pim was shunted over by a lineout maul. Hughes’s conversion and a penalty on 47 minutes made it 13-7.

There should’ve been a third try but both Conor Gleeson and Pim were deemed to have knocked on when grounding the ball.

Their wits Again, living on their wits, St Andrews survived. Despite the heroics of Jones, Guy and quick-thinking outhalf Jack Balbirnie, it was Clongowes ability to counter punch that made them so unstoppable. They are masters of the turnover.

The end, when it came for St Andrew’s, was a horrible moment of misfortune. As they attacked, the ball went to ground and there was Clongowes left wing Cian O’Donoghue. A despairing hand-trip slowed him but his balance prevailed as his pace took him away.

Hughes stitched the touchline conversion and that was that. McVeigh landed a cruel blow late on, carrying off a scrum for another try, but Guy delivered the last line in a landmark season for St Andrew’s. They died with their boots on.

Scoring sequence - 14 mins: A Hughes pen, 3-0; 23: A Fogarty try, 3-5; J Balbirnie conv, 3-7. Half-time. 37: J Pim try, 8-7; A Hughes conv, 10-7; 47: A Hughes pen, 13-7; 61: C O’Donoghue try, 18-7; A Hughes conv, 207; 67: S McVeigh try, 25-7; A Hughes conv, 27-7; 69: J Guy try, 27-12.

Near-perfect Balbirnie inspires Saints stroll St Andrew’s 47 Gonzaga 3 - Leinster Schools’ Senior Cup quarter-final Tony Ward – Published 14 February 2014 02:30 AM “Hail, hail the Saints are here.”

So chanted the blue and white clad supporters of St Andrew’s as the Booterstown school produced the most complete performance of the tournament to date at Donnybrook.

If anyone doubts the potential for this powerful squad to challenge the big guns and go the whole way, then think again.

This is a strong, talented, well coached, well-disciplined, extremely well-balanced squad and unquestionably the best the school has produced since the cup-winning teams in the early years of the competition the best part of a century ago.

It is led from the front by outstanding captain and Leinster schools No 8 Greg Jones, but contains two absolute gems in loosehead prop Andrew Porter and right wing Jordan Larmour.

They started a little nervously, but once Jack Balbirnie (right) probed the corner, Jones secured Alex Brady’s throw and Ryan Bradley broke clear from the maul for a well-engineered try, converted by Balbirnie, this Andrew’s masterclass was under way.

Ross McKeever did manage to narrow the gap to four with an 11th- minute penalty, but that was as good as it got for Gonzaga.

Soon after came the best individual try of the competition so far. With an extraordinary combination of balance and slick footwork at full tilt, Larmour danced through the Gonzaga defence for a quite brilliant individual effort. Balbirnie added the extras as Andrew’s proceeded to take control.

They crossed for three more tries before the interval, the outstanding Porter and equally effective Larmour responsible for two, with centre Gary Fearon adding the third.

The near-flawless Balbirnie converted all but one for a breathtaking 33-3

lead at the break.

Stunned by that first-half hurricane, Gonzaga took the game to Andrew’s on the restart, but Balbirnie added another try to kill off their challenge.

In keeping with the standard of the day, the No 10 landed his second successful conversion in difficult windy conditions from the touchline.

There was still time for one more try, appropriately scored by inspirational skipper Jones. Balbirnie converted for a personal haul of 17 as he and his team announced their intent in the most emphatic way possible.

St Andrew’s make their progress with Guy on hand to take only try Replay sees Castleknock College bow out in harsh conditions at Cill Dara Wed, Feb 5, 2014, 01:00 First published: Wed, Feb 5, 2014, 01:00 Johnny Guy scored the only try of the game to seal St Andrew’s progress to the second round in yesterday’s replay at a very windy Cill Dara.

The winners had the elements in their favour in the opening period and were quickly camped deep in Castleknock territory but some thunderous defence forced three turnovers and they were held at bay.

A good break by Donal McConville helped establish a rare attack and, soon after, the pack forced a penalty.

Prop Geoff Brookes judged his kick brilliantly into the wind to register the opening score.

St Andrew’s responded immediately and Jack Balbirnie, who snatched the draw for his side last week, levelled from the tee.

Five minutes before the break, Guy was the last man to pick-and-drive after some relentless pressure that finally yielded a try and Balbirnie converted.

The outhalf kicked another penalty with the last kick of the half to make it 13-3.

Castleknock threw everything at their opponents in the second half but rarely looked like getting the five-pointer they needed.

Brookes did land two fine penalties to reduce the margin to four but it was only in the closing minutes that they got close to the Andrew’s try line.

They were unable to find the gap they so badly needed though and Andrew’s took the honours.

Castleknock College 15, St Andrew’s 15: St Andrew’s secured a dramatic draw with the final kick of the game to force their first-round clash with Castleknock to a replay yesterday.

Outhalf Jack Balburnie showed nerves of steel to land the all-important penalty and get his side out of jail after St Andrew’s conceded two late tries when leading 12-3 with 15 minutes remaining, It took a massive effort from the Castleknock forwards to score their first try with 10 minutes left and when kicker Geoff Brookes missed the conversion, it looked ominous.

Yet the ’Knock forwards came again and another huge surge saw Niall O’Riordan cross the whitewash to give his side a 13-12 lead. Brookes converted and Castleknock could sense victory but their lead was gone in 60 seconds.

St Andrew’s claimed the restart and won a penalty 40 metres out. A hush descended as Balburnie lined up the kick and despite the tension, the talented number 10 slotted a sweet shot between the posts.

It was his fifth and most important penalty of the day.

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