Ben murphy leinster u18s sch proof

The Interprovincial Championships 2017

School’s U18s

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U18 SCHOOLS START INTERPROVINCIAL SERIES WITH A WIN OVER MUNSTER August 23, 2017 / 5:03 pm / Site Editor This game exploded into life from the moment Leinster hooker Ethan Baxter got around John Hurley for an opening minute try converted by centre Mick O’Gara.

The Munster inside centre Hurley appeared to take this personally as he thundered onto a smart ball from fly-half Ryan O’Sullivan to reach for the line in the third minute and converted as well.

The next time Hurley came hard and straight, number eight Ed Brennan was there to stop him in his tracks.

This was the first of a number of hard hits delivered to show scores would be harder to come by as the game was carried out between the 22s.

Leinster out-half Ben Watson’s grubber forced full-back to Mark McLoughlin to concede a lineout.

A comedy of errors almost allowed Leinster to benefit from a charge-down and their tight-head Thomas Clarkson’s leg drive put them close to the line.

From a rock-solid scrum, Brennan carried well, Jody Booth added his weight to the argument and left wing Andrew Smith knifed between centres Hurley and Jamin Hoffman for O’Gara to convert.

Once again, Leinster were generous from the restart as out-half Watson was blocked by captain Cian Hurley, who had the presence of mind to regather and finish to make it 14-12 from the conversion in the 25th minute.

Munster were not able to hold their discipline in moving up offside as Leinster swung the ball left and right, O’Gara knocking over three points from in front of the sticks close to half-time.

O’Gara was back on point for three more before Munster replacement Jack Delaney swiftly made it for 20-15 in the 40th minute.

A sharp line from centre Hoffman had to be closed down by Leinster full-back Sam Dardis.

Then, flanker Booth hit the line at pace and offloaded beautifully for lock Daniel Beggs to pick up Leinster’s third try, converted by O’Gara in the 47th minute.

It should have been a building block. Instead, Munster rolled up their sleeves at the maul and out-half Delaney followed up his own kick to ground the ball and convert from the right for 27-22 in the 54th minute.

The mistakes were piling up as the game loosened up. Leinster attacked from deep, through full-back Dardis, for their wing Max O’Reilly to claim their fourth try converted by O’Gara.

Leinster replacement Gavin Dowling was binned for illegal work at a breakdown and Munster looked odds-on to score from a maul until captain Cian Prendergast ruined it for a turnover.

And that was the game.

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At Donnybrook – LEINSTER 34 (E Baxter, A Smith, D Beggs, M O’Reilly try each; M O’Gara 2 pens, 4 cons); MUNSTER 22 (J Delaney try, pen con; J Hurley try, con; C Hurley try).

Leinster: Sam Dardis (Terenure); Max O’Reilly (St Gerard’s), Tom Maher (Blackrock), Mick O’Gara (Pres Bray), Andrew Smith (St Michael’s); Ben Watson (St Gerard’s), Adam McEvoy (St Mary’s); Conor Duff (Clongowes), Ethan Baxter (St Gerard’s), Thomas Clarkson (Blackrock), Cian Prendergast (Newbridge, Capt), Daniel Beggs (Clongowes), Jody Booth (St Michael’s), Anthony Ryan (Clongowes), Ed Brennan (Blackrock).

Replacements: Ben Murphy (Pres Bray) for McEvoy ht; Cian Duffy (Blackrock) for Duff 40 mins; Gavin Dowling (Clongowes) for Beggs 60 mins; James Reynolds (CBC Monkstown) for Maher 65 mins.

U18 SCHOOLS COMEBACK FALLS SHORT AGAINST ULSTER September 4, 2017 / 11:46 am / Site Editor Apparently, Ulster were unlucky in their loss to Munster on their first outing, dropping the points to an intercept try on an inclement afternoon.

While Leinster took care of Munster (34-22) with something to spare the previous Saturday, coach Jeff Carter knew there were a lot of areas in need of improvement.

He saw glimpses of what Leinster worked on in the opening ten minutes as they dominated field position and possession of the ball without the finishing touches to make it count.

When their fast start didn’t yield points, Ulster took confidence from their sound defence which fed into an improvement in their attack.

They were able to turn territory into points from full-back Ben McCaughey’s fine try in the 18th minute and scrum-half Nathan Doak’s penalty in the 26th minute.

Their flow was temporarily interrupted by a strike from Leinster centre Mick O’Gara on the half-hour.

However, Doak kicked his second three and left wing Aaron Sexton was able to punish the visitors severely with Ulster’s second try, converted by Doak, for a significant 18-3 lead at the break.

Leinster had to respond or they would suffer further and this is where the leadership of captain Cian Prendergast came to the fore.

They managed to wrestle back control of the game, largely by being more accurate with the ball.

The tide of territory turned and Prendergast pounded out the try, converted by O’Gara, to offer a window back into the game in the 51st minute.

It was all up for grabs again when quick-thinking scrum-half Ben Murphy picked up their second converted try with eight minutes left on the clock.

Leinster could not quite complete the comeback and had to be content with a losing bonus-point which keeps them on top of the table.

“Everyone has won one game and lost one game, so it is all to play for,” reflected Team Manager Stephen O’Hara.

“Ulster are a very good side; Munster are good. The competition is very even this year. It is wide open. It is anyone’s to win, to be honest.

“The points situation at the moment is that Leinster are on six, Ulster are on five and Munster are on four.”

At Campbell College Belfast – ULSTER 18 (B McCaughey, A Sexton try each; N Doak 2 pens, con); LEINSTER 17 (B Murphy, C Prendergast try each; M O’Gara pen, 2 cons).

Ulster Ben McCaughey (Friend’s School); Chris Larmour (Methodist College), Ben Power (Campbell College), Angus Adair (RBAI), Aaron Sexton (Bangor Grammar); Robbie Johnston (Regent House), Nathan Doak (Wallace High); John McKee (Campbell College, Capt), Tom Stewart (BRA), Ben Crangle (Methodist College), Joshua McAuley (Ballymena Academy), Jack Stinson (Campbell College), David McCann (RBAI), Kevin McNaboe (Methodist College), David Brown (Coleraine GS).

Replacements: Ryan O’Neill (Royal, Armagh) for Stinson 59 mins; George Saunderson (Sullivan Upper) for Brown 62 mins.

Leinster Sam Dardis (Terenure); Tom Maher (Blackrock), James Reynolds (CBC Monkstown) Mick O’Gara (Pres Bray), John Maher (Clongowes Wood); Ben Watson (St Gerard’s) Ben Murphy (Pres Bray); Cian Duffy (Blackrock) / Conor Duff (Clongowes Wood) 56 mins Ethan Baxter (St Gerard’s) / Jerry Cahir (Cistercian, Roscrea) 66 mins Thomas Clarkson (Blackrock) Jody Booth (St Michael’s) / Gavin Dowling (Clongowes Wood) 58 mins Cian Prendergast (Newbridge, Capt) Anthony Ryan (Clongowes Wood) Jack Cooke (Terenure) Ed Brennan (Blackrock).

REPORT: MUNSTER SCHOOLS 12 LEINSTER SCHOOLS 23 September 12, 2017 / 10:19 am / Site Editor There is nothing the red machine likes more than to take Leinster to the trenches and force a dogfight, especially with the assistance of a strong first-half wind.

However, Leinster had been forewarned from the 34-22 win at home to Munster and they were also nursing something of a hangover from the one-point defeat (18-17) in Ulster the week before.

They were determined to lay down a marker even into the elements and they looked after the ball very well in the circumstances.

The ‘ball focus’ was a step up from that produced against Ulster the

previous week and number eight Ed Brennan was the beneficiary for the opening try which was improved on by a penalty from the right boot of centre Mick O’Gara for 8-0 at the break.

In one sense, the hard work had been done. Leinster just had to be careful about not falling into the trap of feeling the job was done.

They did that by consolidating their superiority and building on their advantage, full-back Sam Dardis following up his long kick to seize on the second try in the 40th minute.

O’Gara increased the lead with a penalty and replacement Ethan Baxter blocked down a Munster attempted clearance to pounce for the third try, O’Gara converting from the touchline to make it 23-0 going into the final quarter.

The combination of Leinster’s fatigue and the never say die attitude of Munster led to two tries by the hosts in the last ten minutes.

They opened their account in the 53rd minute as Tommy Downes embarked on a soccer-style dribble from the visitors’ 22 to score his side’s first try.

Aaron Hennessy scored Munster’s second try in stoppage time following a ruck outside the visitors’ 22 and Andrew Hogan converted.

were quicker into their patterns, their big forwards getting around the corner and out-half Thomas Armstrong forcing left wing Max O’Reilly to complete an overhead mark as three attackers closed in.

The visitors were playing to a penalty advantage and scrum-half Nathan Doak kicked them ahead in the seventh minute.

The soft hands of number eight David McCann and centre Angus Adair put wing Robin McIlveen one-on-one with O’Reilly, who made his tackle.

Ulster were very direct, their hooker Bryn Davies driving at the heart of the Leinster defence and out-half Armstrong spinning the ball into the paws of flanker Ryan O’Neill for 8-0 in the 14th minute.

It was a remarkable 15 minutes before a Leinster player touched the ball in the Ulster half, O’Reilly rising again to claim a bomb.

Hooker Davies promptly won a penalty on the floor to keep the visitors hemmed in the right area of the field.

In addition, it meant Leinster took away the Dudley Herbert Cup, named in honour of the doyen of Crescent College, up for grabs to the team which wins this age-old Schools rivalry on Munster soil.

“We learned from the final quarter that we can’t switch off at all, especially against Munster, who kept coming and coming,” said coach Jeff Carter.

“They had a lot of pride in their play and we just got tired even with the substitutions. We need to be a 70-minute team the next day.

“We don’t play for two weeks. Munster and Ulster have to play each other in Belfast and we will have Ulster in Donnybrook on the 23rd of the month,” said Carter.

They mirrored Ulster in keeping their attack narrow through the driving work of centre Mick O’Gara, prop Thomas Clarkson and captain Cian Prendergast to draw a penalty.

O’Gara slotted the points in the 23rd minute.

The athleticism of Prendergast eked out an opening down a tight corridor on the right which was closed by the Ulster boys.

Full-back Sam Dardis made more ground than he had a right to on the counter, O’Gara’s kick bobbling all the way beyond the in-goal area.

This returned the pressure and Ulster left wing Aaron Sexton was the obvious out ball, testing the resolute Chris Cosgrave down the left.

Then, Ulster claimed a lineout and charged right for their hooker Davies to power over for Doak to convert for 15-3 on the half-hour.

Finally, Leinster put some tempo into their attack from wing O’Reilly’s surge.

Ulster were in place to make their tackles until centre Ross McInness’s fend put him outside Power and O’Gara kicked the extras for 15-10 just on half-time.

When replacement Tom Stewart made a nuisance of himself at the breakdown for a penalty, Doak fancied his chances from halfway without the execution to match his ambition.

Scrum-half Doak probed the 22 with a tumbling kick where an overthrown lineout put Stewart on the ball.

A penalty was forthcoming and Doak made it a two-score game in the 43rd minute.

“It gives us a chance to have a look at our options for the last game.

We played away last week and this week. It is probably no harm to take a breather, especially with lads back in the various schools.”

At Cork IT – MUNSTER 12 (T Downes, A Hennessy try each; A Hogan con); LEINSTER 23 (S Dardis, E Brennan, E Baxter try each; M O’Gara 2 pens, con) Leinster REPORT: LEINSTER SCHOOLS 17 ULSTER SCHOOLS 18 September 25, 2017 / 11:13 am / Site Editor The Blues were supposed to be on a revenge mission for the 18-17 defeat they suffered away to Ulster in Belfast three weeks earlier.

It didn’t look that way for long stretches of the first-half as Ulster

A miscued lineout and centre Ben Power’s failure to roll away at a ruck finally allowed Leinster possession which they initially could not benefit from.

Leinster flanker Jack Cooke seized on the restart and out-half Ben Watson’s grubber asked a question to which Doak had the answer.

At last, Leinster were generating the fast ruck ball for scrum-half Ben Murphy’s quick service without the composure to make it count.

A knifing break from Ulster flanker Kevin MacNaboe was neutralised by a Sam Dardis turnover.

The sheer work rate of the home side forced the issue rather than any incisive gains made.

In fact, it was another misdirected lineout that ended up in the hands of Clarkson and his thrust to the line was stalled by a high tackle.

Leinster chose a scrum ahead of the points and weren’t clinical enough to deliver as wing Cosgrave was bottled up for a turnover when referee Ken Imbusch called a maul.

Replacement Ethan Baxter provided a spark to go with prop Thomas Clarkson’s non-stop engine and it was full-back Dardis who pounded out the try they so badly needed.

O’Gara’s conversion reduced the difference to one point in the 62nd minute.

They could not get into position or force another penalty close enough to have a chance to win it.

At Donnybrook – LEINSTER 17 (R McInness, S Dardis try; M O’Gara pen, 2 cons); ULSTER 18 (R O’Neill, B Davies try each; N Doak 2 pens, con) Leinster 15. Sam Dardis (Terenure); 14. Chris Cosgrave (St Michael’s) 13. Ross McInness (Terenure) 12. Mick O’Gara (Pres Bray) 11. Max O’Reilly (St Gerard’s); 10. Cian Egenton (Castleknock) / Ben Watson (St Gerard’s) 31 mins 9. Ben Murphy (Pres Bray) 1. Conor Duff (Clongowes Wood) / Luke Rigney (Cistercian, Roscrea) 6 mins 2. Bobby Sheehan (Clongowes Wood) / Ethan Baxter 43 mins 3. Thomas Clarkson (Blackrock) 4. Jody Booth (St Michael’s) / Daniel Beggs (Clongowes Wood) 48 mins 5. Cian Prendergast (Newbridge) CAPTAIN 6. Anthony Ryan (Clongowes Wood) / Jerry Cahir (Cistercian, Roscrea) 63 mins 7. Jack Cooke (Terenure) 8. Ed Brennan (Blackrock)

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Leinster U18’s Schools 2017 Sam Dardis (Terenure), Tom Maher (Blackrock), Ross McInness (Terenure), Ben Watson (St Gerard’s), Mick O’Gara (Pres Bray), John Maher (Clongowes Wood), Cian Egenton (Castleknock), Ben Murphy (Pres Bray), Conor Duff (Clongowes Wood), Simon Clear (Gonzaga), Jerry Cahir (Cistercian, Roscrea), Luke Rigney (Cistercian, Roscrea), Jody Booth (St Michael’s),Gavin Dowling (Clongowes), Cian Prendergast (Newbridge, Capt), Anthony Ryan (Clongowes Wood), Ethan Baxter (St Gerard’s), Jack Cooke (Terenure), Ed Brennan (Blackrock), Thomas Clarkson (Blackrock), Bobby Sheehan (Clongowes Wood), Max O’Reilly (St Gerard’s), Chris Cosgrave (St Michael’s)

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