Gavin dowling cwc jct16 proof # 2

Clongowes Wood College JCT 2016 Leinster Schools Junior Cup gpfoto

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Maher ignites Clongowes bid

Clongowes College 21 Kilkenny College 0 Leinster Schools Junior Cup PUBLISHED06/02/2016 | 02:30

Clongowes Wood completed the line-up for the Leinster Schools Junior Cup quarter-final at Castle Avenue yesterday.

It didn’t come easily to them, despite their full-back John Maher’s brilliant fourth-minute try which allowed David Wilkinson to add a simple conversion.

There was plenty of give-and-take on the immaculate 3G pitch as Kilkenny captain Harry Stacey put on a real show at the breakdown.

Even so, out-half Wilkinson landed a penalty for hands in the ruck in the 20th minute for a 10-point lead at the break for Clongowes.

In fact, Kilkenny took over the game from then to the 40th minute into and with the wind without the guile necessary to break open the Clongowes defence.

Then, the winners moved methodically up-field for Wilkinson to strike penalties in the 43rd and 48th minutes.

The scoreboard was given something of a skewed appearance when replacement Milo Cruise-O’Brien hammered onto a pop pass for their other try in injury-time.

Clongowes - J Maher; C Grimes, T O’Brien, J Carroll (capt), C Martin (S O’Grady 59); D Wilkinson, M Galvin; S Mo (T D’Arcy 46), E Noone (H Lonergan 53), R McMahon (B Gallagher 56), T Coughlan, G Dowling, E Boland (M Cruise-OBrien 36), T Power, B Dooley.

Last-gasp try seals win for Clongowes 25 February 2016 17:00 Leinster Schools Junior Cup John Maher was the hat-trick hero as Clongowes made their way through this thrilling Bank of Ireland Leinster Schools Junior Cup quarter-final at Donnybrook on Wednesday.

The tone was set by a Clongowes scrum on the left from where the ball was moved into the hands of full-back John

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Maher, who simply blazed away on a 60-metre slalom run for a spectacular try which was converted by fly-half David Wilkinson.

The Monkstown boys took that setback well. They came hard for Ryan to look like he got in. Referee Stephen Troy was not convinced.

The challenge had been thrown down and Monkstown picked it up through the muscle available in the pack.

They worked in sycnhronisation for second row Niall Scully to get the final touch in the 13th minute.

The Clongowes continuity was effective as flanker Calum Dowling and centre Joe Carroll made the necessary impact to drive CBC back for hooker Hugh Lonergan to squeeze out a try for Wilkinson’s extras to make it 14-5 in the 20th minute.

Leinster Schools Junior Cup

They brushed this off for Ryan to get off the back of the next reset and flanker Tadgh Quinn to crash over in the right corner. Reynolds nailed the conversion to tie it up again in the 50th minute.

There was slightly more structure to what Clongowes were doing with the ball.

Flanker Dowling and Maher put them in the right area without the all-round composure to make it matter as the minutes ticked on.

When it was CBC’s chance to turn the game, they came close through Logan Brady.

However, the right wing ran into Maher, who ripped the ball away and made his way home from 90 metres with the valiant Ryan in hopeless pursuit.

The return of prop Stephen Mo from a blood injury brought the pack up to eight in order to repel Monkstown’s attacking scrum.

It made little difference as number eight Ethan Ryan burst off the back for lock Liam Forster to touch down and James Reynolds to convert.

CBC were nearly through again when Ryan took off up the left until he was stopped by full-back Maher. It didn’t end there.

They were methodical in moving the ball forward. Reynolds, who was the third in line for a pick-and-go, put Monkstown ahead from no more than a metre out, his conversion making it 19-14 on the break.

Leinster Schools Junior Cup The x-factor of Maher took taming and his first opportunity ended with an in-to-out break that outfoxed three defenders for Wilkinson to recover the advantage at 21-19 in the 35th minute.

The breaking ability of Ryan came to the fore again when the numbered eight thundered through the middle to be met by Maher’s textbook tackle, flanker Dowling getting back to force the turnover with a try looking the most likely outcome.

The vigilance of Clongowes at the breakdown was enough to earn two penalties and, from there, out-half Wilkinson used those outside as decoys to hit a gap and veer outside the final defender for 26-19 in the 47th minute.

At Donnybrook - CLONGOWES WOOD COLLEGE 31 (J Maher 3 tries; D Wilkinson try, 3 cons; C Dowling try); CBC MONKSTOWN 26 (J Reynolds try, 3 cons; L Forster, N Scully, T Quinn try each).

CLONGOWES WOOD COLLEGE 31 CBC MONKSTOWN 26 Clongowes Wood: John Maher; Chris Grimes, Tim O’Brien, Joe Carroll (Capt.), Christopher Martin; David Wilkinson, Mark Galvin; Stephen Mo, Hugh Lonergan, Ryan McMahon, Tom Coghlan, Gavin Dowling, Eddie Boland, Calum Dowling, Barry Dooley.

Replacements: Milo Cruise-O’Brien for G Dowling 10 mins; Calum Doyle for Mo 18 mins - temp & 40 mins; Tom Power for Boland 42 mins; Ethan Noone for Lonergan 52 mins.

St Michael’s weather storm to book place in decider St Michael’s 20 Clongowes 15 PUBLISHED07/03/2016 | 02:30

that inspirational moment it was game on.

The impressive Noone was accredited with a well taken pushover try in the 38th minute and at 13-8 the Dublin school appeared edgy.

To their credit they bounced back for a huge psychological score through the impressive Gannon midway through the half but with the powerful triumvirate of tighthead Ryan McMahon, openside Calum Dowling and No 8 Barry Dooley running at the heart of the Michael’s defence they were in a dogfight and it showed.

Just short of the hour mark, following a scintillating break by full-back John Maher the powerful Dooley took a quick tapped penalty to cross for a richly deserved Clongowes try, but Michael’s managed to hold on.

St Michael’s - M O’Brien; A Smith, C Cosgrave, C McGettigan, Z Harrison; N Carroll, R Gilsenan; J Boyle, L Barron, J Toland (H McGovern 21); J Fish, L Dunne; W Hickey, M Hernan (Captain), B Gannon.

Clongowes - J Maher; C Grimes, T O’Brien, J Carroll (Captain), F Adams (C Joyce 17mins); D Wilkinson, H Arkwright: S Mo (C Doyle 30), H Lonergan (E Noone 30), R McMahon; T Coghlan (M Cruise O’Brien 59), G Dowling; T Power (E Boland 59), C Dowling, B Dooley.

Ref - B Cuttriss (Leinster Referees).

St Michael’s Robert Gilsenan, kicks the ball ahead away from Clongowes’ Tim O’Brien in the Leinster Schools Junior Cup Semi-Final St Michael’s qualified for their seventh Leinster Schools Junior Cup final in 10 years by overcoming Clongowes in a most entertaining encounter at Donnybrook yesterday.

With skipper Mark Hernan and No 8 Ben Gannon to the fore the Ailesbury Road school dominated the early exchanges, keeping Clongowes deep in their own territory.

They deservedly took the lead just three minutes in when good approach work by William Hickey paved the way for centre Cian McGettigan to send full-back Mark O’Brien racing in wide on the left.

Michael’s added to their lead on 20 minutes when the lively Hernan blocked down an attempted clearance for the ever alert Niall Carroll to hoover up the loose ball. Robert Gilsenan combined first with Jonathan Fish and then the roving Hickey before setting Carroll and McGettigan free up the left for the speedy Zach Harrison to take the try scoring pass.

Sortie On a very rare sortie into Michael’s territory David Wilkinson landed a penalty to narrow the gap to 10-3.

Christopher Cosgrave restored the 10-point cushion with a penalty coming up to the break. At 13-3 Michael’s appeared in cruise control.

It was going to take something special to ignite the Clongowes challenge and in the early minutes of the second half it came when replacement hooker Ethan Noone made a vital intercept inside his own 22. The supporting Wilkinson carried the ball into the opposition half and in

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Clongowes Wood College JCT 2016 15. John Maher 14. Chris Grimes 13. Tim O’Brien 12.Joe Carroll (Capt) 11. Christopher Martin 10. David Wilkinson 9. Mark Galvin 1. Stephen Mo 2. Ethan Noone 3. Ryan McMahon 4. Tom Coghlan 5. Gavin Dowling 6. Eddie Boland 7. Calum Dowling 8. Barry Dooley 16. Tom D’Arcy 17. Hugh Lonergan 18. Calum Doyle 19. Milo Cruise O’Brien 20. Tom Power 21. Sean O’Grady 22. James Joyce 23. Michael Medeiros

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