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Blackrock College JCT 2017 gpfoto

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Blackrock denied five in a row as Michael’s claim Leinster Junior Cup

It’s the Ailesbury Road school’s first title at the grade since 2012.

Mar 29th 2017, Blackrock’ Sam Small and Adam Dixon tackle Oscar Hurley of Michael’s.

St Michael’s College 31, Blackrock College 17 Daire Walsh reports from Donnybrook ST MICHAEL’S COLLEGE produced a stunning performance at Donnybrook this afternoon to secure the Leinster Schools Junior Cup title at the expense of Blackrock College in a replayed encounter. The sides had finished on level terms (7-7) at the same venue seven days earlier but although ‘Rock were seeking an historic fifth consecutive final win at this grade, they ultimately couldn’t rein in the challenge of their south Dublin rivals. Michael’s had broken the deadlock with just under nine minutes gone on the clock, as talismanic outside centre Chris Cosgrave crossed over after racing on to his chipped kick towards the ‘Rock whitewash.

He subsequently added the extras to his own five-pointer, before ‘Rock opened their account 10 minutes later with a routine Adam Dixon penalty. However, Michael’s issued a further blow to ‘Rock’s chances in first-half stoppage-time, when Jack Boyle drove over on the left wing to give his side a 12-3 interval lead.

A wayward place-kick effort from Dixon let them off the hook after the restart, before Michael’s increased the tempo of their play. Fly-half Niall Carroll finished off a sweeping move across the ‘Rock line for his side’s third try of the day, and this helped Michael’s to open the floodgates. After breaking at pace at the beginning of the final quarter, Cosgrave claimed an outstanding seven-point salvo. This left ‘Rock with a mountain to climb, and in spite of a hard-earned try from their industrious number eight Liam Heylin on 50 minutes, another exceptional Michael’s attack ended with winger Zach Harrison dotting down on the left flank. Replacement Seb Lowe claimed a second try for ‘Rock deep into time added on but it wasn’t enough to deny Michael’s their first junior crown since 2012.

Tries: Chris Cosgrave 2, Jack Boyle, Niall Carroll, Zach Harrison Conversions: Chris Cosgrave [3/5] Blackrock College Scorers Tries: Liam Heylin, Seb Lowe.

Conversions: Michael Moloney [2 /2] Penalties: Adam Dixon [1 /2] BLACKROCK COLLEGE: Shane Murray; John Campbell, Sam

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Small, Ben Brownlee (Seb Lowe ’43), Michael Lowey (Paddy McGowan ’56); Adam Dixon (Michael Moloney ’47), Matthew Cullen (Patrick O’Connor ’56); Ben Melly Murphy (Harry Cullen ’47), Charlie O’Carroll (David Cosgrove ’56), Scott Barron (Matthew Wood ’32); Mark Morrissey, Hugo O’Malley (Matthew Wood ’19-‘21); David Moloney (Jack Byrne ’34), James Culhane, Liam Heylin.

We’ll meet again! St Michael’s and Blackrock set for Leinster Junior Cup final replay

It was a low-scoring encounter in tough conditions at Donnybrook this afternoon.

Mar 22nd 2017,

Scott Barron is tackled by Conor Booth during today’s final.

St Michael’s College 7 , Blackrock College 7 ST MICHAEL’S COLLEGE and Blackrock College will have to do it all again, after they couldn’t be separated at the end of an engrossing Leinster Schools Junior Cup final at a wet and windy Donnybrook this afternoon. In a low-scoring affair, Michael’s had taken the lead with a first-half try from Jack Boyle.

However, thanks to a 35th-minute five-pointer by Michael Lowey, a replay will now be required to determine the winner of this year’s competition. Just five days on from their school’s Senior Cup defeat to Belvedere College, ‘Rock were eager to end the rugby season on a high. However, it was Michael’s who broke the deadlock from a ninth minute attack, when influential number eight Boyle powered over the whitewash after receiving the ball in a central position. This was followed by a routine Chris Cosgrave conversion (his 15th in just three games), which offered Michael’s a strong platform to build on for the remainder of the half. Yet, they found themselves on the back-foot for large spells, and disciplined defensive work was needed to ensure they remained in the ascendancy at the midway point.

However, ‘Rock eventually restored parity five minutes into the second period — when neat interchange from Ben Brownlee and Shane Murray allowed Lowey to touch down in the left corner.

With out-half Adam Dixon superbly splitting the posts from a touchline conversion, the momentum appeared to be with ‘Rock, but instead it was a determined Michael’s who posed the greater danger heading into the final quarter.

They applied serious pressure inside the ‘Rock half, and an attempted close-range drop-goal by Cosgrave was blocked down on 50 minutes.

Charlie O’Carroll and Ben Kelly Murphy with Tim Yet, as the final whistle approached, clear-cut opportunities were few and far between for Michael’s, and they ultimately had to settle for a re-match with the 50-time winners.

St Michael’s scorers:Tries: Jack Power Conversions: Chris Cosgrave [1 from 1] Blackrock scorers: Tries: Michael Lowey Conversions: Adam Dixon [1 from 1] BLACKROCK COLLEGE: Shane Murray; John Campbell, Sam Small, Ben Brownlee (Paddy McGowan ’48), Michael Lowey; Adam Dixon, Matthew Cullen; Ben Melly Murphy, Charlie O’Carroll, Scott Barron (Harry Cullen ’55); Mark Morrissey (Jack Byrne ’51), Hugo O’Malley (David Molony 60); Adam Simpson (Matthew Wood ’11), James Culante, Liam Heylin.

Referee: Brian MacNiece.

JUNIOR CUP SEMI-FINAL PREVIEW: BELVEDERE V BLACKROCK March 13, 2017 Belvedere College and Blackrock College will face each other for the right to go up against St Michael’s College in the Bank of Ireland Leinster Schools Junior Cup Final.

These traditional northside-southside rivals are both still in line for the Senior-Junior Cup double.

Belvedere have looked the more effective unit in coming through against new boys Temple Carrig (31-0) and Clongowes Wood (15-14), arguably second favourites, in the quarter-final.

That was undoubtedly the best contest of the competition, in terms of the all-round quality on show.

Belvo’ were able to neutralise Clongowes sharpest weapons and had the nerve to close out a tense match through full-back Simon Murphy’s penalty.

The forwards look for the front-foot at every opportunity through the bristling work of lock Arthur Moran, number eight Hugo McPeake and flanker Eimhin O’Neill.

It is in the backfield where Murphy, wing Eoin MacAdaimh and centre Fergal O’Byrne have looked very dangerous.

They have on out-half in Daniel Hawkshaw, who has a real feel for the ebb and flow of a game.

Blackrock have not had it all their own way, coming from behind to fell Terenure (15-6) in the first round and getting all the problems they could handle from Gonzaga (15-8) in the last eight.

It took a hat-trick from tight-head prop Scott Barron to guarantee the semi-final slot for ‘Rock.

BLACKROCK KEEP THEIR DRIVE FOR FIVE ALIVE February 28, 2017

Blackrock just about kept alive their dream of a fifth consecutive Bank of Ireland Leinster Schools Junior Cup title at Donnybrook on Tuesday.

It was clear from the opening stanza that Gonzaga were not there to just make up the numbers in this quarter-final.

They had real physical leaders in captain Arthur Henry, lock Conor Carson and a ravenous back row of Canaan Dalton-Ryan, Tom Cullen and Hugo Fitzgerald.

This is not to say that ‘Rock were dominated, even though Gonzaga out-half James Breslin smashed a penalty off the left upright.

The Williamstown school was not as generous when moving into position in the seventh minute when tight-head Scott Barron burst over for the opening try.

The boys in green had the look of a confident side as they went about shaving three points off the difference with a penalty from Breslin in the 20th minute for 5-3 at the break.

The ‘Zaga crew came out with renewed focus, Breslin benefiting from the work of his forwards.

They made steady progress down the left and tested the fabric of Rock’s defence with their close-in driving which took them all the way to within a metre of the line.

Referee Sam Holt was convinced Blackrock captain Hugh O’Malley deserved to be binned for his part in stopping the surge. The screams came from the sideline for captain Henry to accept the three points in the shadow of the posts.

He was having none of it. The tap-and-go was taken up and the ball swiftly moved left for number eight Fitzgerald to find the line for 8-5 in the 38th minute.

Blackrock had to stomach that for just three minutes when they applied pressure through the run and from a maul for Barron to reclaim the lead with his second try.

This preceded a period of Gonzaga pressure out of which they could not squeeze a score, despite a stupendous break from prop Luke Hammond for 40 metres.

The Blackrock maul got them out of trouble twice before Gonzaga started to rebuild their attack until Henry was binned for making contact with out-half Michael Moloney off the ball.

It was left to Barron to complete his hat-trick when he picked off a drop out in the last minute.

Blackrock College 15 Gonzaga College 8 At Donnybrook – BLACKROCK COLLEGE 15 (S Barron 3 tries;); GONZAGA COLLEGE 8 (H Fitzgerald try; J Breslin pen).

Blackrock: Shane Murray, John Campbell, Sam Small, Adam Dixon, Michael Lowey; Michael Moloney, Matthew Cullen; Ben Melly-Murphy, Charlie O’Carroll, Scott Barron, Matthew Wood, Hugh O’Malley (capt), Adam Simpson, James Culhane, Liam Heylin.

Replacements: Mark Morrissey for Wood 32 mins; Seb Lowe for Lowey 46 mins.

Referee: Sam Holt, Leinster Branch.

BLACKROCK COME FROM BEHIND TO DEFEAT TERENURE February 6, 2017

Blackrock had to come from behind to see-off Terenure in the Bank of Ireland Leinster Schools Junior Cup first round at Donnybrook on Monday.

Terenure started strongly against old rivals Blackrock, their wing Dean Saunders countering into traffic to draw a penalty which scrum-half Mattie Lynch nailed in the second minute.

The ‘Rock boys earned two penalties and activated a maul that went close.

Locks Hugh O’Malley and Mark Morrissey, and flanker Matthew Wood all drove hard into a defence that would not wilt.

Then, Adam Simpson made the mistake of taking the legs above the horizontal in the tackle to be binned and for Lynch to make it 6-0 in the 10th minute.

Number eight Simpson returned to the fray to hit it up and ‘Rock full-back Shane Murray shot up the short-side.

The intensity of Terenure’s defence limited them to centre Adam Dixon’s three from straight in front for 6-3 in the 21st minute.

The slim advantage was what ‘Nure had to defend from the beginning of the second-half.

Blackrock just looked more polished in attack and they took the lead for the first time from replacement Liam Heylin’s grounding of a maul for 8-6 in the 38th minute.

They kept the foot down to force a scrum, Heylin breaking away to require unbelievable goal-line defence out of ‘Nure.

The second try came when another replacement, Matthew Cullen, seized on a ball which squirted out of Terenure’s five-metre scrum for Dixon’s conversion to make it 15-6 at the three-quarter point.

‘Rock left the door ajar when lock Hugh O’Malley was shown yellow for an illegal tackle.

‘Nure couldn’t make any serious headway into a strong wind and they needed the incredible groundhog skills of blindside Conor McCabe stay in the game.

The Williamstown school was momentarily reduced to 13 when Simpson’s second yellow meant he wouldn’t return just before O’Malley did to see it out.

Blackrock College 15 Terenure College 6 At Donnybrook – BLACKROCK COLLEGE 15 (L Heylin, M Cullen try; A Dixon pen, 2 cons); TERENURE COLLEGE 6 (M Lynch 2 pens) Blackrock: Shane Murray, John Campbell, Sam Small, Adam Dixon, Michael Lowey; Michael Moloney, Patrick O’Connor; Ben Melly-Murphy, Charlie O’Carroll, Scott Barron, Mark Morrissey, Hugh O’Malley (capt), Matthew Wood, James Culhane, Adam Simpson.

Replacements: Matthew Cullen for O’Connor ht; Liam Heylin for Wood 33 mins; Seb Lowe for Campbell 56 mins; Ruairi Coyne for Barron 58 mins.

Replacements: Barra Dignam for Saunders, Liam Nolan for Colclough both 46 mins.

Referee: Padraic Reidy, Leinster Branch.

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Blackrock JCT 2017 Shane Murray, John Campbell, Sam Small, Adam Dixon, Michael Lowey, Michael Moloney, Matthew Cullen; Ben Melly-Murphy, Charlie O’Carroll, Scott Barron, Matthew Wood, Hugh O’Malley (capt), Adam Simpson, James Culhane, Liam Heylin, Mark Morrissey, Seb Lowe, Ruairi Coyne, Ben Brownlee, David Molony, Harry Cullen, Jack Byrne, Patrick O’Connor, Paddy McGowan

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