No Joy For Munster In Donnybrook Triple-Header Against Leinster

Please see below match reports from Sunday’s age-grade triple-header in Donnybrook against Leinster.

Leinster U18 Schools 45 Munster U18 Schools 17

Leinster completed their mission to go through the PWC Under-18 Schools Interprovincial Series unbeaten at Energia Park at lunchtime on Sunday.

Doubles by Rowan Balamash and Mark McNally and singles by Mark McNally, Eoghan Rowlands and Ryan O’Sullivan decorated a comfortable win.

The home province established a territorial edge from the opening bell, probing for gaps in the face of energetic defence.

The choice to go for the corner rather than accept three points paid a handsome dividend when hooker Balamash crashed over for a try at the end of an effective maul.

An encroachment at a lineout handed Leinster another shot at moving into position on the 5-metre lineout from Matt McKenna’s kick to the corner.

From there, the sense of inevitability was difficult to shake once Balamash connected with Ronan McCann in the air.

The maul gathered pace for Balamash to ground down the try, converted by McKenna for 12-0 in as many minutes.

Munster maintained possession of the ball to send their big boys headlong into contact, centre Jack Hayes and second row Mark Whelton showing up for work.

The passing skill of Hayes and Harry Quinlan created a hole for Hugh Downey before Quinlan broke down the short side where replacement McNally made a vital tackle.

Then, Munster wasted a four-man overlap on Whelton’s decision to carry rather than shift the ball left when Leinster’s defence had been softened and narrowed.

There was also the opportunity to turn a lineout and maul into points. Leinster snuffed out the dangerous situation through magnificent maul defence.

However, the Blues could not escape their 22 effectively enough. A Munster lineout was used to release Sean Ryan to bulldoze through a tackle for 12-5 in the 31st minute.

Leinster turned down three points for a two-score lead in favour of going to the corner, where full-back Hugh Downey’s athleticism kept the ball in play.

A burst by Lucas Hill and Myles Carroll’s solid decision-making put loose-head Borja Salto-Galdon close to another breakthrough.

The promise of a third was fulfilled when a maul was brought to ground five metres out. The backs created a hole for McNally to burst through. McKenna’s extras made it 19-5 at the break.

The game threatened to take on a different complexion when Munster found their rhythm immediately. Sweeping the ball right, full-back Downey had the strength and pace to reach for the line.

The Reds won the scraps on the floor and moved with menace, Downey putting Gearoid Hickey away on the right.

A Leinster maul slowed the game down. Nimbler work on the edge of a ruck was given impetus by McKenna’s incisive break, finding scrum-half Chauvire in support for the fourth try, converted by McKenna in the 44th minute.

Openside Ronan McCann cut a fine line through the middle for McNally to come close to his second try before McKenna’s long pass to unopposed Myles Carroll drifted forward.

A scrum penalty was the next avenue to points for Leinster, leading to a sustained period of pressure in which prop Rowlands barged over for McKenna’s extras to make it 33-10 in the 55th minute.

Munster stayed in the fight, their forwards working hard to get around the corner and Hayes breaking free for a fine try,

Speed was the decisive factor along the left tramline as McNally’s second try owed much to the link play of O’Sullivan in the 64th minute.

It was a case of the other way around for the seventh try as McNally hared down the left again and executed a wonderful blind pass for O’Sullivan to touch down. McKenna converted.

Scorers.

Leinster: R Balamash, R McNally 2 tries each; V Chauvire, E Rowlands, R O’Sullivan try each; M McKenna 4 cons.

Munster: H Downey try, con; S Ryan, J Hayes try each.

Leinster

15. Finn Brennan (Kilkenny College)

14. Myles Carroll (St Michael’s College)

13. Sam Dunne (St Michael’s College) / Hugo Doyle (St Andrew’s College) 34 mins

12. Adam Smyth (St Michael’s College)

11. Matias Quaglia (Kilkenny College) / Mark McNally (St Michael’s College) 10 min.

10. Matthew McKenna (St Michael’s College)

9. Victor Chauvire (Clongowes Wood College) / Ryan O’Sullivan (St Michael’s College) 55 mins

1. Borja Salto-Galdon (Gonzaga College) / Aodhán Carroll (Cistercian College Roscrea) 51 mins

2. Rowan Balamash (Terenure College) / George Eggers (Blackrock College) 51 mins

3. Eoghan Rowlands (Blackrock College) / Ewan Eacrett (Kilkenny College) 55 mins

4. Hugh Keaney (Clongowes Wood College) / Josh Leeson (Kilkenny College) 55 mins

5. Sam Kennedy (St Michael’s College)

6. Saul Brewster (Newbridge College) / Robert Flaherty (St Mary’s College) 40 mins

7. Ronan McCann (Belvedere College)

8. Lucas Hill (Blackrock College).

Munster

15. Hugh Downey (CBC)

14. Alexander Bramoulle (Bandon Grammar School) / Gearoid Hickey (Crescent College Comprehensive)

13. Matthew McCarthy (PBC)

12. Jack Hayes (Cistercian College Roscrea)

11. Adam Bennett (Crescent College Comprehensive)

10. Harry Quinlan (CBC) / Jos Keating (Bandon Grammar School) 51 mins

9. Tiernan Murphy (CBC) / Dylan L’Estrange (Bandon Grammar School 40 mins

1. William Powell (Cistercian College Roscrea) / Jay Walsh (Crescent College Comprehensive) 61 mins

2. Leo Carman (Ardscoil Rís) / Oisín Gleeson (Crescent College Comprehensive) 51 mins

3. Kyle Yoxall (St. Munchin’s College) / David Fitzpatrick (Crescent College Comprehensive) 55 mins

4. Mark Whelton (Bandon Grammar School)

5. Andrew O’Connor (Castletroy College) / Bobby Meagher (St. Munchin’s College) 49 mins

6. Sean Ryan (Crescent College Comprehensive)

7. Robert Carrigan (Rockwell College) CAPTAIN / Ronan O’Brien (St. Munchin’s College) 44 mins

8. Ronan Dillon (PBC).

Leinster U18 Clubs 26 Munster U18 Clubs 21

Champions Leinster just about held out a resurgent Munster to record a third win on the bounce in the PWC Under-19 Interprovincial Series at Energia Park on Sunday evening.

A brace of tries by Rocco Quigley and others from Michael Redmond and Ciaran Dunne gave Leinster a lead they needed.

Any perceived nerves were soon dispelled when Leinster moved forward well enough to stress a fired-up Munster defence.

Diminutive wings Redmond and Quigley have been prominent through the campaign, Leinster smartly moving the ball into the hands of Redmond for the first try in the fifth minute.

When Munster over-complicated a move in midfield, Byron O’Hara was on hand to disrupt it and almost get the ball away.

The visitors came at pace down the right for full-back Tadhg Bane to feed wing Josh Devlin, requiring openside Jed Conroy to cover ground and clatter in the tackle.

Leinster appeared to hold an advantage at the scrum as Joe Costello, Dennis Phelan and Olly Quinn made life difficult for their opposition numbers.

Centre O’Hara was the workhorse, driving the ball up the guts. A quick recycle enabled full-back Leon Regan to eat up the ground and Quigley to finish on the left. Conor Martin converted in the 16th minute.

O’Hara’s front-foot defence tasked Munster with moving the ball off the back-foot. A series of precise passes was made redundant when Davyn Maher’s kick tumbled beyond the dead ball line.

Soon, Leinster were coming at speed for Quigley to threaten on the right before Regan almost collected his chip over the top in the left corner.

Fine continuity between backs and forwards delivered the momentum for second row Dunne’s angle to unlock the Reds. Martin converted for 19-0 in the 25th minute.

Coming from deep, Regan sliced Munster in two to draw in Bane for Quigley’s second try, converted by Martin in the 27th minute.

The confidence surged through the Leinster players, all of them looking to get involved in a flowing attack, sparked by Martin’s pushing of tempo.

However, Munster were not short of ideas behind the big carries of number eight Alex Reddin and the work rate of openside Caolan Johnston.

Indeed, Johnston escaped into the open to have his pass broken up by Quigley, who was shown a yellow card for his misdemeanour.

The penalty was kicked to the corner. Hooker Harry O’Dwyer sheared off to the left and placed the ball on the line for a try, converted by Maher for 26-7 at half-time.

An immediate lift in Munster’s intensity led to a lineout on the back of a penalty, Johnston taking them to five metres out where Dunne’s lineout contest caused a knock-on.

O’Hara stopped Reddin short of the whitewash. A swarming defence held Munster up over the line.

An arrow of a pass by Munster centre Ewan Knowles threatened more than it delivered as Quigley returned to the game.

Johnston refused to go to ground on the ball, charging out of a Munster maul to get within sight of the line. Loose-head Thomas Buckley spilt the ball in the act of grounding.

The problem was that not even the healthy clearances of Martin and Channing Dafe stifled Munster’s momentum, ending in Josh Devlin’s finish on the right, converted by Maher for 26-14 in the 44th minute.

The Munster maul was making metres with ease, and the penalty count was mounting for Leinster, O’Hara being binned for an illegal tackle in the 49th minute.

The latest lineout was predictably turned into a maul for Reddin to crack the defence for a second try in four minutes, Maher adding the conversion for a five-point deficit

The decision to go long at the restart was rewarded when Redmond forced a penalty on the floor.

The lineout was smooth. The maul moved. Flanker Brando Nolan was brilliantly held up over the line by Maher.

Reddin carved up Leinster for the umpteenth time. Redmond was in like a flash to clamp down on openside Johnston.

The dangerous trio of Redmond, Regan and Quigley combined to cause havoc under the stand as the crowd roared its approval.

Munster kept on coming in a varied attack that had Leinster hanging on by a thread, a penalty concession leaving to another lineout deep inside the 22.

It became a battle of wills as Munster punched in the carriers and Leinster held firm long enough for Brandon Nolan to get his hands in for the vital poach of a penalty.

Scorers.

Leinster: R Quigley 2 tries; M Redmond, C Dunne try each; C Martin 3 cons.

Munster: H O’Dwyer, J Devlin, A Reddin try each; D Maher 3 cons.

Leinster

15. Leon Regan (Boyne)

14. Michael Redmond (Tullow)

13. Harry Ward (Naas) / Sirio Scalabrino Noone (Suttonians) 65 mins

12. Byron O’Hara (Terenure College)

11. Rocco Quigley (Enniscorthy)

10. Channing Dafel (Mullingar) / Scott O’Shea (Kilkenny) 65 mins

9. Conor Martin (Navan)

1. Joe Costello (Naas)

2. Dennis Phelan (Portlaoise)

3. Olly Quinn (Wicklow) / Excell Ekemhenrekhian (Portlaoise) 44 mins / Olly Quinn (Wicklow) 66 mins

4. Ciaran Dunne (Portlaoise)

5. Jimmy Shorten (Navan)

6. Aidan Tamming (Naas) CAPTAIN

7. Jed Conroy (Suttonians) / Brandon Nolan (Tullow) 44 mins

8. Killian James (Portarlington).

Munster

15. Tadhg Bane (Ennis)

14. Josh Devlin (Newport)

13. Harry O’Donoghue (Ennis)

12. Ewan Knowles (Clonakilty)

11. Fionn O’Donovan (Clonakilty) / Shane Kavanagh (Waterpark) 57 mins

10. Davyn Maher (Old Christians)

9. Ryan O’Neill (Newport) / Rua Clancy (Waterpark) 58 mins

1. Thomas Buckley (Bruff) / Nikolas Przewozniak (Bandon) 59 mins

2. Harry O’Dwyer (Old Crescent) / Ivor O’Riordan (Kinsale) 58 mins

3. Peter O’Brien (Midleton) / Callum Fitzgerald (Carrigaline) 65 mins

4. Paddy Cooke (Clane)

5. Flynn Cooke (UL Bohemian) / Chris O’Flynn (Old Christians) 26 mins

6. Seán O’Sullivan (Kinsale) / Flynn Cooke (UL Bohemian) 68 mins

7. Caolan Johnston (Waterpark) / Kenneth O’Brien (Dungarvan) 65 mins

8. Alex Reddin (Waterpark).

Leinster U19s 41 Munster U19s 18

The undeniable strike power of Leinster crowned their capture of the PWC Under-19 Interprovincial Series at Energia Park on Sunday afternoon.

Two tries from Tadg Young and one each from Harrison McMahon, Philip Murphy, Chris Maguire, Brion Donagh and Seamus Whelan secured the third bonus-point victory.

There was no denying the ferocity of the opening exchanges as carriers were met with authoritative tackles, none more so than when loose head Philip Murphy nailed Munster full-back David Sargent.

Nice footwork from Leinster out-half McMahon was not taken heed of as, the next time the out-half touched the ball, he flew in behind to accelerate away from near halfway in the third minute.

The ability of Leinster to strike from deep was showcased again when breaking out on the left for wing Young to have the strength and speed to double the lead in the eighth minute.

Scrum-half Lewis Linehan exploded through the first line of defence to draw a penalty on the 22, which Alan Cleary sent to the corner.

A beautifully designed move put second row Cian O’Connor on the ball with smaller men in front of him only to lose it forward.

The Leinster lineout pressured a turnover close to home and the confidence to move the ball left to Young let the visitors know they were inclined to go from anywhere they could carve out space.

But, Leinster’s struggle with tackle height allowed out-half Cleary to strike a penalty from 36 metres for 10-3 in the 17th minute.

Just when Munster’s kicking game looked to have pinned Max Roche into a corner, the full-back countered at top speed to create a chance for Chris Maguire to pump the ball forward.

The livewire Linehan darted here and there and chipped ahead before prop Tadhg Halpenny was late into the tackle, warranting a yellow card for his mistake.

The heads-up approach from Munster made their next move difficult to predict, leading to a penalty for Cleary to make it 10-6 in the 28th minute.

McMahon’s flat pass almost put Eoghan Brady through a hole. Jack Fogarty’s reverse ball did just that for Brady to shoot in behind.

Once on the frontfoot, Leinster powered up the heavy drivers of the ball for loose-head Murphy to go all the way for McMahon to convert for 17-6 in the 32nd minute.

All of this was carried out without tight-head Halpenny, who promptly returned to the game in a better place than he had left it.

McMahon’s double pump pass released Niall Fallon into the open, the centre skipping out of two tackles only to lose the ball in sliding to the line.

The willingness of Linehan to probe on the fringes almost worked again, providing the consolation of a penalty which Cleary slammed ot the corner.

The maul was slow in moving forward. Patience there was rewarded when it took its toll for hooker William Hanley to dot down for 17-11 in the 38th minute.

Leinster were relentless in their response, moving the ball sweetly for McMahon and number eight Thibault Campbell to link up ahead of right wing Maguire beating two tackles for a stunning try in the 41st minute.

Timely passing allied to the pace of Najim Jagana and a nicely judged kick forced the concession of a 5-metre scrum out of Young.

A simple move involving Linehan’s long flat pass put centre Cathal O’Mara in line for a try, converted by Cleary for 22-18 in the 51st minute.

Good decisions on the ball by McMahon looked to unlock desperate defence, Leinster getting to within inches of the line before a turnover ruined that plan.

Then, McMahon’s crossfield kick was turned to gold when Young won the ball and blasted home from 10 metres out in the 56th minute.

Four minutes later, Leinster came calling from the set-piece, a maul driven methodically for hooker Donagh to claim the sixth try, Johnny Martin converting from the touchline.

The same avenue of progress guaranteed the seventh try for replacement hooker Seamus Whelan, Martin slotting the conversion.

Scorers

Leinster: T Young 2 tries; H McMahon try, con; P Murphy, C Maguire, B Donagh, S Whelan try each; J Martin 2 cons.

Munster: W Hanley, C O’Mara try each; A Cleary 2 pens, con.

Leinster

15. Max Roche (St Michael’s College) / Johnny Martin (Newbridge College) 57 mins

14. Chris Maguire (St Mary’s College)

13. Niall Fallon (Terenure College) / Michael Kenny (Newbridge College) 34 mins

12. Tom Martin (Newbridge College) CAPTAIN

11. Tadg Young (St Fintan’s High School)

10. Harrison McMahon (St Michael’s College)

9. Jack Fogarty (St Mary’s College) / Josh O’Keefe (Newbridge RFC) 49 mins

1. Philip Murphy (New Ross RFC) / Ryan Grant (Belvedere College) 49 mins

2. Brion Donogh (Newbridge College) / Seamus Whelan (Balbriggan RFC) 61 mins

3. Tadhg Halpenny (Dundalk RFC) / Rory O’Brien (Terenure College) 38 mins

4. Eoin Farrell (St Mary’s College)

5. James Gissing (Belvedere College) / Alan Higgins (Skerries RFC) 49 mins

6. Harry O’Neill (St Vincent’s Castleknock College)

7. Eoghan Brady (St Mary’s College) / Cillian O’Donovan (Newbridge College) 57 mins

8. Thibault Campbell (Wesley College).

Munster

15. David Sargent (Tralee RFC) / Liam O’Brien (PBC) 51 mins

14. Najim Jagana (Ardscoil Rís) / Michael Landers (St. Munchin’s College) 63 mins

13. Cathal O’Mara (Cistercian College Roscrea)

12. Sean O’ Regan (Old Christians RFC) / Noah Dann (Rockwell College) 56 mins

11. Cillian O’Flynn (Bandon RFC)

10. Alan Cleary (Crescent College Comprehensive)

9. Lewis Linehan (Bandon Grammar School)

1. Caden Smith (Glenstal Abbey) / Sean Fitzpatrick (CBC) 24 mins

2. William Hanley (Fermoy RFC) / Kevin Griffin (Castletroy College) 53 mins

3. Patrick O’Connor (Kilfeacle RFC) / Conor Dillon (St. Munchin’s College) 24 mins / Patrick O’Connor (Kilfeacle RFC) 50 mins

4. Cian O’Connor (Ennis RFC) / Gareth Murphy (Ardscoil Rís) 63 mins

5. Ben O’Connell (Castletroy College) / Michael Landers (St. Munchin’s College) 61 mins

6. Gareth Murphy (Ardscoil Rís) / Alex Ryan (Cistercian College Roscrea) 42 mins

7. Eddie Dooley (PBC)

8. Cathal O’Doherty (Ardscoil Rís) CAPTAIN.