Schools Cup Rugby Roundup

It was a great day for the Cork Schools with P.B.C. reaching both the Avonmore SuperMilk Munster Schools Senior and Junior Cup semi finals and C.B.C. and Castletroy College also advanced to the last four of the Junior Cup.

Glenstal Abbey School 11, P.B.C. 13 .
P.B.C. will face St. Munchin’s in next week’s Avonmore SuperMilk Munster Schools Senior Cup semi final after a narrow victory over a gallant Glenstal Abbey side in their replay at Clifford Park.
This game like the first game was in the balance right up to the final whistle.
Glenstal opened the scoring with a penalty from Luke Boland after twenty seven minutes, but Rory Scannell levelled for Pres’ three minutes before the interval.
Bradley restored Glenstal’s advantage with a penalty two minutes after the break,
Seamus Glynn put Pres’ in front with a try nine minutes into the second half and Scannell converted. Scannell extended his side’s advantage with a penalty ten minutes from time.
Glenstal hit back in the final few minutes and were rewarded with a try from Robert Shanahan, but Bradley’s conversion attempt to level the scores was off target.
Scorers Glenstal Abbey School: Robert Shanahan try, Luke Bradley 2 pens.
P.B.C.: Seamus Glynn try, Rory Scannell con, 2 pens.
Glenstal Abbey School: Sean Gleeson; Hugh Connors, Andrew Boland, Ian Kenny, Robert Shanahan; Luke Bradley, Andrew Devereux; David Higgins, Cal McCarthy, Kieran Grennan; Kevin Lynch, Mike O'Riordan; Ian McCarthy, Rossa Dooley, Tom Ryan.
Replacements: Jack Boland, Richard O'Hara, Blake Dunne, Conor Hughes, James Ryan, Eoin Hurley, Kevin O'Keeffe, James Igoe, Dermot Dolan.
P.B.C.: Brian Crowley; Josh Barrett, Seamus Glynn, Cian Murphy, Peter O’Brien; Rory Scannell, Philip O’Leary; Aidan Slattery, Max Abbott, David Hartnett; Ross McCarthy, Ian Silke; Paul Derham, Kieran Farmer, John Fitzgerald.
Replacements: Aidan O’Brien, Ryan Callanan, Hugh O’Halloran, Michael Murphy, Stephen McCarthy, Thomas Duggan, Darragh O’Keeffe, Gavin O’Callaghan.
Referee: Peter Roche (M.A.R.).

Castletroy College 10, Crescent College Comprehensive 8. (Cormac Liddy)
Castletroy College caused an upset in the Avonmore Supermilk Munster Schools Junior Cup quarter final at Annacotty to end Crescent’s hopes of a treble.
They did all their scoring in the first half and they then withstood a late rally to hold off Crescent in an entertaining game.
It looked destined for extra time when Crescent scored a spectacular try five minutes from the end. They launched a move from their own 10 metre line and several players were involved in a sweeping move which culminated with winger Gary O'Sullivan touching down.
But Calvin Nash failed to convert and had earlier failed with a penalty chance which would have given his side the lead after ten minutes.
Instead Castletroy went in front with a penalty by Conor Linehan and when Niall O'Shea got in for a try after 34 minutes Linehan converted to have his side 10-0 clear.
But Nash hauled Crescent back into the game with a penalty and it was Linehan's turn to be off target with another penalty before Crescent had their late try.
Scorers Castletroy College: Niall O’Shea try, Conor Linehan con, pen.
Crescent College Comprehensive: Gary O'Sullivan try, Calvin Nash pen.
Castletroy College: Brian Donovan; Paddy Morrissey, Barry Nash, Stuart Hoare, Jamie Porter; Conor Linehan, Rory Cunningham; Eoghan Fitzgerald, Lorcan Lyons, Mike Finucane; Joe Doyle, Shane O’Hara; David Rowsome, Niall O’Shea, Ronan Murphy.
Replacements: Mark O’Meara, David Kennedy, Sean Shinners, Tom Morrissey, Evan Slattery, Ross Kennedy, Sean McBrearty, David Garry.
Crescent Comprehensive College: Glenn Dickinson; Gary O'Sullivan, Shane Eades, Calvin Nash, Billy O'Hora ; Jack Harrington, Phillip Spillane; Caolan Moloney, Sean Hensey, Michael McGann; Eimhin Prendergast, Cian Reale; Andrew Harrison, Sean Fitzgerald, Owain Quinlan.
Replacements: Anson Thai, Diarmuid McDonnell, Sean Naughton, Conor Slattery, Val McDermott, Val McDermott, Bryan McNamara, Daniel O'Keeffe .
Referee: Richard Horgan (M.A.R.)

P.B.C. 26, St. Munchin’s 15.
P.B.C. booked a home semi final against either Ard Scoil Ris or Rockwell after a pulsating victory over a game St. Munchin’s side at Musgrave Park.
While Munchin’s had their moments it was the ability of the Cork side to take their scoring opportunities that decided the outcome.
Pres’ scrum half John Poland was man of the match with an excellent performance in all aspects of the game and he could follow in the footsteps of other great pres’ scrum halfs like Michael Bradley and Peter Stringer.
The Mardyke College found it difficult to use the strong wind to their advantage in the opening half and things did not look well for them with eight minutes of the first half remaining as they trailed 3-0.
It was the Limerick side who dominated the exchanges in the opening half with wonderful work by their pack whose pick and go tactics never allowed Pres’ settle into the contest.
Peter Meyer, Nathan Nugent and Antoine Sheehy excelled for Munchin’s and it was no surprise when Meyer put Munchin's in front with a penalty after ten minutes.
Michael Fitzgibbon was doing well for Pres’ in the line out and winger Conor Barrett looked dangerous with ball in hand.
It was left to skipper Paul Kiernan to lift the Cork side, when he ran in for a try after nineteen minutes following a break by Poland and David O’Sullivan converted.
Poland made it 14-3 on the stroke of half time with a superb individual try. Munchin’s won a scrum on their own Twenty Two against the head, but Poland pounced on sloppiness by the visitors’ defence and gathered the ball and raced under the posts for O’Sullivan to convert.
Pres lifted their game in the second half and extended their advantage with a great try from O’Sullivan when he cut through the visitors defence and also converted.
Munchin’s never gave up and their efforts were rewarded with a try twelve minutes from time by substitute Eoin Brewett, following good work by Shane O’Sullivan and Shane Halpin.
In a final flurry each side scored a try, Pres’ made sure of their semi final place with a try from Luke Clarke after good work by Poland and with the last play of the game, Darragh McSweeney touched down for Munchin’s following a kick ahead by full back Shane Halpin.
Scorers P.B.C.: David O’Sullivan try, 3 cons, Paul Kiernan, John Poland, Luke Clarke tries.
St Munchin’s: Eoin Brewett, Darragh McSweeney tries, Peter Meyer pen, con.
P.B.C.: David O'Sullivan; Conor Barrett, Paul Kiernan, Luke Clarke, Seafra Guilfoyle; Robin Reidy, John Poland; Joe Ring, Jack Linehan, Jake O'Donovan; Andrew Ring, Dave Fitzgerald; Michael Fitzgibbon, William Buckley, Caolan O'Flynn
Replacements: Emmet McCarthy, Gearoid O'Mahony, Eddie Ryan, Graham Smith, Billy Pope, Kevin O'Leary, Darragh Dennehy, Paddy Hogan.
St. Munchin's: Shane Halpin; Bobby Price, Jonathon O'Hanlon, Killian Browne, Shane O'Sullivan; Dylan O'Dwyer, Aaron Nunan; Jordan Prendeville, Emmett O’Callaghan, Antoine Sheehy; Nathan Nugent, John Foley; Peter Meyer, Sean O’Dea, Jake Healy.
Replacements: Hugo McDonald, Corey Wells, Ryan O’Sullivan Glynn, Darragh McSweeney, Aaron Fitzgerald, Eric Mulcahy, Eoin Brewett, Darragh Hayes.
Referee: Mark Connolly (MAR)

C.B.C. 12, Glenstal Abbey School 6. (Leonard Allen)
C.B.C. have qualified for the semi finals of the Avonmore SuperMilk Munster Schools Junior Cup where they will meet Castletroy College at a Limerick venue in two weeks time as they came from behind to defeat Glenstal Abbey School in yesterday’s quarter final tie at Temple Hill.
The Limerick side were presented with the first scoring opportunity when they were awarded on a penalty on the Christians ten-metre line from which they opted for the points and second centre Max Ryan slotted home in the second minute.
Glenstal soon found themselves on the back foot as infringements in set-pieces were proving to be costly, but they kept their line intact as Max Ryan pulled off a try-saving tackle approaching the midway point of the opening half.
Christians opened their account in the fourteenth minute when tight head prop Craig Roche was credited with a pushover try from a driving maul following a five-metre penalty which his side opted to run. Out half Michael O’Halloran added the two points from a relatively easy angle.
Three minutes later the Limerick side reduced the deficit to a single point when Max Ryan converted his second long range penalty as Christians fell foul of an offside decision on their own ten-metre line.
Glenstal were pinned back for the remainder of the opening half and four minutes before the interval Christians increased their lead when the ball was spread out to second row Evan Mintern following a ruck deep in the Limerick side’s Twenty-two for a try in the corner. O’Halloran’s conversion attempt from an awkward angle drifted narrowly wide of the posts.
Both sides had their moments in a scoreless second half.
Christians had Glenstal camped deep inside their own Twenty-Two in the third quarter as wing forward Shane O’Hanlon was proving to be a handful around the fringes as his side brought their backline more into play, but Glenstal full back Michael Boland produced two try-saving tackles in this period.
The Limerick side had Christians pinned back in the final quarter as they sought to create try-scoring opportunities, but bad handling in scoring positions was to prevent them from achieving this objective.
Scorers C.B.C. : Greg Roche, Evan Mintern tries, Michael O’Halloran con.
Glenstal Abbey School: Max Ryan 2 pens.
C.B.C.: Killian Doyle; Darren Lee, Michael Clune, Peter Hyde, Ben O'Callaghan; Michael O'Halloran, Jamie Murphy; Colm Fitzgerald, Vincent O'Brien, Greg Roche; David Lynch, Evan Mintern; Shane O'Hanlon, Daniel Walsh, Cian Barry,
Replacements: Stephen Kennedy, Eoin Scully, Joe McSweeney, Eoin Cahill, Nessan Guilfoyle, Rob McGuire, Daniel O'Sullivan, Alex McHenry.
Glenstal Abbey School: Michael Boland; Sean O’Sullivan, Tim Costigan, max Ryan, David Kenny; Jamie McAlease, Ryan Johnston; Joe Hartnett, Matthew Ryan, Gearoid Fitzpatrick; Neilus Mulvihill, Eoin Ryan; Ben Clancy, John Murphy, George O'Hara.
Replacements: Ian Molloy, Christopher McEnry, Bernard Cosgrove, James Enright, Colm Hogan, Jack Stafford, Killian Glynn, William McGann.
Referee; George Finn (MAR)