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Connacht Schools Junior Cup Final
Sligo Grammar School 25
(Gavin Hewson (2), Ollie Isherwood, Cavan McGourty O’Donnell tries; Ollie Isherwood one pen, one con)
St. Joseph’s Patrician College 7
(Dara Flanagan try; Dara McGrath con)
Kevin Egan at the Dexcom Stadium
An 18-year drought in the Connacht Junior Cup and final defeats in 2022, 2024 and 2025 might have led Sligo Grammar School to believe that there was a hex on them in this competition.
They took no chances this afternoon against St. Joseph’s College (The Bish) in the Dexcom Stadium, producing a scintillating display of slick running rugby that was more powerful than anything any priest, shaman or druid could have conjured.
A strong breeze blew down the ground in Galway and in Ollie Isherwood, Sligo Grammar School had a prodigious kicker with a huge boot that could move play from one 22 to the other with ease, when playing with the wind.
That weapon was deployed on occasion, but in general the Grammar side stayed true to their core principals of dominating the tight exchanges, using the ball quickly and exploiting the full width of the pitch, with some tremendous running from deep positions.
Operating into the wind in the first half, Grammar had to get to grips with Connacht underage players Siaosi Fifita and Dara Flanagan trying to dictate the terms of engagement, while Colm Perry and Dylan McCullough looked threatening in wider positions.
However it quickly became apparent that this Sligo Grammar side posed a threat no matter where the ball was on the pitch, as demonstrated by one outstanding break down the left wing from Cavan McGourty O’Donnell that could well have turned into a try from 60 metres out, were it not for a superb tap tackle from Diarmuid Stewart.
Three phases later Grammar were across the line, Gavin Hewson adding the finish after Sebastian Sweeney took play up to a couple of metres out from the Bish line.
Fifita continued to drive the Bish forward but they weren’t as clinical in their handling and movement, and while they regularly put in the effort to grind their way up the pitch, the counterattacking ability of the Grammar often undid their good work in one quick breakaway.
Willem Cahill’s chip through was well chased down by Dylan McCullough in first half stoppage time but James Faughnan did enough under pressure to ensure that Sligo Grammar got to half-time 7-0 up.
Once they turned around to play with the wind, the option to go long through Isherwood left the Bish with too many fires to put out.
Right from the start, a Grammar garryowen was spilled and off the 22m scrum, Daniel Draper did a brilliant job of disguising his pass, which left Isherwood and McGourty O’Donnell up against two defenders in 40 metres of space.
There was only one outcome there and it was Isherwood who touched down for the game’s second score.
It wasn’t long before they were in again, Hewson continuing his incredible scoring record with a driving finish from 15 metres out.
McGourty O’Donnell got his reward for an industrious and impressive display when he steamrollered through a tackle to finish off one of his shortest runs of the day – but when you take the ball about two metres out from the line, it didn’t need to be any longer – and by the time Dara Flanagan replied in kind for the Bish with a little over ten minutes remaining, the enthusiastic response of the loud St. Joseph’s support couldn’t mask the fact that there was no way back for the Galway city students, and that Sligo Grammar were about to lift this trophy for the first time since 2008.
Next Wednesday, they will bid to become the first school to complete the Senior and Junior Cup double since Garbally College in 2019, extending what has been a remarkable season for the Rathquarter school.
SLIGO GRAMMAR SCHOOL: James Faughnan; Ruben Clinch, Cavan McGourty O’Donnell, Max Wojtkowicz, Shane Murtagh; Ollie Isherwood, Daniel Draper; Sam Kieran, Gavin Hewson, Sebastian Sweeney; Adam Feeney, Barry Folorunso; Nato Zondagh, Daniel O’Connell, Fintan Ryan.
Replacements: Finn Carobene for Sweeney (29-HT), Carobene for Kieran (45), Harry Hanrahan for Draper (54), Cathal McGovern for Feeney (54), Luke Mahon McGinley for Sweeney (55), Carter Galvan for Folorunso (60), David Kalu for Clinch (60), Ben Cronin for O’Connell (60), Emil Martin for Faughnan (60).
ST. JOSEPH’S COLLEGE: Dara McGrath; Diarmuid Stewart, Dylan McCullough, Daniel Molloy, Colm Perry; Willem Cahill, Sam McNena; Dara Flanagan, Oisín Parker, Nathan Forde; Joseph Duffy, Nathan Fondja; Michael Tynan, Rory Bourke, Siaosi Fifita.
Replacements: Mark Horan for McCullough (50), McCullogh for Cahill (50), Conor Cormican for Forde (50), Dominik Soos for Fordja (60), Ben Heffernan for McGrath (60), Kyle Nestor for Stewart (60), Éanna O’Connell for Flanagan (60), Niall McHugh for McNena (60), Duncan Hunter for Fifita (60).
Referee: Cian Hough
