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Connacht Schools Senior Cup Semi-Final
FT Score:
Marist College - 32 (Tom Bourke, Thomas Cotton (two), Kyle Mahon, Philip Finnan tries; Charlie O’Carroll one pen, two cons)
Coláiste Einde - 17 (Dara Walsh, Colin O’ Connor tries; Seán Walsh one pen, two cons)
Kevin Egan at Marist College.
Marist College extended their unbeaten record for the year and are now just 70 minutes away from a league and cup double, but they were pushed to the wire by a Coláiste Einde side who left Athlone with no small amount of regret about their disappointing first half showing in this afternoon’s contest.
Playing in their first ever semi-final in what is just their second year competing at the top tier of Connacht Schools Senior Rugby, the Salthill side showed incredible resilience over the second 35 minutes, chasing a 22-3 half-time deficit with second row Cormac Keady red carded for a high tackle just before the interval.
The powerful running of Seán and Dara Walsh was their primary weapon throughout and the Moycullen duo were consistently able to break tackles and get across the gain line, but there was no denying Marist’s greater range of threats, particularly all across the back division, where they had the ability to strike from anywhere on the field once they got ball in hand.
Tom Bourke was the first man to get over the line for the Marist, touching down on the right after a tap and go penalty from Rueben Colleran brought play up to the Coláiste Einde line, but it was the second try from the home side that really illustrated how electrifying they could be.
There was nothing wrong with Seán Walsh’s kick in behind the line, other than he didn’t quite find touch just inside the Marist 22. Andrew Henson showed wonderful footwork to control the ball and get it into his hands to break out, getting his offload to Charlie O’Carroll away in time to allow the outhalf to bring play into the opposition half. When the defence converged on O’Carroll, he had Thomas Cotton on his right shoulder and while there was still a lot of work to do at that stage, the explosive burst of power and pace from the centre saw him easily drive through for the second try.
Cotton also scored Marist’s third, with Kailing Blessing’s run setting up the front foot ball close to the line, while it was immaculate handling from the centre in the middle of another slick backline move that allowed Kyle Mahon to score try number four, approaching half-time.
With the wind blowing across the ground rather than favouring any team and Coláiste Einde further hammered by the dismissal of Cormac Keady, there was no obvious reason to believe that the underdogs might work their way back into the tie from there. Even when Dara Walsh powered through from 15 metres out five minutes into the second half, beating three tackles on the way, it looked more like an impressive show of defiance from one player, rather than any sign of Coláiste Einde finding an area of superiority on which they might mount a comeback.
Yet through sheer force of endeavour, they held firm and masked their numerical disadvantage, and when Marist prop Ciarán West received a yellow card to level the playing field for a seven-minute spell midway through the half, they had another purple patch in terms of possession and territory.
Crucially, Marist’s defence held firm. Kyle Mahon and Owen Egan came up with vital tackles to knock the ball loose and disrupt mounting Coláiste Einde pressure, and a penalty from O’Carroll in the 28th minute of the half, awarded after Conor Oliver retaliated to a tackle and also received a red card, pushed the lead out to 15 and confirmed Marist’s progress through to the final in Ballina in two weeks’ time.
There was still time for Coláiste Einde to work a short lineout – a tactic which served them well throughout the game – and engineer a second try for Colin O’Connor, but Marist still had time to get the last word through a Philip Finnan try and O’Carroll conversion with the last play.
On the two previous occasions when the Marist won the senior league (2012 and 2013), they went on to secure the double. Only Garbally College or Sligo Grammar school, who meet tomorrow afternoon at 1pm in the home of the Ballinasloe school, are left to stop them from doing so yet again.
MARIST COLLEGE: Andrew Henson; Kyle Mahon, Thomas Cotton, Tom Sheahan, Tom Bourke; Charlie O’Carroll, Conor Dowling; Hugo Hannon, Evan McMickan, Ciarán West; Kyle Byrne, Peter Bourke; Kailin Blessing, Oisín O’Donoghue, Rueben Colleran.
Replacements: Owen Egan for Dowling (half-time), Matthew Turner for Colleran (40), Andrew Cotton for T Bourke (42), James Kelly for McMickan (55), Tom Bourke for P Bourke (56), Max O’Sullivan for Hannon (63), Philip Finnan for Mahon (63), Darragh Glennon for Henson (70), Evan McMickan for T Cotton (70).
COLÁISTE EINDE: Michael Brosnan; Hassan Shalaby, Conor Dalton, Seán Walsh, Michael Mullery; Tom Walsh, Rowan Dempsey; Ronan Barrett, Colin O’Connor, Conor Oliver; Ruairí Keady, Cormac Keady; Pasha Thiem, Killian Schouten, Dara Walsh.
Replacements: None.
Referee: Cian Hough.
