U18 Boys' Match Report and Gallery vs Leinster

 

 

It looked like Connacht were well on their way to victory from the three tries that forged a 24-6 lead at the break. At that stage, few would have forecasted a second period in which Leinster would rattle off 26 unanswered points.

 

Early on, Leinster moved ahead from a penalty by Josh O‘Keeffe in what should have been a nerve-settler but Connacht moved with authority for out-half Dylan Curran to level it up with a penalty of his own.

 

Wing Owen Egan showed sweet footballing skills to get on the outside of the defence and chip the last man back for a superb try, converted by Curran in the 11th minute.

 

The Westerners were looking strong, forcing the home side into several penalties until Cian Hynes shot through the defence for the second try, converted by Curran for 17-3 in the 21st minute.

 

They were dominating the play and accumulating the points that increased the pressure on Leinster to do something different. The Blues moved the ball through phases without really threatening to cut loose, O’Keeffe eventually striking his second penalty from near halfway.

 

Connacht were in control of the tempo, which was aided by a yellow card to Leinster number eight Eanna Moynihan. 

 

It got even better for Connacht when out-half Curran’s line kick travelled all the way to five metres out for the lineout to come into operation. Felix Zeray’s accurate throw was followed by the hooker’s ball security at the back of a maul for an inevitable try, converted by Curran for a 24-6 lead at half-time.

 

Leinster had to score next, and quickly, to sow a seed of doubt. Harry Heagney’s rumble from a maul was undone by poor handling and compounded by a scrum penalty.

 

No matter, a handling error by Connacht invited an attacking lineout as the platform for the forwards to carry hard around the corner. It was a matter of wills as the metres were eaten up for Heagney to ground the ball to score. O’Keeffe converted in the 43rd minute.

 

Leinster’s Franklin Onwuzulumba rocked Hynes in the tackle. O’Keeffe countered without the cohesion to make it count. Mark Power and Cillian McElwee were leading the lift in intensity. James Walls’s chip tumbled into touch deep inside the 22.

Heagney rescued a wayward lineout. Scrum-half Walls spotted Butler on the short side. An orthodox offload allowed Aidan Tamming to dive in for a try in the 58th minute.

 

Another misdirected lineout encouraged Leinster to move the ball left, where the electric speed of Onwuzulumba unhinged Connacht from 35 metres out. He had the presence of mind to head for the posts, making O’Keeffe’s conversion a formality for Leinster to move ahead 25-24 in the 62nd minute.

 

When replacement tighthead prop Power was binned, it provided an opening for Connacht to wrestle back control.

 

An athletic leap by Ciaran Dunne and the piledriving impact of back-to-back mauls twice splintered Connacht for Butler to cash in from close range, O’Keeffe converting for a two-score edge in the 68th minute.

 

It was only then that Connacht managed to put together a multi-phase attack, which was brought to an end by dominant defence.

 

Leinster: H Heagney, A Tamming, F Onwuzulumba, H Butler try each; J O’Keeffe 2 pens, 3 cons.

Connacht: O Egan, C Hynes, F Zeray try each; D Curran pen, 3 cons.

 

15. Michael Redmond (Tullow)
14. Tadg Young (Suttonians) /Sirio Scalabrino-Noone (Suttonians) 68 mins
13. David Cron (De La Salle Palmerston)
12. Turlough Donnelly (Newbridge) / Byron O’Hara (Terenure College) 68 mins
11. Franklin Onwuzulumba (Clondalkin)
10. Josh O’Keeffe (Newbridge)
9. James Walls (Skerries)

1. Aidan McGovern (Boyne)
2. Harry Heagney (Clontarf)
3. Tadgh Halpenny (Dundalk, Capt) / Jack Power (MU Barnhall) 38 mins
4. Aidan Tamming (Naas)
5. Ciaran Dunne (Portlaoise)
6. Alan Higgins (Skerries)
7. Cillian McElwee (Kilkenny)
8. Eanna Moynihan (Portlaoise) / Harvey Butler (Skerries) ht

 

15. Cian Hynes (Tuam) / Brian McHugh (Corinthians) 54 mins
14. Owen Egan (Buccaneers)
13. Darragh Glennon (Buccaneers)
12. John Brendan McDonnell (Galway Bay)
11. Shane Lally (Monivea) / Dan Kelly (Creggs) 54 mins
10. Dylan Curran (Galway Bay)
9. Luke Molloy (Corinthians) / Connor O'Reilly (Galwegians) 54 mins

1. Reuben Galvin (Sligo) / James Siva (Galway Bay) 25 mins / Reuben Galvin (Sligo) 47 mins
2. Hugh Óg Arnold (Sligo) / Felix Zeray (Westport) 25 mins / Hugh Óg Arnold (Sligo) 47 mins
3. Corey Kelly (Tuam) / Daithí Lambe (Cashel) 25 mins / Corey Kelly (Tuam) 47 mins
4. Micheál Walsh (Galwegians) / Joseph Boote (Galway Bay) 54 mins
5. JJ Phillips (Galwegians)
6. Rueben Colleran (Buccaneers, Capt)
7. Alastair Hewson (Carrick-on-Shannon) / Cian Kiernan (Creggs) 47 mins
8. Ruben Flynn (Corinthians)