It was a time when nothing else mattered. An entire season’s toil and effort distilled into a handful of knockout schools’ cup matches, all geared towards making the final on St Patrick’s Day.

PBC Cork 25 Castletroy 8: Two late tries helped power Presentation Brothers College Cork, the holders, into the quarter-finals of the Clayton Hotels Munster Schools Senior Cup when they overcame a strong challenge from Castletroy College.

Ardscoil Rís 17 PBC 23: Presentation Brothers recovered in style from a jittery start to beat Ardscoil Rís 23-17 in a highly entertaining first round Clayton Hotels Munster Schools Junior Cup game at Dooradoyle yesterday.