Belvedere get close call from battling Blackrock

Belvedere College 10 Blackrock College 7

Belvedere went into a 10-0 lead after twenty minutes. Conor Colclough lofted a cheeky ball over the top of the Blackrock forwards and out-half Rowan Consodine collected it on the bounce to round the cover for a clever try in the third minute.

Belvedere were back in the game when scrum-half Peter Toal took a quick penalty and avoided a couple of tackles before diving for the line.

On the resumption, ‘Rock clinched the game when d prop Keith Groeger made the final hard yard from a series of drives. David Dunne converted.

It should never have come down to a nerve-jangling finale and Belvedere showed their composure in camping out in the Blackrock 22 for in the last ten minutes.

BELVEDERE COLLEGE: J Conroy; M Keating, P Crosby, C Colclough (capt), N Myron; R Consodine, P Toal; N Lovic, T Sexton, L Habiyakare (C Barry 48), E Browne, L Mangan, C Doyle (C O’Brien 59), D Murphy, D Memery.

BLACKROCK COLLEGE: G Greene; C Doyle (A Philpott 53), L O’Daly, J Murphy, M O’Sullivan; D Dunne, K McEvoy; K Groeger, S Lambe, S Schuster, S McBride, D Hillery, B Kelly, T Parsons (I-E Abrahams 44), M Cawley (capt).

Referee: P Haycock, Leinster Branch.