Michael’s power into final

St Michael’s College 22 Kilkenny College 0

Kilkenny made Leinster Schools Cup history here nine days ago beating Blackrock but St Michael’s never looked like suffering that fate, squeezing the life out of the underdogs from the off in this one sided semi-final.

They did not squeeze all the romance out of this competition in doing so. Favourites they may have been at the start of the year, but their ongoing efforts to lift this cup for the first time are legion.

With eight of the team that lost to ‘Rock in last year’s final on yesterday’s first XV, they will fancy their chances of finally gaining some silverware against Clongowes Wood on March 18th.

The winners delivered their first statement of intent before kick-off, striding along the touchline within inches of the baying Kilkenny support in the main stand before breaking for the halfway line.

‘Who are ya?’ cried the Kilkenny fans and Michael’s weren’t long in delivering an answer.

From the start they pinned Kilkenny into their half of the pitch, dominating possession with phase after phase of pressure.

Kilkenny’s defence was heroic but they eventually cracked and yielded a penalty from which Noel Reid opened the scoring 12 minutes in.

The only positive for Kilkenny was that the restart allowed them their first glimpse of their opponents’ half. For the next 15 minutes they even managed to dictate most of the play but without ever putting together the phases or line breaks which had made Michael’s so dangerous earlier.

With the break approaching, Michael’s wrestled back the initiative and could have had their first try after 29 minutes only for winger Patrick Brophy to run out of turf as the corner flag and Kilkenny full-back Nevil Copeland closed in.

There was still time to deliver a defining blow and Michael’s captain Conor Cleary did just that when he emerged untouched from a ruck on the Kilkenny 22 before teeing up flanker Stephen Mahony to dive under the posts.

Reid’s conversion was simple and Kilkenny emerged from the brief half-time huddle knowing the next score would make or break them. It broke them.

Michael’s ended another punishing period of incessant pressure when loose-head prop Ian Leonard trundled over from three yards. Again, Reid applied the extras.

It was due reward for Michael’s who had been willing to spread the ball wide all afternoon and that was an approach that paid greater dividends as legs grew weary on both sides.

Only a missed Reid penalty and a last-ditch tackle on replacement Dan Marshall prevented them from falling further adrift.

Michael’s flanker Rajan Reilly, one-third of what was a very impressive back row, drew a line under proceedings by tumbling over from mere inches as the clock wound down.

Unfortunate for Kilkenny but few could quibble with the final scoreline.

ST MICHAEL’S COLLEGE: M O’ Mallet, N Reid, R Pratt, C Cleary, P Brophy, S Malone, F Mehigan; I Leonard, J Daniel, M Kelly, C O’Sullivan, S Mahony, A Byrne, R Reilly, P Mallon.

Replacements: K Grace for Pratt 58, K McKenna for O’Sullivan 61, D Marshall for Mallon 63, C Turley for Leonard 71, G Featherstone for Daniel 71, R Piggot for Reilly 71, A Kealy for Malone 73.

KILKENNY COLLEGE: N Copeland, B Braithwaite, S Yates, G Rynhart, C Masterson, C Donaldson, S Hemmingway; K McArdle, K Dagg, G Beattie, W Carter, J McAssey, M D’Alton, B Horan, T Dukelow.

Replacements: G Dunne for Dagg 43, P Mahon for Yates 52, D Ryall for Masterson 63.

Referee: P Haycock (ARLB).