Michael’s earn historic victory
It was low-scoring but taut, raw and intense where few try-scoring opportunities were created inside the red zone. Amazingly, only fleetingly did either team force their way near the try-line in a defence-orientated encounter, decided by Noel Reid’s two first-half penalties, and, on the turnover a combination of heroic and highly disciplined defence by the winners when they had to play into the elements.
Michael’s triumph was one for the romantic: once upon a time the Ailesbury Road college was a feeder-school for the famed Blackrock College, but yesterday’s coronation sees them elevated amongst the elite, having landed their first title at the fourth attempt, and atoning for last year’s heartbreaking 14-12 defeat to Blackrock.
“This win is unbelievable,” said Michael’s and former Ireland under 21 coach Mark McDermott. “They’ve been trying hard and falling at the final hurdle three times and now they’ve got it and can build on it in the future.
“They’re still a relatively young senior school, and it means a huge amount to them.”
Ball at the breakdown was wrestled for ferociously and it was the much-vaunted Michael’s back row of Alex Byrne, Rajan Reilly and Patrick Mallon that gave them the edge. The omnipresent triumvirate were also instrumental in establishing crucial go-forward ball when needed.
Clongowes played smartly in the first half and would have been satisfied to trail Michael’s by only six points at the interval. The Kildare school’s well choreographed maul got them close to the line once in the opening period but they couldn’t replicate this tactic on the turnover. They will be disappointed not to have played a percentage game in the second half, opting instead to go into contact which proved futile in the face of the aggressive nature of Byrne, O’Reilly and Mallon.
Arctic conditions made the playing environment uncomfortable for two wholly committed teams and this, as coach Mark McDermott pointed afterwards, contributed to a low-scoring contest. A first half saw spectators greeted with all four seasons and the sight of rain, sleet, snow and hailstone at various intervals hammering into the backs of St Michael’s players and into the faces of Clongowes XV.
“It was day for defences, little room for the flash,” added McDermott. “We saw that there was space outside but once again with the elements and the speed of their (Clongowes) defence coming up, it was just difficult to get it there, so it was just going to come down to one these fights. It was not a spectator game.
“Those were shocking conditions and it was never going to produce a free-flowing game.”
The sight of a player making a clean line-break was rare though Freddie Mehigan broke clear in the opening exchanges. Clongowes recovered to snuff out the danger.
While the Michael’s back row stole the headlines for their mastery of the critical breakdown area, Clongowes met fire with fire in the opening quarter primarily due to the presence of Jack O’Connell, but the prop had to be replaced in the 13th minute after picking up a shoulder injury.
Clongowes engaged in a superb 25-yard rolling maul inside Michael’s ‘22’ on 16 minutes. It was hauled down Michael’s and the Kildare school opted to kick for touch and, from attack off the lineout, Michael’s defence was up swiftly where Conor Cleary put in a monstrous hit on Shane Kennedy and turned over the ball in the process.
With conditions dramatically deteriorating, Michael’s pressed hard inside the Clongowes half. Michael’s won two penalties in a two-minute period, and the nerveless Noel Reid slotted the first from just inside the ten yard line and the second close to half way. The winger, however, missed one in the 28th minute.
Clongowes finished the half strongly and worked their way up the Michael’s ‘22’ — again through the endless toil of their forwards led magnificently by Trevor Conneely. They manufactured a penalty which David Kearney arced just right of the posts.
The second half never opened up with defences stretched right across the park affording little opportunity for attacking rugby. When Clongowes attempted to get on the front foot they were consistently knocked back by seriously big hits by a pumped up Michael’s who wore the appearance of a side that would stop at nothing to lift their first Senior Cup.
M O’Malley; N Reid, R Pratt, C Cleary (capt), P Brophy; S Malone, F Mehigan; I Leonard, J Daniels, M Kelly; C O’Sullivan, S Mahony; A Byrne, R Reilly, P Mallon.
K McKenna for O’Sullivan (59); R Pigot for Mahony (70); A Kealy for Brophy (72).
D Kearney; M Sheehy, T Fletcher, S Kennedy. S Lennon, C Wade, M McLoughlin; C Spelman, T Burns, J O’Connell; N Delahunty, N Mullen; B O’Keeffe, T Joyce, T Conneely.
M Collis for O’Connell (13 inj); R Timlin for Delahunty and C O’Callaghan for Sheehy (both 68).
K Henley-Willis (ARLB).
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