Roscrea denied after 17 minutes of injury-time
Rarely do the underdogs triumph in a replay, but this is what last year’s beaten finalists will have to do if they are to progress from an afternoon on which their players and coaches showed remarkable restraint in what could have turned into an explosive situation at the final whistle.
Early on, Byrne and Cirain Gaffney swapped penalties in a scrappy opening quarter. Then, Ireland Schools centre Rory O’Loughlin latched onto a stray pass to sprint 60 metres for the opening try in the 27th minute which Byrne converted from the left.
