Leamy reliving his cup final dreams

Nobody who attended the 2000 Munster Senior Schools Cup final — this reporter, then 13 years old, was among them — was unlikely to forget Rockwell College’s number eight.

Denis Leamy wasn’t the household name in those days that he went on to be, but he had greatness stamped all over him already. The fulcrum of everything good the Tipperary school did in those days, he even took some of the kicks at goal.

He crashed over for one of the two tries that had Rockwell 15-3 to the good against CBC that year, but a dramatic late comeback saw the Cork boys nick a 25-18 win in a final that has struggled to be beaten for drama in the 13 years since.