Roscrea out to buck tradition again

Leinster Schools Senior Cup Semi-Final

It’s three weeks since Dylan Murphy’s late, late try hauled Cistercian College Roscrea past Blackrock College in an epic Leinster Senior Schools Cup quarter-final, but the full magnitude of that shock has yet to be calibrated.

Lose to Newbridge College today, or in the final later this month, and that defeat of the perennial bigwigs that were aiming for a ‘threepeat’ in this competition will amount to little or nothing to the country college still seeking its maiden title.

Tradition continues to taunt them. Fortune, too, has thumbed its nose at their bid to break a glass ceiling that is once again within touching distance only eight years after the school found itself further languishing in the provincial basement.

“I suppose it was about 2007 alright,” explained games master Brendan McKeogh. “We didn’t qualify for the cup and that was the catalyst for people to ask what sort of future we wanted for rugby in the school. There’s no secret to it since.

“People have worked hard. There is definitely more of an emphasis on rugby now and it is better structured as well. We’ve had a couple of bad days along the way down the years as well, and we’re not there yet.”

Clongowes were far too good for them in the final in 2011 — only their second decider in 60 years; St Michael’s availed of copious and controversial amounts of extra-time to see them off a year later and then Blackrock dug another knife in two years ago.

Roscrea led that particular semi-final 20-9 at one point and enjoyed a man advantage to boot before letting Rock off the hook, but that defeat contains within it the key as to why they are better positioned to go a step further this afternoon.

By then, the recession had truly kicked in. Enrolment numbers were down year on year and the strength in depth just wasn’t there. Fast forward to three weeks ago, and it was the introduction of the reserves against Blackrock that changed the game their way.

This year, student numbers rose for the first time since the country almost went bust and the future looks secured beyond events this month, with the JCT team also contesting a semi-final and a solid structure established that is feeding both operations.

Like most rugby schools, immersion in the game is almost total. Roscrea field three senior teams, two junior, a transition year select, an U15 outfit and one for first years. Everyone is catered for, whether their aim is to play social or schools rugby.

“Could we put them all out on the one day? Probably not,” said McKeogh. Still, they are punching above their weight and always have done, given luminaries including Donal and Dick Spring, Willie Mullins, Brian Cowan and Connacht’s Gavin Duffy have all passed the majority of their teens in its classrooms and dorms.

Their hurling pedigree is another hallmark. Three of the players featuring today are due to play an All-Ireland Hurling ‘C’ semi-final this coming weekend, but the school has known bigger occasions in that arena too, and the ambitions for the small ball match those of the oval.

“At one stage we worked our way up from ‘B’ and were competitive in ‘A’ for a few years,” McKeogh explained, “but that wasn’t going to last and we went down to ‘C’ in junior and senior. We won both in ‘C’ this year and the ambition is to get back up to ‘A’.”

It’s an enviable success rate for a college that boasts less than 200 pupils. They have managed to balance those dual mandates by introducing a guide whereby students may only participate in an agreed number of sporting activities per week.

It is up to the individual to choose where those hours are spent.

It’s certainly a policy that has done the rugby side of operations no harm and Roscrea’s rise to eminence on the field is evidenced by the fact that 10 of their members have been selected for the Irish Schools team in the past four years alone.

Seven of those attended the school since first year, something which McKeogh believes makes them one of the main contributors to the national schools side since 2011 and the provinces are not being left out either.

The annual intake of students arrives from all corners of the country, but the growing perception is of a school that is morphing into something of a feeder academy for the one run by Ireland U20s coach Nigel Carolan at Connacht.

Roscrea have alumni involved with Pat Lam’s senior squad, the Connacht Eagles and the academy out west, including the likes of current Number 8 Dan Trayers who has been a key member in the current vintage’s push at history.

McKeogh has heard that said, but begs to differ. “I’ll give you an example, we had four players on the Leinster Schools team this year and they come from Cork, Galway, Tipperary and Roscommon. The way we see it is that we want them to be competitive. It is up to the various academies to fight over them.”

Talk of academies and professional careers is for another day.

Today brings enough of concern in the form of a Newbridge side that has bettered them five times this last two seasons — twice in the league’s initial stages, twice again in the league final as well as in the first round of the Leinster Schools Cup in 2014.

“The ball is in our court,” coach Pieter Swanepoel told Midlands 103 after the quarter-final.

“We have to take the next draw and prepare for that. I certainly believe it is a cup-winning team and if we can beat Blackrock, we can surely beat anyone else.” It would hardly count as a shock. That day has gone.