Cistercian College, Roscrea hang on in gripping finale against Newbridge College

Cistercian College, Roscrea 20 Newbridge College 19

Newbridge suffered a major setback inside the opening minute when right-wing David Murphy was forced off injured.

Roscrea quickly took the lead courtesy of Tim Foley’s seventh-minute penalty, before the league champions hit back when hooker Conor Johnson touched down to the right of the posts. Colm Doyle’s bonus kick was off-target, though. However, persistence eventually paid off for Roscrea, as Mattie Keane combined brilliantly with back-row partner Simon Meagher for a magnificent 19th minute try. Foley’s second effort at the posts was successful. No 8 Dan Trayers also supplied the finishing touches to a pushover five-pointer, and just shy of the half-hour mark, Alan Tynan’s lay-off enabled Daniel Keane to cross the whitewash on the left-wing. This extended Roscrea’s lead to 15 points and a rout looked on . However, excellent Newbridge captain Jimmy O’Brien had other ideas, and thanks to his seven-point salvo three minutes before the interval, the south Kildare school had reduced the deficit to a manageable 20-12.