Cork Con go the extra to set up final date with UCD

Cork Constitution 18 UCC 13 (after extra time): Cork Constitution booked their place in next weekend’s All Ireland Frazer McMullen U20 Cup final against UCD after an extra-time victory over UCC at Temple Hill.

The home side should have wrapped this game up well into the second-half as they had dominated territorially and were hit by a sucker punch from College seven minutes from time with an equalising try to send the game into extra-time.

The sides were level 6-6 at half time with Jamie Murphy kicking two penalties for Con’ and Bobby Smith levelling for the students. Eight minutes into the second-half a break from a scrum by John Poland and Evan Mintern sent Sean O’Leary in for a Con’ try and Murphy converted.

A break out of defence by Paul Kiernan sent Darragh Dennehy in under the posts and Smith’s conversion meant an extra 20 minutes of rugby.

College were rampant after this but a solid Con’ defence held firm. Con’ regained the lead in the 92nd minute when a great move involving Mintern, Murphy and Jimmy Aherne ended with Murphy scoring the winning try.

CORK CON: S Daly; S Gray, M Clune, R Horgan, J Murphy; E Lacey, J Poland; L Walsh, D Coughlan, G Roche; C Barry S O’Leary; R Walsh, D Walsh, E Mintern.

Replacements: J Tierney, R Nyhan, D Fitzgerald, C Murphy, K Daly, J Aherne, C O’Brien.

UCC: D Dennehy; B Smith, T Cronin, P Kiernan, S Breen; P Hyde, J O’Regan; F McDermott, E McCarthy, D Jennings; B Clancy, B O’Byrne; L McSherry, G Smith, P O’Regan.

Replacements: N Kervick, S O’Hanlon, R O’Donovan, J Barnes, B Mu’Azzam, R Corbett, L Murray.

Referee: R O’Sullivan (IRFU).