PBC show their intent with six-try demolition of Ardscoil Rís
A superbly drilled Pres pack took control of the forward exchanges from the kick-off and this in turn enabled the side as a whole to display a wide range of skills.
The famed Cork academy has gone seven long years without carrying the trophy back to the Western Road but yesterday’s display provided a clear indication they can bridge the gap this time.
There is even a fraternal link between the successful 2010 side given Niall Scannell, currently starring with Munster, was hooker that year and his brother Billy is sporting the number 2 jersey this time round. Furthermore, Niall and yet another celebrated member of the family, Munster centre Rory, were present to cast an appreciative eye over yesterday’s proceedings.
And as if that wasn’t enough of a connection to the current high flying Munster side, Pres were inspiringly captained by number 8 Jack O’ Sullivan, a son of Tadhg, the provincial team’s doctor. And he just happens to be a cousin of the Scannells.
Lending further merit to the Pres performance is the fact Ardscoil may well prove to be a better team than they were allowed to be yesterday. Try as hard as they did, however, lively scrum-half and captain Craig Casey and outstanding forwards like Odhran Ring and Luke Clohessy were unable to escape the vice like grip in which they were held by a powerful Pres unit who hardly allowed them enter their 22 metre zone throughout the first-half.
The ability of the Pres backs, with scrum-half Gary Bradley, son of former great Michael, proving the ideal link, to turn the outstanding work of the forwards to the best possible use meant that some superb scores were sure to follow. The first try was touched down by centre Harry Dillon before full-back Jonathan Wren displayed delightful footwork in scoring another two before the interval with out-half Peter Sylvester converting all three.
Ardscoil Rís showed their mettle early in the second half and were rewarded with a try by Craig Casey but there was no stopping the Pres rampage and three more tries followed from Mark McCarthy, Sam O’Donovan and Darragh O’Callaghan, two converted by Sylvester.
J Wren; P Buckley, J Broderick, H Dillon, L Bruce; P Sylvester, G Bradley; C Burke, B Scannell, B O’Connor, A McCarthy, M McCarthy, C Fitzgerald, D Hyland, J O’Sullivan capt.
A Keating, K Nugent, E Burns, E Quilter, D O’Callaghan, D Harrington, S French, S O’Donovan, C Browne, M McLoughlin.
C O’Rahilly; M Noonan, C Murphy, G Clancy, M Gorman; D O’Gorman, C Casey capt; A O’Callaghan, C Slater, C O’Brien, B Noonan, R Whelan, D O’Grady, L Clohessy, O Ring.
R Tucker, M. Gaule, F Lyons, C Cusack, S Hanley, O Czyszczon, L Mulcahy, H Fenton, C Madden, D O’Byrne.
Joy Neville (MAR).
