Roscrea reach first Leinster Schools Junior Cup decider since 1940

29 March 2022; Fionn Higgins of Cistercian College, Roscrea on his way to scoring his side's second try despite the attempted tackle from Marcel Haas of St Fintans High School during the Bank of Ireland Leinster Rugby Schools Junior Cup Semi-Final match between Cistercian College, Roscrea, Tipperary and St Fintan’s High School, Dublin at Energia Park in Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

LEINSTER SCHOOLS JUNIOR CUP SEMI-FINAL 

Cistercian College Roscrea 29 St Fintan’s HS, Sutton 21 

Cistercian College Roscrea withstood a spirited second half fightback from St Fintan’s High School, Sutton at Energia Park yesterday to reach their first Leinster Schools Junior Cup decider since 1940.

On a high after edging past Clongowes Wood College in the previous round, Roscrea laid down a marker with tries from captain Billy Hayes and Fionn Higgins inside the opening eight minutes.

Higgins subsequently added his second in the 19th-minute and with Sam Cusack also dotting down at the tail end of the opening period, a rampant Roscrea brought a seemingly unassailable 22-0 lead into the interval.

Fintan’s were not prepared to go down without a fight, however, and converted tries by Michael Bolger and Adam Coffey left them just eight points in arrears moving towards the final-quarter.

Yet Roscrea reinforced their authority with a Lee Fitzpatrick five-pointer and even though their north Dublin counterparts fired back through Rory O’Connor-O’Hehir, the school from the Offaly-Tipperary border advanced to face St Michael’s College in next Wednesday’s final.

Scorers for Cistercian College Roscrea: Tries - F Higgins (2), B Hayes, S Cusack, L Fitzpatrick; Cons - J Deegan (2).

Scorers for St Fintan’s HS, Sutton: Tries - R O’Connor-O’Hehir, M Bolger, A Coffey; Cons - B Barnes (2), S Fogarty.

CISTERCIAN COLLEGE ROSCREA: S Cusack; F Higgins, R Carney, J Finn, R Sullivan; J Deegan, F Carney; D Egan, E Brophy, H Maher; C Lewis, S Killeen; J Miller, B Hayes, L Fitzpatrick.

Replacements: L Shiels, S Tooher, F Hogan, C Metcalfe, S O’Hara, G Elliott, R Stone, E O’Neill.

ST FINTAN’S HS, SUTTON: R O’Shea; O Kelly, M Haas, L Martin, R Curley; B Barnes, J Burke; P Palazzetti, S Cantwell, R Harvey; P Fogarty, M Bolger; A Coffey, T O’Connor-O’Hehir, R O’Connor-O’Hehir.

Replacements: C Takaichvili, K Bonar, J Reynolds, B Dillon, S Fogarty, S O’Leary, A Boyne, T Young.