'Class act' Daniel Murphy sends reigning champions PBC into Munster Senior Cup semis

TWENTY POINT HAUL: Daniel Murphy, PBC crossing the whitewash as he scored 20 points to help PBC on the way to the Munster Schools Senior Cup semi-final. Pic: Dan Linehan

Pinergy Munster Schools Senior Cup round 2: PBC 40 Crescent College Comprehensive 19

Twenty points from Daniel Murphy fired reigning champions PBC into the Munster Schools Senior Cup semi-finals after a tough examination from Crescent College Comprehensive.

The young winger took the step up from Junior Cup rugby in his stride as he created two tries and scored two more, including one assisted by his brother Denis. He also kicked five out of six conversions.

“Absolute class act. A guy that was vice-captain of the Junior team last year and talk about the step up to Senior being seamless,” said head coach Ger Burke.

“He doesn’t look out of place at 15, doesn’t look out of place on left or right wing, and you could probably get away with him in the centre. And he’s an under-17 rugby player.

“One of the best place kickers I’ve seen in a long time. He’s an artist. He’s gone through many games throughout the year where he’s kicked every kick.

“He’s a great kid and for him and his brother to play together is special.”

But for a Crescent try being called back for a forward pass, the teams could’ve been level at 26-all after 65 minutes. Instead, Pres pushed on with the final two tries.

With cross-city rivals Christians into the semis on the other side of the draw, a third successive all-Cork final remains possible.

“We’ve a really talented, humble, and hard-working bunch. What we lack is experience,” continued Burke.

“You’ve a brand-new hooker who has never played in the front-row until this year. One prop has never played Senior Cup. Two second-rows have never played Senior Cup. Rian (MacFarlane O’Shea), playing at seven, came up from Junior Cup last year.

“You’ve a 15 who is a cousin of Ben O’Connor’s and, like that, GAA would be more his game, never played in these big arenas, and you can’t replicate it.

“To get the win, to score 40, and for us to have loads to learn from and build upon, we’re happy.”

Sean McFarlane, PBC winning this lineout ball from his opposite number Jayden Carmody, Crescent College Comprehensive. Pic: Dan Linehan.

Crescent live to fight another day against either Bandon Grammar School or Rockwell College in the quarter-finals Pres built pressure from the start but it took them 19 minutes to make the breakthrough. 

MacFarlane O’Shea broke the line inside his own half and offloaded to Denis Murphy, who passed for younger brother Daniel to dive into the corner.

Daniel dusted himself down for the touchline conversion which drifted away to the left.

Crescent struck for a levelling try in the 28th minute when Darragh McKeogh shot through the middle of a ruck to score. Alan Cleary’s conversion was pulled to the left as the teams remained deadlocked, 5-5, at half-time.

From Jayden Carmody’s line-out rob, Crescent grabbed the lead. A brilliantly disguised reverse pass from Andrew Clery released captain Ronan Ryan to cross and Alan Cleary kicked them 12-5 ahead.

Pres hit back within a minute through their captain James O’Leary. Starting close to halfway, he evaded three tacklers before handing off for Daniel Murphy, who this time stepped inside to narrow the angle for his successful conversion.

By the 53rd minute, Bobby O’Callaghan and Cormac Bohan were just onto the field when, with their first touches, O’Callaghan’s break started the try-scoring move and Bohan finished it. Daniel Murphy, who played the final pass, nailed the conversion from out wide.

On the hour mark, O’Leary burst over for a deserved try and, once Murphy added the extras, a 14-point lead.

Crescent looked finished but they came back with superb feet from Andrew Clery to evade the tackle before Ryan fed Dammi Obasa to shoot through a gap.

Alan Cleary’s conversion brought it back to 26-19 and only for the out-half’s pass being called forward as Evan Cusack raced towards the posts, they could’ve been back level.

Instead, Daniel Murphy’s kick inside for Rickey Barrett gave Pres a cushion and O’Callaghan capped a sublime cameo by stepping past three would-be tacklers for try number six, with Murphy converting both.

Scorers for PBC: Tries: Daniel Murphy 2, C Bohan, J O’Leary, R Barrett, B O’Callaghan; Cons: Daniel Murphy 5. 

Scorers for Crescent: Tries: D McKeogh, R Ryan, D Obasa; Cons: A Cleary 2.

PBC: R Barrett (I Walsh 70); Daniel Murphy, A Moloney (R Byrne 68), J O’Leary (capt), E Dooley (B O’Callaghan 51); D Fitzgerald, R Byrd (O Healy 70); M Fitzgerald (B Foley 41), D Higgins (L Hegarty 60), D Sheehy (P Walsh 70); O Dillon (T Murray 68), S MacFarlane O’Shea (C Bohan 51); R MacFarlane O’Shea, Denis Murphy, D Foley (M O’Toole 60).

CRESCENT COLLEGE COMPREHENSIVE: F Rowsome (R Mullins 70); R Scanlon (R O’Connor 70), E Cusack, H O’Halloran (G Tobin 44), G Joyce; A Cleary, A Clery; R Ryan (capt), A McNamara (C Enright 70), A Reddan (N O’Riordan 32) (M O’Brien 57); T Shanahan (O Copley 70), J Carmody (E Collins 54); D McKeogh (W Collins 51), A Obasa (W Byrne 66), C Fenton.

Referee: P Sheehan (MAR).