Years of hard work pay off as Bandon win first ever Munster Schools Junior Cup

“I knew they had something special about them,” said Bandon Grammar School head coach Philip Murphy.

Bandon Grammar School captain Mark Whelton is tackled by Cormac McCabe of CBC during the Munster Schools Junior Cup final. "Mark Whelton is just a freak of a captain," said Bandon head coach Philip Murphy. Pic: ©INPHO/Andrew Conan

Munster Schools Junior Cup final: Bandon Grammar School 20 CBC 12 

Every Munster Schools Junior Cup is hard-won. To win a first in school history, though? That’s an achievement decades in the works.

A memorable pitch invasion greeted Bandon Grammar School’s first major trophy as all those who contributed through the years offered their congratulations to Mark Whelton’s team and Philip Murphy’s coaching ticket.

“This outpouring of love for Bandon Grammar is beautiful,” said Murphy, “because there’s so much work goes on behind the scenes and so many good people.

“It’s just nice to have a day when the green and black is on top. It’s an appreciation for Bandon Grammar School day, and that’s lovely.” 

The Grammar navigated the hardest possible route, eliminating schools with a combined haul of 78 Junior Cups to win their first.

They cut down the roll-of-honour top four one after the other; knocking out Limerick joint-leaders Crescent, dethroning three-in-a-row champions PBC, uprooting top seeds Rockwell College, and denying CBC a Senior-Junior double.

Bandon didn’t lead at half-time in any of those matches yet they remained in control throughout.

Such assurance fuelled a dominant second-half display of 10 unanswered points to see off Christians.

Shane Murphy and Matthew Buttimer grabbed the tries as Jamie Hicks, brother of Munster Academy star Dylan, kicked 10 points. Impressive CBC winger Seán Riordan scored two tries in defeat.

Bandon's Mark Whelton celebrates with fans after the match. Pic: ©INPHO/Andrew Conan

“I knew they had something special about them,” said head coach Murphy. “Cool as cucumber, you know.

“We let CBC back into it but we were very positive at half-time.

“We’ve some unbelievable leaders there. Mark Whelton is just a freak of a captain. We’ve Billy Canniffe pulling the strings. Matthew Buttimer, Éanna Burke, Jamie Hicks, they’re just brilliant lads.” 

Alex Bramoullé was the first to cross the line but ⁠Cormac McCabe’s terrific defending held him up. It was a brief reprieve as Shane Murphy burst through from a tap-and-go penalty for the opener.

Hicks nailed the conversion into the wind and soon added a penalty, earned by Daniel Kent, for a 10-0 lead.

A flowing Christians’ line-out move got them back into the game as Max O’Riordan, Tiernan Murphy, and Hugh Downey combined to release Riordan to the corner. Harry Quinlan added the extras.

Shane Murphy got under Christian Murphy from a tap-and-go to prevent another try but Christians snatched the lead on half-time.

It originated from a scrum won against the head in the Bandon 22 before Riordan expertly dodged over. Quinlan’s conversion stayed wide to leave it 12-10 at half-time.

When Christians strayed offside along the 10, Hicks kicked Bandon back into the lead.

They clinched it as Whelton’s eighth line-out take set the maul and Buttimer dived over. Hicks’ conversion made it a two-score game.

There were a couple of nervy moments as Jack Punch was held up over the line by Buttimer and Riordan was twice denied a hat-trick by Hicks’ and Jack Hurley’s tackles.

But after 10 minutes of stoppages, it was Bandon’s time to celebrate.

“Bandon Grammar is kind of funny because rugby has been in Bandon Grammar forever,” Murphy added.

“If I started naming lads, like George Bradfield, Ian Coombes, and the Collins brothers… Trevor Collins was slogging out for ages – there’s his wife shouting at me!

“You had that crew, Rocky, Steve McLaughlin, all these lads. We took a step up in 2016 but we just put a bit more structure on it. We got them in the gym in the morning and more prep, more prep.

“We’ve had good people ever there. It hasn’t happened yesterday or today. We had Owen Mullowney in with the Junior team this year – the smartest man I know, an absolute freak, and a workaholic. He was a brilliant addition to us with myself, Scott (Kingston), and JP (Lucey).

“There’s a million people! We’ve a small coaching team down in Bandon so literally every coach in the school has had a fingerprint in this. Everybody has ownership of it. We’re like a little village and that’s satisfying.” 

Scorers for Bandon Grammar School: Tries: S Murphy, M Buttimer; Cons: J Hicks 2; Pens: J Hicks 2. 

Scorers for CBC: Tries: S Riordan 2; Con: H Quinlan.

BANDON GRAMMAR SCHOOL: L Dukelow; C Woodland (J Keating 60+5), É Burke, J Hicks, A Bramoullé (J Gilsenan 56); B Canniffe (J Hurley 60+7), D L’Estrange (B O’Leary 60+5); D Burke (J Canniffe 53), A Coleman, B Hayes (D Kingston 60+8); I Wade (N Baker 60+5), M Whelton (capt); S Murphy, D Kent, M Buttimer.

CBC: H Downey; S Riordan, R Kinirons, S Lynch (J Earle 45), M O’Riordan (S Lynch 62); H Quinlan, T Murphy (M Murphy 49); Christian Murphy, J Punch, D Field (C Coyne 40); A Maher (Christophe Murphy 53), C Kelly; L Carroll (capt) (H Loftus 43), ⁠C McCabe (M Keane 51); R McElwain.

Referee: B Bennett (MAR).