Munster Schools King Cup Final

High School CBS Clonmel picked up an historic win in the King Cup final, in a narrow 10-8 win over St. Clement’s Redemptorist College Limerick

MUNSTER SCHOOLS KING CUP FINAL

High School CBS Clonmel 10 St. Clement s Redemptorist College Limerick 8 Bruff RFC, 2.30pm

In their first year entering Junior competition, High School CBS Clonmel claimed their first King Cup title in the closest of games against St. Clement s Redemptorist College Limerick in Bruff on Friday. With just a score separating the sides at full time, the game was a thrilling one, with two well matched sides playing highly entertaining and good quality rugby.

High School opened the scoring after 11 minutes; with a penalty form full back David Hoyne. Not to be outdone, St. Clement s came close to scoring shortly after, camping on the try line for 10 minutes, but unable to get the vital score due to a solid High School defence. High School stretched their lead after 29 minutes, with a try from No. 8, Keith Guidera, who crashed over after a number of phases form a line out. Hoyne once again was on target, giving High School a 10-0 lead at half time.

After the restart, out half Declan Barron put St. Clement s first points on the score board, with outstanding captain and No. 8 Nigel Clancy adding a try after 26 minutes to bring St. Clement s within a score. This late surge put considerable pressure on the High School defence, but they held out for an historic win.

Along with the magnificent Clancy whose inspired leadership kept his team biting at the heels of High School, substitute hooker Sean Dooley made a huge contribution. Simon Ryan and Andrew Graham led from the front, while Darragh O Shea in the centre kept sustained pressure on High School. One of the great individual battles of the game was the power struggle at scrum half, with St. Clement s Owen Barry and High School s Chris Maher having a huge influence on the game. Despite the loss, Coach Mike Lynch was hugely proud of the side, having played their heart out.

For the winning team, the large numbers of supporters present certainly gave them a great boost throughout the match. Prop Mark Corby had a great game upfront, with his front row team mate Sean Coleman at hooker also outstanding. Also Ciaran Lorrigan second row made the hard yards. In the back, Captain Greg Carroll at centre and brother Robert Carroll at outhalf caused plenty of problems for the opposition. Also noteworthy is the significant contribution made by Sean Carey at second centre.

With their Senior team winning the O Brien Cup last year, High School CBS have now found themselves winning two finals in two seasons. It s a fantastic achievement for a school that only started playing rugby just over a decade ago. With coaches such as Brendan Mullan, Joe McGrath and Eddie Dillon, and the expertise of Irish international hooker Jean Lonergan who teaches in the school, rugby has gone from strength to strength. In their first round game, High School CBS travelled to Colaiste Phobal Roscrea, and won 15-7. They hosted The Abbey School from Tipperary town in the second round and had a 15-0 victory, while in the semi final they had a tough game away against Colaiste Choilm, Ballincollig and came away with a 7-5 win.