Schools Interprovincial Championships

A disappointing day in Donnybrook for both the Munster Schools U18 and U19 teams- both defeated by Leinster in their last games of the Interprovincial Championships

Munster Schools U19 Team

Munster Schools U18 Team

Schools U19 Interprovincial Series

LEINSTER SCHOOLS 19-13 MUNSTER SCHOOLS

Schools U18 Interprovincial Series

LEINSTER SCHOOLS 17-7 MUNSTER SCHOOLS

It was a disappointing day in Donnybrook for both the Munster Schools U18 and U19 teams who suffered defeats at the hands of their Leinster counterparts in the Interprovincial Series despite some fine performances in previous weeks.

After such a bright start in the competition, defeating Ulster 54-13 last week in Cork, Munster Schools U19 s were defeated 19-13, with Leinster also taking the Interprovincial title. A close game was expected, considering Leinster had notched up 44 points against a scoreless Ulster in their first game of the series. Despite starting brightly and creating plenty of scoring opportunities throughout the game, Munster were not able to replicate the performance of last week.

On a day when the wind played a significant role in the events, Munster U19 s played against the wind in the first half, and the wind advantage in the second half failed to materialise. Leinster opened the scoring with a penalty from Brian Collins, followed by a try from Aidan Wynne, which Collins also converted. Munster s Peter O Sullivan came back with two penalties before the break to narrow the deficit somewhat, but with Leinster having a 10-6 lead at half time. A stout Leinster defence and Munster s failure to use their possession wisely combined to keep Leinster ahead, with Collins adding three more penalties to his tally in the second half. In the fourth minute of injury time, Munster s Tim Kenneally crossed the line for a try, but it wasn t enough to deny Leinster the victory and the Interprovincial title. Best for Munster included captain and No. 8 Shane O Sullivan and scrum half Paul Rowley. It was a disappointing finish for the team who had performed so well in previous games this season, however, Leinster set the pace from early on and Munster will be disappointed that they failed to take control of the game.

Munster Schools U18 s came into their final game of the Schools U18 Interprovincial Series with two wins under their belt having already notched up wins in the series against Connacht (12-6) and Ulster last week (20-19). Playing with the wind in the first half, Leinster opened the scoring with a penalty and a converted try, however just at the half time mark, Munster centre Scott Deasy crossed the line for a try which he then converted himself, bringing Munster within three points of Leinster at the break. In the second half, Munster continued to apply a lot of pressure on Leinster, however the home side defended well and denied Munster another score. Leinster sealed their win with a try in the last minute of the game. This game was a keenly contested match with both sides keen and very capable of winning down to the final score. Best for Munster included try scorer Scott Deasy, with Richard Mullane at out half also having an impact. The try scorers for Leinster were Niall Morris and Eoin O Malley with Neil Cowhey scoring a penalty and two conversions. The series was won by Ulster on score difference.

Despite the disappointment, there is some light at the end of the tunnel with a number of these players hoping to feature on the Irish Schools U18 team, with a trial match taking place on December 17^th.

SCHOOLS U19 INTERPROVINCIAL

Munster Schools U19 Team

15. Peter O Sullivan, Christian Brothers College, 14. Rory O Connor, Rockwell College, 13. Keith Earls, St. Munchin s College, 12. Tim Kenneally, Presentation Brothers College, 11. Marcus O Driscoll, Rockwell College, 10. Ronan O Sullivan, Crescent College Comprehensive, 9. Paul Rowley, St. Munchin s College, 1. Ronan O Neill, Christian Brothers College, 2. Gerard Slattery, St. Munchin s College, 3. Ben Rowley, Ard Scoil Ris, 4. Richard MacCarthy, Presentation Brothers College, 5. Peter Murphy, Christian Brothers College, 6. Robert Allen, Presentation Brothers College, 7. David Nathan, Christian Brothers College, 8. Shane O Sullivan Captain Christian Brothers College

Replacements Used:

Shane Hassett, St. Munchin s College for David Nathan, Jeff Power for Presentation Brothers College for Ronan O Sullivan,

Leinster Schools Under 19 Team:

15: Michael Twomey (St. Michael’s College), 14: Colin Murphy (Belvedere College SJ), 13: Aidan Wynne (Blackrock College), 12: Jack Buggy (St. Mary’s College), 11: Vasya Artemiev (Blackrock College), 10: Brian Collins (Castleknock College) CAPTAIN, 9: Paul O Donohoe (Belvedere College SJ), 1: Cian Healy (Belvedere College SJ), 2: Paul Devitt (Belvedere College SJ), 3: James Gettings (Gonzaga College), 4: Robin Copeland (Kilkenny College), 5: Tom Walsh (Castleknock College), 6: Zack Farivarz (Blackrock College), 7: Burshi Wojnar (St. Gerard’s School), 8: David O Connor (Blackrock College),

Replacements:

Paul Grannell (CBC Monkstown) for David O Connor (40), Gavin Cowzer (C.U.S.) for Aidan Wynne (ht)

SCHOOLS INTERPROVINCIAL

LEINSTER 17 MUNSTER 7

Munster Schools U18 team:

15. Sean Scanlon, Crescent College Comprehensive, 14. Ronan O Mahony, Castletroy College, 13. Scott Deasy, Presentation Brothers College, 12. Eamonn Broderick, St. Munchin s College, 11. Shane Costigan, Presentation Brothers College, 10. Richard Mullane, St. Munchin s College, 9. Diarmaid Upton, Crescent College Comprehensive, 1. David Kilcoyne, Ard Scoil Ris, 2. Michael Sherry, Ard Scoil Ris, 3. Stephen Archer, Christian Brothers College, 4. Ken Hanley, Crescent College Comprehensive, 5. Ian Nagle, Glenstal Abbey School, 6. Ian Duffy, Rockwell College, 7. Niall Barry, Presentation Brothers College, 8. Kieran Essex, Christian Brothers College. CAPTAIN.

Replacements:

Stephen O Dwyer, Rockwell College for Duffy, Michael Kenefick, Presentation Brothers College for Hanley, John Noonan, Christian Brothers College for Barry, Chris Nolan, Christian Brothers College for Upton.

Leinster Under-18 s:

15: Niall Morris (Blackrock College), 14: Giles Boland (Cistercian College Roscrea), 13: Eoin O Malley (Belvedere College SJ), 12: Conor Cleary (St. Michael s College), 11: David Mongan (Belvedere College SJ), 10: Neil Cowhey (St. Mary s College), 9: David Moore (Blackrock College), 1: Paddy McCabe (Belvedere College SJ), 2: Ciaran Egan (Cistercian College Roscrea), 3: Jonathon Molloy (Templeogue College), 4: Paul Ryan (Blackrock College) CAPTAIN, 5: Brian Cawley (Blackrock College), 6: Jason Harris-Wright (Presentation College Bray), 7: Rajan Reilly (St. Michael s College), 8: Tyrone McKillen (St. Michael s College)

Replacements :
Donal Byrne (Blackrock College) for Paul Ryan, Conor McGinn (Belvedere College SJ) for Brian Cawley