PBC Cork 40-5 Ardscoil Rís
IT WAS ALL one-way traffic this afternoon under a floodlit Dooradoyle pitch as PBC Cork hammered Ardscoil Rís to book their place in the Munster Schools Senior Cup quarter-finals.
In perfect conditions, Pres began the game at a frightening pace with ball in hand. Offloading at every opportunity, both forwards and backs looked comfortable on the ball as they cut through the Ardscoil defence on several occasions in the opening 10 minutes.
And it was their offloading philosophy, coupled with quick ruck ball which saw centre Harry Dillon cross for the first of his side’s six tries. Neat handling was subsequently followed by three consecutive offloads before Dillon touched down. His centre partner James Broderick added the extras for 7-0.
Ardscoil Rís had very limited possession in the opening quarter, but some good exit play from scrum-half and captain Craig Casey and out-half Darragh O’Gorman relieved the Pres siege on several occasions.
However on the 20-minute mark, Pres fullback and man of the match Jonathan Wren crossed for a scintillating score. A lineout just outside the Ardscoil 22 saw quick ball go through the hands before a superb line saw Pres make a line break. Wren was on the shoulder of his team-mate to collect a one-handed offload and go over to make it 14-0. By now, Ardscoil already had a mountain to climb.
In no mood to let up, Pres added a third well-worked try six minutes later, again through fullback Wren to make it 21-0 and that’s how it remained until the break.
Into the second half and Casey was visibly rallying his troops at every breakdown and break in play. To their credit, the Ardscoil team did not play badly, they simply didn’t have any ball to play with in the first half but began to make inroads in the opening quarter of the second half.
Centre Glen Clancy, coupled with back-row forwards Darragh O’Grady and Odhran Ring, got Ardscoil on the front foot with some dominant carries, and when referee Joy Neville awarded a penalty 10 metres from the line, quick thinking Casey showed evasive footwork with a quick tap to put the Limerick side on the scoreboard. Casey was unable to convert his own score from near the left touchline, but this gave the city men some confidence nonetheless.
PBC remained in control in the second quarter but were tested to the limit at set piece time, with Ardscoil picking off a couple of lineouts in key areas of the pitch.
However the Limerick side were unable to pose any real threat with ball in hand, and when Pres upped their linespeed, they began to dominate at the breakdown.
After 53 minutes, captain Jack O’Sullivan pointed to the corner from near halfway and a superb kick from out-half Peter Sylvester gave his side a lineout just outside the Ardscoil ’22. Setting a strong maul, Pres powered to the line with second row Mark McCarthy dotting down to make it 26-5. Broderick’s 100% record from the tee was blemished when his conversion dropped just short from out wide, but the game as a contest was now over.
The Limerick side had nothing to lose and played a dangerous game at times, but after trying to run from their own 22, PBC forced a knock on. From the scrum, a neat little ‘unders’ line from Dillon saw him bag his second try of the game to make it 33-5.
By now both sides had made a number of changes and the game became somewhat disjointed, but Pres weren’t finished yet. Substitute Darragh O’Callaghan crossed with the final play of the game for his side’s sixth and final try to leave it 40-5 at full time.
PBC will be a force to be reckoned with in this season’s competition on today’s display, but for Ardscoil, it’s a case of back to the drawing board before their second round fixture.
Scorers for PBC: Tries: Jonathan Wren (2), Harry Dillon (2), Mark McCarthy, Darragh O’Callaghan. Conversions: James Broderick (5).
Ardscoil Rís: Try: Craig Casey.
Presentation Brothers College
15. Jonathan Wren
14. Paul Buckley
13. James Broderick
12. Harry Dillon
11. Louis Bruce
10. Peter Sylvester
9. Gary Bradley
1. Conor Burke
2. Billy Scannell
3. Brian O’Conor
4. Adam McAuliffe
5. Mark McCarthy
6. Cian Fitzgerald
7. David Hyland
8. Jack O Sullivan (capt)
Replacements:
16. Alex Keating
17. Kieran Nugent
18. Eoin Burns
19. Eoin Quilter
20. Darragh O’Callaghan
21. David Harrington
22. Seán French
23. Sam O’Donovan
24. Cathal Browne
25. Mark McLoughlin
Ardscoil Rís
15. Cian O’Rahilly
14. Maurice Noonan
13. Cian Murphy
12. Glen Clancy
11. Michael Gorman
10. Darragh O’Gorman
9. Craig Casey (capt)
1. Alex O’ Callaghan
2. Colin Slater
3. Conor O’ Brien
4. Brian Noonan
5. Roy Whelan
6. Darragh O’ Grady
7. Luke Clohessy
8. Odhran Ring
Replacements:
16. Rhys Tucker
17. Matthew Gaule
18. Ferdia Lyons
19. Conor Cusack
20. Sean Hanley
21. Oskar Czyszczon
22. Lloyd Mulcahy
23. Hugh Fenton
24. Colin Madden
25. David O’Byrne
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