Pres hold off Christians fightback in sensational final to nudge ahead in Munster

Gavan Casey Reports from Virgin Media Park

Presentation Brothers College (Cork) 33

Christian Brothers College (Cork) 31

PRES HAVE NUDGED ahead in the all-time Munster Schools Senior Cup standings after surviving a Christians fightback in a sensational, 10-try battle with their cross-city rivals from Cork.

A memorable few days for the Mardyke school in which their former student Cillian Murphy won an Oscar was capped with a 32nd Munster title, moving Pres one clear of Christians in the honour roll.

Two tries by fifth-year inside centre James O’Leary, 11 points by his first cousin and skipper Gene O’Leary-Kareem, and a wonder-score by John Wigginton-Barrett set Pres on their way at Virgin Media Park — and those scores all came in the first half.

A score by wing Neville O’Leary — brother of inside centre James — looked to have all but sealed the deal in the third quarter only for Christians to roar back into the contest from 19 points down.

Christians had kept touch with Pres for most of the first half through tries by Ian Morton and Billy McCarthy but ill-discipline and soft defence looked as though it would prove terminal to their chances — just as it did in this same fixture last year — as they went in 26-14 down at the break.

The Reds’ reply to Neville O’Leary’s second-half try for Pres was mighty, however, as lock Conor Kennelly and replacement wing Ronan O’Keeffe — twice — crossed late to leave out-half Charlie O’Shea with a chance to level proceedings with a last-play conversion from an acute angle on the right.

O’Shea, who had been inspirational in his side’s attempted comeback, watched in agony as his kick trailed wide left and Pres fans stormed the pitch to celebrate with their ecstatic players.

But it was a deserved win for Ger Burke’s Pres side who never trailed at Virgin Media Park.

They took their first lead as early as the second minute as this Munster Schools Senior Cup final began at electrifying pace.

Out-half Harry Murphy popped inside to Neville O’Leary who brought half of the ground to its feet as he slalomed through the Christians defence. O’Leary’s offload was loose and collected by a scrambling CBC defender, but Christians were sloppy with their exit: fullback Daire O’Callaghan’s clearance was cleanly charged down by PBC skipper Gene O’Leary-Kareem and he beat O’Callaghan on the ensuing chase to dot the ball down inches shy of the dead-ball line.

The totemic O’Leary-Kareem, a potential Munster prospect, celebrated for a split second before turning back for the ball. He then blasted over a conversion from a tricky angle on the left, and Pres led 7-0.

Tommy Crowe’s Christians blew two early chances of their own to level proceedings but the second was pulled back for an offside penalty against Pres on their own line.

Christians tapped and went. They knocked on the door for three phases before openside Ian Morton burrowed over to leave out-half O’Shea with a gimme conversion. The Fifth Year 10 chipped his side to parity on 11 minutes.

Pres retook the lead almost instantly, however. Referee Andrew Brace penalised Christians lock Michael Foy for a high tackle on Harry Murphy and Pres went to the line.

From the resulting lineout, inside centre James O’Leary exploited some soft Christians defence on a well-worked strike play and marauded through the middle, under the posts, with O’Leary-Kareem making it 14-7 from the tee.

With the atmosphere raucous and the stakes at an all-time high for the young players on display, individual errors were proving pivotal in an enthralling, free-flowing game.

On 21 minutes, Christians, who would have felt they gifted Pres their first couple of tries, turned beneficiaries when Pres out-half Murphy spilled forward a difficult pass by Liam Touhy on his own five-metre line.

Powerful Christians captain Danny Rock bashed it to within a yard of the Pres line from the resulting scrum, and his out-half O’Shea then orchestrated the backline move which sent left wing Bill McCarthy over in the opposite corner.

O’Shea split the posts with a tricky conversion into the wind from the right-hand side for 14-14.

Christians then almost capitalised on an ovethrown Pres lineout deep inside their own territory: the influential O’Shea peeled left and timed perfectly his pass to Darragh Prenter but the CBC hooker knocked forward as he stretched for the line, albeit under tremendous pressure from scrambling Pres defenders.

It was mile-a-minute stuff at Virgin Media Park as these rival schools tore into each other once more.

Pres’ lineout was becoming an issue, with the outstanding Michael Foy causing them problems in the air — but so too was Christians’ ill-discipline.

The Mardyke school retook the lead on 33 minutes after a cheap CBC offside on halfway: it was James O’Leary who got his second — this one a close-range finish — after patient Pres phase play on Christians’ line.

O’Leary-Kareem’s conversion was off the mark on this occasion — Pres led 19-14 — but the outside centre made up for it virtually straight from kick-off.

After Pres unleashed a sweeping move wide left from inside their own half, O’Leary-Kareem carved a half-yard of space before offloading from contact to his onrushing left wing, John Wigginton-Barrett.

The St Finbarr’s hurling standout soared down the left edge, Wigginton-Barrett burning Christians fullback Daire O’Callaghan in open country and taking it to the house from all of 60 metres.

It was one of the great individual Munster Schools Senior Cup final finishes, and it was converted from under the sticks by its creator Kareem-O’Leary for 26-14.

Pres took that 12-point advantage to the sheds and from a psychological standpoint, it felt like they had left a mountain to climb for their rivals from Sidney Hill.

It looked that way from the restart, too, as Christians, chasing the game, compounded errors and Pres began to strut their stuff.

CBC skipper Danny Rock was yellow-carded on 42 minutes for a high tackle on Wigginton-Barrett — his side’s third such offence, and his second personally.

With Christians’ challenge dying, Pres made use of the numerical advantage: O’Leary-Kareem was again at the heart of it, popping a wonderful offload to his first cousin Neville O’Leary who became the third man from the extended O’Leary family to score as he powered over near the right-hand corner.

O’Leary-Kareem split the posts with his touchline conversion before replicating predecessor Ben O’Connor’s ‘shush’ towards the Christians fans who were giving him grief as he lined up the kick.

If it was to be Pres’ day, though, Christians began to show signs that they would go down swinging.

Out-half O’Shea inspired a move that spanned the length of the field and eventually resulted in a try for lock Conor Kennelly. O’Shea converted for 33-21 with about 15 minutes remaining.

It seemed a score of scant consolation but instead it sparked a comeback attempt. Led by powerful lock Michael Foy, an onslaught in the Pres 22′ eventually yielded CBC’s fourth try as O’Shea’s sweeping pass from left to right found replacement wing Ronan O’Keeffe who stepped inside to finish brilliantly.

O’Shea’s touchline conversion was narrowly wide — and so Pres took a seven-point advantage into the dying moments.

Back came Christians again, and a brilliant team move saw wing Alex O’Connell eventually bundled into touch inside the Pres 22′.

Christians, though, stole the resulting lineout. Both sets of supporters took to their feet as Tommy Crowe’s men unleashed another assault on the Pres line.

The Mardyke men defended heroically before eventually ceding a penalty advantage.

With a free play and the clock red, O’Shea delivered a pinpoint cross-field kick into the bread basket of that man O’Keeffe again, and the right wing dove over to bring his side to within two points.

It left O’Shea with a challenging conversion in the swirling Cork wind. From near the paint on the right-hand side, the out-half found the legs but not quite the angle.

Cue bedlam up at the Dolphin end.

It came down to the finest of margins, and Pres lead the Munster standings by the same after another incredible fixture between Cork city’s two schools-rugby institutions.

Scorers for Pres:

Tries: Gene O’Leary-Kareem, James O’Leary (2), John Wigginton-Barrett, Neville O’Leary

Pens:

Cons: Gene O’Leary-Kareem (4/5)

Scorers for Christians:

Tries: Ian Morton, Billy McCarthy, Conor Kennelly, Ronan O’Keeffe (2).

Pens:

Cons: Charlie O’Shea (3/5)

Presentation Brothers College

15. Deckie Fitzgerald
14. Neville O’Leary
13. Gene O’Leary Kareem (Captain)
12. James O’Leary
11. John Wigginton-Barrett
10. Harry Murphy
9. Liam Tuohy

1. Maurice Minogue
2. Padraig Doyle
3. Bill Cronin
4. Daniel Foley
5. George O’Keeffe
6. Oscar Squires
7. Cormac Bohan
8. Alexander Alderson

Replacements:

16. Rio McLoughlin-Barry
17. Fionn O’Sullivan
18. Diarmuid Sheehy
19. Charlie Donnelly
20. Daniel Noonan
21. Frankie Óg Sheahan
22. Mark Hetherington
23. Luke Sisk-O’Mahony
24. Evan O’Dowd
25. Olan Dillon

Christian Brothers College

15. Daire O’Callaghan
14. Alex O’Connell
13. Leo O’Leary
12. Gavin O’Riordan
11. Bill McCarthy
10. Charlie O’Shea
9. Christopher Barrett

1. Denis Callaghan
2. Darragh Prenter
3. Cian Walsh
4. Michael Foy
5. Conor Kennelly
6. Mark Skelly
7. Ian Morton
8. Danny Rock (Captain)