Sligo Grammar School 15
Coláiste Iognáid 10
A TIGHT AND dramatic Connacht Schools Senior Cup final ended with Sligo Grammar School coming from behind to beat Colaiste Iognaid of Galway to win their 11th ever Senior Cup title, and their first for eight years, at the Sportsground.
Colaiste Iognáid (the Jes’) had led the whole way through up until the final score of the game, a converted try from Matthew Ryan with three minutes to play that completed a run of 15 points without reply for the Sligo school.
Having won the pool game between the two sides, Coláiste Iognáid went into this contest as slight favourites and they played like it in the opening stages, opening up the chance for the game’s first score when right winger Hugh Kelly made a great run down the right flank, moving play into the Sligo Grammar 22.
With the Sligo defence stretched, play was shifted across the line and Robert McHugh was able to give the final pass to full back Ben O’Malley.
Fly-half Patrick Nash took his time with the conversion kick from a difficult angle but made no mistake to move the Jes 7-0 in front by the 12th minute, extending that lead just six minutes later with a penalty kick dead centre in front of the posts, dispatched by Nash. This would be the last score of the half for the Galway based school, after a dominant opening 20-minute spell.
With the contest slipping away from them to a degree, Sligo Grammar School got a much-needed score through a try from Jonjo Devine. Ambrose Bamber picked the ball from the base of the scrum and laid it off to scrum half Gareth McGinty, who kicked an excellent dinking pass, slipping past The Jes line and onto the onrushing Devine. Fly-half Earl Norris was unable to make the conversion however but made up for this right on the stroke of halftime with an accurate penalty, making it 10-8 to the Jes at the break.
As time went on, Sligo Grammar School grew into the game and took control of proceedings, both defensively and in the tight exchanges, and they looked more and more likely to be the team to make the second half breakthrough, though they had to wait until the 67th minute before it finally came.
After left winger Sean Gilvarry came very close to scoring, eventually being tackled five metres short of the line having covered 30 metres of ground on the left sideline, substitute Matthew Ryan was on hand to see a gap in the stretched Jes defence, picking and driving from close range to cross the line. Norris made sure of the conversion, with that insurance score forcing The Jes to go for an equalising try during the final three minutes.
They never looked like it as Sligo Grammar kept them pinned back in their own half to easily secure their first Senior Cup since 2014.
Scorers for Coláiste Iognáid
Tries: Ben O’Malley (10th)
Conversions: Patrick Nash [1/1]
Penalties: Patrick Nash [1/2]
Scorers for Sligo Grammar
Tries: Jonjo Devine (21st), Matthew Ryan (67th)
Conversions: Earl Norris [1/2]
Penalties: Earl Norris [1/1]
Coláiste Iognáid: 15 Ben O’Malley, 14 Hugh Kelly, 13 Adam Madden (captain), 12 Robert McHugh, 11 Conor Toner, 10 Patrick Nash, 9 Andrew Sherlock, 8 Jack Quinn, 7 Shay McGovern, 6 Ryan Kavanagh (vice-captain), 5 David Kelly, 4 Rory Lally, 3 Liam Cloherty, 2 Charlie Leonard, 1 Paddy Fahy.
Replacements used: 20 Bobby Power, 21 Jamie Cunningham, 23 Conal Ó Floinn.
Sligo Grammar School: 15 Alex Harte, 14 Jonjo Devine, 13 Gerard Murtagh, 12 Conor Creavan, 11 Sean Gilvarry, 10 Earl Norris, 9 Gareth McGinty, 8 Ambrose Bamber, 7 Adam Hunter (captain), 6 Orlando Van Der Grijn, 5 Paddy Wright, 4 Alastair Hill, 3 Tynan Maxwell, 2 Max Hunter, 1 Arann Platt.
Replacements: 16 Ross Clarke, 23 Jack Dennison, 20 Matthew Ryan, 18 Oisin Lawley.
Referee: Andrew Fogarty
Referees Assistants: Gerry Geraghty and Peter McCarthy.
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