Leinster Schools Senior Cup

A rugby supporter wonders at the decision to allow a Leinster Schools senior cup match go ahead in what are described in a letter to this site as ‘wicked conditions’.

Yesterdays game (Tuesday Feb. 19) between Castleknock and Gerards showed on the one hand what the competition is about. Guts and determination. However the Senior cup is also about skill and excitment. By playing the match in yesterday’s conditions it gave little chance to either side to show the skills that they
have developed since starting to play the game from an early age.

Yesterday was going to be a lot of player’s last game at schools level, (and quite possibly their last game ever), and it was a shame that they never had the opportunity to demonstrate what they are capable of. Sure, rugby isnt a fair weather game, and similarly the conditions on the day lead to the excitment of any cup match whether it be rugby, football, soccer, etc. But yesterday was a day you wouldn’t put your dog out in, never mind play a quarter final (part of the showcase stages of the competition) of the prestigious Senior cup. Other matches in previous rounds were postponed and the conditions weren’t as bad!

Nevertheless a good exciting gutsy game was produced by both sides and as good a performance as could be expected given the really wicked conditions which ultimately made the game a lottery. Credit is due to all players involved.

However, whoever is in charge of making decisions about whether these games should be postponed definitely got it wrong yesterday, as towards the end it was difficult to make out who was who. Whoever made that decision is responsible today for one squad feeling not just disappointed that they lost but that they didn’t get the opportunity to account for themselves and show what they are truly capable of in the
biggest and most important game of their lives.