Under-19 Interprovincial Championship: Round 3 Review

IRFU UNDER-19 INTERPROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP – ROUND 3: September 16

LEINSTER U-19s 28 CONNACHT U-19s 12, Donnybrook
Scorers: Leinster U-19s: Tries: Liam Turner 3; Cons: David Ryan 2; Pens: David Ryan 3
Connacht U-19s: Tries: Dylan Tierney Martin, Jack O’Mahony; Con: Diarmuid Codyre
HT: Leinster U-19s 15 Connacht U-19s 7

Blackrock College’s Liam Turner led the way with three tries against Connacht as the Leinster Under-19s were crowned IRFU U-19 Interprovincial champions at Donnybrook on Saturday evening.

The westerners actually got off to a dream start, winning a penalty on the ground to go for the corner. Second row Niall Murray took in hooker Dylan Tierney Martin’s throw for the latter to get on the ball for a fine maul try, converted from the left by out-half Diarmuid Codyre in the second minute.

Leinster looked like striking back quickly from Niall McEniff’s powerful burst before hooker Richard Bergin played a man beyond the ruck. The penalty count was favouring the visitors, their third angled to the 22 by Codyre. It was there that Leinster vice-captain flanker Scott Penny clutched a turnover and lifted the pressure.

The fine work of Connacht winger Jack O’Mahony forced Turner to carry the ball back over his own try-line on a greasy surface. However, the hosts’ scrum pinched one against the head for captain David Hawkshaw to clear his lines.

St. Mary’s loosehead McEniff was a prominent figure in Leinster moving forward to force a penalty, which was easily slotted over by centre David Ryan in the 15th minute. When Connacht tried to execute the exact same lineout-into-maul through Murray and Tierney Martin, the Leinster forwards dealt with it this time.

Indeed, the table toppers’ lethal attacking options came to light from scrum half Cormac Foley’s snipe up the short side and Hawkshaw’s cross-field kick for Turner to fly over in the right corner for an 8-7 lead in the 21st minute.

There was still pressure from the Ambrose Conboy-coached Connacht side, Codyre flighting a delightful ball deep inside the 22. Leinster calmly came away with possession, though, and when Ryan’s penalty came back off the right hand post, Hawkshaw darted for yards and Turner pounced for his second try for Ryan to make it 15-7 from the right touchline, right on half-time.

Into the second half, the first scrum went the way of Leinster and Belvedere College’s Ryan tagged on three more points in the 38th minute. However, the young Blues were rocked from the restart as Marian College lock Darragh Murphy was sin-binned for illegal work off the ball.

This was all the incentive Connacht needed as Galwegians centre Adi Donovan won a turnover and Young Munster’s O’Mahony showed his pace down the flank for a superb try, closing the gap to 18-12 in the 44th minute.

Frustratingly for the westerners, theywere over-eager in defence shortly afterwards, giving up a handy penalty goal to Ryan. There followed a bout of below-par play punctuated with multiple knock-ons until Hawkshaw’s clipped kick was taken in by the impressive Turner for his hat-trick score. Ryan’s conversion put the game to bed in the 54th minute.

A rash of replacements led to a disjointed final quarter, with neither side able to change the scoreboard. This suited Andy Wood and Simon Broughton’s home team as they closed out a 16-point success, ensuring a 100% record after three rounds and a deserved U-19 Interpro crown.

LEINSTER U-19: Robert Russell (St. Michael’s College); Liam Turner (Blackrock College), Brian O’Donnell (Gonzaga College), David Ryan (St. Michael’s College), Ruairi Shields (St. Mary’s College); David Hawkshaw (Belvedere College) (capt), Cormac Foley (St. Gerard’s School); Niall McEniff (St. Mary’s College), Richard Bergin (St. Mary’s College), Conan Dunne (Kilkenny RFC), Darragh Murphy (Marian College), Ryan Baird (St. Michael’s College), Ronan Watters (St. Mary’s College), Scott Penny (St. Michael’s College), Dan O’Donovan (St. Michael’s College).

Replacements: Declan Adamson (St. Fintan’s High School), Aziz Naser (St. Fintan’s High School), Adam Melia (Terenure College), Ruadhan Byron (Belvedere College), Hugo Lennox (Skerries), Conor Kelly (CC Roscrea), Michael Milne (CC Roscrea), Tadhg Bird (CC Roscrea).

CONNACHT U-19: Hugh Lane (Galwegians); Cillian McCabe (Galwegians), Luke Fitzgerald (Young Munster), Adi Donovan (Galwegians), Jack O’Mahony (Young Munster); Diarmuid Codyre (Galwegians), Colm Reilly (Ballinasloe); Ronan Corless (Galwegians), Dylan Tierney Martin (Corinthians), Ryan Lomas (Buccaneers), Zach Sattar (CBC Monkstown), Niall Murray (Buccaneers), Michael O’Donnell (Galwegians), Cian Huxford (Corinthians) (capt), Pat Howley (Ballina).

Replacements: Morgan O’Brien (Corinthians), Brian Boland (Ballina), Sean Dunne (Lansdowne), Jake Gallagher (Coláiste Iognáid), Sam Kroupa (Nenagh Ormond), Rob Hennessy (Galwegians), Michael Hanley (Buccaneers), Aaron Martyn (Galwegians).

Referee: Stuart Douglas (IRFU)

ULSTER U-19s 21 MUNSTER U-19s 22, RBAI
Scorers: Ulster U-19s: Tries: Claytan Milligan, Ben Savage; Con: Bruce Houston; Pens: Bruce Houston 3
Munster U-19s: Tries: Sean French, Jonathan Wren 2; Cons: Jake Flannery 2; Pen: Sean French
HT: Ulster U-19s 14 Munster U-19s 0

The Munster Under-19s erased a 14-point half-time deficit as they came good in the second half to defeat hosts Ulster by a single point at a rain-drenched Osborne Park in Belfast.

Ballymena centre Angus Kernohan, who recently captained Ireland to the Under-18 European Sevens title, was one of three personnel changes in the Ulster starting line-up, along with prop Oisin Kiernan and winger Zach Kerr.

While Munster could not hold onto the ball in the opening 20 minutes, Ulster put points on the board. Bruce Houston’s fourth-minute penalty got them off the mark, before captain Claytan Milligan from Down High School muscled over for a try with 22 minutes on the clock.

Two more penalties from Houston, last season’s Ireland U-18 Schools & Clubs team captain, gave the home side a 14-0 buffer to take into the break. Munster never troubled the Ulster try-line like they did against Connacht in the previous round.

However, the attitude and mood of Colm McMahon’s Munster charges charged in the second period. Pres Cork centre Sean French scored in the corner to pull back seven points, with out-half Jake Flannery supplying the conversion. A streak of indiscipline saw Ulster lose two players to the sin-bin and the visitors seized the initiative.

By the midpoint of the half, the Munster U-19s had two more tries on the board as a Jonathan Wren brace took the Pres Cork winger’s tally for a tournament-leading four. Flannery converted the second score to move his province into a 19-14 lead.

With 10 minutes remaining, French stepped up to land a crucial penalty to widen the margin to eight points. The Ulster team did mount something of a revival in the final few minutes of the game and were rewarded when replacement Ben Savage was driven over for a try. Houston converted but the final whistle sound soon after, leaving Munster to celebrate back-to-back victories and their runners-up finish.

– Photos by Bob Given Photography

ULSTER U-19: Mark Thompson (Ballymena Academy); Zach Kerr (Bangor Grammar School), Stewart Moore (Ballymena Academy), Angus Kernohan (Ballymena), Jonny Hunter (Wallace High School); Bruce Houston (Ballymena Academy), Callum Harkin (Malone); Oisin Kiernan (Campbell College), Claytan Milligan (Down High School) (capt), Paul McGookin (Ballyclare), JJ McKee (Antrim Grammar School), Josh Young (Ballyclare High School), Oisin Jordan (Ballymena Academy), Matthew Crowther (Campbell College), Jamie Macartney (Campbell College).

Replacements: Neil Saulters (RBAI), Ben Savage (Ballymena Academy), Jack McIntosh (Rainey Old Boys), Stephen Moore (Sullivan Upper), Ben Heath (Dromore High School), Niall Armstrong (RBAI), David Lyttle (RBAI), Michael O/Neill (Rainey Old Boys).

MUNSTER U-19: James McCarthy (Irish Exiles/Wales); Conor Phillips (Crescent College Comprehensive), Sean French (PBC Cork), Kieran Dunne (Irish Exiles/St. Ambrose College), Jonathan Wren (PBC Cork); Jake Flannery (Rockwell College), Colin Sisk (CBC Cork) (capt); Josh Wycherley (CC Roscrea), John Hodnett (Clonakilty RFC), Luke Masters (CBC), Roy Whelan (Ardscoil Rís), Paddy Kelly (St. Munchin’s College), David Hyland (PBC Cork), Daniel Feasey (Crescent College Comprehensive), Luke Clohessy (Ardscoil Rís).

Replacements: Billy Scannell (PBC Cork), Travis Coomey (Bandon Grammar School), Ashley Deane (Bandon Grammar School), Colin Deane (Bandon Grammar School), Harry Byrne (Garryowen), Evan O’Gorman (Young Munster), Ikem Ugwuera (Ennis), Conor Hayes (Young Munster).

Referee: Cillian Hogan (IRFU)

Under-19 Interpros – Round 1 Review

Under-19 Interpros – Round 2 Review

TOP SCORERS AFTER THREE ROUNDS:

POINTS –

45 – David Ryan (Leinster)
23 – Jake Flannery (Munster)
22 – Bruce Houston (Ulster)
20 – Jonathan Wren (Munster)
17 – Diarmuid Codyre (Connacht)
15 – Jack O’Mahony (Connacht), Liam Turner (Leinster)
14 – Sean French (Munster)
10 – Cormac Foley (Leinster), Ruairi Shields (Leinster)

TRIES –

4 – Jonathan Wren (Munster)

3 – Jack O’Mahony (Connacht), Liam Turner (Leinster)

2 – Cormac Foley (Leinster), Ruairi Shields (Leinster)

1 – Adi Donovan (Connacht), Ryan Lomas (Connacht), Dylan Tierney Martin (Connacht), Niall McEniff (Leinster), David Ryan (Leinster), Michael Milne (Leinster), Scott Penny (Leinster), Adam Melia (Leinster), Billy Scannell (Munster), Jake Flannery (Munster), Luke Clohessy (Munster), David Hyland (Munster), Colin Sisk (Munster), Sean French (Munster), Jonny Hunter (Ulster), David Lyttle (Ulster), Azur Allison (Ulster), Mark Thompson (Ulster), Stewart Moore (Ulster), Claytan Milligan (Ulster), Ben Savage (Ulster)