McHugh: We Knew We Had The Makings Of Something Special
Ethan Baxter holds the trophy aloft as the St. Mary's College players celebrate at the Aviva Stadium ©Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Mark McHugh was delighted that St. Mary’s College were able to ‘show the best version’ of themselves on the Energia All-Ireland League’s biggest stage, as they were crowned champions for the first time since 2012.
A thrilling Men’s Division 1A campaign, which began back in late September, came to a free-scoring finish at the Aviva Stadium where St. Mary’s, true to their table-topping form, got the better of Clontarf on a 46-31 scoreline.
McHugh’s men hit overdrive to turn a 15-12 half-time lead into a 39-19 advantage by the 63rd minute. They scored six tries in all, Mick O’Gara kicked 16 points, and Myles Carey displayed his athleticism on both sides of the ball to earn the player-of-the-match honour.
Dethroning Clontarf was a statement in itself, and to do it in such style and just two years after gaining promotion as Division 1B winners shows what a massive achievement it is for St. Mary’s, who previously lifted the top flight trophy in 2000 and 2012.
Speaking afterwards, McHugh quipped: “It was the longest 80 minutes of my life! No, look, we’re absolutely delighted. A corker of a game, massively physical.
“We knew it was going to be. We knew we needed to stand up to a really, really good team in Clontarf, a really strong team.
“We maybe let them get some purchase a little bit at scrum time and lineout maul time, but I think overall we played superbly.
“Most of our defensive sets were sensational and we’re just absolutely over the moon to get a win.”
McHugh knows the elation that his charges felt at full-time having himself experienced All-Ireland League success with the club as a player 26 years ago. He kicked a crucial 20 points as they beat Lansdowne 25-22 in the decider at the old Lansdowne Road.
Coached by Brent Pope and captained by Trevor Brennan, one of a number of Ireland internationals involved, Mary’s topped the table that season – as they did this year – and Victor Costello’s 54th-minute try, coming before a sixth penalty from McHugh, was enough to get them over the finish line.
The growth of professional rugby this century has meant that it is very rare that Test-capped players line out in the All-Ireland League, although Robert Baloucoune, a real star in the recent Six Nations, turned out for Ballynahinch in Division 1A earlier this season on his return from injury.
The league’s most succssful teams now field a mix of club stalwarts, emerging young players, including homegrown and provincial Academy talent, former professionals, and overseas signings, and that is very much the case with McHugh’s side, who are captained by former Connacht out-half Conor Dean.
They bookended the regular season with impressive victories over Clontarf both home and away, but their head coach always knew it would take something special to overcome the defending champions on finals day at Irish Rugby HQ.
“Look, there’s a reason that Clontarf have been in eight of the last ten finals, I think. Standard bearers of Irish club rugby,” said the Drogheda man, paying tribute to Andy Wood’s ‘Tarf outfit.
“To beat them in a final is massive for us because they’ve been one of, if not the best team over the course of the last decade.
“They showed great resilience to come back. We obviously got a bit of a lead, they showed great resilience to come back. It was making me a little bit nervous up in the stand.
“But we’re delighted that we eventually got over the line, and it’s been a long wait for another AIL for St. Mary’s.”
The former Leinster and Connacht player and once-capped Ireland international hung up his boots in 2012, at the age of 33, after a stint playing in France.
His coaching career quickly began as an assistant backs coach with his old club Dublin University, before he won two All-Ireland League titles as an assistant to Mike Ruddock at Lansdowne. He was head coach for their 2022 Energia Bateman Cup win.
McHugh returned to Mary’s in a coaching capacity, supporting Seán Cronin as he stepped into the hot seat in 2022, before taking the reins himself in the middle of the 2023/24 season following Cronin’s departure for a role with Munster Rugby.
Their Division 1B-winning triumph from two years ago laid the foundations for what was to come at Templeville Road. They bottled up the hurt of a frustrating home semi-final defeat to Cork Constitution last April, using it to fuel what has been an unforgettable run back to the Blues’ glory days.
“Losing a semi-final last year was massively disappointing, massively deflating. We were determined to go better (this year).
“That doesn’t always happen, but it was very clear that we had the makings of something very special and we could do something very special and here we are.
“I’m just delighted that our guys managed to show the best version of themselves. Coaching is really enjoyable when you’re actually on the park coaching guys, but the 80 minutes on a Saturday or Sunday can be really difficult.
“The lack of control that you have as a coach is a challenge. You have some level of control when you know you can make replacements, but ultimately, you know your work is done.”
Immense pride was the overriding emotion for McHugh and his coaching team of Jamie Cornett, former Leinster and Ireland prop Jack McGrath, and player-scrum coach Tom O’Reilly, with key input too from Chairman of Rugby Alan Shirley, manager Paul Pender, and strength & conditioning coach Marcus O’Driscoll.
The club has new heroes to acclaim, players like try scorer Carey, who really rose to the occasion, and his centre partner Mick O’Gara, the division’s top scorer this season with 208 points. Daniel Leane has stood out in a dynamic second row partnership with Greg Jones, and the influence of Dean and Dan Goggin cannot be underestimated.
The support from those behind the scenes was unwavering from pre-season onwards, with McHugh noting: “It’s a massive community club and we’ve got a huge amount of people behind us. We knew that really from the start of the year, we knew we had a huge community behind us.
“It does mean a huge amount. It’s been a long time since the club last won an AIL. The last time we were actually in a final, a play-off final, was 26 years ago.
“So it’s been a long wait for a final like this, and we’re just absolutely over the moon to get over the line.”
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