Clongowes were taken to the limit by tenacious Temple Carrig in the Bank of Ireland Leinster Junior Schools Cup at Donnybrook on Monday.

Temple have made serious progress in a short space of time and the foundation of their game is based on positive, attacking rugby.

First, they had to defend and a two-man tackle prevented Clongowes flanker John Carroll from grounding the ball in the right corner.

The pressure was maintained as centre Rory Morrin sped down the right. The lineout was the platform for hooker Leo Dowling to get held up over the line.

They were not about to waste another chance, Morrin diving in for out-half Charlie Reilly to convert in the 9th minute.

Temple were more clinical in that the first chance they created from bursts by full-back Joe Prendergast and wing Eoin O’Neill they finished through the footwork of centre Sean Lloyd in the 16th minute.

This provided immediate confidence. Their forwards were moving onto the ball and centre Lloyd surged up the right.

Clongowes’ Carroll scooted in behind where he was felled by a textbook takedown by full-back Prendergast.

The longer the Clane school spent inside the 22, the more likely it wouldn’t turn out well for Temple as scrum-half Oisin Devitt started to have an influence.

They just couldn’t break down a resolute defence in which number eight Conor Fulham and James McCormac were prominent.

Temple began the second period better then the first, wing Colm Condon coming within inches of getting downward pressure on out-half Thade Shanahan’s clever kick.

When second row Max Homan pilfered a turnover, the half-backs Luke Dorgan and Shanahan moved the ball left for good hands to send Lloyd over for his second, Shanahan’s conversion making it 12-7 in the 36th minute.

Clongowes sought to take the direct route forward until openside Cameron O’Hara stopped them with a poach.

Their replacement wing Derick Scholarin served notice of his pace from his first and second touches of the game.

A neat move around the front of the lineout put prop Barry D’Arcy on the ball to level it up in the 52nd minute.

Then, Clongowes steamed forward for a penalty which Devitt nailed for the lead.

They move further clear when Devitt kicked a penalty after forcing Temple to counter from deep.

And that was it, final score Clongowes Wood College 18 Temple Carrig School 12.

Clongowes Wood College: Charlie McNamee; Sean Noone, Rory Morrin, Michael Spillane, Daniel O’Donohue; Charlie Reilly (capt), Oisin Devitt; Marcus Roca, Leo Dowling, Barry D’Arcy, Aran Mannion, Andrew Matthews, Louis Murray, John Carroll, Hugh Wilkinson.

Replacements: Inigo Cruise-O’Brien for Mannion, Derick Scholarin for O’Donohue both 40 mins; Toby O’Donnell for D’Arcy mins.

Temple Carrig School: Joe Prendergast; Jack O’Sullivan, Sean Lloyd, Eoin O’Neill, Colm Condon; Thade Shanahan, Luke Dorgan; Noah Baker, Jude Burke, Steven Salmon, Fionn Brauner, Gerhard Zdunek (capt), James McCormac, Cameron O’Hara, Conor Fulham.

Replacements: Max Homan for Brauner 54 mins.