Phil Werahiko’s Belvedere struck for a half-dozen tries to complete the final four in the Leinster Senior Cup at Donnybrook yesterday.
CBC would have seen pre-tournament favourites St Michael’s and Blackrock humbled in earlier quarter-finals and they had to believe this was their turn to really make this the year of the upset.
A good start would be part of the battle. The greasy conditions were a problem on a mild, wet afternoon. From one spill, scrum-half Greg O’Kelly picked up the pieces to launch a long ball forward which earned a penalty, pushed to the right by Conor Jennings.
The ball resembled a bar of soap before Belvedere wing Eoin Cleere cut a fine line out wide. They came back the other way for Sean Long to make the line with the help of his friends.
Out-half Conor Jennings converted for 7-0 in the sixth minute.
Exemplary handling was the hallmark of their next try, despite a strong impact by CBC centre Ben Mahon at a ruck, as they switched into gear.
Long travelled well down the right and Jennings used his runners as decoys to cross from distance, hitch-kicking his way out of the last tackle. He put two more on top of it to make it 14-0 in the tenth minute.
It was beginning to look like a mismatch. CBC were under the kosch. Left wing Thomas O’Callaghan did well under pressure to tidy up in defence.
However, Belvo’ were soon in for their third try as O’Kelly moved the ball left for centre Declan Monaghan to put James McKeown over for 19-0 by the 15th minute.
It was all hands on deck for CBC, their lock Jack McAteer swiping a turnover at the breakdown. It was undone by more than one support player going off their feet for Jennings to add three more.
CBC finally got some go-forward in the right area of the field for hooker Alex Holmes and centre Mahon to make inroads. They just couldn’t control the ball.
There were better signs as O’Callaghan scurried up the left and prop Eoghan Clarke straightened the attack. The maul was finding traction too at the end of hooker Holmes’ throw.
It wasn’t long before Belvedere turned defence into attack as Long moved into space and found McKeown with a sympathetic inside pass for try number four, converted by Jennings on the half-hour.
Monkstown captain Hugo O’Neill, prop Holmes and the ever-willing Mahon kept carrying the fight.
Not for long. They were soon on the back-foot, yet again, Mahon making a last-ditch stop on flanker Jesse Iredale. Jennings stepped up for another three-pointer to make it 32-0 at the break.
From here, it was all about character for Monkstown. They responded, captain Hugo O’Neill taking up the baton and number eight Joe Halwax getting in behind. They couldn’t stay there.
Long was back causing havoc, coming in off his wing and the wing set up McKeown for his hat-trick from a quick strike move in the 42nd minute.
This must have been heartbreaking for CBC. They didn’t show it as prop Eoghan Clarke never let his intensity drop. They had a kick to the corner and the maul had been their weapon of choice.
They chose ball of the top and Mahon found an inside shoulder, but Belvo’ number eight Tom de Jongh picked up a poach.
The Northsiders were keen to move the ball from deep and got what they were looking for when McKeown, full-back Hugh O’Sullivan engineered an opening for replacement Oscair McGrath, giving them position deep inside the 22.
A snipe from scrum-half Rob Jordan and thrust by Halwax took CBC over halfway and Mahon’s exact penalty put them in prime position. Halwax took in the lineout and the drive came on. Halwax made the line. Mahon converted for 37-7 in the 55th minute.
Then, Monkstown marched a maul forward for 25 metres for the reward of a penalty. Mahon couldn’t locate touch. Jordan did from closer in as Belvo’ tried to counter out of defence.
They went to the tail of the lineout. Jordan, O’Neill and Halwax went close, but not close enough.
An intercept, kick and pick off the floor by replacement wing Eoin McCabe put CBC one metre out for Sean Tinney to find the line. Mahon kicked the conversion in the 70th minute.
The winners put an exclamation point on their performance with their sixth try by replacement Hugo Sexton’s slide to the whitewash.
BELVEDERE COLLEGE 42 CBC MONKSTOWN 14
At Donnybrook – Belvedere College 42 (J McKeown 3 tries; C Jennings try, 2 pens, 3 cons; S Long, H Sexton try each); CBC Monkstown 14 (J Halwax, S Tinney try each; B Mahon 2 cons).
Belvedere: H O’Sullivan; E Cleere, J McKeown, D Monaghan, S Long; C Jennings, G O’Kelly; M Sweeney (capt), A Hynes, E Molloy, C McCaffrey, B Egan, J Iredale, M Kearney, T de Jongh.
Replacements: O McGrath for O’Kelly 2 mins – temp; O McGrath for Long 43 mins; F Dillon-Kelly for Molloy 44 mins; S McNulty for Kearney; J Kenny for McCaffrey both 50 mins; H Sexton for McKeown 51 mins; C Galvin for Iredale 57 mins; D McCaffrey for Hynes 65 minutes.
Monkstown: D Porter; S Sweeney, K Shaw, B Mahon, T O’Callaghan; S Doyle, R Jordan; M McGrath, A Holmes, E Clarke, J McAteer, H O’Neill (capt), R Courtney, M Hallam, J Halwax.
Replacements: T Kelly for Doyle 16 mins; P Lyons for Courtney ht; P Rogers for Shaw 37 mins; E McCabe for Porter, C Byrden for Holmes both 42 mins; S Tinney for McGrath 65 mins.
Referee: K Beggs, Leinster Branch.
