The old order wasn’t too far away from being overturned as Gorey Community School gave Newbridge all the battle they wanted in this Bank of Ireland Leinster Schools Junior Cup first round tie at Seapoint RC on Tuesday.
There were nerves on both sides with the Wexford boys especially looking for confidence on the exposed Kilbogget Park pitch.
They found it from their captain Sean Wafer, who produced a try to add a degree of confidence.
The Kildare school knew they were in a real contest now up.
Captain Jack Doyle started to give them a foothold from his leadership and general play.
Hooker Bill Kavanagh and left wing David Higgins pounced for tries to make it 10-5 by the 21st minute.
Gorey were going nowhere. They were there for the duration and they were menacing at the breakdown where openside Wafer and number eight Jack Ryan were prominent.
Fly-half Mark Boyle gave them territory and flanker Nacho Farina squared the game at 10-all by the break.
It was all to play for at this stage with Gorey’s big forwards causing all sorts of problems.
It was then Doyle showed his class by landing a penalty, breaking the game open with a try and dispatching a cross-field kick which Higgins gobbled up for his second try, converted by Doyle.
At Seapoint RC – NEWBRIDGE COLLEGE 25 (D Higgins 2 tries; J Doyle try, pen, con; B Kavanagh try); GOREY COMMUNITY SCHOOL 15 (S Wafer, N Farina, J Ryan try each).
Newbridge: Sam Cahill; Marcus Kiely, Daniel O’Connor, Daniel Caulfield, David Higgins; Ethan Lyons, Jack Doyle (capt); Zachary O’Reilly, Bill Kavanagh, Jack Ryan, Oisin Halpin, Fionnan Morrin, Mark Moynihan, Conor McGroary, Muiris Cleary.
Replacements Used: Cormac Stopes, Patrick O’Flaherty, Rory Cross, Robert Scully, Thomas Sheedy, John Shanahan, Jordan Nolan, Harry Quirke.
Gorey: Cian Kenny; Alvaro Onieva, Michael Kennedy, Oran Fitzpatrick, Flynn Donnelly; Mark Boyle, Cormac Walsh; Cian Sullivan, Adam Simpson, Ryan Gibney, Pablo Onieva, Martin O’Loughlin, Nacho Farina, Sean Wafer (capt), Jack Ryan.
Replacements Used: Mark Kehoe, Tom Doyle.
