Clongowes Wood College 38 CBC Monkstown 10

Clongowes Wood College needed a convincing second half performance to book their place in the Bank of Ireland Leinster Schools Senior Cup semi-finals.

Although leading 13-3 at the break, Clongowes were worked all over the field by CBC Monkstown in the first 35 minutes.

Monkstown had the initiative from the start and though the territorial kicking game of James Reynolds and Eoin Quinn was proving successful, they failed to make their dominance count on the scoreboard.

Clongowes stood firm and then were able to get points on the board with one of their few early forays into Monkstown territory.

A Thomas Gilheany line break eventually led to Monkstown being penalised and David Wilkinson made it 3-0.

Monkstown were patient in responding and just before the half hour mark Quinn responded with a penalty of their own after a period of sustained pressure.

Wilkinson restored the advantage for Clongowes with another penalty in the 33rd minute before the pivotal score of the half.

Wing Luke McDermott collected a ball deep in his own half, dinked it over the first line of tacklers before finding himself with ball in hand again and space to run into.

He attracted the last defender and offloaded to Ross MacGoey who left it to No 8 Tom Coghlan and finally Gilheany who dotted down for the game’s opening try.

Monkstown’s second half revival received a huge setback inside the second minute of the half when a delayed pass from Wilkinson set Hugo Philips through for five.

Philips’ centre partner Joe Carroll was next to cross the white wash for Clongowes giving them a 28-3 lead.

Cian Tallon had cleverly forced his way through on the goal line to give Monkstown’s vocal crowd a boost but Philips got his second try of the day almost immediately after.

Luke McDermott finished the scoring with his 63rd minute effort as Clongowes march on to a date with Gonzaga College.

Scorers – Clongowes Wood: Hugo Philips two tries, Thomas Gilheany, Joe Carroll, Luke McDermott try each, David Wilkinson 3 pens, 2 cons; CBC Monkstown: Cian Tallon try, Eoin Quinn pen, James Reynolds con.

Clongowes Wood College: John Maher (Tim O’Brien 57’), Luke McDermott, Joe Carroll, Hugo Philips, Mark Galvin, David Wilkinson (Flyn Kiernan 57’), Ross MacGoey (Harry Arkwright 63’); Barry Dooley (Conor Duff 63’), Calum Dowling (Ethan Noone 63’), Ryan McMahon (Luke McMahon 63’), Calum Doyle (Gavin Dowling 63’), Hugh Lonergan, Diarmuid McCormack, Thomas Gilheany, Tom Coghlan (capt) (Patrick Dowling 63’).

CBC Monkstown: Sean Power, Logan Brady (Daniel Drummond 62’), James Reynolds (capt), Gareth Hughes, Robbie Browne (Eoghan Healy 57’), Eoin Quinn, Cian Tallon (Ewan Watson 67’); Seamus Flannery (Patrick Nolan 41’), Conor Anderson (Eoin Quinn 62’), Luke Dunne (Theodore Brady 62’), Hugh Ross (Jonathan Browne 50-53’, Calum McCoy 67’), Daniel Montayne, Liam Forster, Niall Scully (Jonathan Browne 62’), Tadhg St Leger-Quinn.

Referee: Andrew Cole