The Clane school couldn’t have started any better as their out-half David Wilkinson made a break and Jack Hilliard finished with real pace and power.
Then, the strength of number eight Barry Dooley and one-handed offload gave prop Michael Behan to chance to stretch his legs for out-half Wilkinson to convert for 12-0 in the sixth minute.
Roscrea were not content to sit back.
Number eight Conor Power and openside Oisin McCloskey united for good effect and centre Jacob Faughnan was just wide from a penalty on the left.
They were opened up by a superb arcing line by centre Christopher Grimes which included enough speed to guarantee the third try, converted by Wilkinson.
Number eight Dooley, Grimes and captain Calum Dowling ramped up the try-count in double-quick time with Wilkinson kicking the conversions for 40-0 at the break.
Roscrea simply recharged the batteries and came out to give it everything they had and flanker McCloskey led the way.
The captain found strong support from Power, full-back Sam Murphy and centre Dylan Keane.
Roscrea were able to keep Clongowes at arm’s length and put more of their attacking plans in place.
They ended the game on all-out attack without the resources to carve out the score they so badly wanted.
Clongowes Wood College 40 Cistercian College, Roscrea 0
At Donnybrook – CLONGOWES WOOD COLLEGE 40 (C Grimes 2 tries; J Hilliard, M Behan, B Dooley, C Dowling try each; D Wilkinson 5 cons); CISTERCIAN COLLEGE ROSCREA 0.
Clongowes: Harry Radmall; Sam Reilly, Christopher Grimes, Christopher Martin, George Fitzpatrick; David Wilkinson, Adam Reynolds; Michael Behan, Evan O’Boyle, Benedict Keogh, Thomas Mulcair, Jack Kearney, Jack Hilliard, Calum Dowling (capt), Barry Dooley.
Replacements: Luke McMahon for Kearney ht; Eoghan Chambers for Keogh 40 mins; Gareth Donovan for Reilly 45 mins; Hugh Hogan for Grimes 47 mins; Kealan Noone for O’Boyle 48 mins; Sean Sexton for Mulcair, Simon Beggs for Behan, Joseph Dundon for Hilliard all 53 mins.
Roscrea: Sam Murphy; Harry Kenny, Jacob Faughnan, Dylan Keane, Sean Liffey; Manus Heenan, Adam Lampkin; Shane Connolly, Brian Culleton, Lorcan McDonnell, Jack Gilligan, Andreas Murphy, Bill Burns, Oisin McCloskey (capt), Conor Power.
Replacements: John McKeon for A Murphy ht; Wardrill Talliandier for S Murphy 45 mins; Christian Fehily for McDonnell 48 mins; Carlos Griffin for Lampkin 49 mins; Sean Frawley for Connolly, Darragh McCrohan for Faughnan, Fiachra Callen for Liffey all 55 mins; Adam Kennedy for Power 57 mins.
Referee: Mark Jenkinson, Leinster Branch.
