A late try by left wing Zac Vaughan, his second, sealed Terenure’s progress to the Bank of Ireland Leinster Schools Senior Cup quarter-final in an electric atmosphere in front of a large attendance at Donnybrook on Sunday.
The over eager Terenure forwards piled into the first ruck, forgetting to stay on their feet. St Mary’s moved the ball until it was spilled. It was all going on as part of the feeling out process.
St Mary’s flanker Andrew McDermott halved wing Christian Collins in the tackle, but Terenure’s nine Mark Fabian forced the concession of a lineout.
They secured that and moved the ball left for Sam Dardis to look odds-on for a try, paying the price for holding the ball in one hand.
There was consolation from Mark Fabian’s penalty for the opening points in the fourth minute.
When Fabian next put boot to ball, it fell into the open arms of wing Peter Fitzgerald. He took care of it to set-up a penalty and the prime real estate of position inside the 22.
They couldn’t control the ball and Fabian cleared to touch from manic ‘Nure counter rucking.
The first incident of concern came when Terenure prop Jack Boyden was yellow carded for an illegal tackle.
St Mary’s looked to take advantage, centre Craig Kennedy testing Stevie Barry on the outside. The ball was ripped away in the tackle for Dardis to clean up.
Terenure wing Zac Vaughan steamrolled a tackler and St Mary’s blindside McDermott did a fair impression of Josh van der Flier in sweeping down a carrier.
Derry O’Connor set the tempo as St Mary’s looked to go around the outside where lock Niall Curran was cut down by wing Collins.
The harrying St Mary’s forwards on the fringe got their hands to a Fabian punt. But, they lost the lineout.
A smart inside ball from fly-half Mark Kirwan had Vaughan hurtling into space where he was squeezed for room by Brian McCann.
Not for the first time, Terenure worked their way past St Mary’s 40-metre line only to go off their feet in a matter of obvious frustration.
The pick-and-go from St Mary’s prop Michael McCormack was incisive enough to draw a penalty which centre Alexi Schuster pushed to the left in the 28th minute.
The footwork of their number eight Ronan Foley and a long, low ball from Schuster put them back on the attack.
From there, Terenure obstructed a runner around the side of a ruck for Schuster to make amends for the equaliser from the left on the half-hour.
Terenure came right where McCann was waiting and back to the left where McDermott was a beastly figure in the tackle.
The counter punch came from full-back Cian Buckley to eke out a penalty which Schuster made for 6-3 from distance.
The next job was to consolidate their advantage. They didn’t, as a knock-on by McCann was played by Buckley.
However, Fabian pulled his kick across the face of the posts as the half-time whistle blew.
St Mary’s came up short on the restart to concede a scrum on halfway.
They were soon defending a lineout where Foley caused a turnover.
A loose scrum was turned over by Jeff Clarkin’s poacher’s instinct. The penalty came and ‘Nure went to the corner.
They had a go peeling away to the right and came back to the blindside for Vaughan’s strength to make all the difference.
Fabian converted from the touchline, via the crossbar, for 10-6 in the 39th minute.
St Mary’s responded through lock Ronan Waters’ tremendous take to the tail of a lineout and hard charges by prop Niall McEniff, maintained by flanker Faolan Crowe’s wonderful pick-up off his bootlaces, and Curran before they lost control at a ruck.
McEniff was back on the ball only for centre Ted O’Donoghue to pinch a turnover on the floor.
The pace was relentless.
‘Nure prop Boyden charged down out-half David Boyle’s clearance, prompting lock Waters into another athletic fetch at the lineout.
St Mary’s were pushing the ball wider into that high risk area, trusting their skills as ‘Nure looked to their defence.
Dardis took the sensible option to kick into space for a gain of territory. This worked a treat.
Clarkin gathered at the rear of a lineout. The ball was whipped away for Dardis to produce a magical blend of speed and stepping for a spectacular finish. Fabian converted for 17-6 in the 60th minute.
That wasn’t the end of it.
St Mary’s struck gold when McCormack powered on from a lineout maul and replacement Tomas Tierney dotted down.
Centre Schuster’s conversion rebounded back off the left post to leave six points in it with six minutes left on the clock.
The game was put to bed when centre Stevie Barry rifled through a small gap, Dardis was the link in the chain and Vaughan claimed his second for Fabian to close it out in the 68th minute.
At Donnybrook – TERENURE COLLEGE 24 (Z Vaughan 2 tries; S Dardis try; M Fabian pen, 3 cons); ST MARY’S COLLEGE 11 (T Tierney try; A Schuster 2 pens).
TERENURE COLLEGE 24 ST MARY’S COLLEGE 11
Terenure: Sam Dardis; Christian Collins, Stevie Barry, Ted O’Donoghue, Zac Vaughan; Mark Kirwan, Mark Fabian; Jack Boyden, Jacob Henry-Hayes, Sean Collins, Rory Byrne, Adam Melia, Jeff Clarkin, Conor O’Sullivan, Jack Dignam (capt).
Replacements: Sean Patchell for O’Sullivan 12 mins – temp; Jack O’Hare for Byrne 48 mins; Josh Long for Dignam 57mins; Adam La Grue for O’Donoghue 60 mins; Harry O’Neill for Henry-Hayes, Sean Patchell for Boyden, Rory McGrath for Clarkin, Ciaran Cahill for Fabian, Callum Ashmore for Vaughan all 68 mins.
St Mary’s: Cian Buckley; Peter Fitzgerald, Craig Kennedy, Alexie Schuster, Brian McCann; David Boyle, Derry O’Connor; Niall McEniff, Richie Bergin, Michael McCormack, Ronan Waters, Niall Curran (capt), Andrew McDermott, Faolan Crowe, Ronan Foley.
Replacements: Tomas Tierney for McDermott 60 mins; Daragh McDonagh for O’Connor 67 mins.
Referee: Nigel Correll, Leinster Branch.
