Rock and Belvedere will have to do it all again…

They will have to do it all over again as Blackrock out-half Conor Dean sent this thrilling Bank of Ireland Leinster Schools Senior Cup quarter-final to a replay at Donnybrook on Wednesday.

From the moment the draw was made, this was billed as the final in all but name.
 
Blackrock captain Caelan Doris plucked the kick-off right out of the sky for an immediate surge in the atmosphere and Belvedere flanker Max Kearney hammered prop Emmet Burns in a tackle.   
 
It didn’t prevent continuity and ‘Rock forced the first penalty which James McGowan leaked right. 
 
Doris was too eager in on the poach to cough up a penalty. It offered Belvo’ time to breathe. They were not interested in slowing the game down.
 
They were just as in-tune to test ‘Rock on the left and then back to the right, prop Dan McCaffrey an obvious dangerman in the close exchanges.
 
There was lovely variation to Belvedere’s attack, scrum-half Paraic Cagney feeding those around the fringes and wings James McKeown and Peter Maher looking for involvement.
 
The outstretched hand of flanker Richard Dunne gave Conor Jennings a shot at the posts. He missed from 40 metres.
 
Out-half Dean’s sublime pass had to be catered for in the Belvo’ defence. When the ball came the other way, it was too high for full-back McGowan.
 
The Northsiders came raiding down the left for the third time where Conor Kelly put a stop to Maher. Galvin returned the favour with interest when the hooker cut down Doris.
 
The first breakthrough would be important.
 
It came from flanker Dunne when up in support of scrum-half Luke Gaffney’s scything break and over the shoulder pass.
 
James McGowan converted for 7-0 in the 18th minute.
 
There was a quick response when the ‘Rock forwards did not retreat from Gaffney’s kick. Jennings could not make it count from 38 metres.  
 
There was a third opportunity to take points. Jennings looked to the corner.
 
They were fluid away from the lineout. The pressure was good enough to earn another penalty. This time Jennings took the three points in the 25th minute.   
 
The impact of ‘Rock prop Emmet Burns was unmistakeable, always beating the first man up to make the gain line
 
The pace of the game was frightening. Max Kearney cleaned up a wayward ‘Rock lineout. Jennings spilled the ball.
 
‘Rock wing Patrick Patterson almost got clean away. The ball was cleaned for hooker Stephen McLaughlin to run out of room with men to spare.
 
Eventually, Dean stood in the pocket and flighted a drop goal just right of the posts.  
 
They were immediately forced to find an escape route from inside their half and Burns was caught in possession for another penalty.
 
Jennings’s connection was not what he would have wanted.
 
The half concluded with centre Gavin Mullin being halted by the unbelievably dominant Kearney leaving Blackrock ahead 7-3 arguably against the run of play.
 
It was still all there for the taking.
 
The passing of Dean and the drift onto the ball of Mullin caused confusion, but not panic.
 
Then, Belvo’ broke from deep for Jennings and full-back Hugh O’Sullivan to put James McKeown in play. It was good enough to take the game deep into enemy territory.  
 
A stunning line by Kearney was the beginning of a composed, cool attack which ended with out-half David Hawkshaw spearing the defence for the lead try. 
 
Jennings converted for 10-7 in the 44th minute.
 
This seemed to juice them up even further in defence where they shunted ‘Rock into touch twice down the right.
 
The choke tackle was also starting to take hold for Belvedere with Kearney right in the thick of it.
 
Blackrock came calling one again, their three-quarters looking so dangerous until Kearney slowed a ruck and prop Conor Walsh clamped down for a penalty at the next one. 
 
The waves of attack were non-stop, Mullin slipping inside Kearney, prop Richie Mouatt finally having his pocket picked by McCaffrey.
 
Scrum-half Cagney stumbled over Dunne to convince referee Blake of a penalty. Jennings opted for the corner instead of the posts where the lineout misfired.
 
Blackrock were brave. They moved from deep, looking to Mullin. Hawkshaw got a hand in to force a fumble out of Dean. 
 
All the while, Blackrock refused to go away from their ball-in-hand approach, Mullin making the most serious dent for a penalty to come their way for Dean to make it 10-all in the 65th minute.
 
The replay of the Blackrock College v Belvedere College will take place in Donnybrook on Monday the 22^nd of February, 3pm KO.
 
The Junior Cup match-Newbridge College v Belvedere College that was scheduled for that day will now take place on Sunday the 28^th of February at 3pm.
 
At Donnybrook – BLACKROCK COLLEGE 10 (R Dunne try; C Dean pen; J McGowan con); BELVEDERE COLLEGE 10 (D Hawkshaw try; C Jennings pen, con).
 
Blackrock: James McGowan; Patrick Patterson, Gavin Mullin, Liam Turner, Conor Kelly; Conor Dean, Luke Gaffney; Emmet Burns, Stephen McLoughlin, Richie Mouatt, Colm O’Flaherty, Charlie Ryan, Richard Dunne, John Fairley, Caelan Doris.
 
Replacements: Charlie Connolly for Burns 39 mins; Jack Gardiner for Ryan 40 mins – temp; Hugo Bourke for Fairley 51 mins; Ferdia Power for McGowan 56 mins; Hugh Egleston for McLoughlin 62 mins.
 
Belvedere: Hugh O’Sullivan; James McKeown, Conor Jennings, Hugh Sexton, Peter Maher; David Hawkshaw, Paraic Cagney; Daniel McCaffrey, Cian Galvin, Conor Walsh, Hugh Fenlon, Brian Egan (capt), Senan McNulty, Max Kearney, Tom de Jongh.
Replacements: Fergus Flood for Cagney 54 mins; Jesse Iredale for McNulty, James Kenny for Fenlon both 56 mins; Cillian Molloy for McCaffrey, Jake Robinson for Walsh both 65 mins.
 
Referee: Dermot Blake, Leinster Branch.