Terenure College RFC U20s defeated Lansdowne 10 9 in a cracker in Donnybrook on Friday night to win the McCorry Cup for the first time in 43 attempts…
Played in front of a massive crowd, Terenure took the lead when a well worked line out maul straight from the training ground led to hooker Josh Cowen grounding the ball. Stephen O Neill kicked a great conversion and for the rest of the half the two teams threw their bodies into everything and the tackling, skill and broken field running from both sides was enthralling to watch.
Lansdowne kicked two penalties to leave the score 7-6 to the Nure. Lansdowne deserve great credit for holding up the Terenure charge on the half time whistle. Lansdowne started the 2nd half with real purpose and some great defending by Terenure meant that their only return was a penalty by out half Eoin McKeown to make the score 9-7 to Lansdowne.
Terenure upped their game and started to create a couple of chances which had Lansdowne on the back foot. Terenure offloaded their bench and the impact the players had on the game was there for all to see. With about 12 mins on the clock Terenure got a penalty just inside the Lansdowne half and Stephen bravely stood up and knocked the kick between the posts. This led to a frantic last 10 and the way the Terenure 15 held on to the ball with both backs and forwards taking responsibility was amazing to watch. When Terenure managed to hold up a Lansdowne maul on the halfway line, referee Dudley Phillips blew his whistle and signalled the end of a fantastic game.
The scenes of jubilation and tears of joy from both players and supporters from Terenure was there for everyone to see and it really brought home to the side how much winning the McCorry Cup for the first time meant to Terenure College RFC and its supporters. This completed a Historic double as Terenure won the JP Fanagan League earlier in the season and they also contested the All Ireland Final losing narrowly to Cork Con.
Congratulations to both sides for a cracking game played in the right spirit with both teams prepared to attack. The one point difference in the score line tells its own story and in the end these Terenure players well deserve to be the first team from TCRFC to bring the McCorry Cup Home.
